I am sick of winter. Let me restate that differently– I really hate this winter.
In the Northeast, we’re having record snow (and ice) falls. It feels as though the temperature never rises much above 25 degrees. And, I can’t remember the last time the wind wasn’t pushing me a step or two backwards. In my mind, this all adds up to misery.
I’ll be honest. As I’ve gotten older, the cold has become less and less appealing. And, my family just isn’t enthralled with all those things most people do during the winter to have fun. We’re pretty bad skiers (remind me to tell you about the time I broke a rib attempting to ski in the frozen tundra of Canada). We don’t really enjoy skating and, overall, we typically cry bah humbug during each subsequent snow fall that takes place.
Yes. I’d like to be living or at least visiting somewhere warm right about now. But like many, I also have a day job in New York City. And, my kids are tied to their schools in New Jersey. So, what can a guy do?
Not much. Except, I can focus (for the rest of this post) on how so many feel the exact opposite way I do. There are thousands of industries/companies/brands that simply love frozen weather like this. The colder and longer it endures, the happier they become. That’s because they feast on every consumer whim and need to make scores of $$$. It isn’t hard to find them. The smarter companies have found ways to market themselves online, in commercials and just about everywhere else we go or turn to.
In no particular order, here’s a bunch that exploit my misery in every way:
- Cough and cold medications – I don’t think there’s one person in the Northeast who hasn’t gotten some cold, cough, flu or stomach bug or some viral ailment that has spread rapidly because of the cold. I went to the drug store yesterday to get a new supply of day and nighttime cold medicine. It might just be my perception, but it looked like there are two or three additional shelves filled with two to three times more products. I just checked some research online. Seems that over the counter cold products have increased their sales by 30 percent over this time last year. Bad winter means great seasonal sales for these companies.
- Resort vacations – Turn on the TV, or click onto a popular online news site. You can’t miss all the promotions for vacation spots to warm places. Just this morning, I saw ads for: The Breakers, Sandals in Jamaica, Barbados, San Diego, The Keys and the Cayman Islands.
- Public utilities – Have you looked at your heating bill for December yet? Ouch! It’s about 110 percent higher than it was in November. Sure, it’s supposed to be higher… but that is a gigantic increase. This winter should prove to be one of the most profitable on record for any utility in this neck of the woods.
- Snow removal products – Ice melting salt, shovels, scrapers, snow blowers, snow throwers, etc….They are all selling like hotcakes. This weekend, I happened to be in a Lowes. A shop person told me that they had to replace these products three times as quickly as normal because the turnover is just so high.
- Winter apparel manufacturers- By now, one would think that most people have bought their heavy winter coats, gloves, scarves, hats, etc. Not true. Or, maybe they just want to have reinforcements. I actually went looking for a new winter coat the other day. The department in this store was mobbed with many doing just the same.
- Hot cocoa brands – Kids love hot cocoa during the winter. After a little sledding or fort building, that’s the go-to drink for any kid. I bet Nestle and other category brands are making out like bandits these days.
- Soup brands – Same goes for soup. A little research shows that the soup industry has unusually high sales of their soup products now. Nothing like a good ol’ bowl of Chunky Chicken Noodle for lunch to warm the bones.
- Vitamin companies – Vitamins are products that consumers turn to during times when sickness is everywhere. We’re seeing serious sales of vitamin C now. I’d say the overall desire for any pill that can increase the body’s vitality and offer help in warding off colds has risen greatly.
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