Out of Stock

Car tires, furniture, clothes and shoes in the right size, cars, school uniforms, plane tickets, you name it, it's out of stock in Oz. The more you need it, the faster you need it, etc, etc, the more likely you are to hear "sorry, this item is out of stock." That's bad news also because to get it back in stock, it often takes weeks or months. Concrete examples now. When we moved here and shopped around to buy a car, besides the exorbitant, tax-overloaded car prices, the empty stock of cars also limited our buying options. Most cars we wanted were out of stock, although one of each was available on the floor of the respective dealerships to test drive. We could not wait for the car to be delivered, because we had no other car. So in the end we had no choice, bought the one car that was available… Last week-end we wanted to buy an armchair. Again, the ones we liked and wanted were out of stock. Yes, we could wait, but when were told that the object would be delivered in 9 to 11 weeks from China, we simply gave up. Final example. Last week I found out that I had to get the wheels aligned on my car and replace one very worn out tire. I went yesterday to a place specialized in tires and alignment, but heard the same story: we're out of stock! If I wanted to order them via the dealer, it would take four weeks. So off I go, calling all places I can, hopefully I can have the job done in a few days. I wish tires were like candy (called lollies in Oz). Look at the stock of candy in today’s picture! I guess they never run out of stock…