Grocery stores buzzing midweek as shoppers prepare for Hurricane Delta

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - You’d think it was Sunday morning before a football game, but the buzzing activity in the Arlington Marketplace Rouses in the middle of the week is just a taste of hurricane preparation.

“Normally on Thursday mornings, we are not quite a busy as we are right now,” said store manager, Donna Dickerson.

Products fly through the register. Dickerson says the store stocked up on essentials for customers just in time.

“Bread, water, cold cuts, you know, staples. Some are buying formula for the babies, diapers for the babies, things to get them through a couple of days, not knowing what this storm is going to do or what exact track that it is on,” she said.

People are pulling from the water bottle towers and loading up their carts, but one of the most common items making it to the checkout is wine.

Shopper, Belinda Richard, makes sure her house is replenished with all of the necessities before the weekend.

“Adult beverages, children beverages, you know, just like sandwich meat, milk, stuff like that just to replenish things that are running low in case we go without power or can’t get out,” said Richard.

She says she’s nervous about Hurricane Delta just because of its uncertainty, but if anything happens and her grandchildren come to her house, then she’s ready with chips and drinks in case the lights go out.

“Little things to grab in case the power is out and we can’t really find in the cabinets,” said Richard. “We can just run on the kitchen counter and pick up.”

Staying one step ahead keeps you from scrambling when things go dark. After six hurricane tracks this season, it’s easy to let your guard down, but now, Dickerson and her team feel like they’re storm prep pros.

“With Rouses, we have our own protocol, how we get ready for storm preparation and things like that. This is the sixth time we’ve done this, so it’s elementary to us by now,” said the store manager.

There’s still time to grab a cart and make it through the aisles. Don’t get overwhelmed with storm preparation shopping. A good rule of thumb is to think about what your family needs at home for at least three days.

Click here to report a typo.

Copyright 2020 WAFB. All rights reserved.