As Predicted, Another Great L.L. Bean Boot Shortage Is Upon Us

Here we are again: As was foretold, L.L. Bean boots are back-ordered for the third year in a row.

The Boston Globe shares the dreadful news. There are 50,000 customers waiting for boots, even though the company hired an additional 200 people in hopes of keeping their shelves stocked through the holidays. They’re trying not to expand too fast, and they don’t want to simply outsource the work. But they’re really, truly trying:

So, at a factory the size of two football fields in the small coastal town of Brunswick, 300 people work nearly round the clock, churning out about 2,200 pairs of L.L.Bean’s signature boots each day. The factory rarely closes, and some workers clock in six days a week.

Frankly, CEO Chris McCormick sounds a little bemused: “This is in some way a nice problem to have, in the sense that you have a 103-year-old product that’s selling off the shelves like hot cakes, and yet we have customers who are on back order who are disappointed,” he said, adding, “That doesn’t sit well with us.”

If you are absolutely desperate for a pair of L.L. Beans, you could try time-traveling back to the summer, or shelling out an additional $100 on Ebay.