Charlotte stores struggle to keep up with demand for winter essentials

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CHARLOTTE — Less than a week after ice coated cities across the country, Charlotte is now expecting a very different kind of storm. As residents prepare for a snowy weekend, business has been nonstop at Little Hardware in South End.

“Half our calls are about ice melt,” Carter Little, the hardware store’s manager said. “We sold out of everything we had last week and pretty quickly sold out of what we were able to get this week.”

Supplies from last weekend’s ice storm are still hard to restock, and some shipments have been delayed, Little explained. He says ice melt is the first to go, followed by propane and sleds.

In a city that doesn’t see much snow, sleds are suddenly a hot commodity, and at Little Hardware, they’re tapping into backstock.

While experts say there’s a lower chance of widespread power outages this time, there’s still concern about what snow piling on top of remaining ice could mean.

“My sidewalk is still frozen,” one customer Jennifer Ginn said. “I should probably buy a shovel while I’m still here, so I can take care of that.”

But for many shoppers, they are still on the search.

“I’m going to try the smaller stores,” Brian Ramirez said. “The big stores are out.”

VIDEO: Customers rush to stock up on essentials as winter storm threatens region

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