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Shoppers flock to hardware stores in preparation for winter weather

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Posted at 3:44 PM, Jan 14, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-14 19:40:48-05

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Many people are gearing up for the weather this weekend by picking up snow shovels, de-icers and food. The preparation already has stores shelves starting to look bare as people rush in looking for these items.

The phones at the Ace Hardware store in Donelseon were ringing off the hook and the calls were the same — "Do you have snow shovels? Do you have sleds?"

Staff all answered those questions the same with a no.

"Yesterday morning we were much pretty sold out of everything," said store manager Beth Brown.

Brown says the stores gets a truck on Tuesdays and Fridays, and on Friday there was barely enough winter supplies on the truck that met the demand.

The shelves sat nearly empty with a few bottles of deicer, windshield wiper fluids and hand warmers.

Many customers came into Ace Hardware empty-handed and left that way when they caught the signs at the door.

"I was looking for the ice melt the kind that doesn't damage your sidewalk and driveway," said Dale Shepherd. "Something I probably should've bought back in summer."

Shepherd says he's trying to get everything done now before he finds himself stuck inside his home.

"I got to go to the bank, grocery shopping, here was one. So slowly but surely, I'm getting it done," he said.

Customers like Alvin Newson called the store before coming in.

"I have been to like two other stores as well, so I called in they are the only ones that have the ice melt left," Newson said.

He got the last two bottles of ice-melt in the entire store.

"I'm a delivery driver for flowers in Nashville and we have to have our parking lot clear to get back-and-forth to work and also will be preparing for Monday as well which is a big snow in the day after," Newson said.

This isn't the first winter weather advisory for many hardware stores in Middle Tennessee so far this year which is also making it harder for them to keep items on the shelves.