COLUMBIA, S.C. — Many businesses continue to be hit by the nationwide supply chain shortage, and now you can add dry cleaners to that list.
"We have one case of hangers inside, with 250 hangers in that one box," said Larry Koester, Owner, Columbia’s Cleaners. "When they go through that, we don't know what we're gonna hang people's pants on."
Koester said he's been open for 44 years, and there was only one time that he remembers when hangers were allocated.
"We tried to be conservative so we ordered 4 boxes of hangers for delivery," Koester said. "The warehouse said they don’t have them."
To keep up with the shortage, Koester said he is asking customers to recycle hangers and bring them back. In the meantime, Columbia's Cleaners are making their own pants hangers.
"We’re gonna start putting together hangers, with this card board strip on it, in hopes that will get us through until we can see this supply chain problem, rectify itself.”
The supply chain shortage is also impacting the auto services, according to Ricky Branham, owner of Ricky's Tire and Auto Center.
"We can’t get auto parts, we can’t get tires, there's a lot of suppliers here in Columbia, and no one can stock anymore," Branham said.
Branham said the short is making it difficult to provide all their services to drivers in need.
"It's hurting the business all the way around," Branham said. "The supply chain is terrible, and it's dwindling down into our business more and more everyday. What we are able to get, of course prices are going up and that's hurting us too. It's not a good situation for anyone."
Branham asks everyone to be patient and understanding while they work through the shortages.
"We can't change this, I can’t change it, you can’t change it," Branham said. "Let’s all just try to get along with each other and do the best we can with what we have to work with. It’ll make everything easier if we all calm down a little bit."