There's a specific Tuesday every fall — usually the last week of October, sometimes the first week of November — where the temperature drops from 65 to 38 inside two days. The forecast guys call it a cold snap. We call it our second-busiest week of the year, after the last week of December.
What we move that week, in order: hooded sweatshirts, thermal henleys, watch caps, and the first pairs of insulated boots of the season. Guys who were fine in their summer kit Friday morning are walking in Tuesday afternoon looking surprised that winter showed up.
Hooded sweatshirts: Carhartt Rain Defender Rutland at $75 is our number-one seller in October. It's a midweight, water-resistant pullover that bridges the gap between the summer t-shirt and the winter parka. We sell it in sizes M through 4XL and we run out of XL by the second week of October every year.
Thermal henleys: Carhartt Force Heavyweight Thermal at $40, or the Duofold Mid-Weight at $30. Most guys come in for one and walk out with three because they realize they've been wearing the same beat-up thermal for four winters.
Watch caps: $14 each, every color, every brand. We don't really care which one a guy buys here. They're all roughly the same. The best advice I give is buy two — one stays at the shop or in the truck, one goes home for laundry.
Boots: this is where the conversation gets longer. Most guys don't need an insulated boot until December for NYC, but they think they do in October. We try to slow them down. A Thorogood 6-inch moc-toe at $230 with a thicker wool sock will get a guy through October and most of November. The 800g insulated Irish Setter at $290 is for January.
What we don't push in the cold snap: parkas. Too early. The guy who buys a Yukon Extremes parka in October for a 38-degree morning is going to be miserable in it during the 50-degree afternoon. The right October-November jacket is a Carhartt Duck Active Jac at $100 or a quilted-flannel-lined version at $130. Save the parka conversation for Thanksgiving week.
And gloves. Most October cold-snap days, a knit-back glove with a bit of insulation — the Carhartt A671 at $18 — is the move. Heavy insulated gloves in October are uncomfortable.
If you're reading this and the forecast just dropped 20 degrees on you, walk in any day 11 to 8. We'll have everything pulled to the front already.