Local

Eclipse viewers scramble to find scarce glasses

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Glasses to view the solar eclipse on Aug. 21 cannot be found anywhere in Charlotte, and Amazon recalled its solar glasses this weekend.

Twila Jessop was all ready for the solar eclipse next week with her friends.

“We're planning a trip down to the totality area,” Jessop said.

She bought three pairs of solar glasses on Amazon for $33 each, but her plans changed when she got an email.

“We recommend that you (put in) capital letters that you do not use this product to view the sun or the eclipse,” Jessop said.

Amazon is refunding her money because the manufacturer can't verify they are safe.

“I'm at a loss right now,” she said.

People can get on a waiting list at the Discovery Place to purchase glasses.

“They're sold out all over Charlotte, so people have been calling looking for glasses,” Kaitlyn Rogers, with the Discovery Place, said.

They had 6,000 pairs but sold out last week. They have one last shipment coming in on Wednesday.

“We're getting the last of them, this is it,” Rogers said.

The waiting list is six pages long and they are stacking up.

They are getting 3,000 pairs of glasses on Wednesday.

The first 2,000 can be reserved by calling them, and 1,000 of them will be on a first-come, first-served basis starting at noon on Thursday.

Area Lowe’s Home Improvement stores have sold out of the glasses.