Supply Chain Shortage Leads To Some Philly Area Hardware Stores Being Overstocked With Winter Weather Products
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- With more snow in the forecast Wednesday night into Thursday morning, essentials like shovels and ice melt are in high demand. If you need winter items like ice melt, you're in luck.
Eyewitness News found some stores are overstocked with winter products in Moorestown, New Jersey. The reason? Concerns over the supply chain shortage.
"These are great to pick up and shovel, you don't have to bend your back as much," Pete Bender said.
Moorestown Hardware in Burlington County usually keeps as many as 500 snow shovels in stock. On Wednesday, it has about 1,000.
Bender, of Moorestown Hardware, said he was worried about supply chain issues heading into the winter, so he stocked up about six months ago.
"Our goal each year is to have enough product in stock to get through three sizable storms," Bender said.
Across the bridge in Philadelphia, a supply truck unloaded winter products at Fairmount Hardware. The truck unloaded an abundance of ice melt, boxes of ice scrapers, and other winter items.
"We anticipate shortages, so we stockpile and keep inventory to the max," Dave Arici, of Fairmount Hardware, said.
Still, some stores are running into problems finding certain products like sleds.
Last year at Madle's Hardware in Lehigh County, it had a backorder of snowblowers. But this winter, the store says it's dealing with supply chain issues, however, snow blowers are still flying off the sales floor.
"Sales are very high, it is hard to keep them in stock," Josh Christopher, of Madle's Hardware said. "We are getting them in, but they're coming in slowly. "
Back at Moorestown Hardware in Burlington County, Bender says for now he'll have to just sit and wait for old man winter to pick up steam before he can sell more of his supplies.
Bender said he'd be lying if he wasn't hoping for more snow.
"It'd be nice to move some of this inventory out," Bender added.
Bender said if we don't see bigger winter storms, it could take him years to sell his winter stock.