PHOENIX — "We see a significant drop in sales in the summer," said Frank Gervasi, General Manager of AZ Wilderness in downtown Phoenix.
It's a statement that holds true for a significant number of Valley businesses from June through August. With snowbirds heading elsewhere, ASU students going home, and those in the Phoenix area staying indoors as often as possible, it's no surprise.
"It’s definitely a lot slower, you can tell that people don’t want to go out in the heat. We are not blessed with a parking lot by us, which makes it even tougher for people because no one wants to walk multiple blocks in the heat," stated Gervasi.
According to data from Homebase, an app serving small businesses, Arizona is the state impacted the most by high temperatures. The data showed a nearly 6% decrease in hours worked, a 4% decrease in employees working, and just over a 2% decrease in businesses open.
Retail, hospitality, and food service are a few of the industries impacted by the triple digits Arizonans have come to expect in the summer months.
Ice cream shops, however, are one of the few small businesses that get more customers this time of year.
"You can sell ice cream here in Arizona 9 months out of the year," noted Armando Nunez. The owner of Valley Ice Cream Shop in Phoenix considers this his busiest time of year for attracting locals and tourists. "We’re very close to the airport here so we actually get a lot of people from out of town."
The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry data showed a rise in population year after year in the Phoenix metro area is helping to combat the slow season for businesses.
"Last summer where we saw record heat for 30 plus days, we had an overall increase in both visitors and revenue... so we know that heat doesn’t scare people away," said Danny Seiden, President and CEO.
Temperatures haven't discouraged all visitors from the Valley.
This summer, Seiden said, "The WNBA chose us for the All-Star game at this location in July, so they know how great it’s going to be then."
Tourism offices in other parts of the state are hoping to convince locals to explore. Visit Tucson has a new summer campaign, "Where different hotels and resorts in town will offer various discounts. Restaurants will offer discounts. Our attractions will stay open later, with the peak heat in the middle of the day, no one wants to be out," according to Cindy Aguilar, the Director of Communications for Visit Tucson.
AZ Wilderness is one of the Valley businesses offering summer deals to beat the heat and encourage customers to come out.
The new loyalty program Gervasi started is, "For every dollar you spend you get one point. With every 100 points, you get ten dollars back. It doesn’t cost you anything, and just for signing up you get 25 points."
