Although winter is still in full swing, many customers have already ordered their pool for the summer, to the point where Saguenay retailers advise not to wait too long to do the same.
“The excitement is there. For at least two weeks, people have started to think about their swimming pool again, despite the temperature, ”said the owner of the Trévi in the borough of Chicoutimi, Jean-Robin Brochu.
This year, merchants are seeing that many customers have decided to make their purchase much earlier to make sure they don’t miss out and avoid delivery delays.
“Even the months of December and January, traditionally months that were much quieter when you hardly saw anyone, now you see people shopping and getting ready,” said the assistant general manager at Piscines Soleil Plus Chicoutimi, Frederique B. Gauthier.
Currently, Saguenay retailers sell between five and ten pools each week. The schedule for installers fills up very quickly.
“We will have to start looking soon if we want to have a place,” advised Ms. Gauthier, adding that, for an inground pool, the installation could go to 2023.
In addition, customers should expect to pay more. An above-ground pool, for example, sells for about $2,000 more than last year, while a pool liner has nearly doubled in price.
With the pandemic, it’s not just consumers who have changed their buying habits; traders also had to change their ways of doing things.
“Now, we place orders much further in advance. Sometimes, we talk about a year or even more in advance to be sure to get our hands on equipment,” explained Frédérique B. Gauthier from Piscines Soleil Plus. And that’s not all: retailers also had to diversify their suppliers and order from several companies, instead of just one, to avoid stockouts.
At Trévi in Chicoutimi, certain equipment that has just arrived had been ordered since last September.
The retailer also makes sure to buy larger quantities if possible.
“We learn from our mistakes, we manage that when we sell something, we have it and we will be able to deliver it,” said owner Jean-Robin Brochu.
Either way, traders say they are ready for another busy summer season.