Pandemic has different kinds of gifts trending this holiday season at Abt in Glenview
Although their family has owned what is now one of the largest appliance and electronics stores in the country, Mike and Jon Abt, two of the four brothers who run Abt Electronics in Glenview, say they haven't always been on the cutting edge in regard to purchases for their own homes.
Mike said when he makes a purchase, he looks for the best value. Jon said that while he does sometimes purchase trending items, he doesn't always have the latest and greatest items either.
"I will say, growing up, we didn't have a VCR until (after) everyone on the block had one," Jon said.
Even in recent years, he did not have a flat-screen TV in his home until most consumers had already purchased one.
"People would come over and laugh at me and ask, 'where is your flat-screen?'" Jon said.
With the holiday shopping season approaching in the midst of a pandemic, the brothers showed several trending items in the 114,000-square-foot showroom recently, including air purifiers, heaters for outdoor spaces, home exercise equipment and home security systems.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Abt isn't having its usual sales that pack the store.
"We're not going to have our big event that packs all these parking lots, because we don't want to have that many people in our store," Mike said.
"That's how we're dealing with it, just trying to keep business-as-usual, under control instead of mass-crazy time like we usually do three times a year, and this year we're not going to do it at all."
Mike said the 350,000-square-foot warehouse is packed with product, delivery times are fast and online sales have doubled. Customers are also renting trucks and picking up items themselves.
Even with a packed warehouse, manufacturers are having supply-chain issues, and customers are being less picky when it comes to making their selections and have been willing to purchase an item that is in stock, Mike said.
"With COVID, people care so much about vacuums, air purifiers and water purifiers," Mike said. "This has become a hot category and is very hard to get sometimes."
He stressed that those appliances do not remove the virus that causes COVID-19, and neither Abt nor the manufacturers promise that. It is merely the case that people want to keep their spaces as clean as possible.
Another trending category is high-end outdoor heaters, so people can host gatherings either outdoors or in their garages during the colder months.
"People are making their outdoor spot bigger," Mike said. "They want to have people over, but they don't want them inside."
Mike and Jon said when gyms closed in March, customers started to purchase home fitness equipment, and there have been extensive back-orders. As in the case of other items, people have been willing to purchase what is in stock.
Jon said home fitness equipment features advanced technology. "You get that public gym experience in the privacy of your own home."
Abt Electronics, founded in 1936, has grown to become the largest independent single-store retailer of electronics, appliances and home goods in the country, according to information provided by Abt.
In addition to Mike and Jon, brothers Ricky and Billy share the title of Abt co-presidents, but they tend to keep a lower profile when it comes to publicity.