BLIZZARD BLOWS SHOVELS, HBC OFF SHELVES

JOEL ELSON

During the Blizzard of '96, sales of shovels, ice scrapers and rock salt accumulated almost as quickly as the 3 feet of snow that blanketed the ground in some areas.

The sales pace for health and beauty care items also picked up in skin care items such as ChapStick, Vaseline Intensive Care and other facial and hand lotions, retailers said. Many chains prepared for the Jan. 7 storm by increasing their stock of snow shovels, scrapers and bags of rock salt. But most snow-related merchandise sold out just as quickly as it was brought in. "It just blew out of the store," said Jim McCaffrey, owner of McCaffrey's, Yardley, Pa., and Princeton, N.J. "Volume was so strong that as soon as supplies were replenished, they sold out." Snow shovels priced at $9.99 moved so fast that the chain didn't have any left for its own use.

"To clear off store sidewalks, we had to go out and buy two snow shovels for $58 at a hardware store," McCaffrey said.

Along with general merchandise, HBC volume also jumped at McCaffrey's. "Skin care products, including lip balms and hand lotions, sold well," added McCaffrey. Such items also sold well at IGA Market, Mount Laurel, N.J. IGA's biggest seller, though, was rock salt. Nearly three pallets of rock salt nearly sold out, said Bob Ulrich, store manager.

During and after the blizzard, rock salt sold "like bread and milk," at A&P and its Super Fresh Markets, said Mike Rourke, vice president of communications and corporate affairs for A&P, Montvale, N.J. The majority of A&P's stores are located in areas hard-hit by the storm, including Maryland and Delaware, eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.

A&P in some areas sold completely out of salt. "Periodically, you'd get a shipment in. But it would go real fast, and you'd be out again," Rourke said. Spinner racks of gloves and hats, which are featured in several stores, sold down much faster than normally, said Rourke. While Giant Food, Landover, Md., sold large amounts of snow shovels and rock salt and some stores sold out, "we replenished these items overnight," said Barry Scher, vice president of public affairs. Many retailers were prepared for the increased demand for storm-related general merchandise. Food King, Baltimore, and IGA ordered additional supplies of rock salt before the storm arrived. Giant also was ready for the storm to hit -- it started resupplying stores with shovels and rock salt Jan. 6, said Scher.