Auto glass shops typically see a slump in business as fall turns to winter, but this year, many business owners have noted that the slow season seems slower than usual.
Mike Pugs is the owner and operator of First Class Auto Glass in Stony Brook, New York. He has been in the industry for 22 years, and is used to less work during this season. This year is more so than usual, he says. Pugs noticed a sharp decline in business the last week of October.
“When that happened, I said ‘Oh, it’s the election. Once it happens, it will go back to normal,’” he says.
The election came and went, and business still didn’t pick back up. He says that this November, he only had 10 jobs compared to November 2023’s 45 jobs.
Pugs took his confusion to an industry Facebook group. He asked if anyone else was experiencing the same phenomenon. Though a few owners and technicians reported that they were no slower than usual, and one or two said they were actually busier, many from across the country replied that they had also noticed a sharper slump.
Though Scotty Rains’ overall work has been lower than usual this slow season, he’s had more repair work to keep him busy.
Scotty Rains and Jeff Crawford are two who confirmed Pugs’ observations. Rains owns and operates Glass Unlimited in Jefferson City, Missouri, and Crawford owns and operates Precision Auto Glass in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
Pugs says that after talking to those commenting on his post, he thinks there’s a combination of factors decreasing jobs more than usual this time of year. Auto insurance costs are high, he says, and customers could be avoiding necessary auto glass work because they don’t want their premiums to increase.
It’s also possible that there’s simply less damage, he says. Pugs hasn’t seen as much of the poor weather and harsh winter conditions that create rock chips and cracks over the past year.
“I’m kind of hoping we get more snowfall in Long Island this winter,” he says.
Like Pugs, Rains poses a couple of ideas for why his slow-season work has been lower this year.
“I think it’s the economy slowing down,” he says. “People are running out of money, so they’re putting off repairs.”
His state’s weather hasn’t been conducive to windshield damage, either.
“Here in Missouri, we normally go from hot to cold frequently and we have hailstorms, but this fall has been pretty mild,” Rains says.
“We’re not down-and-out,” Scotty Rains says. “We’re happy to have the work we have.”
He says he’s grateful his business hasn’t slowed down enough to cause a problem. Glass Unlimited still gets work every day. Despite a mild fall, the shop’s area has had a few cold snaps heading into December. These have driven more repair work Rains’ way, as he says car owners are nervous any chips they have been driving around with will crack in the cold.
Jeff Crawford says business at Precision Auto Glass is lower than usual both this season and the whole year. His year-to-date sales are down $160,000, and he has no clue why.
“My suppliers are telling me I’m actually buying more glass than other shops in the area, and I don’t see how that’s possible,” he says.
Unlike Rains, he doesn’t think his decrease is due to the economy. Crawford says he’s had almost the same number of cash jobs and dealership work as last year. Instead, he says it’s his insurance work that’s plummeted this year.
Crawford has wracked his brain to figure out why. He is eager to see what theories other business owners experiencing the same phenomenon have.
As an auto glass shop owner, has your business been slower than usual this time of year? Or, has your business gone down overall? Email abowman@glass.com to share your thoughts.
