The effects of Hurricane Charley and Frances are being felt far beyond Florida. The tag team tandem just put the entire portable generator marketplace on backorder. In Ohio, Tony Holder tried to purchase a generator at his local home improvement store, only to find the shelves empty with the entire inventory on a truck headed south. In Florida, new generators are as scarce as snowballs, with the demand overshadowing the supply. Customers are forced to wait in long lines with lottery numbers, hoping for a "chance" to get one of the few arriving generators.
Many customers, who were simply unable or unwilling to wait, jumped online to purchase generators directly from the manufactures. Even this supply evaporated.
Electric Generators Direct.com (http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com), an online generator superstore that dropships directly from the manufacturer's warehouses, is completely sold out. The company is now accepting backorders on all new generators. According to Jon Hoch, founder of Electric Generators Direct, generator manufacturers build enough inventory to weather a major event.
Even after Hurricane Charley blew ashore, most manufacturers had some inventory still available. Hurricane Frances, however, took every remaining piece. This isn't the first time a one-two punch has put the generator marketplace on backorder.
Just last year, the Great Northeast Blackout exhausted the surplus inventory traditionally reserved for hurricane season. By the time Hurricane Isabel hit the East Coast one month later, every available generator in the country evaporated.
Like last year, Hoch estimates that it will take generator manufacturers several months to fully replenish supplies throughout the country. It could take even longer if suppliers run out of critical component parts. "Why wait for retailers to restock their shelves and hope to get one?" asks Hoch. If you want a generator before the next storm hits, he recommends ordering direct from the factory. The generator will be shipped directly from the assembly line to your door, bypassing the warehouse.
According to Hoch, the backorder list grows longer every minute. If you wait to order, it could take a month or more to receive your generator. About Electric Generators Direct Electric Generators Direct (http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com) is an online generator superstore owned and operated by Power Equipment Direct, Inc. The company also maintains Pressure Washers Direct (http://www.pressurewashersdirect.com) and Air Compressors Direct (http://www.aircompressorsdirect.com).
Demand for Generators Set to Rocket as UK Power Crisis Looms
(ContentDesk) November 18, 2005 -- Natalie Chew, of Generators Express (http://www.generatorsexpress.co.uk), believes that demand for generators will rocket as households and businesses in the UK ready themselves for what could be a winter of power cuts. There is increasing concern that Britains natural gas reserves will run dangerously low in the event of a cold winter. This would force the government to shut down gas-burning power stations in order to maintain uninterrupted gas supplies to households. Around 40% of the UKs electricity is generated by gas power stations and shutting them down would lead to prolonged periods or power cuts across much of the country. Furthermore, several indicators suggest that this winter could be particularly severe.Households and small businesses are turning to generators as emergency power backup solutions.
These days it is almost impossible to function without electricity...
Demand for Generators Set to Rocket as UK Power Crisis Looms