Keeping St. John residents and businesses out of the dark has become a business strategy for island retailers. One week after a three-day power outage crippled daily life, hardware store managers described increased sales activity seen in the days before.
Managers at St. John Hardware and Paradise Lumber described a surge in sales of generators, batteries, fuel containers, lanterns and extension cords. Many of those buyers came to supply vacation homes and villas or to power equipment used to maintain properties.
“ … We have batteries. Obviously, people need batteries. That’s for flashlights, things like that — battery operation. We have five battery-operated fans, which we used after Irma; we used extensively in our house.” said St. John Hardware owners James and Kate Swan. “They take a 20 volt battery and they can last almost 8 to 10 hours. So while you’re sleeping, you can have a fan, especially in September when it’s hot.”
Generators moving out the door included newer-model propane generators that the Swans said run more quietly than gas-powered versions. Buyers also took away large capacity Generac units used to power villas. “I think I sold three or four … And then just recently, we helped the School of the Arts with one because they were having problems. And then I sold it, and I got another one that came in by mistake and immediately that sold within minutes, before I took it out of the container,” Jim Swan said.
Vacation homes and villas make up the majority of guest accommodations on St. John, making it important to ensure reliable power during outages when occupied by guests.
In describing activity during the outages of February and March, Paradise Lumber manager Jammie Joseph said generators topped the sales record. “St. John is always unique because there are power struggles with WAPA,” Joseph said.
Sales of other items like batteries, extension cords, gas cans and lanterns left parts of the store’s display shelves empty. Property owners and cleaners made up much of the customer base during and after the most recent outage.
“We had property managers and cleaners (come in); property managers looking for generators. Cleaners looking for generators and battery-powered generators so they can run their cleaning machines,” Joseph said.
But also on hand at the lumberyard hardware store were household items for homeowners, renters and visitors. The manager unboxed a special lightbulb that comes equipped with a power storage cell. When the power goes out, he said, the bulb stays lit for several hours.
Pressing the bottom of the bulb, Joseph showed off an additional feature; the bulb also acts like a flashlight and can be turned off if the occupant leaves the dwelling.
But sales of smaller items remained modest; most likely because consumers don’t realize items like the bulb are available, he said.
Or the standing fan charged by a solar panel the size of a sheet of paper. Or the solar-powered lantern that also acts as a cellphone charger.
Attending product expos, browsing the internet helps the store stock rechargeable items and those that can be charged by the sun — items that give light, can power appliances and provide cooling air flow. “There are also solar bulbs they can set out in the sun and they will charge,” Joseph said.
But many on St. John say they’re still waiting for better solutions. “I think we need the emergency generator that was promised many years ago,” Jim Swan said.
