Snow Business Is Slow

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Low snow totals this winter is slowing down some local businesses. With a below average snowfall so far this winter some companies have to come up with new ideas to sell their snow products.

Thanks in part to the lack of snow on the ground, “U Motors” in Fargo still has a bunch of snowmobiles in the lot. So they’ve had to come up with a slightly different sales strategy.

Sales Manager Matt Richardson says, “It’s actually given us the opportunity to be a little bit more creative with our push for selling mountain sleds. It’s a huge market to take your sleds from here, go out west with your friends and family and ride.”

So now they’re promoting the gear you can travel with.

“The mountain sleds are going to have a little bit longer track to help you get better traction in that deep snow.” Richardson said.

Even though we haven’t seen that much snow this winter, snowmobilers believe it’s only a matter of time.

Richardson says, “They know we’re going to get that late snow. We always get hit in March, April, unfortunately sometimes May there’s still that white stuff on the ground.”

Snow removal services like All–terrain in West Fargo are forced to play the waiting game with mother nature.

“All Terrain” Customer Relations Manager Matt Langemo says, “This year we’ve had a slow start. It wouldn’t surprise me if we still had some snow toward the end of the winter here. I think for the moment all we’re really hoping for is an average winter. If we have a slow winter we won’t quite break even.”

So once the snow picks up, so will business.

“We’re a little under, but there’s a lot of winter left.” Langemo said.

Richardson says, “It’s always easier to sell snowmobiles when there’s white stuff coming from the sky but whenever you’re selling something you sell the image. You sell the picture.”

Normally the Fargo area sees about twenty–five inches of snow around this time of the year. But so far there’s only been close to seven.