Costco Cheese Shortage: Why Some Imported Products Are Hard To Find

Costco customers may want to hold off on pulling out the charcuterie board because their favorite imported cheese might not be in stock.

Due to a shortage in shipping containers along West Coast ports, including Los Angeles, Oakland, Long Beach, Seattle and cities as around the world, the retailer has faced issues with keeping shelves filled with imported cheeses, CNN reports.

Along with cheeses, the shortage has caused delays in the chain receiving olive oils, seafood, furniture, lawn and garden equipment, and sporting goods.

“Overseas freight has continued to be an issue in regards to container shortage and port delays. This has caused timing delays on certain categories,” Richard Galanti, the chief financial officer at Costco, previously said during a call with analysts.

However, Costco wasn’t the only store affected by the storage bin shortages. Retailers, including Urban Outfitters, Crocs, Foot Locker and Dollar Tree, have also had trouble refilling stock on certain items in stores on the West Coast.

The high demand and limited storage containers have driven up the shipping costs for retailers. Last year, shipping costs to the U.S. totaled around $2.46 billion. However, by January 2021, that cost had reached $6.36 billion.

Jon Gold, the National Retail Federation vice president of supply chain and customs policy, revealed retailers have been overwhelmed amid the coronavirus pandemic. “The supply chain has been maxed out,” he said.

Gold claimed the ports were “not able to handle the volume that is coming in” due to the high demands from customers and a decrease in employees from workers infected by COVID-19.

“Containers have been sitting at the port longer than they typically do,” Gold said, adding, “the availability of empty containers has been a challenge, both here and overseas.”

Although Costco shoppers are still waiting on imported cheeses to return to the store, the retailer has plenty of oatmeal in stock. Customers can now purchase a 40-packet box of Quaker Fruit & Cream Instant Oatmeal for just over $10, Eat This Not That reports.

Each packet, which contains dried fruit, can be made by adding either hot water or milk into a bowl with the cereal. The variety pack contains 12 of the Peaches & Cream, 12 packets of the strawberries & Cream, eight of the Bananas & Cream, and eight packets of the Blueberries & Cream.