MINNEAPOLIS — On the surface, Jerry's Do It Best Hardware in Edina has weathered the winter storm shopping onslaught well. Pallets of salt and ice melt still line the entrance, and shelves are still full of shovels and ice scrapers of all sizes.
But dig a little deeper and you'll find the basement is buried in broken snow blowers waiting for repairs.
"We get overwhelmed when the snow is this heavy because so many people have problems with cables and belts that break under these heavy, heavy conditions," said Manager John Connolly. "Unfortunately, because of the volume, we are three or four weeks behind, but that's kind of the case throughout the metro area."
Connolly says they still have plenty of new snow blowers and snow blower parts for anyone able to tackle the repairs themselves.
Beyond that repair backlog, he says roof rakes are the most difficult items to keep in stock right now, with just a handful of the more expensive varieties in stock.
"We have a large order on the way, but they've been very, very popular in the last four days," he said. "They usually range in price from $80 to $160, but when we get big storms like this, it can help prevent ice dams and other problems that can form on your roof. It could save you thousands on roof damage, gutter damage or slip and falls on your property."
If you're worried more about damage from slipping on the road, All J's Tire Service down the road in Minneapolis, recommends a different kind of investment.
"You can have a shovel in your car, but I'm going to have snow tires on my car and I won't need a shovel," said Jim Behrendt, owner of All J's Tire Service.
Behrendt says many drivers have a new appreciation for the difference between all season tires and snow tires after the last few days of spin outs and unplowed neighborhood streets.
"This is a Bridgestone Blizzak, you can see it's a tremendously different tread design," he said, pointing to one of the most popular snow tire models. "It has deep grooves for getting water out, and then these little micro-cuts actually expose when the tire is torqued. That gives you not just this edge but multiple edges on the road."
He says the exact same vehicle has much more traction when trying to stop and avoid a tree 100 feet away, even on sheer ice.
"The all season tire guy hits the tree, the snow tire guy stops 30 feet short of the tree," Behrendt said. "The safety is huge. We actually have to tell people to calm down because the difference is exhilarating."
Unlike snow blowers, he says now isn't all that bad of a time to be in the market for new tires or service.
"Worst case scenario, it will take us 10 days (to find and install the right tires), best case scenario we can do it tomorrow," he said. "It really isn't as much pressure right now as it was a month and a half or two months ago. When first snowflake falls, we'll be talking to 100 people a day."
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