Psaki celebrates shelves being stocked again just three days before Christmas

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki took a shot at ‘doubters’ and Scrooges who feared supply chain backlogs could hurt Christmas, as retailers managed to stock shelves in time for the holidays. 

‘Take that Scrooge, the Grinch and all of the doubters that this could happen,’ Psaki crowed on Twitter. ‘Also shelves are stocked at 90% (pre-pandemic levels are 91%).’

She linked to a New York Times story trumpeting improved deliveries leading up to the holiday crunch, citing numerous factors including many consumers going inside stores and ordering early amid fears supply chain blockages could end up leaving Americans with coal in their stockings.

The paper reported that the ‘vast majority’ of packages delivered by UPS, FedEx and the Postal Service are gifts en route to residences, citing software firm ShipMatrix. 

‘And nearly all have arrived on time or with minimal delays, defined as a few hours late for express packages and no more than a day late for ground shipments.’

‘Take that Scrooge, the Grinch and all of the doubters that this could happen,’ wrote White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, touting a report that retailers had managed to stock shelves by Christmas

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tweeted about stocked shelves on Wednesday

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tweeted about stocked shelves on Wednesday

Among the other factors: firms boosted capacity by hiring staff and expanding hours, retailers moved inventory to where it could get picked up easier, and Americans returned to physical stores.

In-store shopping made up nearly two-thirds of retail revenue, a 12 point increase from its low-point. 

Psaki also retweeted a user named Win! with 185 followers, who wrote: ‘I truthfully have had no problems getting anything I have needed for Christmas or in general. I’m waiting for all the republicans to say “great job!”

Psaki retweeted: ‘hard same.’ 

But the story wasn’t all positive. The Times reported that supply chain turmoil is not over. 

‘About a hundred container ships are waiting off the West Coast to unload their cargo. Big-ticket items, such as new cars, are still hard to find because of a shortage of some critical parts like computer chips. And prices are up for all kinds of goods,’ it said. 

USDA Choice beef is displayed for sale in a grocery store on November 11, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. The administration is grappling with a historic spike in inflation

USDA Choice beef is displayed for sale in a grocery store on November 11, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. The administration is grappling with a historic spike in inflation

A limited assortment of boxes and bags of crackers sit on empty shelves in a Target store Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Aurora, Colo.

A limited assortment of boxes and bags of crackers sit on empty shelves in a Target store Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Aurora, Colo.

Her messaging came just three days before Christmas, as Biden prepared to meet again with his Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force and CEOs.

According to the White House, he will get ‘another progress update on getting goods moving, keeping shelves stocked, and lowering prices for Americans.’

Biden has spoken repeatedly in public about meeting needs of holiday shoppers – amid a spike in inflation to the highest level in decades and fears about bottled up supplies.

He said December 1st: ‘Now, I can’t promise that every person will get every gift they want on time. Only Santa Claus can keep that promise. But there are items every year that sell out, that are hard to find,’ he said, pointing to Cabbage Patch Kids in the 90s and Beanie Babies in the 90s. 

‘But we’re heading into a holiday season on very strong shape. And it’s not because of luck. We averted potential crisis by figuring out what needed to get fixed and then we brought people together to do the hard work of fixing it.’ 

Those comments came after a series of reports of a looming catastrophe, and problems consumers have experienced getting items from new cars to used cars and consumer products.  

Taking part in Biden’s meeting are administration officials including Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg, and economic advisor Brian Deese. 

CEOs of FedEx, the association of Port Authorities, the GAP, shipping provider Yellow Corp and software firm Fastport will take part.   

A White House fact sheet touts efforts to press ports to move towards 24/7 operations at ports, slap fees on carriers in California when goods sit on docks, and provide grants to ports to boost trucking.

The sheet also touts a 12-cent-per-gallon drop in the price of gasoline – which coincides both with Biden’s announcement he would pump oil from the nation’s strategic reserve, and the spread of the Omicron variant, which raised fears of slower growth.