It’s hard to remember why there was fear that the world might end on January 1, 2000, when we now know that nothing happened. During the late 1990s, computer programmers around the world worked hard to fix computer software to ensure that computers did not mistake the year 2000 for the year 1900, which could have caused infrastructure crashes. Despite reassurances from experts that nothing bad would happen, many people reacted in panic, hoarding supplies or foreseeing an apocalypse.
North Dakotans are known for their pragmatism and helpfulness, so panic was not an issue. But Y2K did not stop North Dakotans from spending a little more than usual. Stores in Fargo saw an increase in sales of generators, kerosene heaters, gas cans, extension cords, batteries, flashlights, firewood, and water.
Scheels in Fargo typically sold about a dozen generators a year but sold 60 in 1999. They would have sold more if there hadn’t been a shortage due to the need for generators in hurricane-affected parts of the country. Scheels also sold 30 kerosene heaters at $200 each the week before New Year’s Eve. Customers were warned that generators and heaters could not be returned, even if unused, after many customers returned them following the 1997 flood.
Tim Fischer Tree Service noted that firewood sales were up 200% during the lead-up to New Year’s, and the Aqua Water Store saw an increase in sales of jugs of water, doubling in the last week of December, with water deliveries up between 25 and 50%. Hornbacher’s grocery stores saw an increase in sales of bottled water and batteries. However, area banks did not see an increase in cash withdrawals as anticipated, and Walmart did not see a run on any items.
People in Bismarck were spending more money on a very different category of items: collectibles. The Hallmark store sold out of Father Time and millennium snowman ornaments by August. A liquor store that sold bottles of champagne labeled with the year 2000 received calls from as far away as Wyoming for the commemorative champagne. Antique dealers also noted that disposable millennium items, such as party hats or stamps postmarked January 1, 2000, could be valuable in the future. A curator from the State Historical Society of North Dakota mentioned that there could be a display of Y2K items in their museum in 50 years. Y2K fears were a dud, but maybe our grandchildren will cash in on our Y2K memorabilia.
Dakota Datebook by Trista Raezer-Stursa
Sources:
- Forum Staff. “Be Prepared – To Keep It,” The Forum, December 30, 1999, pgs. B1-B2.
- Voskuil, Vicki. “Saving Millennium Memories,” The Bismarck Tribune, December 30, 1999, pg. B1.
