Hardware Stores Selling Out Of Items Ahead Of Frigid Temps, Chances Of Snow

People are heading to hardware stores to stock up on items to winterize homes and keep warm. Employees at a Tulsa business say it is getting tough to find things like faucet covers and ice melt.

The phones at Midtown Hardware keep ringing with last-minute shoppers trying to protect their homes from the brutal cold.

“I’m from Wisconsin, so I’m used to it,” said Matthew Markese, a shopper. “No, I don’t like it.”

Markese is browsing the store to get everything checked off his list.

“Took care of some of the neighbor's stuff around their house before it gets cold, get some firewood and fuel treatment for the vehicles,” he said. “I’m not really planning on leaving the house until Monday or Tuesday.”

The Midtown Hardware staff say people have been coming in all week to get ready for the Arctic blast. The big ticket items like faucet covers and ice melt flew off the shelves.

Other things like crawl space covers and pipe insulation are also going quickly. One of the new items this season is a lightbulb that keeps shining even without electricity.

“When they’re on in your lamp, it’s actually charging the battery,” said Savannah Padek, an employee at Midtown Hardware. “Say the power were to go out; you can actually hang this or carry it around.”

Staff at the store say it may take a while to re-stock some items because much of the country is dealing with winter weather.

“We’re not the only ones dealing with it,” said Padek. “Our distributors are dealing with it as well. We’ll check to see if we can get more, and they’ll have negative numbers in the warehouse.”

If you’re looking ahead to the possibility of snow, the store does have a few Batman-themed sleds. The staff expects those to go quickly if snow hits the ground.