NEW YORK—According to a recent survey by LendingTree, roughly seven in 10 Americans report not being able to find the products they need and/or not being able to use some of the services they’ve come to rely upon. The issue: certain product and labor shortages. This was the main finding in the LendingTree survey of more than 2,000 consumers.

As a result, many consumers are “choosing to wait things out rather than pay extra or deal with frustrating customer experiences,” the findings noted.

Here’s what consumers had to say about the shortages they have encountered this summer.

  • The most commonly cited product shortages include meat (21 percent), gas (20 percent), appliances (16 percent), cars (15 percent) and lumber (13 percent). But it’s not just goods — 23 percent of parents with young children are having trouble finding a babysitter, and 22 percent of restaurant patrons have noted unusually slow or poor service.

  • More than half of Americans (54 percent) are putting off big projects and purchases as a result of the shortages facing the nation. For example, 26 percent held off on a vacation and 20 percent tabled home-improvement projects.

  • While 54 percent are understanding of small businesses raising their prices, 46 percent feel it’s unfair to pass their higher expenses onto the consumer.

  • Paying more for products and services is OK with 71 percent of Americans, if doing so means higher wages for workers. That’s more than the percentage who said they would be willing to pay more to prevent shortages in the future (66 percent).
Labor shortages are the other noticeable trend this summer, with 51 percent of survey respondents reporting difficulty obtaining certain services. The top areas affecting consumers include:

  • Unusually slow or poor service in restaurants: 22 percent

  • Pools, beaches or lakes closed due to lack of lifeguards: 12 percent

  • Difficulty getting an Uber or Lyft due to driver shortage: 12 percent

  • Flights canceled due to lack of airline workers: 7 percent
On the home front, the difficulty in ordering new appliances stems from a variety of factors. These include the shortage of computer chips and shipping containers, as well as the real estate boom — even home builders are dealing with unprecedented appliance delays.