Snowballs are a treat children love to enjoy during the summer months, and snowball stands are there to provide them for the children. Snowballs are no longer serving just the old standard flavors such as orange, cherry, and lemon. Instead they now serve complex flavors such as pina colada, starfruit, cotton candy and coconut. Some snowball stands are run by large chains, but most are still operated by single community owners.
Significance
Snowball stands are a small retail business that can be very profitable to small business owners and operators during the warm weather months. Snowball stands provide a convenience for customers by offering snowballs in an area that is usually very close to their homes. Many snowball stands can be used for different purposes at other times during the year. As a small business owner, the snowball stand can be converted to a hot chocolate stand in colder months.
Function
The purpose of a snowball stand is to provide a cool treat for customers during the hot months during the year. Snowball stands offer frozen ice treats that are flavored with a variety of juices to create different types of snowballs. The snowball stand makes it easy for customers to have a snowball as it eliminates the need for the customer to chop and shave their own ice which can be very time-consuming at home.
Time Frame
Snowball stands should only be operated during the warm months of the year to maximize their profits. Typically snowball standard are operated from late spring through early or mid fall depending on the climate for the location of the snowball. The busiest time of the year for snowball stands is during the summer when many kids are out of school during the months of June through August.
Geography
Snowball standards can be located throughout the United States, but are more common in warm weather areas. The location of a snowball stand in a community is also very important. Many snowball stands are located near both residential neighborhoods and the closest major intersection to the residential area. This allows the snowball stand to attract customers from the local community that arrive by walking, as well as customers that will drive past the major intersection and see the snowball stand.
Prevention/Solution
Many snowball stand owners find that the snowball stand is only profitable for a three to five month portion of the year. They can increase their profits by taking a couple of different actions. The owner could convert the snowball stand to a coffee, tea, and hot chocolate stand in the colder months of the year. The owner could also rent the stand out to another operator that wishes to use the snowball stand for a purpose other than selling snowballs during the colder months of the year. This way the stand will continue to produce income for the owner during the entire year.
