John's Discount Fireworks spends all year trying to build an inventory of fireworks they can sell during the Fourth of July holiday, but it was a challenging year to do so.
"We pride ourselves on having the most selection and the lowest prices we can possible have," said John Palomarez who runs this stand out in Caldwell off exit 26 on the way to Notus. "We go through at least eight different vendors, we have over one thousand skews and we are trying to be the largest fireworks dealer in Idaho."
Last year supply chain issues caused a shortage of fireworks, this year the supply chain has made it way more expensive to import fireworks from China with shipping costs skyrocketing for fireworks stands here in Idaho.
"We used to pay anywhere from ten to fifteen thousand dollars for a container to bring it over from China," said Palomarez. "This year we are up to $50,000 per container to bring over so the cost of shipping just went astronomical."
Meanwhile people here in Idaho are dealing with inflation and sky high gas prices, Palomarez told us most people are still spending the same amount of money but they aren't getting the same bang for their buck and then there are people who will altogether skip fireworks this year as he estimates about a 30 percent loss in revenue.
"I really think that the way the economy has gone, the price of gas and everything else is forcing people to have to make some sort of decisions on how much they spend and what they do," said Palomarez.
John's Discount Fireworks do what they can to offer specials and create discounts to make fireworks affordable for families on the 4th of July.
"We do have a lot of safe and sane items that are really good for the neighborhoods ant really affordable prices," said Palomarez. "So you can come in and get a nice family pack that everybody can do for under 150 bucks and you will be out there a long time shooting fireworks off."
John is a marine corps veteran who wants everybody to enjoy the Independence Day holiday and he's happy to do his part to bring a little joy to the holidays even during a difficult time because of the economy.
"I just want everybody to be safe and just realize that the 4th of July is for everybody," said Palomarez. "It’s for all of us to be proud to be an American."
John's Discount Fireworks is open from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. but they will stay open if they are busy.
