Kingsview CIO Scott Martin On Fox Weather Now – 11.15.25
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HALEY MEIER: Chief Investment Officer at Kingsview Partners, Scott Martin, joining us now with more insight. Scott, I mean, we’ve had wild weather this month from a financial standpoint. How much do winter storms actually cost retailers and delivery companies during probably their busiest time of the year?
SCOTT MARTIN: Fellow procrastinator too, Haley, so I understand your plight here. From a seasonality standpoint, you’re talking about billions of dollars, Haley, that are usually put off — or at least distracted — from the typical holiday shopping event because of the weather. There are things that come up that deter folks from going out and maybe buying that item.
But the good news these days — and because Fox Weather has such good forecasting models — retailers, shippers, and providers do have the ability to basically dance around some of this weather and get around it logistically. So when we do have events like we had this past weekend, they may ship later or ship at another time. That does show up in the retail numbers and ultimately comes down to the final seasonal results for these sellers, but the products do get to the end of the line eventually — in time for Christmas.
HALEY MEIER: Well, that’s good. It’s all about that Christmas countdown, right? Amazon here for a second — they’re consistently one of the largest contributors to U.S. holiday e-commerce sales. The company is based over in Seattle, where they’re seeing record-breaking flooding and rain. So how can a company like Amazon make sure deliveries stay on track — not only with flights, but also with mountain passes that could see tricky travel, with blizzard conditions possible through the next few days?
SCOTT MARTIN: Yes — well, the good news for Amazon is that they’re nationwide, not global, so they’ve got offices and centers all over the country that are dealing with the logistical nature of what’s happening — not just around Seattle, but on the East Coast too, Haley.
Amazon has been through this. They deal with these issues week after week, depending on where you focus in the country and how severe the weather is. They’re able to get around these issues. They have logistical teams that can work from home, work in other offices, or shift workloads to areas that aren’t impacted by flooding or severe weather. Because of the strong workforce they have across the country, they can handle the workload and keep things moving, even when Seattle is impacted.
HALEY MEIER: Let’s talk numbers for a second. Many companies have shipping deadlines — and when it comes to weather, do they typically take that into account when creating those deadlines?
SCOTT MARTIN: Some do, some don’t. We all know the places that don’t — and then you don’t get the item, you’re very upset, and you don’t order from them again. Some companies learn; some don’t.
Typically, Amazon has this planned out. They expect interruptions and confusion from weather impacts, and sometimes those impacts don’t even materialize — so the item shows up early. I’m still waiting on an ugly Christmas sweater, for example, from a different company. Nothing has been officially attributed to the weather yet, but it probably was impacted by this past weekend. I’ll get it soon — just not when I thought I would.
Most companies are able to dance around delivery days because they expect some weather impact. And if they can do that, most folks will forgive them if something is a couple of days late — especially if it’s weather-related and not something they could logistically rearrange.
HALEY MEIER: So if we’re talking deadlines for fellow procrastinators like you and me, what’s the hard deadline for ordering online to get packages by Christmas — whether you’re shopping domestically or internationally?
SCOTT MARTIN: It’s probably Thursday or Friday — believe it or not. I wouldn’t risk much more than that. Even though the weather looks like it’s going to be a bit more benign over the next week or week and a half, shippers are still catching up from what they may have lost this past weekend.
There’s going to be a lot of traffic — consumers traveling on the roads and in the air — so there are a lot of things that can gum up the works. For myself, I’m telling myself to get everything ordered by the end of the day Friday. I think then everything will be where it needs to be — on whatever doorstep — by Christmas Day.
HALEY MEIER: Alright, so you’re saying tonight. I have to do it tonight.
SCOTT MARTIN: Yes — tonight. Tonight or yesterday.
HALEY MEIER: Alright. Chief Investment Officer at Kingsview Partners, Scott Martin — thanks so much for the insight as we get closer to the end of the holiday season.
SCOTT MARTIN: See ya!
Investment advisory services offered through Kingsview Wealth Management, LLC (“KWM”), an SEC Registered Investment Adviser. Insurance products and services are offered and sold through Kingsview Trust and Insurance Services (“KTI”), by individually licensed and appointed insurance agents. KWM and KTI are subsidiaries of Kingsview Partners. KWM is an investment adviser registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
