San Antonio – Steve Houser, president of the National Fireworks Association, wants to make it clear that there are plenty of fireworks to shoot off this 4th of July, but the selection might be a little different this year.
“Some of the items that may be somebody’s old favorite, those may not be there, but there’s going to be other alternatives,” Houser said.
Houser said people staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic last year splurged on fireworks for entertainment, leading to skyrocketing sales. But restocking all those fireworks has been a year-long challenge, once manufacturers started to return to work.
“Then came all of the shipping problems and those were also born out of the pandemic because it disrupted global shipping and supply lines all around the world,” he said.
Tons of Houser’s fireworks are stuck in shipping ports and won’t make it in time for this holiday.
Shipping costs have nearly tripled for warehouses as well, which he says retailers will feel and might also pass on to customers.
“A lot of the retailers are working to absorb the cost of their pricing models to help the consumer out,” Houser said. He explained that retailers will want new customers to keep coming back.
Robert Long, at Alamo Fireworks along Foster Road and Lakeview, was already looking for his fireworks stash. He said he is prepared to pay a little more this year.
“It depends how much more. But you know, just like alcohol, some people will still buy it regardless, just to have a good time. So I’m going to suck it up and buy and have a good time,” he laughed.
Long said last year, he couldn’t get the fireworks he wanted because they sold out. This year, he said he’s not waiting until July 3rd.