Windfall of Blizzard Sales

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog about how the lack of a major snowfall in the Northeast was really hurting the bottom line of the region’s supermarket chains. Well thanks to the weather gods checking out our new and improved website—or maybe because of a mystical connection in the light-up snowman from Kmart that I put up in my window after I took down the Christmas decorations—the Northeast got pummeled with one of the biggest blizzards in history last week.

I happened to be in Washington, D.C., on assignment and got to visit several stores and check out the mayhem that was happening in the aisles. On Wednesday evening Washington was hit with a “snowstorm” that dropped 7/10ths of an inch. Believe it or not, that brought the nation’s capital to a complete standstill. People coming home from work were trapped in their cars on freeways for eight hours. Even President Obama’s motorcade was stuck in gridlock, which speaks volumes about national security. One retailer mentioned that his day staff left work at 8:00 PM and did not get home until 4:00 AM, helping to result in empty shelves.

Perhaps it was the aftermath of that mini storm that caused shoppers to turn out in force. Last Thursday and Friday morning I visited several stores around the District and in each store it was almost an identical scene. Shelves were laid bare. Particularly hard hit were the meat cases and the produce departments. In two Giant supermarkets the service meat cases were almost completely bare. Safeway was a little more stocked but even there the offerings were slim.

It was also tough to find produce. While Whole Foods had a nice display of oranges and apples (or is it apples and oranges), most stores were completely out of greens. 

For the most part the dairy aisles were also wiped out, with cheeses, milks and yogurts in short supply. In frozens, it was almost impossible to find a pizza or a bag of frozen vegetables, and while ice cream was in stock, the doors were largely depleted.

Surprisingly the dry grocery aisles were not as empty of product as I thought they would be. Just about every store had ample selections of canned fruits, vegetables and paper goods, although in some the dry pastas and pasta sauces selections were pretty barren. That struck me as odd because the weathermen were predicting that most of the area would lose power, and I do not know why anyone would want a fully stocked freezer if that was the case.

Coming from the New York area I was surprised by the jovial mood of just about every shopper. They kept their cool and patience even though the checkout lanes were literally 25 deep and snaked across the store and down each aisle.

Astute retailers could also use the storm to do some category management. At one Giant, for example, the entire refrigerated case was just about swept clean, except for two facings of Gold’s Horseradish with Beets. Apparently what sells in Brooklyn may not necessarily be a big seller in the District. But the storm did bring that silver lining that retailers really need. One store manager said his sales volume was up $200,000 in one day—and that was two days before the real blizzard hit.