Mild Winter Slows Sales of Snow Removal Gear or"?(R)? ''No Snow Slows Blower Flow''

Lack of seasonal demand has reduced sales of smaller, single stage snow blowers in the Northeast, where snowfall has stayed well below typical winter levels.

Snow removal equipment like blowers and shovels are gathering dust in shops across the Northeast, as the mild winter that closed 2012 has reduced demand.

Hardware stores in Michigan, where only 7.6 inches of snow has fallen instead of the typical 31.4 inches, are feeling the pinch.

''We have two types of customers,'' Chad Ayers, a manager of the True Value in Allendale, Mich., told WZZM. ''The planners ... they have a little more disposable income and they will typically buy between September and December. They're typically buying bigger, two-stage, higher-dollar snow blowers. Then we have the other type of customer who totally banks on whether or not we get snow, and that's where we sell the single stage snow blowers.''

The shortage of snow does not guarantee low prices on removal equipment. Blower manufacturers will reduce production or delay the release of a new model in favor of carrying machines over from the prior year to maintain price levels.