Spring Forward ... Another Couple Months, Please

I was one of the idiots who forgot to turn his clock ahead an hour this past weekend. Thus, I showed up an hour late for work on Monday. But that's cool ... because all the negative industry news regarding workforce reductions (Stihl, Deere, Eaton, and Black & Decker) was ready and waiting for me when I arrived. Now today I heard that Toro is laying off about a third of its workforce at its Tomah, WI, plant. That's where the company builds a bunch of its grounds maintenance equipment for golf courses and landscape contractors. The Toro spokesperson said the layoffs could be very temporary, with workers returning as soon as demand for its products picks back up again. The trouble is forecasting when in the world that is going to happen. We've talked to many, many dealers who are playing a "wait and see" game right now, as are many manufacturers. What the credit market, Mother Nature and consumer confidence will do in the next few months is more difficult to predict than who that goof from "The Bachelor" will select as his next temporary wife. Oh wait, he already did that and the show's over = THANK GOD!! Back to the power equipment business ... Until the grass starts growin' and lawnmower engines start blowin', it's on pins and needles for a lot of dealers. Maybe that's why it didn't occur to me to set my clock ahead an hour last weekend. What's an hour anyway? Meaningless. We need to kick things ahead a good month or two. Come June, I think we could all be breathing a little sigh of relief. Will things be back to perfect like they were four, five years ago? Maybe not ... but that light at the end of the tunnel might be a tad brighter.