It's not even Halloween, but you should be thinking about your Christmas shopping already.
That's according to Conor Pope, consumer affairs correspondent with the Irish Times.
A well-publicised global supply chain issue is being exacerbated by other factors, including Brexit, the pandemic and the Suez Canal incident in March.
Conor told Newstalk Breakfast reporter Barry Whyte people need to think ahead.
"It is definitely a fact that people need to be more organised, and they'll need to shop earlier than ever for Christmas this year.
"That's cause we're in this kind of perfect storm of COVID, Brexit and that giant tanker that got wedged in the Suez Canal in the summertime.
"What that did was that put real pressure on supply chains all over the world.
"But on top of all of that, you also have this really chronic shortage of HGV truck drivers in the UK - that's proving really difficult to manage.
"And then you have the fact that container shipping - the actual costs of the containers that bring these products all over the world - has gone through the roof in recent times.
"So all of that stuff is going to put huge pressure on supply chains; not just when it comes to toys, but when it comes to electronics, cars, food - everything is under really serious pressure".
The Irish Road Haulage Association has also warned that up to 4,000 heavy goods vehicle drivers are needed to deal with the massive demand for goods in Ireland.
The group has said the shortage could cause a major risk to the supply of goods in the country.
'Shortage of silicone chips'
Conor says while Santa himself will be fine, parents could run into trouble.
"The good news is that Santa Claus takes care of all children's toys, so parents don't have to worry about those things.
"But if they wanted to buy any extra toys for friends or for family members, I would get those toys early.
"The vast majority of toys come from China, and that's going to be a big problem.
"The other real supply shortages are going to be around technology, because there's a dramatic shortage of silicone chips.
"And that means that the technology that's used to power phones, games consoles, televisions... is going to be at a premium.
"And once something is at a premium, it's going to be harder to get".
