A heat wave has pushed temperatures to overtake numerous records all across Texas impacting cities and businesses. San Marcos is apart of those cities with record high temperatures. 
“The summer heat changes the amount of people that have been coming in and out, it is a disrupter in the business, but the heat itself is really hard on a lot of people that just walk around,” Hannah Madler, an ice cream scooper at Rhea’s Ice Cream, said.
Madler explains the effect that the heat has on locals shopping and the concerns she encounters with customers from the point-of-view of an employee.
“We’ve been offering people water from the tap for free. A lot of people that have come in, I feel they’re at much more risk for dehydration,” Madler said. 
The summer heat can also affect customers walking to and from businesses and their cars, as the effects of heat can be felt when traversing long distances outside.
Madler said. “Going to and from work I walk. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes, thankfully, but people that are walking around hours, they’re really going to feel that.” 
Fortunately for Rhea’s, not too many big changes have risen following this extreme heat. The biggest contrast is the demand for water from customers who come in and out.
“There are some kids that come by that are pre-dehydrated and there’s more people asking for water, but outside of that there hasn’t been too big of a change,” Madler said.
Madler shares her personal tips on dealing with this extreme weather and what precautions should be taken to overcome it.
“I’m lucky enough that I work in an air conditioned building, but I try to keep everything I need to do when I’m outside, all my daily activities, I do that in the early morning,” Madler said. “We encourage people to stay inside under air conditioning when [the heat] comes out.”
Located in Downtown San Marcos, the owner of San Marcos Hair Company, Janaa Chrystal shared safeguards she’s had to enforce with her employees.
“I have made sure everybody stays hydrated, stays out of the sun, do anything that you have to do do it early in the morning, just the normal stuff,” Chrystal said. 
Given that temperature in Texas rises annually, Chrystal has taken personal changes to protect her building and business. 
“Number one, I make sure we only open our back door so that all the AC doesn’t get ripped out,” Chrystal said. “I’ve got my roof, I had it done a few years ago but I had it painted with the white so that it does not break so that it can reflect the heat, I mean I’ve taken all kinds of precautions.”
Chrystal said her electrical bill has not been affected despite these hot days.
“I do not change my AC, we have ceiling fans and if it warms, it warms up,” Chrystal said. “I haven’t received the bill from this real hot spell that we’ve had this year, but even last year my bills remained pretty steady.”
Staying alert and ahead of issues has always been number one for Chrystal, and she continues to do whatever she can to prevent problems surrounding her business.
“Make sure that you have your air conditioning unit looked at twice a year and how it’s kept up with,” Chrystal said. “Having efficient windows and having an efficient roof, that kind of thing.”
The summer may be a time to try some new outdoor activities or hobbies, but it is always important to stay safe no matter what. Also located in Downtown San Marcos is Galaxy Cycles, a business that provides bicycle sales and services.
“I was really expecting the business to slow down with it being so hot, but it really hasn’t,” Andy Howard, business owner of Galaxy Cycles, said. “The nice thing is, we’ve had a lot of higher end customers coming in lately.”
Galaxy Bicycles has faced challenges before, but have continued to use the same strategy that has never let them down, despite facing high end temperatures.
“Our whole strategy is to do a good job at a fair price in a short period of time, and that has kept us going for 15 years,” Howard said. 
Bicycling is a very physical activity that takes place outdoors, so it’s important to understand your personal limit and take breaks in between.
“Stay hydrated, have the ability to bail out if you have to, don’t go too hard, you know, pay attention to the weather if you’re someone that gets overheated,” Howard said. “Just know your limits and kind of stay inside of them.”