Monica Eaton’s Latest Feature for Reader’s Digest
In a new feature for Reader’s Digest, Monica Eaton and several of her fellow experts and business leaders weighed in on which products they expect to increase in price as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Reader’s Digest is America’s fourth-largest magazine brand by circulation. After nearly a century in publication, RD stands out more than ever in today’s cultural landscape due to its themes of optimism, faith, heroism, trust, humor, and wellness.
COVID-19 has had some very obvious effects on the market at large. However, not all of its consequences are quite as obvious. In response, Joe McKinley of Reader’s Digest asked exerts to weigh in on areas in which they anticipate price hikes.
“Most people don’t understand how insanely complex supply-lines have become, especially for high-end electronics,” Monica explains. “Rare earth metals are mined in one part of the world, assembly might be somewhere else, and all kinds of other parts and pieces are sourced, tracked, and delivered in an intricate system of factories for international fulfillment.”
While the “just in time” model of production is able to keep costs to a minimum, it’s not the most efficient approach. Plus, as we’re now discovering, any interruption in the highly-complex global supply chain can cause the entire process to skid to a halt.