Black Friday deals? If you didn't shop early there is good reason to wait

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, marks the traditional start of the holiday shopping season. But in a year of pervasive supply chain disruptions, we can expect to see higher prices, more competition for hot items, and probably a lot of late bargains. So, my shopping advice is kind of mixed, but keep some of that holiday shopping budget available for late arriving merchandise or sales.

If you shop at many of the big box retailers, you will probably find lots of goods available, although the product selection on display in stores may cover up some shortages. On recent earnings calls, retailers like Walmart and Target claimed they are well stocked with lots of inventory in spite of the bottlenecks in the ports and logistics networks. These companies have the resources to get ahead of curve on supply chain problems — they have people on the ground working with Asian suppliers and logistics providers every day.