Demand jumps for play structures, trampolines as stores sell out this spring

With playgrounds closed and sports all cancelled, the demand for backyard recreation equipment has jumped dramatically in Regina.

Trampolines and play structures are selling out as fast as stores can get them in stock.

“Basically, play structures in this city are sold out. You cannot find one — and it’s online. It’s across Canada,” Regina mom Kathe Scrobe said.

By the time Scrobe and her husband had saved some money to buy a play structure for their two boys ages five and three, she discovered most stores in the city were sold out.

She called every day and stood in line at Costco first thing in the morning only to find the new stock had sold out immediately and then she called stores across the province.

“Every place told me the same thing: They get about 20 calls a day and, ‘Get here early if you think you can get one,’ ” Scrobe said.

Kathe Scrobe’s two boys enjoy their new play structure. (Submitted)

Scrobe has been working from her kitchen table at home for almost two months and knew right away she needed to find a better solution to distract her young kids. She was relieved to finally get a play structure at Rona and set it up to the delight of her two boys, who are calling it the castle.

“It’s hard to do anything and now we have something exciting and age appropriate in our yard that they can go wild on,” Scrobe explained.

Scrobe said she has heard from many other families with similar stories this spring, as they scramble to find play equipment because playgrounds are closed and their kids need a distraction to burn off some energy.

Scott Thomson, the manager at Flaman Fitness in Regina, has been getting a lot of calls from customers looking for recreational equipment like trampolines.

“Demand has been through the roof. Unfortunately, a lot of our North American suppliers are currently out of trampolines,” Thomson said. “We currently have 80 coming to our Saskatchewan store shortly (and) as it turns out, most of those are sold already. We just can’t get them here fast enough right now.”

Counting sales just up to early May, Flaman has sold more trampolines already than it normally would in a year, and Thomson said the store would be selling a lot more if it could keep them in stock.

He can tell many families are eager to get equipment to keep their kids busy and active in the fresh air after being cooped up at home for so long.

“It was the same thing with the play structures — our stock was eaten up pretty quickly. And I know some of our suppliers out of the United States, they have a 12- to 14-week lead time, so there’s quite a wait for them,” Thomson noted.

Thomson said the store has seen similar trends for adult fitness equipment. When gyms closed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the store sold out of strength equipment like weights right away.

“(It was the) same type of thing,” Thomson said. “If we had any stock here, we’d be selling it, so we’re currently just waiting for more stock to arrive.”