Stores run out of generators, fans for sale

Consumers on Saipan are snapping up electric generators and a host of battery-powered gadgets to cope with the worsening plague of blackouts on the island, and now demand is so high that hardware stores are running out of stock.

Generators have long sold as a hot item for retailers on Saipan due to the chronic outages on the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. power grid, yet consumer interest in them has risen in recent weeks, retailers say, as the frequency of the blackouts has increased.

“With the current power situation, the demand has been a lot more than it was,” said Ron Woolsey, general manager for Ace Hardware, in his Gualo Rai store Tuesday.

Like many other hardware stores on the island, Ace has now sold out of private generators, Woolsey said, but is expecting a shipment sometime in the near future. Added blackout survival tools are also selling fast, he said, such as battery-powered lanterns and flashlights. Ace Hardware recently sold almost its entire stock of battery-powered fans, he added, and had to get more.

“People want anything that can get them through the two or more hours they have with the power out,” Douglas Hanson, manager of the Ace’s Susupe branch.

Meanwhile, at Do-It-Best Hardware in Chalan Piao, manager Nonoy Huertas had much the same story, saying his store had also seen a major jump in consumers looking for home generators.

“It’s everything,” he said. “They want flashlights, generators, battery powered fans and lots of batteries.”

Do-It-Best should soon replenish its stock of generators and fans, he added..

According to Woolsey, consumers in search of a gas generator to power their homes during a blackout have some important considerations to make such as the size of the generator’s output.

“People have a tendency to buy generators that are too small than what they really need,” he said, adding that some household appliances can require up to twice as much power to start than they need when operating.

Since home generators in the CNMI often get far more use than the average one, for example, on the mainland United States where outages are less common, a reliable engine is also important, he said. Honda and Subaru engines, he noted, have a strong track record of reliability.

Buyers should also weigh whether to purchase a generator powered on unleaded gas or a diesel model, which are quieter and more durable but also run on fuel that is more expensive, he said.

The most popular model for generator buyers, he added, are 5,000 watt models capable of powering most needs found in an average small home. These cost about $1,000, he said. Smaller 3,750 watt generators at Ace cost less, at about $900.