APRIL FOOLS! Delays to UK shipments send prices of popular stationery soaring
The Suez Canal crisis looks to have created a major headache for stationery loving law students across the UK, with many claiming they’ve been unable to source much-needed highlighters due to shipping delays from China.
The week-long standstill in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes came after a 400 meter container ship known as the Ever Given became stranded diagonally, creating huge tailbacks and delays to UK-bound orders.
Although the super tanker is now free and ships are once again sailing down the Suez, some aspiring lawyers say the hold-up has left them running dangerously low on highlighter pens, while others have run out all together.
One desperate GDL student who asked to remain anonymous told us: “This is getting very serious. I’m down to half a yellow highlighter and I’ve a tort exam next week — what the hell am I going to do?”
Another LPC student, who again didn’t want to be named, revealed they’d sourced a six-pack of highlighters online and stumped up an additional £4.99 for next day delivery.
“It’s been two days and they still haven’t arrived,” the exasperated student explained. “I’ve a brand new land law textbook and the pages remain un-highlighted. My friend who studies geography suggested using a coloured pen but it’s just not the same.”
There’s also been unconfirmed reports that the temporary shortage has prompted a secretive, dark web style market to form, where highlighters can fetch two and even three times their recommended retail price.
One aspiring solicitor explained how he sourced a small pack of magenta highlighters and is now selling them for £4.28 each. “It’s basic commercial awareness,” they said. “I could see what was unfolding in the Suez, and knew this would create problems further down the line. For those interested, I now accept Bitcoin payments too.”