SHELDON. YEAH, WELL, THE SITUATION HERE AT THE BOYCE PARK FORCES SKI LODGE IS NOT WOULD YOU EXPECT TO SEE IN FEBRUARY OVER HERE. IT’S MORE GRASS DENSE SNOW ON THE SKI SLOPE AND THAT’S THE RESULT OF THIS MILD WINTER. THAT IS DEFINITELY IMPACTING SEASONAL BUSINESSES. I LOOK AT SEVEN SPRINGS AT THE END OF FEBRUARY. THIS MILD WINTER IS TURNING OUT TO BE PUNISHING FOR SEASONAL BUSINESSES. NICK ROMANO IS TAKING HIS SKI DOLLARS TO VERMONT INSTEAD OF SPENDING IT LOCALLY. IT’S BEEN A PRETTY BAD WINTER FOR SURE. I WAS JUST OUT HIDDEN VALLEY IN LAUREL MOUNTAIN THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, AND THEY’RE STRUGGLING FOR SURE. ROMANO WAS ONE OF THE CUSTOMERS AT FOX CHAPEL SKI ABOARD. THIS SHOP USUALLY AVERAGES ABOUT 200 CUSTOMERS A DAY DURING A NORMAL WINTER. NOT THIS YEAR. IT’S DROPPED OFF TO ABOUT 50 CUSTOMERS A DAY. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF RAIN, WARM WEATHER. YOU KNOW, MORALE’S LOW BECAUSE OF THAT. BUT MORALE WAS LOW AMONG SKIERS. AMONG SKIERS. FORTUNATELY, A FEW CUSTOMERS ARE STILL COMING IN TO BUY GEAR FOR OUT-OF-STATE SKI TRIPS. A LOT OF OUR CUSTOMERS ARE COMING IN AND THEY’RE STARTING TO TAKE A LOT OF TRIPS THIS TIME OF YEAR JUST BECAUSE IT’S NOT NOT TO BE FOUND. I’VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 30 YEARS AND THIS IS THE MILDEST WINTER I’VE EVER GONE THROUGH. PHILLIP RIZA, TONTO IS THE OWNER OF AN END LAWN SERVICE. HE SAYS THERE’S SNOW REMOVAL SERVICE HAS TAKEN A BIG HIT. SNOW PLOWS AND SALT TRUCKS HAVE SET IDLE MOST OF THE WINTER. NORMALLY THEY HAVE AT LEAST 40 DAYS OF WORK. THIS YEAR, ONLY SEVEN. THAT’S ONE THIRD OF THEIR YEARLY BUSINESS. FINANCIALLY, I THINK WE’RE JUST WE’RE WE’RE JUST GETTING BY. WE’RE WE’RE WE’RE NOT MAKING ANY MONEY THIS YEAR. THAT’S FOR SURE. THAT’S A BIG HIT. OUR SALES ARE WAY DOWN. AND TODAY, A LOT OF THE LAWNS CARE SERVICES ARE TRYING TO GET AN EARLY START ON SOME OF THEIR SPRING WORK TO MAKE UP FOR THE LOSS OVER THE WINTER. REPORTING LI
Seasonal businesses take a hit during mild winter
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Updated: 6:50 PM EST Feb 27, 2023
Temperatures for the month of February have been so irregular it seems downright freakish to some people; temps have jumped to 70 degrees or higher three days this month, the most on record for a Pittsburgh February.It's a reflection of what has occurred throughout the entire winter, and it has taken a toll on seasonal businesses, like A&N Lawn Service, which leans heavily on snow removal. "I've been doing this for 30 years, and this is the mildest winter I've ever gone through," says owner Phillip Rizzitano.A normal winter brings roughly 40 days of salting and plowing, Rizzitano says. This year? Only seven days of work. "Financially, I think we're just getting by. We're not making any money this year, that's for sure. We're taking a big hit. Our sales are way down."At Fox Chapel Ski & Board, their normal customer flow has dropped from 200 a day to just 50 a day on average. "A lot of rain, warm weather, morale's low because of that, among skiers," says shop manager Henry Reiser.This season, they're getting by because of faithful customers purchasing merchandise for out-of-state ski trips, like Nick Romano, who is headed to Vermont. "Pretty bad winter for sure. I was just out at Hidden Valley the past couple of weeks, and they're struggling for sure," said Romano.
PITTSBURGH — Temperatures for the month of February have been so irregular it seems downright freakish to some people; temps have jumped to 70 degrees or higher three days this month, the most on record for a Pittsburgh February.
It's a reflection of what has occurred throughout the entire winter, and it has taken a toll on seasonal businesses, like A&N Lawn Service, which leans heavily on snow removal. "I've been doing this for 30 years, and this is the mildest winter I've ever gone through," says owner Phillip Rizzitano.
A normal winter brings roughly 40 days of salting and plowing, Rizzitano says. This year? Only seven days of work. "Financially, I think we're just getting by. We're not making any money this year, that's for sure. We're taking a big hit. Our sales are way down."
At Fox Chapel Ski & Board, their normal customer flow has dropped from 200 a day to just 50 a day on average. "A lot of rain, warm weather, morale's low because of that, among skiers," says shop manager Henry Reiser.
This season, they're getting by because of faithful customers purchasing merchandise for out-of-state ski trips, like Nick Romano, who is headed to Vermont. "Pretty bad winter for sure. I was just out at Hidden Valley the past couple of weeks, and they're struggling for sure," said Romano.
