(NBC 26) -- In our nightly we're open segment we try to showcase the businesses across northeast Wisconsin that are trying to get back to business as usual. But as NBC26 discovered today some sectors of retail are thriving right now as consumers try to occupy their and their kids extra free time.
At Pool Works in De Pere, the wave of customers is steady. In fact, Cecillia Clausen, an employee at the shop, hasn't seen the pool and pool supply store this consistently busy in her five years of employment.
"It's busier than the past summers that I've been here."
These are luxury items, they're not essential, but for those that can afford them right now, they're sure to occupy some of the free time many are finding themselves with.
"Now people are having more demand for a pool of their own since they are not able to leave the house or go to a commercial pool," says Clausen.
But it's not just Pool Works that is noticing the increased demand for pools this summer. Many others in the pool industry were pleasantly surprised this spring when their phones started ringing off the hook.
"Maybe a normal call day is maybe taking three calls per hour and our call volume must have gone up to twenty calls per hour," says
Ben Dier the owner of Bellyflop Pools.
Dier is trying to meet the public's demand by not only supplying pools to customers but also installing them. And while calls are way up he's far from complaining. Dier says sales are right now are at the highest point in his 20 years of providing the service. This spring Dier estimates that sales are up nearly 4 fold what they were in 2019.
"People have maybe that extra five thousand dollars to spend that they were going to spend on vacation... Now they're finding they can't go anywhere so."
But meeting the growing need is getting tough according Dier. That's because pool production is down due to the pandemic and additionally some supplies made outside of the country are tough for Dier, to get his hands on.
"Definitely scheduling is going to be very difficult to do this year with backorders and delays," says Dier.
For now, the work will continue though. Dier and his crew plan on getting any pool purchase made this summer in the ground by fall. Which all equates to yet another unexpected outcome of the pandemic.
