MISSION, Kan. — With a major winter storm ahead, some Kansas City-area grocery stores already have empty shelves.
KSHB 41 received photos showing shelves running low on stock. Employees said they would be restocked by the morning.
Hy-Vee in Mission said they’ve been busier than usual since Thursday night.
Canned items, milk, and bread are among the most popular items as people prepare for the severe weather.
KSHB 41's Fe Silva spoke with customers Jim and his wife, who decided to stock up for the weekend. He says he’s bought much more than usual.
"We've probably spent about 200 bucks or more right here, so we overspent because of the winter," Jim said.
He wants to make sure his family has everything they might need until the roads are clear.
But he’s not alone.
Gary Senner hit the grocery store on Friday morning. He wants to avoid leaving his house over the weekend.
"I don’t have to go out if I don’t have to, I’m certainly not going to," Senner said.
Stores like Hy-Vee want to make sure everyone can find what they need so they can stay inside.
"We've also contacted our warehouses and our procurement team, flooding things in as quickly as we can to take care of our customers," said Chris Wiltfond, district store director at Hy-Vee.
Senner’s goal was to buy only the necessary items.
"Beans for chili, certainly an essential," Senner said.
But "essential" looks different for everyone.
"I had to have peanut butter," said shopper Trixie Potter. "I cannot stay at home without peanut butter, so that was my major purchase."
Other items in her cart included a scraper.
According to Wiltfond, besides food, snow melt and shovels have been especially popular this week.
Hy-Vee expects Friday night and Saturday morning to be busier than usual.
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KSHB 41 reporter Fe Silva covers education stories involving K-12. Share your story idea with Fe.