Sellers struggle to fill snow blower demand

After this winter's series of snow storms?and with more in the forecast?it's almost impossible to find a snow blower at a big box or home improvement store. Most stores have blown through their inventory and the major manufacturers have moved on to producing lawn mowers instead. Still, there are a few things you can try if you want to trade up from a shovel to a blower?although you may not find the type of snow blower you would have selected earlier in the season. ?We currently have limited supply at the stores, as many of our suppliers have told us there are no more snow blowers available,? said Lowe?s spokeswoman Abby Buford. Sears and Home Depot both said they are trying to shift remaining inventory to areas where the snow has been heaviest, although that can be tricky when road conditions are bad. ?We track storms and deploy inventory where needed from several distribution centers across the country, and we did this during the recent storm that hit the Midwest,? said Martin Lee of Sears Holdings. The best thing to do, the retailers recommend, is keep checking your local store or its website. You can also try calling local dealerships. ?We do have a very small inventory in warehouses?probably under 10 percent of an average year?s supply?that we are shipping to our dealers? said Matt Medden of the Toro Company. It's the same story at Honda. ?There are Honda power equipment dealers that still have snow blowers, and a customer's local dealership can help source a unit from another dealership?we are helping our dealers do this quite a bit now,? said Honda spokeswoman Sara Pines. In Connecticut, one retailer sent a driver all the way to the Midwest for a load of snow blowers. ?I was able to find a distributor with a truckload of two-stage Simplicity snow blowers in Michigan, and I sent a driver out there last night to bring them back this weekend,? said Mark Guss, who owns Bethel Power Equipment in Bethel, CT. ?But they?re all spoken for already as I had a long waiting list.? Peter Sawchuk, who tests snow blowers for Consumer Reports, had one more tip: ?Right now, your best bet would be to look for some remaining inventory from a smaller online retailer like Northerntool.com, Valley Power Equipment or Amazon.com and its affiliates. Some offer free or low-cost shipping, and it?s not a big deal to set up these machines once they arrive." ?Gian Trotta From the labs: Check our snow blower Buying Guide, Ratings and Recommendations. And if you find one, use our tips on how to prevent it from getting stolen.

Source: http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/2011/02/snow-blower-shortage-snow-blower-ratings.html

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