The so-called Polar Vortex that is gripping much of the United States and Canada may be unpleasant for a number of reasons, but retailers, auto shops, travel agencies and even investors won鈥檛 be complaining, as a spell of real winter weather means a boost in their bottom line.
The chilly Arctic air is no doubt leading to lost productivity as employees are prevented from getting to work due to broken-down cars or public transit delays.
However, tow-truck operators, auto-body shops and travel agents are all reporting a spike in business during a cold snap that has sent temperatures plummeting with the wind chill to as low as 鈥� 50 C.
Older car batteries are leaving drivers stranded, and auto shops are in overdrive trying to keep up with demand.
A Canadian Tire store in Waterloo has had to re-stock batteries twice a day since the cold snap set in earlier this week.
鈥淐ustomers are just finding out now that batteries that are six, seven, eight years old, they are starting to lose that power,鈥� store manager Kyle Landry told CTV Kitchener Tuesday. 鈥淎nd (they are) having to give their vehicles a boost first thing in the morning.鈥�
By midday Tuesday, the CAA鈥檚 southwestern Ontario division reported receiving double the number of calls it would get during an entire winter鈥檚 day. Most of those calls were for dead batteries.
Two truck operators are also reporting backlogs that left customers waiting for as long as four hours for help.
Travel agent Sandy Willet of Goliger鈥檚 Travel says business has been brisk, with customers booking last-minute trips to islands such as Cuba and the Dominican Republic, or looking for space on a cruise.
鈥淚 had a lady who was supposed to go away in March, but she called this morning and she鈥檚 going away next week, too, because she just couldn鈥檛 wait,鈥� Willet said. 鈥淪he wanted to get away from this.鈥�
While homeowners will likely see a spike in their hydro bills after a cold snap, investors with holdings in oil and natural gas are enjoying a jump in prices as demand soars.
As customers who use natural gas to heat their homes turn up the thermostat, prices go up, too. On Tuesday, natural gas demand set a record in the U.S., beating a record set on Monday, Jack Weixel, director of energy analysis at Bentek Energy told The Associated Press.
On Tuesday, natural gas rose 3 cents to $4.329 per 1,000 cubic feet, while the price of oil climbed above US$94 a barrel Wednesday, up 39 cents.
With a report from CTV Kitchener鈥檚 Frank Lynn
