With a significant snowstorm in the forecast, shoppers across the D.C. region are clearing shelves of shovels and ice melt as they prepare for what could be the area’s biggest snowfall in years.
At Strosniders Hardware in Bethesda, Maryland, the rush is already underway as forklifts move pallet after pallet of ice melt and firewood across the store.
Customers say they are trying to get ahead of shortages.
“I got the groceries taken care of. I have enough ice melt now, the shovel,” said Clara Couvillon, who was stocking up at the store.
Others are making sure everyone in the household is ready to help.
“I bought some ice (melt) and I bought another shovel, so that way everyone in the household can contribute to shoveling some snow,” said customer Rosalind Hanson, of Bethesda.
Shoppers are not just buying more, but also being selective about what they purchase.
“They’re always looking for the pet friendly stuff and maybe the environmentally friendly and that’s all we carry here,” store manager Chuck Kelly said.
Kelly said the increase in demand started earlier this week and has been steady since.
“They’ve come early and they’ve started at the beginning of the week, but I think I attribute that to the news, because they’ve been talking about this snowstorm for probably three or four days now,” he said.
Some customers are embracing the idea of being snowed in.
“I get snowed in with my family for the first time in a long time, too,” Juan Murphy, of Bowie, said. “So they looking forward for that, me not working all the time.”
Kelly said some items are moving especially fast.
“I’ll tell you what the most popular item is, the smaller containers of the ice melt,” he said.
The store has already sold thousands of pounds of ice melt and more than 800 shovels since demand picked up this week, which Kelly said is great for business.
“It’s a well needed spike. Last year we had a few four to six inches, three to four inches, that gave us some business,” Kelly said. “So right now we’re before this, no business at all. Right? After Christmas, everything drops off.”
As customers prepare, Kelly also offered a word of caution with putting down ice melt.
“Like a cup per square yard. Each granule melts about a quarter in size. So, some people just put it down way too heavy,” he said. “When you do that … you really have a shot to hurt your pavement.”
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