Have you tried to buy a propane patio heater recently?
As we get back into the colder months, people have been buying them up. So have restaurants. As the weather gets colder & wetter, restaurants are desperate to keep their outside diners comfortable, and that takes heaters.
As soon as heaters arrive at suppliers, they’re gone. At Ace Hardware in Los Gatos 10 heaters that they had on hand sold out in two days, instead of the usual 60 days. Tents too.