ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WXYZ) — Inside Hollywood Market in Royal Oak on Tuesday, it was the not-so calm before the storm: long lines, picked over shelves and customers stocking up.
“Like everyone else, we heard about the imminent snowstorm coming,” shopper Brooke Niskar said. "We wanted to make sure we had enough supplies at home in case it did come.”
Store employees were busy all day long, doing their best to keep everything in stock.
The store manager says the rush of customers was comparable to what they see the day before Thanksgiving or Christmas.
“Mainly since like 10:30 a.m. on until now, it’s been pretty hectic,” store Manager Tony Varcally said. “Super busy, all departments are working hard.”
Down the road at Frentz & Sons Hardware store, co-owner John Frentz and his employees have also been hard at work, seeing more customers than usual.
“It's been busy," Frentz said. "We’ve been selling ice melter, a lot of shovels.”
Like his customers, Frentz is also stocking up. He ordered an extra shipment of ice melter, making sure the shelves don’t go empty.
“Sometimes you make mistakes, you buy a lot of it and the storm doesn't happen," Frentz said. But I think this one is going to happen."
The last-minute rush is just hours before first snowfall. No matter how much snow comes in the end, shoppers say it’s better to be safe than sorry.
“At least we’re getting prepared and ready for the storm," shopper Dominique Jordan said. "I'm just hoping it doesn't come.”
