The South Korean company's bankruptcy is forcing big chains to spend piles of cash to get their goods through ports to warehouses in time for the busy holiday shopping season. Some mom-and-pop shops will have less to offer this year.

And once again, an unexpected disruption has pointed out the intricate links of the supply chain that feeds America's consumer machine.

California's ports took a short-term hit. Long Beach, the nation's second largest port, reported a 15 percent year-over-year drop in import traffic in September. The port of Oakland saw imports decline by 4.2 percent.

For some wholesalers and retailers, the impact continues. Ashley Furniture, which supplies couches, beds and dressers to the likes of J.C. Penney, Target and Wal-Mart, had the misfortune of being on the receiving end of 900 containers set to be transported by Hanjin.

Read Full Article