Party Time Deflated By Helium Shortage

Festive party balloons may soon be harder to come by. A nationwide helium shortage is making tanks of the lighter-than-air gas used to fill balloons more expensive. It’s changing the way one Texoma retailer does business. “We would usually be able to take balloon orders like for other days and everything, but we couldn’t do that any more… we can only do walk-ins,” said Wendy McGriff, manager of Wally’s Party Factory in Sherman.
The helium shortage appears to be caused by sanctions on overseas supplies and lower U.S. production. What helium is available is prioritized for military and medical use. Party City’s website says the shortage is having an impact on order fulfillment at some stores in that chain. Wally’s Party Factory is changing its balloon-filling policy. “We were able to do like outside balloons,” McGriff said. “If people ordered them online, they were able to bring them in, but we can’t do that anymore.” She added that some customers thought the new policy was a hoax. “It’s really serious,” McGriff said. “They’re having a hard time finding helium for us sometimes.” Helium is used in MRI devices, but local hospitals we checked with said the shortage has not yet had an impact.

Read more