Air Conditioners Fly Off Shelves Before Heat Wave Arrives – Here’s Where to Find Them [YouTube]
With record high temperatures expected through the Fourth of July weekend, air conditioners and fans are the hottest items flying off the shelves at Missoula department and hardware stores.
Assistant Manager at Montana Ace Hardware, Dan Connors, said demand has been high in anticipation of this weekend's expected record high temperatures.
"Air conditioners are flying off the shelves already, " Connors said. "We've seen a large presence of people getting ready before it even lands. We try to be prepared, and we have a bunch of them coming tomorrow. We have portable AC's and window units, in addition to a boatload of fans."
Connors said the air conditioners come at a variety of prices.
"Our base window unit is $129.99, it's a 5,000 BTU and will cool up to about 150 square feet. It's our most popular unit. Come and get them while they last."
KGVO News also contacted Costco, where an associate said there were 27 portable units and 14 window units on the floor as of noon on Wednesday, but units are selling rapidly.
At Home Depot, an associate manager said nearly 30 air conditioners a day are going out the door. As of noon on Wednesday, there were approximately 50 window units and between 150 and 200 portable units and swamp coolers in stock, in addition to numerous fans.
At Lowe's, air conditioners are selling briskly, with another 36 expected in the next few days.
Air conditioners can start at as little as $150, and can go for up to $600 depending on the BTU's, or the capacity to cool a home.