Air conditioners, fans sell out as P.E.I heat continues

Islander's trying to keep their homes cool might find it difficult to find the tools they need to beat the heat. Stores in Charlottetown say air conditioning units and fans are flying off the shelves.

'If we're getting them in they're leaving as fast as we're getting them'

Brittany Spencer · CBC News · Posted: Jul 25, 2018 6:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: July 25, 2018

Stores in Charlottetown say air conditioning units and fans are flying off the shelves and some say they're struggling to find inventory to meet the demand. (Brittany Spencer/CBC)

Islanders trying to keep their homes cool might find it difficult to find the tools they need to beat the heat — stores in Charlottetown say air conditioning units and fans are flying off the shelves.

Islanders have been warned the past three days to take precautions as an Environment Canada heat warning continues.

"Demand has been very high," said Charlottetown Home Hardware manager Jamie Lewis.

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"We've had probably an unseasonable summer with the high heat in July and people have been looking out for more fans and more air conditioning units than we probably have anticipated in the last few years."

'Demand has been very high,' says Charlottetown Home Hardware's Jamie Lewis. (Brittany Spencer/CBC)

The flow of customers coming into the store in search of an air conditioning unit or fan is constant, he said, and AC units and fans are selling faster than stores can stock them.

Lewis sold the store's last air conditioner yesterday, and said now that he's out of stock he doesn't think he'll be able to get more this year — his store has to order its stock of AC units almost a year in advance.

"Everything I was selling off my shelves this year was sold ordered last September," Lewis said. "Our central warehouse in Nova Scotia supplies all of Atlantic Canada that warehouse, so if all of Atlantic Canada's having a hot summer, the warehouse cleans out pretty quickly."

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'As fast as we were bringing them to the floor'

Since air conditioners are no longer available at the Home Hardware, Lewis said he is trying to keep fans and sprinklers in stock to give customers other ways to stay cool.

Stores may not be able to get more air conditioning units, since their stock is orderered months in advance, and it's been hot across the region. (Brittany Spencer/CBC)

"We had a truck in on Tuesday and almost as fast as we were bringing them to the floor people were grabbing boxes off the shelves," Lewis said.

Canadian Tire in Charlottetown is experiencing the same thing.

"There was one day about a week ago where we had almost 200 fans," said associate dealer Cam Beach. "We had sold every single one in the one day. If we're getting them in they're leaving as fast as we're getting them."

Beach also said the store received a shipment of 36 air conditioners Monday and they all sold before the store closed that evening.

He added that his location is trying to source more air conditioning units, but the high temperatures in other provinces across the country mean Canadian Tire's warehouse supply is also low.