Many Colorado businesses tried to keep the doors open during the recent power shutoffs despite the drop in foot traffic. Now, they’re hoping customers will return in greater numbers ahead of the coming Christmas holiday.
“We get a lot of gift buyers here,” said Satya Scheffelman with Golden Goods as customers searched for mugs, Coors hoodies, T-shirts, magnets, and postcards—classic stocking stuffers that have made Golden Goods a go-to destination for years.
But this holiday season came with an unexpected challenge. By Friday afternoon, power and internet service went dark.
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“Everywhere—no power, no internet, no nothing,” Scheffelman recalled.
Just across the street, Vital Outdoors faced the same issue.
“We lost power Friday and Saturday, kind of all the way into Sunday morning,” Eric Steingas said.
The outages were part of Xcel Energy’s power shutoff to protect the state from severe wildfire danger, affecting tens of thousands of Coloradans and making business anything but merry during one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.
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Without reliable electricity or internet, stores had to adapt quickly. Employees manually rang up purchases on phones, kept storefronts presentable, and did their best to keep shoppers moving.
“We were just trying to keep the store looking nice,” Scheffelman said. “We were checking people out manually on the phone. It took a while, but everyone was trying to get their Christmas shopping done.”
From cell service to shared resources, Golden businesses found creative ways to stay open. Some relied on backup generators to keep lights on and computers running, even as foot traffic slowed.
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“We definitely noticed a difference,” Steingas said. “This is usually one of our busiest weekends of the year, and we lost out on a lot of foot traffic.”
Now, with Christmas just days away, the focus has shifted to the next challenge: getting customers back in the door.
“We’ve got high hopes people are going to do that last-second gift shopping,” Steingas said.