My family owns a swimming pool that we use yearly during the summertime. However, this past summer, we ran into an issue with the price. The bucket of chlorine tablets that we would purchase for our pool that was initially around $27 was now priced at about $180. Upon further research, we discovered that there were several factors contributing to this price increase. First, one of the major factories in Louisiana that manufactured chlorine tablets had burned down, causing a significant shortage of supply. However, at the same time, demand kept rising as one of the results of the pandemic since more families have added swimming pools to their homes.
Since the chlorine tablets we regularly used were far too expensive, we searched for alternatives. The prior year, we had leftover chlorine tablets that we could use, but that would not last us the entire summer. So, along with our leftover tablets, liquid chlorine was a cheaper alternative. Unfortunately, prices are expected to increase (DiLella & Mody, 2021), so we will probably continue to use liquid chlorine instead of the tablets next year. However, if liquid chlorine becomes harder to purchase, we will likely not use the pool.
Reference
DiLella, C., & Mody, S. (2021, April 30). A major chlorine shortage is set to spoil summertime fun in the swimming pool. CNBC. Retrieved September 18, 2021, from https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/30/a-major-chlorine-shortage-is-set-to-spoil-swimming-pool-fun-this-summer.html.
Hello, Josh scarcity has driven up the price of chlorine tablets used in residential pools and pool materials overall. Due to covid 19, we see many sectors struggling to keep up with the worldwide demand for products. Another area that has significant issues is the semiconductor chip factories. Even though many factories are producing these chips used in vehicles, computers, and many electronics, covid 19 forced many to slow production or even close their doors. Automobile makers are projected to lose the most due to this shortage. One car part can use five hundred to twelve hundred chips due to its complexity. Overall covid 19 has affected production worldwide but having one major distributor for products such as chlorine pills heavily contributes to the price increase.