CADILLAC — Residents in Cadillac and across Northern Michigan are stocking up on groceries and hardware supplies as a winter storm begins to impact the region. Local businesses reported a significant increase in sales starting Thursday night and continuing into Friday morning.
The surge in shoppers comes as road conditions turn hazardous and snow continues to fall. Store managers noted that while they expected fewer customers due to the weather, many residents are making last-minute trips to ensure they have enough food and winter supplies to last through the weekend.
Steve Bart, the store manager at Save-A-Lot, said the increase in foot traffic has been substantial despite the difficult driving conditions. “I would say we are probably a good 50% more busy than what we normally are on a morning like this,” Bart said. He noted that shoppers are primarily focusing on staples such as bread, eggs and milk. Bart added that the high volume of customers was unexpected given that the roads are already becoming dangerous. “So that’s surprising. That’s always surprising on bad days,” Bart said. Cadillac resident Madison Castillo was among those buying more food than usual. She visited the grocery store specifically to take advantage of sale prices on meat and to stock up on side dishes. “Meat products, like different sides for dinner. So I got veggies. We get potatoes. Just different stuff,” Castillo said. “So we know we’re set just in case we get locked in.” Another resident, Brian Adcox, traveled into town to prepare both his home and a cabin for the worsening weather. Adcox purchased a variety of items ranging from fuel to fresh produce. “I came into town to go to a to get propane and I came here to buy, bananas and avocados and some beer and to stock up a little bit for the bad weather,” Adcox said. At Ace Hardware in Cadillac, employees have seen a similar trend in sales of winter-related items. Cashier Camron Thompson said the store has been busy since Thursday night with people buying salt, propane and supplies for various home projects. Thompson said staff expected the heavy snow to keep people at home. “We had expected with the snow coming down, as hard as it’s been for the past few hours, that we wouldn’t have as many people in here,” Thompson said. “But people are. But people are still coming in and getting their salt, getting their propane, getting things for their projects.”
Workers at Ace Hardware expect the increase in foot traffic to continue through Saturday. The store will be closed on Sunday. Save-A-Lot management stated the store will remain open and ready for customers throughout the weekend.