The Wait List for L.L. Bean Ducks Boots Is Insane

We're still a few weeks away from the first day of winter, and yet it might already be too late for you to snag the perfect pair of winter-weather boots. L.L. Bean is reporting a shortage of duck boots and a wait list of 100,000. Looks like it's time to rethink your "ask Santa for snow boots" plan because these bad boys won't hit your doorstep until well after Christmas.

According to Yahoo Style, L. L. Bean is already completely sold out of the popular boots in women's size 8 with a severe shortage of all other men's and women's sizes. At this rate, no one can expect to get their hands on a pair of duck boots until January or February at the earliest. L.L. Bean spokesperson Carolyn Beem told Boston.com that the company expects to sell about 450,000 pairs of that style this season, possibly due to their increasing popularity amongst the youths.

It's true that duck boots have become super trendy of late. “Younger people are buying them. They’re all over college campuses and high schools,” Beem told Boston.com. “Without changing anything, they’re back in style.” Perhaps this is because they're a little bit retro — the blog Rustic Grace reports that duck boots first debuted back in 1912 and were originally called Maine Hunting Shoes — plus they go with everything and have gained a kind of preppy cult following (if you can call anything that prepsters love "cult"). I was actually considering getting myself a pair this season. Until now, that is.

Perhaps we should blame this on the possible resurgence of the polar vortex. Last year, tons of retailers throughout New York City were sold out of snow boots by mid-February. I guess this means we should start stocking up on our cold-weather footwear in August, lest we plan on freezing our toes off all winter long.

Image: @kirstindelaney/Instagram