RenoTransformation: Week 3 — Global Shipping Chaos Hits Home

I recently read an article in the New York Times about the current state of global shipping and the havoc created by, you guessed it, Covid-19. It seems that shipping companies are focussed on the lucrative China-North America trade routes. Containers sent to South America and Africa with medical supplies are empty and idling at their ports with no one interested in fetching them. Ports are short-staffed. Lockdowns create more chaos. And I can’t find a kitchen sink.

It started back in November, though at that time I didn’t realise that global shipping was going to affect our little RenoTransformation project in little Singapore. We visited the Bosch customer experience centre to view and select, and hopefully purchase some items and take advantage of promotions (i.e. discounts, freebies, etc). The first thing the sales rep asks is “when do you need the items?”. That should have been our first clue. She relaxed significantly when we told her we needed the items in March/April of 2021. Then she brought us to the dishwashers and pointed at a model saying “this one is our newest and best selling model but it’s not for you because it will take 6 months for delivery.” Further questioning revealed this interesting nugget — there is a 400,000 person global wait list for that particular machine. It seems a lot of people are cooking and eating at home and have discovered the value of a good eco-friendly, dishwasher and Bosch can’t manufacture them fast enough. We quietly bought the appliances which would be delivered…