SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – As the snow starts to fly, people are scrambling to get winter tires on their cars. Shops say the busy season is just beginning.
“Yeah, first time getting winter tires. Haven’t driven in the snow since I was a teenager in Michigan,” said Amy Bruce of Burlington.
Bruce spent her Monday morning waiting for her new winter tires at Vermont Tire & Service in South Burlington.
She’s spent the last 30 years on the northern California coast. Now, she’s preparing for a New England winter.
“I don’t know a lot about tires and I don’t want to take any chances. So I went for studded tires because I will be going up to the mountains usually like every weekend,” Bruce said.
For others, the annual maintenance is just part of the changing of the seasons.
“To be honest, you know, I have lived in Vermont for a while. So I trust the tires and I trust the people here to tell me if there are any problems with the tires,” said Ellen Gittelsohn of South Burlington.
For the last couple of days, Vermont Tire & Service has seen upward of 40 cars a day needing winter tires. The shop takes appointments on a first-come, first-served basis. They say the busy season is just getting started.
“Busier than normal, but not as we are used to it. The warmer weather the last few years have probably stifled it a little bit. But we are picking up. Basically, we wait for a long line outside that tells us when we are actually in our busy season. That just started within the last few weeks,” said Mark Woods of Vermont Tire & Service.
The service shop expects work to pick up in the next couple of weeks as more people make appointments.
Experts advise putting winter tires on before the snow sticks to the ground.