The seasonal ritual of stocking up on pre-blizzard household goods began in earnest this afternoon as shoppers clamored for bread, milk and other perishables in advance of Friday’s predicted double digit snowfall. Toilet paper, although not technically perishable, was also in high demand.
“I’ve been doing some recipe planning and planned out the week,” said Brittany Yam at Mom’s Organic Market at 1901 North Veitch Street. The mother of three from Donaldson Run was pushing a nearly full basket loaded with bread, fruit, frozen chicken strips and her daughter.
“You’re taking gamble with the snow,” she explained. “Is it going to be five inches or 20 inches? You have to take the bet and prepare for it.”
By the looks of the basket, she’s betting on a blizzard. And among other items, she’s anticipated the possibility of “cabin fever” and stocked up on baking supplies. “For baking projects, in case we get snowed in,” she said.
At the Safeway at 3713 Lee Highway at Maywood, all the shopping baskets were in use at 1:30 p.m. Meanwhile, at the Giant Food at 3115 Lee Highway in Lyon Village, the lines to the cashiers were prohibitively lengthy, snaking a distance down the aisles and creating a mournful pallor over the customers.
Things were calmer at Westover Market at 5863 Washington Boulevard, but the frequent customers also concentrated on the essentials, particularly the T.P. and bread.
Owner Suki Hicks said in 10 years, “we never close–not for snow or rain or anything. We will stay open.” As for the store’s well-known wall of beer, “and we’re never going to run out of beer,” she said.
Hicks adds that the popular fire pits in the adjacent Westover Beer Garden will be burning as well, no matter what the weather.