GREENSBORO, N.C. — Greensboro hardware stores were busy Saturday as customers made last-minute trips to prepare for the incoming winter storm.
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"It’s been crazy today," said Phil Bryant, the owner of Bryant's Hardware in Greensboro. "It started off relatively early this morning, people (were) coming and they started with ice melt and then they (were) trying to take care of their pets, getting their kennel bedding even straw and things of that nature and buying anything to do with kerosene heaters.."
Bryant said the big items of the day were firewood and propane, but he says they sold out of a lot. McKnight Hardware also said they had sold out of most winter weather-related items.
"The phones been ringing off the hook, you need a full-time person (...) answering the phone. It’s been that wild," Bryant said.
According to Bryant, customers were also using some things from the past in case the power goes out.
"They're bringing out their grandma‘s oil lamps and we’ve been here long enough where we have a lot of stuff that other stores don’t have and we have the wax and the oils (...) to get them so that be able to have some type of light inside the house," Bryand said.
Not everyone was buying things for necessity, some stopped by to help them have a little bit of fun.
"I’ve been driving around Winston-Salem and Greensboro trying to find some outdoor toys to play in the snow so this was my last desperate stop and finally found something," said Michael Kornegay, who stopped by Bryant's and bought a snowboard and intertube for him and his friend's children.
Kornegay said he likes to enjoy the winter weather as much as possible.
"When I was a kid and I was down east I didn’t see a lot of snow so when I moved to the Winston-Salem and Greensboro area I’ve seen more snow and I enjoy it. We all are kids sometimes. You got to be a kid," Kornegay said.