Nashvillians Stock Up For Snowy Weather

Water isle left nearly empty. (Georgina America)

Many Nashville grocery store shelves are left empty after a last-minute scramble for food, water and other necessities for the snowy weekend. 

“When I went to the grocery store yesterday, all the groceries were gone,” said Belmont sophomore Kiele Scott. 

Three to four inches of snow and half an inch of ice are predicted through Saturday and Sunday for Nashville, according to the National Weather Service website, and many Nashvillians are stocking up on essentials so they don’t need to leave the house over the weekend. 

Products such as eggs, water, and toilet paper are going the quickest, though barren bins and shelves are still seen in almost every section of the Kroger on Blair Blvd, less than a mile from Belmont’s campus. 

Customer reaches for one of the last cartons of eggs. (Georgina America)

Employees are stationed all around the store to upkeep stock for customers. 

“From the minute we opened, we’re doing nothing but stocking the shelves, trying to keep it full for the customers, but we just seem unable to keep up because there’s such a demand… we’re doing our best,” said Hayden Firestone, produce manager. 

While some people are making sure to be prepared for the snow, others feel the large grocery hauls are unnecessary. 

Vanderbilt senior Anusha Subramanian, who shopped at Kroger and Savannah Carter, who shopped at Publix, both said that the empty isles of toilet paper reminded them of what stores looked like during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Carter is visiting her brother from Tulsa, Oklahoma; this isn’t her first time in Nashville during snowy weather, though she said can’t wrap her head around the storm of shoppers. 

“I think it’s excessive… I saw somebody with seven packs of meat… I just don’t get it,” said Carter. 

Grocery cart filled with water, food and toiletries. (Georgina America)

Even if Nashville is over-shopping, more groceries could lessen the need for people to leave their houses. 

The Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure is responsible for over 5,800 miles of roadway in Davidson County, with 2,475 of those listed as snow removal priority routes. 

NDOT has 45 snow plough trucks to clear roads, though ice is the most dangerous factor. 

Nashville is in the area of greatest uncertainty for ice totals and residents should be prepared for significant travel and utility impacts, according to the NWS. 

With icy roads and carts full of groceries, some are looking forward to enjoying the weather at home. 

“I’d love to have a snowball fight with some friends and maybe find a hill to sled down, and if not, just sit inside my room, watch some movies and relax,” said Subramanian.

This article was written by Georgina America