Welcome to the Delta economy: You can't always get what you want when you want it

Shoppers these days may need to take a cue from a Rolling Stones hit when it comes to setting their expectations: You can't always get what you want.

For years, Amazon and the rise of online shopping trained consumers to expect everything from groceries to furniture delivered to their doorsteps at the click of a button. While the pandemic introduced many to online shopping for the first time, the global supply chain disruptions that have come with it in the past 18 months have forced people to grapple with experiences once unimaginable: Product shortages. Extended delays. Frustration that they can't get goods right away. Depending on where you are, even buying a milkshake from McDonald's can prove to be a challenge.

Now, shoppers are heading into the holiday buying rush facing the prospect of additional shortages or delays, despite tactics from big chains such as ordering products early, chartering their own ships, and bringing in overseas goods by air.