Three major storms in two weeks have had a financial toll on many Bay State stores, experts said, but the concern ahead is whether the snow forecast for the end of the week will cut into Valentine's Day shopping and dining.
"Valentine's week is a very important retail sale period," said Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts. "Hopefully, consumers will be able to get out and spend as much shopping and dining as they normally would for Valentine's Day."
Many stores are worried about losing business to online retailers due to the weather, Hurst said, but the snow can delay deliveries and make shopping locally a more reliable option.
There could be a snow-free window for shopping over the next couple of days, and on Friday, though the National Weather Service is predicting a "possible plowable event" Thursday. There is also a chance of snow on Saturday, Valentine's Day, which could be a blow to restaurants.
Hurst said that "conservatively," Massachusetts retailers have lost about $10 million each day they have had to close or stayed open but had little or no business. The only thing that has kept that estimate from being much higher, he said, is that the worst snowfalls have come at the beginning of the week, which tends to be slower for most stores and restaurants anyway.
Kristen Keefe, general manager of Faneuil Hall Marketplace, said yesterday was the fourth day that she has decided to close the shopping center this winter.
"There's a vast impact," Keefe said. "Even on days we've opened, with the delays the MBTA has been experiencing, it's sometimes been a challenge for store employees and customers to get here."
Several Simon Malls throughout Massachusetts closed early, while Legacy Place in Dedham opened three hours later than usual, leaving it up to its stores' managers to decide when — and if — to open.
But at Warren Electric and Hardware in the South End, business was down but still brisk enough to make opening worthwhile.
"We've been doing about $300 an hour in sales — mostly snow melt, shovels, ice scrapers, space heaters, but also paint and other things for projects people figured they'd do around the house as long as they have the day off," said store employee Daniel Moore. "It'd be nice for the snow to stop, but as long as we're open, it's nice to be busy."
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