Furniture store owner: We don’t need any more help from Uncle Joe
Small business owners Ashley Brown and Ruel Joyner on President Biden meeting with CEOs on supply chain crisis.
Small business owners Ashley Brown and Ruel Joyner said Tuesday that they are being negatively affected by the supply chain crisis and other economic issues.
"We are a gourmet cookie company so everything we use is premium ingredients and the prices have skyrocketed tremendously. Especially in the last few months. We are looking at things doubling in price. And some things just aren’t on the shelves anymore. It’s been really rough," the owner of Ashley’s Famous Cookies told "Fox & Friends."
BIDEN AGAIN CLAIMS AMERICANS DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW SUPPLY CHAINS WORK
Brown’s comments came after President Biden held a roundtable with the leaders of some of the nation's largest retailers and manufacturers on Cyber Monday.
They discussed the supply chain issue as part of the White House's effort to assure Americans that the products they seek will be available during the ongoing holiday season.
Containers line a Port of Oakland shipping terminal on Nov. 10, 2021, in Oakland, California. Intense demand for products has led to a backlog of container ships outside the nation's two largest ports along the Southern California coast. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
The attendees at the White House included Best Buy CEO Corie Barry, Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen, Samsung CEO KS Choi and Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon and CVS Health CEO Karen Lynch both attended virtually.
Biden said early estimates show Black Friday shopping and Small Business Saturday sales appear to be way up from last year, and he asked his guests how the federal government could "continue partnering" with the major companies "to keep shelves stocked so American consumers can get what they need."
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Joyner, a furniture store owner based in Georgia, said small business owners and entrepreneurs want to be left alone rather than have the federal government intervening.
"If we can do anything, I just want to ask Uncle Joe to just not give us any more help. Just stop," Joyner said, adding he has been giving customers refunds in some cases due to the extreme delays with orders arriving.
"I’m luckier than most. I came from a great state, kept us open. The entrepreneurial spirit is going to keep us open. American people can help by buying local. Look to spend your money with local businesses that know your name and will know your face. This is how we can pull ourselves out of this. We don’t need any more help from Uncle Joe."
President Joe Biden speaks during a hybrid virtual roundtable with CEOs and leaders of retail, consumer products firms, and grocery store chains on Nov. 29, 2021, in Washington. Biden spoke on his administration’s plans to keep stores supplied ahead of the holiday season. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Brown said the labor shortage is "very stressful" because she doesn't know how her family-operated store will expand in the coming years without more workers.
"Everything this guy does has been counterintuitive to what has helped small business. We really just need them to stop helping," said Joyner.
FOX Business' Breck Dumas contributed to this report.
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