Don't expect "normal" this holiday season. 

Thanks to the astonishingly quick development and rollout of vaccines, COVID-19 cases this fall are well below last year's levels. But the pandemic is still with us and affecting shopping habits. At the same time, 2021 has brought new kinds of disruption. The combination of supply chain constraints and a surge in consumer demand this year has created snarls all throughout the system. 

While many, if not most, major retailers are reporting sufficient inventory, stocks are widely below what they otherwise might be. That is having a complicated impact on pricing, discounting and shopping patterns throughout the industry. 

On this episode of The Backroom, Retail Dive senior reporters Daphne Howland and Ben Unglesbee dig into how supply chain challenges are playing out, and how both consumers and retailers are adapting to yet another holiday season unlike any before it.

Resource links:

• Black Friday is early again this year, and maybe forever
• 'We're going to see a lot of bare shelves': Retail preps for a holiday beset by supply chain pain
• Even if retail sales slow drastically during the holidays, they will still be stellar: Wells Fargo
• Monthly retail sales from the US Commerce Department