Sounds like the port has been hit with a double whammy----more stuff than ever to unload, fewer people than ever to do the unloading---all basically due to the pandemic. As an aside, I suspect there are companies right now working on replacing even more longshoremen with robotics, which is likely to be another consequence of the pandemic----accelerated adoption of robotics in the business place. But, I digress....
Your conclusion---that despite the pandemic, retail spending is still pretty good, seems to be correct. There is less retail spending in the B&M world, but an increase in online retail spending. And some categories have seen a marked increase, while others have seen a decrease. But overall, we do seem to be in what is called a K pattern: Many people are (financially) doing as well or even better than before the pandemic, while many other people are in bad shape.
My ebay business relies heavily on the people in the first group----I'm not selling stuff people need, I'm selling stuff people with sufficient disposable income might want. I suspect many of us here fall into that same position. As long as that first group has disposable income and the confidence to spend it, we'll likely continue to sell.
