Does Weather Affect Your Traffic? For Some, in the Most Surprising Ways!

No rhyme or reason. — Ivy Elaine Frederick, OD, New Castle, PA
No, we are in Florida and people are out in the community all year. — Verbelee Nielsen-Swanson, Oxford Eyes, Orlando, FL
Yes. We are in North Dakota. If we are having a really cold snap, people do not want to shop. They want to get into their cars and get into their warm garages and home! On the flip side, we don’t get a lot of warm weather, so if we have an event on a really good weather day, we will see less sales then too! — Jenna Gilbertson, McCulley Optix Gallery, Fargo, ND
Yes! We’re in Southern California so it’s sunny 11 months out of the year. We sell sunglasses all year long. It’s more expensive to live here, but we call it a weather tax and we’re fine with it. — Josh Bladh, Dr Bladh OD, Diamond Bar, CA
Not as much as pandemics. — Dave Goodrich, Goodrich Optical, Lansing, MI
Yes. We have slow summers because everyone leaves for the cabin in summer. And winter snowstorms will keep people away as well. — Nikki Griffin, EyeStyles Optical and Boutique, Oakdale, MN
Don’t really because in Newport Beach, California our weather is mild the whole year. — Leisa Lauer, Westcliff Optometry, Newport Beach, FL
On well-below-zero winter days with 30-40 mph winds and blowing snow, traffic slows a bit. — Deb Jaeger, Eye Center of the Dakotas, Bismarck, ND
Bad weather seems to bring people into the office. Good weather seems to keep them away. — Danielle Doniver, Heritage Optical, Detroit, MI
Only during Hurricanes! One guess? — Mark Perry, OD, Vision Health Institute, Orlando, FL
Not really. — Amber Fritsch, OD, Precision Eye Care, Mt. Juliet, TN
No, short of something apocalyptic sales here are weather independent. — Michael Davis, OD, Opti-Care, Eldersburg, MD
Not really in a negative way! We have patients that still come in a blizzard, rainstorm or if it’s super nice outside. Sometimes it’s just effortless to sell those second pairs on a sunny day! — Selena Jachens, Urban Eyecare & Eyewear, West Des Moines, IA
Yes, mostly in the winter months. We are located near the mountains in Western Colorado and surrounding towns can have large snowfalls that will keep them from being able to make appointments or come in to town to order glasses. — Caitlin Wicka, San Juan Eye Center, Montrose, CO
The weather is very weird for us. We often think that on rainy days it will be busier and on gorgeous days it will be slow. While this is sometimes the case, it seems more often than not that it’s the other way around. Our store has zero walk by traffic making it a place you need to get in your car and drive to. This being the case, you’d imagine someone’s decision to come in would be affected by this but again, it’s more often than not that this isn’t the case. — Harris Decker, Eye Designs of Westchester, Scarsdale, NY
Yes, in severe weather schools shut down and parents won’t bring their children to therapy. — Megan Lott, Lexington Eye Care, Lexington, MS
Not as much as I thought it would. Georgia has a bad allergy season, literally rains pollen at times, but most of our patients make it in rain or shine. — William Chancellor, Eye Can See Eyewear, McDonough, GA
No, however, a full moon brings out the crazies. — Paul Pascarella, OD, Pascarella Eye Care & Contact Lenses PC, Newtown, PA
We are a farming community, so the weather definitely affects the traffic in the store. Planting was basically being done as we were starting to reopen, so we got the traffic from the farming community soon after. — Kim Hilgers, Monson Eyecare Center, Owatonna, MN
Not anymore. It’s hard to tell why really. I’ve had horrible blizzards that were busy days and sunny days where I sat around. — Kevin Count, Prentice Lab, Glenview, IL
If it’s too nice people don’t come in because they’d rather be outside. If it’s too bad, people don’t come in because they’d rather not go outside. — Nytarsha Thomas, OD, Visionelle Eyecare, Zionsville, IN
Yes! Nice weather in the spring sends people packing … packing a lunch and heading to the beach. — Elizabeth Reid, Vision Associates Inc, Hayes, VA
Not so much. — Steve Whitaker, Whitaker Eye Works, Wayne, PA
Sometimes snow, if we get too much, patient’s will opt not to come to office. — Pam Peters, Midwest Eye, Downers Grove, IL
Yes, if it is very cold or very hot, most people will stay home. — Tammy Warmouth, Main Optical, Luzerne, PA
Somewhat. Snow storms and bitter cold in winter can keep people from coming in. And also beautiful “I want to be outside” weather can keep people from coming in. — Paula Hornbeck, Eye Candy & Eye Candy Kids, Delafield, WI
Yes, here is sunny Texas the warm sunny days make sunglass sales super easy. — Nicole Leonard, Custom Eye Care, San Antonio, TX
Not significantly. We see a slight uptick in sun sales the first part of summer and we do Rx goggle inserts in the winter but sales stay pretty consistent. — Travis LeFevre, Krystal Vision, Logan, UT
Absolutely. Consumers are more likely to make a purchase on a nice, sunny day. — Annie Thompson, Lawrence Eye Care Optical, Lawrence, KS
Not at all. We could have a blizzard and people would venture out and buy glasses from us. — Deanna Phillips, Clemmons Family Eye Care, Clemmons, NC
Yes. Not as many people come out in the bad winter weather. — Chris Cordes, Fischer Laser Eye Center, Marshall, MN
If it rains, they stay home. — Adam Ramsey, OD, Socialite Vision, Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Not that I’ve noticed. — Cynthia Sayers, OD, EyeShop Optical Center, Lewis Center, OH
Sometimes, it just depends on the moon cycle. — Ron Catterson, Clear View Optix, The Villages, FL
We have quite a bit of foot traffic so when it rains it’s quiet. — Sherry Berry, Eye Against Eye, Aston, PA
No, unless it’s a raging blizzard we are usually okay. — Susan Spencer, Council Eye Care, Williamsville, NY
Yes, snow keeps people home and rain isn’t that much better. — Ken Weiner, OD, Livingston, NJ
People just stay away when it’s raining. Regardless of the temperature or the season, if it rains, everybody disappears. — Pablo E. Mercado, Optima Eye Care, Alpharetta, GA
Heavy rain slows down traffic, as does beautiful clear days in the mid 7O’s. — BJ Chambers, Carrera Optical, McQueeney, TX
Not really. We had a patient upset when they came in during a storm for their exam and the sirens started to go off. We had to take shelter and they still wanted their exam finished. — Lindsey Pulford, Insights Eyecare, Manhattan, KS
In the winter, it certainly can. Snow storms can close our office, and even if they don’t, many patients opt not to drive in those conditions. On the flip side, we swear we get busier on rainy days. Maybe it’s because people decide there’s nothing better to do? — Christine Howard, Attleboro Vision Care, Attleboro, MA
Sometimes I think the worse the weather, the better we do. People just got to drive in that bad weather! — Angel Miller, Cynthiana Vision Center, Cynthiana, KY
We live in Minnesota so minimally typically, but when there is a severe snow storm it slows down slightly. — Zachary Dirks, OD, St. Peter and Belle Plaine Eyecare Centers, Saint Peter, MN
Larger patterns of weather do, yes, more so than individual days of weather. Big snowstorms can cause big cancellations and no-shows for us, as does the first week of warm/sunny weather each spring. Also, any time the weather begins to change seasonally, we see a spike in sunglass sales. — Jen Heller, Pend Oreille Vision Care, Sandpoint, ID
Sometimes hard rain will keep people home. No snow in Sun Diego though! — Jeff Grosekemper, Casa De Oro Eyecare, Spring Valley, CA
When it rains in San Diego people lose their minds. They all of a sudden lose the ability to drive, think clearly, and show up to eye exams. — Andrew Romeril, OD, Torrey Highlands Optometry, San Diego, CA
The season of COVID-19 is affecting my practice. — Texas L. Smith, OD, Dr. Texas L. Smith & Associates, Citrus Heights, CA
The weather only seems to affect things when the seasons are changing. In the fall, when the rain starts, it gets slow as people hunker down a bit. Once they remember the rain will continue all winter, they start going back to normal routine. Similarly in spring, when it starts to warm up, there is a slow down as people do more outdoor activities instead of coming to the optometrist. — Elizabeth Knaus, A to Z Eye Care, Arcata, CA
If it’s really nice out no one comes in on a Saturday. We live in Western NY, where the sun shines about two and a half days a month so everyone wants to be out in it! — Jennifer Leuzzi, Mill Creek Optical, Dansville, NY
Yes. When the weather is nice here in Wisconsin, our Fridays are very slow due to most people going “Up Nort” to their cottage or cabin. — Judy Scheuerell, Fox Valley Family Eye Care, Little Chute, WI
No noticeable effect. — Denise Robertson, Washington State University Vision Clinic, Pullman, WA
Only if the snow shuts down roads, otherwise not really. — Bethany Cassar, Complete Eye Health, Holland, MI
Not really unless it’s a huge snowstorm. Illinois standards are pretty tolerant of weather. — Elizabeth Atkinson, OD, Atkinson Eye Care, Algonquin, IL
Not particularly. — Chris Lopez, OD, Roberts Eyecare Associates, Vestal, NY
No, weather is very mild in New Mexico. — Alissa Irons, OD, BLINK, Albuquerque, NM
No. It’s always 70 degrees! — Dave Schultz, OD, Urban Optics, San Luis Obispo, CA
No, customers will come out the next day if the weather didn’t permit. — Harry Roth, eyeQ Opticians, Millburn, NJ
When it’s really nice out, and when we have lots of snow traffic, it’s really slow which is understandable. — Scott Felten, Fox Valley Family Eye Care, Little Chute, WI
Only heavy snow or ice. — Rick Pascucci, Towpath Vision Care, Clinton, NY
Yes! When it rains, everyone comes in to purchase. It’s so weird. Tornado warning? Everyone! — Frances Ann Layton, Eye Associates of South Georgia, Valdosta, GA
In South Florida the only weather that shuts us down is a hurricane. No power ends your business in a heartbeat. — Robert M. Easton Jr, OD, FAAO, Oakland Park, FL
Not really, unless it’s a blizzard and people can’t get to us. — Tiffany Firer, Lifetime Eyecare, Jenison, MI
Not really, we have pretty mild weather here. And on the few days it does snow it seems everyone comes out on those days. — Katie Billman, Meridian Family Eyecare, Meridian, ID
Not really, however the coronavirus has done more to decrease sales than a blizzard ever could. — Star Taylor, Richens Eye Center, St. George, UT
Yes. We deal with an elderly clientele, and a lot of them will not leave their house for appointments if it is raining. On the flip side we are right by the beach so sunglasses sell a bit better in the summer. — David Greening, Astorino and Associates Eye Center, Newport Beach, CA

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INVISION Staff

Since launching in 2014, INVISION has won 23 international journalism awards for its publication and website. Contact INVISION's editors at editor@invisionmag.com.

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