What does shifting the supply curve to the left mean?

Shifting the supply curve to the left means there’s less of something being offered for sale, like when a candy shop runs out of treats faster than expected.

Imagine you have a lemonade stand, and every day you make 10 glasses of lemonade. That’s your usual amount, that’s your supply. Now, if you get sick on Monday and can only make 5 glasses, that means your supply curve shifts to the left, because you’re offering fewer drinks than before.

Sometimes things change so you can’t offer as much as you used to. Maybe it rains all day and you can’t pick enough lemons, or your friend takes over your stand but isn’t as fast at making lemonade. These are reasons why the supply goes down, like when you’re not able to run as far as you usually do because you're tired.

If there’s less lemonade available, it might cost more, just like if your friend sells lemonade from a different stand and charges more because they have fewer glasses. So shifting the supply curve to the left can mean customers see higher prices or fewer choices, depending on what's happening with the rest of the market.