‘Just keep it flowing.’ Three people working to untangle supply chain.

For every supply chain chokepoint, there’s a person working to free it up. Three frontline workers walk us through the global backlog, showing the humanity behind the quest to restock your store’s empty shelves.

Inside Miracle Mile Toys & Gifts in Los Angeles, owner Christina Mullin is deftly guiding a customer past the disruption in toy deliveries caused by the global supply chain backup. Of specific concern is an adorable wooden train that carries safari animals.

“We’re out of that,” she apologizes to a woman who wants it for her little boy. Then follows up: “Can I take your name?” She’ll contact the customer when it arrives. But the woman is from out of town, so Ms. Mullin suggests a different wooden train. It’s the same brand, and comes with a remote control. The mother is happy with that and leaves with an additional gift, a tray of plush, play sushi for her daughter. So California. 

“I hope against hope that I get my order before Christmas,” says Ms. Mullin about the popular train and other items on back order. She’s no expert, she explains, but she thinks they might be on a container ship somewhere, because they’re made in China. Meanwhile, she’s looking to try some new products, and help customers “find a new favorite.” 

Ms. Mullin’s missing toys could very well be aboard one of the dozens of ships that are waiting to enter the port complex of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The twin ports move more than 40% of all cargo containers entering the United States.

Now the complex has become a critical chokepoint in a tangled global web of shortages and shipping troubles, affecting everything from school lunches to toilet paper (again!) to auto parts. To unravel what’s happening, the Monitor visited with three human links in the LA supply chain – the director of ship traffic control for Southern California, a harbor trucker, and the toy-store retailer. Their stories illustrate the interconnectedness of the problems, and efforts to address them.