Supply chain disruptions becoming evident

[Reprise]

(mods - feel free to move to more appropriate section, as needed. This didn't qualify for the 'escape room'. You may decide to delete the post as 'fearmongering'; I'm just trying to give a heads-up to a community that I frequent. It is also geared more to the US members, as I don't have firsthand knowledge of Canadian supply chains. Thx.)


FYI... was placing a parts order this morning, and had to hunt for certain items that I normally never see 'on backorder'. This was for a full-size pickup, which sells 500K copies / yr.
I did eventually find everything I needed, at least for this order.

If you have something you know you're going to need to replace soon, or be potentially stranded... it might be good to get your order in now, or at least start looking.

China (where so many of the world's manufactured goods come from now) is restarting their own economy now, but it's been down for a couple of months, and takes time to restabilize.
Our own is obviously going to take awhile to get back to some sense of 'normalcy'. I used quote marks, there, for a reason.

This, on top of the continuing issues I see with item availability at the grocery (some caused by disparate supply chains for commercial / foodservice vs. consumer grocery, but an issue, nonetheless.) And government people (AgSec) getting on TV saying "no worries about food, people". To which I say, 'well, where IS it - it's been a month, now'. And my local grocery (a major chain) is probably 25mi from one of its main distribution warehouses, so it's not a 'distance' issue.

I also notice the weekly sales circular has become a LOT smaller, here, for two weeks running (not sure if happening anywhere else.) I went to the grocery yesterday and saw a lot fewer things 'on sale' (which usually occurs cyclically (e.g.; promotions), or in cases of excess inventory.)

Not suggesting you start hoarding, but if you need to replenish the larder, be aware that there are a LOT of empty spaces on the shelves where foodstuffs used to be. Oh, btw - same-store grocery sales are up 26%, month over month -- people are eating most meals at home, now. I know it's been a full month since I've ordered anything from a restaurant, at least.

On the farm front, we're now seeing news stories / video of dumped milk, smashed eggs, and harvest-ready crops being plowed under, for lack of a buyer / processor, or a crew to harvest the crop. Meat processing plants are prime places for the spread of transmission, due to the close proximity of workers; they're now being labeled 'hotspots', and closing. This also affects affiliated plants farther down the chain that depend on a regular supply of semi-finished goods, to make their own products (bacon, sausage, etc.)

And finally, the extended lead time on shipping "non-essential" items w/ Amazon (which also shows more items 'out of stock', as well).

Pharmaceuticals also look to be affected. Many of the raw materials now come from... China. And are manufactured in... India (which is also under a nation-wide lockdown). Lead times to manufacture certain items (injectables, for one) take an extended period under optimal circumstances. If you have maintenance prescriptions, it would be good to get an additional supply refilled, when you can. The good thing, here, is that these won't go to waste; you'll eventually need to use them.

Yeah, I'm officially 'concerned', now. Situational awareness can be a good thing.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

The plan fell into place just like was desired by the powers that be. Lots of long-term stuff will surface over then next weeks/years/decades/generations.

 

[TollKeeper]

Im one of those essential workers. I also have a 2 year old at home with my wife (stay at home mom). Our trucking company has seen a fall off of what we haul by 70-90%, depending on the day of the week. One of my driver has not worked in over a month, and another 2 workers havent worked in as long, but by there own choice.

The grocery store thing has had me worried for quite a while. As I said, I have a 2 year old, and we are potty training. Finding wipes, diapers, toilet paper has been nearly impossible. Food stuffs has also been hard. When everyone was stocking up on meat, I stocked up on canned goods. Now the canned goods are nearly impossible to find, but meat is getting a bit easier. Im finding odd meats on sale (ground turkey, ground bison, ground lamb), which has made some dinners a treat. Got some Venison steaks from a co-worker, which was also a welcome treat.

To this point, my larder and 2 fridges are well stocked, although low on meat (we have lots of Canned Vienna Sausage!). We finally managed to find some wipes, and diapers, after I borrowed a co-workers Costco card. I also was able to find two 6 pack toilet paper packs. Not nearly enough, but we will survive.

I tried to order a part (non-car) for a tool, which normally is a 2 day, Amazon Prime. It said it would not be delivered until Mayb 28... Uhm NO! That left me scrambling to call all my local parts houses, only to find they were all closed (as ordered by our dumb ass governor).. Finally found one that was doing sales, one on one, cash only, out the back door. Needs be needs...

This will end, but the effects are going to be felt for 20 damn years, or more, I would wager. Worst part is, I blame the majority of it on MSM, they underplayed it early on, than overplayed it later. This sent most sheeps into a panic.

 

[Mooseman]

Looking from the outside-in, the US is looking to be in way worse shape than Canada. Most provinces here are doing well to flatten that curve except Ontario and especially Quebec but is nowhere near the infection rates of the US. We don't have overrun hospitals at the moment but we do have a fair number and also deaths. Our main problem is infections and deaths in long term care homes where staffing and funding was pitiful even before and worsened after.

Catching some of the US news tells me that you guys are having a bad deal down there. Some states are understandably less affected since they are sparsely populated and neighbours are miles away. Also seeing news about meat processing plant closures or reductions due to infections is worrisome. Grocery stores here are still fairly well stocked without any bad shortages. Pasta is on the low side and toilet paper is still a hot commodity. Trucks are still moving the essential commodities however, other stuff is lacking. Our dairy producers are also dumping milk but this is mostly due to restaurants being closed. Can't go into any store, even if it's open, only available for online order pickup. Only exception right now is grocery stores. Although auto repair is considered an essential service, parts stores are not??? The only ones that can get around this are dealers and Canadian Tire because they are "like" a hardware store. I just ordered some U-joints for the TB on Amazon and they'll come in a month. Good thing it isn't urgent.

What we have to remember is that we have to let cooler heads prevail and not get into the mob mentality of either "we need our freedom" or "survival of the fittest". We will get on the other side eventually but it will take time. Remain calm and carry on.

 

[Blckshdw]

The grocery situation around me has improved over the past couple of weeks. I bounce between 2 different stores, for certain things that one carries which the other doesn't. One has been well stocked with paper products for the past couple of weeks. The other, which I stopped at this afternoon, was roughly 50% stocked on TP, paper towels and such.

For the most part in my experience, people have been courteous and aware of their surroundings. Last week I was at the pharmacy picking up some meds, and an older couple walked right up on me at the counter, when there's signs and tape on the flood showing you how far away to stand. That's really been the only instance though.

I noticed the Amazon delays last night when I was ordering some wire. Initially the page said it would arrive tomorrow, but when I was checking out, it said mid May Cancelled that, went back to check other options. Paid a few bucks more, for a little more quantity than I needed, but it will get here Sunday. I'm sure there's gonna be a lot of that happening for some time to come.

 

[Mooseman]

And this just in, Canada Day in Ottawa has been cancelled, going virtual. This is for JULY 1st! It's a big revenue generator with throusands of people pouring into the city for the festivities so this will hurt the tourism industry all summer. I knew summer was going to get royally screwed. As bad as it sounds, July 4th is likely headed that way, at least for any large gatherings.

 

[Reprise]

What we have to remember is that we have to let cooler heads prevail and not get into the mob mentality of either "we need our freedom" or "survival of the fittest". We will get on the other side eventually but it will take time. Remain calm and carry on.

Yes, the 'mob' made itself present in Michigan's state capital a day or two ago. It looks to be politically motivated, from the looks of what the people were carrying. That's all I'll say about that. Now there are similar events being planned for MN, WI, VA. Won't be long before Natn'l Guard & curfews in these places, I'm thinking.


To @Mooseman's latest post re: Canada Day... Yep, I'm envisioning Memorial Day and July 4th are going to be casualties here. MLB is seriously talking about doing their season in Arizona and perhaps Florida (kinda like spring training, but for reals -- in a couple of stadiums (with no spectators). Our health guru (Dr. Fauci) gives the idea a thumbs-up, too, so I think it's going to happen, eventually. People are going to eat it up; ratings will be through the roof. It'll be the best shot in the arm for baseball in about 20yrs.

Camping looks to be a total loss for this season. Most states' parks are closed, so are many private sites. Most Nat'l Parks are either closed or have severe restrictions. A shame, b/c with precautions, a self-contained trailer / RV can be a great escape, away from people. But it'll have to wait awhile. Pretty soon, I need to get out to my storage site and inspect the trailer, make sure the roof is looking good and no little critters have made it their home. 🐁

The grocery situation around me has improved over the past couple of weeks. I bounce between 2 different stores, for certain things that one carries which the other doesn't. One has been well stocked with paper products for the past couple of weeks. The other, which I stopped at this afternoon, was roughly 50% stocked on TP, paper towels and such.

For the most part in my experience, people have been courteous and aware of their surroundings. Last week I was at the pharmacy picking up some meds, and an older couple walked right up on me at the counter, when there's signs and tape on the flood showing you how far away to stand. That's really been the only instance though.

Yeah, we have TP again, just not *my* brand. But I have a supply on that. TP is an easy item to work around, if needed. Most of what I go to the grocery for is perishables / frozen, dairy, some baked goods. I can't find yeast anywhere, though (I want to have some 'just in case', for baking bread, etc.) Meats I'm OK on, for now. I eat less meat the last couple of years than I used to, anyway (especially beef). I had stocked up on my meds a few weeks ago, so I'm good there, too. It's a great time for trying out new recipes, etc.

Surprised to hear the old folks didn't adhere to the 6ft rule. They're the ones most at risk. I see more than 1/2 the people at the store wearing masks now; about 1/4 wear gloves. There's talk that IL may go the way of Cali soon, and *require* masks, in public.

Have a couple of HF masks left over from when I was painting my replacement tailgate. Dug them out the other day, and they're N95's (!) I had to laugh (but I'm thankful I have them). Stopped by HF yesterday to see if more gloves / masks were in - nothing to be found but a sign, saying they're 'out'. I still have 1/2 a box of the 5 mil gloves, which I just use now for grocery shopping. And I'm using the 7 mil gloves now, for the garage work - happy to report that they get the 'Reprise seal of approval', vs. the 5 mil.
Glad I got them a couple of months back. They last *much* longer, and I can often even reuse them, so even though you get half the amount (50/box), and they're a little more expensive, they don't easily tear, like the 5 mil ones do.

 

[Mooseman]

*** Just to put an advance warning that any political statements posted will be either edited or outright deleted as per the rules. I think it's good to discuss what is happening and share our experiences, which is to help each other get through this. However, if it goes towards being politicized in any manner, it will be dealt with immediately, especially if pointing towards any political figure or party.***

@Reprise , yes, your post was fine

I don't think this is fear mongering. This is experiences we're living through. This is new to all of us, never seen before events. I think we will be seeing a lot more.

 

[Reprise]

Reprise , yes, your post was fine

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

I dont consider this political really. Simply a fact being shown in the US... The federal Govt does not care about Americans and needs to be removed and restarted.

I truly think this will not end without bloodshed. The start of curfews and not allowing peaceful protests will not go over well. The gun laws slipped in while the covid distracted in VA. Any martial law BS will be fought hard. The govt has gone about everything wrong and people realize it. Unless they start to open things up real soon it will be really bad. You can't tell people one thing then switch it the next and then not have facts line up and think you will get away with it in the modern days of information. People are pissed and on edge from being locked down.

Sucks all around. I am in one of the hardest hit areas of the country...my lil rural tri-county area. One county had full level red travel lockdown for a bit.
Also my house is sandwiched between two of the largest healthcare and hospital bed producers. HillRom that was mentioned by the president Trump a couple weeks ago and Medmizer that my dad's cousin started and my cousin is the CEO in this article. I can see Hillrom from my yard and Medmizer is under 1 mile down the road that runs along side my house.

Hit hard by COVID-19, Batesville answers call for more hospital beds

How the pandemic is bringing a quiet corner of the Tri-State back to its historic strengths

www.wcpo.com

 

[Mounce]

FWIW in my area the parts stores are still doing great at holding stock and providing. We haven't had one hiccup at work about getting parts whether it's a parts house or a dealer. Tires too. It's all plentiful and they're just as willing as we are to do some business.

Ammo (at least 9mm) was deathly sparse at a chain store a month ago which is now closed. Couldn't find my brands and settled for something else just to have some extra hollow points on hand after I misplaced a whole box of my preferred rounds. Definitely not prepared if it turns ugly. Woops.

Toilet paper is back in stock, I haven't seen too major of a grocery impact besides random things sold out here and there. Hot dog buns one week, hamburger buns the next kinda deal. Still no hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol in sight however, one thing I'm desiring to buy for the first time in my life.

My work is starting to rebound, had our busiest day in probably a month or so today. Had been cut from 50 hours to 38 for a month or more. Got word that we're going to 44 hours next week. Also corporate bought lunch today, unsure if that was a company wide apology or a pat on the back for us since we've stayed in the top 10% of the stores. Who knows, but I'm ready to gain some hours.

Amazon Prime has went to pot. Can order non prime items and get them before prime. I think prime has thrown in the towel and is selecting slower shipping to yield profits. Accidentally ordered something from the mainland (China) and it hasn't even moved in three weeks. No where on the listing did it say where it was coming from and this is my first experience getting something from China on Amazon... The seller is uncooperative to say the least.

Whatever. I think the main thing is for people to keep a level head and stay educated on the truth. We'll make it out of this.

 

[Drec]

What I’ve noticed, is some Amazon and EBay purchases, seem to take a lot longer to arrive. Actually when purchased, the ETA was less than a week; which would have been a couple of weeks ago with no idea when they will arrive.

 

[Mooseman]

Amazon's gone to shit. They say it's to prioritize the most needed items. I call BS. Likely they have lost a lot of workers to the illness or just quit out of fear of getting infected. So much so that they are developing their own tests. Or they are losing stock. However, I did receive within 2 days a portable hard drive and hair clipper oil. I guess they are essentials. I've also experienced slow Prime shipping but received my bidet from the US from an Amazon Marketplace seller within 5 days.

I don't understand why some parts of the US are pushing so much to reopen. Here, nobody is even talking about it and people are complying with stay at home orders without so much as a peep. We're nowhere near as bad as the US for infections and we're doing it. This has nothing to do with freedom, liberty or rights. It's about keeping us alive. I remember that there was a huge uproar when seat belts were made mandatory, even here. I remember as a young constable seeing stupid people who defiantly refused to put on seat belts and have paid for it dearly with crippling injuries or death. We just don't like being told what's good for us and forced to do it (any parent of a teenager knows this!).

I know someone in NYC who's been telling me that his city is being decimated. He's an essential worker and has to ride transit. He knew several people that have died from it, others that are sick from it or having to care for someone who is sick and seeing empty streets. He is so afraid of catching it, not knowing, and infecting his own family despite taking as many precautions as possible. I think if media were to show more of this and less of the idiots wanting to assert their "rights", there wouldn't be so much talk about reopening. I just saw the clip AGAIN of a woman in MI saying she was tired of being told to stay at home, not being able to buy the stuff she needs and getting her hair done. Are you also tired of living? However, I only saw ONCE the video of the medical worker ranting that he couldn't get to the hospital because of these idiots blocking the roads.

I'm really scared for you guys.

 

[Blckshdw]

Yeah things are bad, because people are just stupid and selfish. There was a guy arrested here this week, for violating the stay at home orders. He ran a game shop of some sort. Law enforcement told him to go home, and he tried to claim he was an essential service When they insisted he close up, he got belligerent with them, cuz that's the obvious next step...

We've had 2 short lived curfews locally, the first starting at 10pm, not sure how long that lasted. I didn't even know it was lifted, until I heard about a 9pm one being implemented middle of last week, that I think lasted for a day or 2. Local government isn't doing much better of a job IMO.

My Amazon order that was scheduled to arrive tomorrow, showed up half an hour ago, so I'm not complaining. I guess as long as the posted time frame estimates are accurate, I'll take it. A couple friends of mine started working in one of the local Amazon warehouses a couple weeks ago. Week and a half later, first confirmed infection cases there and they were sent home. One of them quit and was able to find another job. The other hasn't been back to work there yet, and is looking for a new job, but hasn't quit yet. It's a dumpster fire.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Gonna be real scary when the balloon payments for all these we will cover your payments gimmicks come up in 6 months and we end up with goods repossessed and foreclosures on houses. This stimulus BS will be gone and the govt will be pushing for another "help" package that will cost my kids billions for a few cents now. It is a vicious circle.

You take away jobs and income and people get poor and hungry...you get one dangerous society.

A few shortages was a non-issue IMO. Tp was just funny and the grocery hoarding was expected. Our area has done well with stores having supplies now. I have had good luck ordering other things online. Shipping has been slower and the expected dates are a joke, but it has not been terribly extended and not had things cancelled.

 

[Mooseman]

I doubt it will descend to actual chaos. It didn't in 2008, 2001, 1980 or even the Great Depression. There was some increased gangster activity mostly due to prohibition and a few bank robberies and such but no but no hoards of people killing each other for food.

Crime in the Great Depression

www.history.com

In this day and age, I can't see any 1st world government just let its people starve. I think we've been watching too many movies and zombie shows.

 

[coolride]

Real estate and rental prices were super inflated. We should see prices come down. The experts are doing lots of guessing right now, but they say there's a growing number of defaults and evictions on the horizon. I'm paying my rent, but the rent is too dam high and I'm looking for a better deal.

In the grocery stores, there's obvious inventory changes. This is probably due, in large part, to the fact that people are buying different things. Lot's of those empty shelves were full of items that no one wanted to buy, so the store manager won't order more and that shelf stays empty. The meat department made interesting changes. The chicken that's available is completely different. Different packaging, variety, prices, and cuts. Very interesting changes. Pork is still cheap but I mainly buy chicken because of my cholesterol. No idea what's been happen in the beef department.

 

[Reprise]

Gonna be real scary when the balloon payments for all these we will cover your payments gimmicks come up in 6 months and we end up with goods repossessed and foreclosures on houses. This stimulus BS will be gone and the govt will be pushing for another "help" package that will cost my kids billions for a few cents now. It is a vicious circle.

You take away jobs and income and people get poor and hungry...you get one dangerous society.

Food for thought (no pun intended)... (and I'm writing this in an economic / societal mindset, although I freely ack that those two things are inextricably intertwined w/ 'politics' -- which, by definition is "the allocation of scarce resources"...)

Your second paragraph, is the justification for the first.

There's an old quote (Lewis, 1906)... "There are nine meals between mankind and anarchy."
That's why all these stimulus bills are coming out, and you're seeing them passed almost unanimously. TPTB are trying to keep the powder keg from blowing up.

In the short term, yes -- we've got another 2 trillion on the books (soon to be another 2-3, it looks like). But if it keeps people 'in place' (food, housing, jobs optimistically returning), vs. the alternative... you're going to see government (the holistic term, not a particular party) step in, in the short term.

In the longer-term, using last time as the model, the loans made to automakers and banks were paid back with interest, so in the end, those were deficit-neutral. (The ones who got the haircut, sadly, were the consumers / homeowners). Note that I make no guarantee that these new stimulus bills will be deficit-neutral, as there is much less in the way of 'repayment', this time around.

(The abandonment of) 'moral hazard', which was a factor in the Great Recession, really doesn't apply here. This wasn't a man-made problem (discussions on pangolins, bats, 'wet markets', and 'lab-created viruses' notwithstanding). A laissez-faire approach would exacerbate the problem and accelerate societal collapse, not prevent it. The alternative is unworkable / untenable, both for those with resources, and those without.

 

[Drec]

On my previous post (#12), the items that I purchased were being sent through USPS; which seems to be a bad choice now. A few minutes ago, I ordered some parts from Rockauto, they are only using DHL and FedEx. UPS and USPS options are not available.

 

[Sparky]

What ia really bizarre to me is one brand of item x on Amazon says it would be here middle of May, but another brand of the same type of item is middle of next week. Both in stock, fulfillment by Amazon, both non essentials. So strange.

 

[Mooseman]

Just getting basics from Homeless Despot is a PITA. Just needed some shears and leaf bags. Had to order them online for pickup. Did that in the morning and didn't get the email that the order was ready until 5PM. Didn't see it until 5:40, 20 minutes before they close so I'll have to go in the morning. I'm sure it will be a total shit show at pickup.

I had tried Canadian Tire. Their website was completely bogged down and can't order anything through it. Tried calling the store and it was always busy. HD was the best option.

Here's a good one. Was checking online vehicle inventories for the U-Pull yards and I spotted a fairly fresh rare 9-7x in the Gatineau Quebec yard and it's open! The same yards in Ontario are closed and get this, infections are 3x worse in Quebec! These yards are easy to keep social distance so I don't get why they need to be closed. Before they closed the yard here, they had hand sanitizer and plexi to protect employees as well as enforcing distancing rules.

 

[Drec]

I wouldn’t believe any delivery date on Amazon. The stuff that I ordered was supposed to be delivered within a few days. That was three weeks ago and USPS shows that they haven’t received the items yet.

 

[Beacon]

On my previous post (#12), the items that I purchased were being sent through USPS; which seems to be a bad choice now. A few minutes ago, I ordered some parts from Rockauto, they are only using DHL and FedEx. UPS and USPS options are not available.

Wow I order brake shoes from RA friday night used USPS, they must have just changed that saturday

 

[Mooseman]

It could be the warehouse, which can actually be regular parts houses. I ordered something once that came from some parts place in the Bronx or Brooklyn. I remember looking up the address on Google Maps and saw it was some parts place, not a giant RA warehouse.

 

[xavierny25]

It could be the warehouse, which can actually be regular parts houses. I ordered something once that came from some parts place in the Bronx or Brooklyn. I remember looking up the address on Google Maps and saw it was some parts place, not a giant RA warehouse.

It's in the Bronx, I've ordered stuff from RA that has come next day due that warehouse/supplier being so local to me.

 

[NJTB]

Right now in the US where I live (Flemington, NJ) the food supply isn't too bad, but you do have to visit the store a couple of times a week to get what's needed. They let a certain number of people in, then you have to wait outside 6 feet apart until someone leaves, then they'll let you in. Usually it's about a 1/2 hour wait. You have to have a cart, facemask and gloves.
We had a death in the family last week, funeral parlor would only let 9 people in. Initially, they told us it would be for 15 minutes, but with some cajoling, extended it to 90 minutes because she didn't die of the virus. We weren't able to go to the graveyard, said they'd send us pictures.
I'm also glad she didn't pass away in NYC, no viewings, no cemetary.
The virus has me concerned, but I'm far more worried about the near future. With the amount of buisnesses that are closed, tax revenue will be WAY down, and I'm sure the politicians are going to have a brilliant solution to that. Read: we'll pay through the nose. Stimulus checks from the federal government? I'm seeing bankrupsy.
My wife works for a large real estate company as an accountant, the firm manages over 200 buildings in NY/NJ, and 1/3 of the tenents didn't pay their rent April 1st. As a result, they cut her pay by 25%.
Feeling the worst is yet to come after the virus.

 

[Mooseman]

I don't get the whole stimulus cheques for everybody thing in the US. Like, I'm sure that Bill Gates and Warren Buffett wipe their asses with more expensive paper. Here, we're doling it out only to people and businesses that are actually affected.

 

[Blckshdw]

I don't get the whole stimulus cheques for everybody thing in the US. Like, I'm sure that Bill Gates and Warren Buffett wipe their asses with more expensive paper. Here, we're doling it out only to people and businesses that are actually affected.

It's all slight of hand... "Hey everybody, look over here, we're giving you $5!! This way you don't look over there, to see us taking $50, and get mad about it"

 

[Reprise]

It's in the Bronx, I've ordered stuff from RA that has come next day due that warehouse/supplier being so local to me.

Yep; I've had orders from there. Have an order in transit now coming from 4 different locations via FedEx Ground - S. suburban IL (got to me overnight, yesterday), Akron, OH (today), Tampa, FL (tomorrow), and Eagan, MN (label created today; listed for Wed delivery, but I know they'll beat that estimate by a day, based on prior experience.) USPS *was* an option for one of the shipments as of Friday when I placed the order, but it was only $2 more and saved two days to send that one via FedEx, too. So that's what I picked.

(As an aside, USPS is supposed to be insolvent by June (what's driving it is them being now required to certify their pension fund for a 75-year window, along with less mail volume, due to consumer / business changes.) If they're allowed to go defunct, I'm not sure who's going to take over, and I know point-to-point delivery timelines will suffer, especially in non-urban areas. It'll also become more expensive.
BTW... when USPS gets a package from UPS or FedEx to travel the 'last mile' ('SurePost' and 'SmartPost', respectively) - they are paid .01 for that delivery. One cent. I don't know who negotiated that deal, but it's great for the other carriers, as it would cost a lot more than that for them to do the last mile to the recipient, themselves.)

Back to my order...TBH, I'd rather get the boxes all at the same time, but only Amazon really offers that option. And they're not my go-to, right now. Thankful that I don't have to wait long; not complaining. That's why I used RA this time.

RA does use drop ship from certain suppliers - the steering gear I got from them came directly from the supplier in MN, and the core return went back to the same address. When the box came, it had the familiar RA shipping tape on it, and a mix of paperwork (theirs / supplier's). So they work in conjunction w/ their suppliers to give the illusion of everything coming from a RA whse, but that's not quite the case. They're just using RA's supplied shipping tape on the boxes.