'The phone has been ringing off the hook': Saskatoon businesses seeing high demand during heat wave

SASKATOON -

With temperatures as high as 36 C in Saskatoon on Thursday, businesses providing ways to cool down are stocking up on product as their lines extend out the door and the phones ring constantly.

Brent Badrock, the owner of Gibbon Heating & Air Conditioning, said the phone has been “ringing off the hook.”

“It’s hard to keep up right now,” he said.

Badrock said he’s been doing a lot of quotes in the last couple of weeks, installing new air conditioners and cleaning out plugged filters.

“I’ve been doing this a long time and a lot of people just wait until it gets hot, but then it’s almost too late when we’re two or three weeks out in installations.”

Other businesses that help people cool down, such as Homestead Ice Cream, find themselves busy on a day like today.

“We usually have a line, definitely busy at night, lots of couples and families coming for ice cream. All the different flavours that are changing bring a bunch of people in,” said supervisor Kirsten Cory.

She said it’s fulfilling to work at a location that people are excited to go to when they’re looking to cool down on a hot day.

Cory said the shop prepares to have more staff on hand when the weather is warmer to help keep the line moving.

It’s something Beppi’s Gelato is also doing.

“It’s definitely a lot busier when it’s hot out … we definitely stock up on as much gelato as we can have when we know it’s going to be hot because it runs out pretty quick,” said server Julia Kelly.

Kelly said when there’s a heat warning, the store will go through 30 pans of gelato in one day and often has a line going out the door.

“I love it (when it’s busy). I love seeing new people and talking to other people. It’s awesome.”