MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — There's still a good supply of air conditioning units here at Steele's Ace Hardware near Tannersville.
But with a possible heat wave headed our way, these boxes might not be here for long.
It's why Ron Egloff from Mount Bethel acted fast to buy his.
"You know you get the heat wave coming in, and then everyone scrambles for them. So you know, we thought ahead," said Ron Egloff, Mount Bethel.
But as with so many other things during the past year and a half, the pandemic is bearing down on the HVAC industry as well.
There is a nationwide shortage of air conditioning units and parts.
Devesh Randeo is the store manager at Steel's Ace Hardware.
He says the store tripled its inventory.
"We kind of learned our lesson with the whole COVID and inventory issue. We prepared ourselves for this. We kind of buy in advance, and a lot more than we normally buy just to prepare ourselves for this. Right now, we have extreme amount of stock in our store, but they go real quick once word gets out," said Devesh Randeo, Steel's Ace Hardware.
If you're in the market for an air conditioning unit, retailers' best advice is that if you see one, scoop it up.
If you can't find a unit you're looking for, get yourself on a waiting list.
"It seems to still be a trickle-down from the COVID tie-ups of people manufacturing, not getting enough parts to make units, etc., etc., and getting the product to market," said Scott Mathiesen, Jewell TV and Appliance.
Scott Mathiesen owns Jewell TV and Appliance.
He recently sold about a dozen units.
"We are waiting for our product to arrive. We've gone through what we had in stock, and we are waiting for more product to arrive," said Mathiesen.
Mathiesen says if you're in this part of the Poconos and are looking for an AC unit, call his store.
He is expecting a shipment, and you can get yourself on a waiting list for a unit to be held.