A combination of winter weather and national supply shortages are causing a boot scarcity

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The footwear section at Bass Pro Shops is filled with different types of shoes. However, they are limited in the sizes that remain in stock.

“Just kind of bare bones,” Bass Pro customer Mickey Gilbert said.

Gilbert has been looking for a pair of steel shoes for work this Black Friday, but the shelves were left empty in footwear that was available for him.

“They’re not on the shelves,” Gilbert said. “There’s no steel shoes, unfortunately.”

Footwear has been on the list of items that have been in short supply due to the international supply chain issues. The supply chain is an issue that Bass Pro Shops has been struggling with, along with other companies.

“Everybody’s been affected a bit by, you know, the global economy right now by all the shipping concerns,” Co-Manager Morgan Rudd said. “We have done our best, to get with our vendors. Vendors have been rushing products to all our stores across the country.”

With the cold weather recently moving in, Rudd says more customers are asking for winter merchandise items.

“People are coming in, looking for anything to get them outdoors. It’s a little colder this time of year than normal, so we are seeing a high demand in snow pants, snow jackets, winter boots, those kinds of things,” said Rudd.

The scarcity of some sizes is leaving some Black Friday shoppers out of luck this week as they attempted to find their perfect Black Friday deal. Bass Pro Shops customer matt Roberts said he’d discovered that a pair of boots he wanted was no longer available.

“They had them about a month ago, but I figured with Black Friday the price would go down,” Roberts said.

However, Rudd says those who were out of luck in finding a specific item can most likely find another item that is similar to fill their needs.

“May not be the first item that someone came in for, but we can get you into something that will do what you need it to do to get you outside,” Rudd said.

Roberts said the store did have other versions of the shoe available and he felt like they were doing a good job at keeping the selection they had stocked.

“They have different variations and styles, but just not the one I am looking for,” Roberts said.

As others say, they are still out of luck.

“Haven’t found any steel toes yet,” Gilbert said.

For customers who are still looking to purchase winter merchandise, Rudd says his best advice is that people hit the stores early before supplies run out.

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