Frigid temperatures, combined with the fact that we've had our share of snow, make you yearn for a sojourn to the Caribbean or those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. It also got me thinking about a blog I wrote back in October about how Old Man Winter creates unforeseen marketing opportunities. I took an in-depth look at how chain saw and wood stove manufacturers were seizing on economic conditions to move product. For every downturn, there's an upturn. You just have to look for them. In the "Marketplace" section of last Thursday's Wall Street Journal, there was an extensive piece on how snowblower manufacturers are experiencing the same sales lift as wood stoves and chain saws. Credit the cold winter, with a little economic downturn thrown in for good measure.
It demonstrates that a trend is developing as more people gravitate toward the do-it-yourself category. Yes, harsh winters and a lot of snow ranging from Spokane, Washington, to the upper Midwest to much of New England have sparked the demand for snowblowers. The WSJ article referenced the fact that many manufacturers, like Toro, have gone back in for another round of manufacturing, almost unheard of in past winters. In fact, you have to look back to the harsh winters of '77 and '78 to find an equivalent time when snowblower sales were up as much as they are right now. Many distributors are flush out of stock.
A number of factors are coming together to drive this new do-it-yourself tsunami. People are cutting back in any way possible and are starting to realize that anywhere from $35 to $50 paid out each time the plow driver comes might be considered frivolous in today's economy. Couple that with the fact that you have to wait for the plow driver to come. People need to get to work on time and they're being ultra-protective of their jobs. You can accomplish this by removing the snow yourself. I've used my snowblower about eight times this year. That equates to well over $300 saved, if I had employed a plowing service. If you do the math, you're well on your way to paying off what would be the price of a low-end snowblower. In fact, the one that I bought in '95 has paid for itself many, many times over; plus I derive satisfaction from doing it myself.
For the first time in many years, saving rates are way up. What better way to save money than to cut your own grass. The savings are greatly magnified over what you realize from snow removal. Snow removal rates are variable year after year, but grass is a constant. You cut your grass every week; and here, in the northeast, probably for seven months of the year. Factoring $30 to $40 per mowing, that's well in excess of $1,000. Who couldn't use $1,000 today? It will be interesting to see how many people start to cut their own lawns. In my neighborhood, about 10% do it themselves. The other 90% employ a lawn service. It doesn't take a lot of people to start to mow their own lawns to make a dent. It's a bonus for those who manufacture lawn mowers, like Deere and Toro, and for those who sell them. It's a downer for those who have landscaping services. As one industry goes up, another one goes down.
It's as if we're going back in time and replicating what our grandparents and parents did. It was all about self-sustaining existence. They didn't hire people to do things for them; they did it themselves. Our new President has asked us to do more and maybe we're asking ourselves to do more. If we return to a do-it-yourself mentality in a big way, it's a trend to keep a close eye on. You know that the lawn mower manufacturers and their dealers and retailers are!
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