Spring is usually like Christmas for garden centers and home-improvement stores.
In recent weeks, however, the only thing like Christmas is the cold weather.
Snow and cold temperatures in March and early April delayed demand for gardening and lawn supplies and froze retail sales.
Darryl Schultz, owner of Bud Schultz Garden Center in Dunmore, said sunshine brings in tremendous business, but the prolonged winter didn't give people the incentive to go outside and plant.
"Real gardeners are still out and about and they come in on dreary days. As for the fair weather gardeners, we haven't seen too many," said Kevin Kukuchka, owner of Creekside Gardens in Tunkhannock. "Sunny days bring people out."
Consumers were shopping differently last year as early spring temperatures in March led to a surge in business. Last year, garden centers and home improvements saw booming sales early.
While there hasn't been a surge of interest yet in spring planting as past warmer years, it is still early and serious planters know they can expect anything in Northeast Pennsylvania until the last spring frost, which could occur up until May 15, said Mary Ellen O'Shea, manager of Dundee Gardens in Hanover Twp.
"With that in mind, a lot of people are delaying things that they would put in the ground because they know they will have to cover it if it gets below freezing," Ms. O'Shea said. "There are some very serious gardeners out there, and they come in for the cold weather crops."
Ms. O'Shea has seen a surge of sales in "grow lights" designed to stimulate plant growth and plant heating mats.
Garden center owners said their busiest time is typically in May before Mother's Day. With warmer weather in the forecast, they expect a rise in business soon.
Home Depot helped kick off its busy spring season in April with a Black Friday sale, featuring deals on spring items such as gardening tools, patio furniture and outdoor grills.
The home improvement retailer announced plans earlier this year to hire 220 seasonal workers in Northeast Pennsylvania, including about 120 for stores in Wilkes-Barre and Dickson City and 100 for its distribution center in the CenterPoint Commerce and Trade Park in Pittston Twp.
Walter Kolesa, manager of Home Depot in Wilkes-Barre, said about 57 employees were hired already at the Wilkes-Barre store and the number will likely increase to about 63. Delayed sales of items such as mulch, top soil and fertilizer did not delay hiring, but some workers got less hours than last March, he said.
"The goal is to be prepared for mid-April right through July 4," Mr. Kolesa said. "We're pretty close. We still have a few people to hire."
Mr. Kolesa said sales of some items, such as lumber, have picked up as people anticipate putting in decks and have begun the process.
"We didn't have that big push like March last year, but all of a sudden when the weather breaks, we will get extremely busy," Mr. Kolesa said.
Home Depot's other stores also continue to ramp up hiring for spring, their busiest time of year, said spokeswoman Katherine Ellison. In all, Home Depot plans to hire 80,000 seasonal workers nationwide. Interested people should apply online at careers.homedepot.com.
Lowe's recently announced plans to hire about 45,000 seasonal employees at its stores throughout the country and 9,000 permanent part-time employees for spring.
On average, about 26 are hired per store, said Lowe's spokeswoman Karen Cobb. Locally, Lowe's has stores in Edwardsville, Wilkes-Barre Twp., West Hazleton and Dickson City.
Lowe's also is hiring about 75 seasonal workers for warehouse positions at its distribution center in CenterPoint and Commerce Trade Park in Jenkins Twp. So far, Lowe's general manager Mike Kinger said 25 were hired and he hopes to fill the remaining 50 positions in the next two to three weeks. The cold weather has delayed hiring at Lowe's since spring weather hasn't started yet, he said.
Available positions are being posted and applications are being accepted online at www.lowes.com/careers.
Contact the writer: dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com