Standby power generates brisk sales on LI

Demand for generators was so strong last weekend at Costello's Ace Hardware in Farmingdale that the store sold more in three days than it had in the past five years, said assistant manager Michael Noonan.

From Friday to Sunday, customers bought about 50 portable generators ranging in price from $400 to $1,200, he said Monday.

"Everybody was waiting for generators," Noonan said.

The store is sold out and isn't sure when it will get more in.

Tropical Storm Irene put the shine on generators and many other products to supply the power and light that her fierce winds knocked out at many Long Island homes and businesses over the weekend. Besides generators, local hardware and home-improvement stores reported brisk demand for flashlights and the batteries that power them. One hardware store also sold out of old-fashioned lighting items like hurricane oil lamps.

Baldwin True Value Hardware sold the last of its four dozen hurricane lamps on Friday, said owner Pat Lore. Normally, the store sells that many in a year.

At Trio Hardware in Plainview, manager Todd Kirschner said the store sold thousands of packages of D batteries for flashlights. More stock will come in Wednesday because Kirschner was able to find a battery supplier in Ohio after failing to locate one in the Northeast, he said.

"No matter how much inventory you have, no one can foresee instant demand," he said.

Other storm items were in high demand at local stores, too, such as tarps, masking tape and chain saws. But consumers' hunt for generators involved some of the most intense efforts.

At the Lowe's in Garden City, customers began lining up for generators at 5 a.m. Friday and Saturday, even though the store didn't open until 6 a.m., said assistant manager Mike Doughten. The store sold the 35 generators available on each of those days in about 10 minutes. They cost $799 each, he added.

Monday, the store received 480 generators and by 2 p.m. had sold more than half, according to Doughten.

"It's unbelievable," he said. "What customers are buying is storm-related products. Every third customer has a generator."