Wednesday's Internet Edition, March 10, 2010.

Roane County Foodland manager Greg Sutphin looks at a well-stocked bread shelf during the calm before a recent storm. Photo by Jim Cooper

And the local area has had its share of the white stuff so far this winter.

Up to a foot of snow fell the Saturday before Christmas and caused widespread power outages. More accumulation arrived with a storm in early January, and up to six inches of wet, heavy snow fell early this past Saturday.

With the proliferation of weather forecasts from various media these days, most people are well aware of storm predictions and make an effort to stock up on staples while they can.

“It’s been good for business,” Greg Sutphin, manager of Roane County Foodland in Spencer, said of the weather. “If you see it coming, you usually get prepared.”

Sutphin said the number one seller for most storm shoppers is bottled water. Items such as milk, bread and the ingredients to make chili are also popular, he noted.

“Water is probably the top seller,” he said. “In a rural area like this, a lot of people depend on electricity (to pump) their water.”

They also sell a lot of bottled water at Walton Thriftway, as well as a variety of other necessities.

“The big ones as far as food are deli meats and cheese,” manager Gina Wright said. “We sell a lot of bread, milk and water.”

Wright’s store was powered by a generator early Saturday after the moisture-laden snow knocked out electric service. She also had to wait until floodwaters, resulting from heavy rains that preceded the snow, receded before she could make it to work.

Batteries, flashlights and propane were always in high demand the day before a storm is to hit, Wright said.

“People kind of went into a mini-panic and started stocking up,” she said, adding that propane was the only item that was in short supply during one of the runs.

But just as folks at home check on the weather, store owners also keep a wary eye toward the sky – or at least toward the forecast.

“When there’s a potential for bad weather, we add extra stuff just in case,” Wright said.

The same is true at Reedy Grocery, where clerk Bill Shimp said supplies have been sufficient for customers trying to stay ahead of a storm.

“They buy mostly bread and milk and pop,” Shimp said. “We’ve been pretty well stocked up. We make sure we have enough gasoline and diesel.”

Shimp said the store’s customers keep him apprised of the latest weather news. It seems everyone is talking about the weather, including those trying to do something about it.

“Every customer that comes in here is a weatherman,” Sutphin said. “They always talk about us getting another storm. One says four inches (of snow), another one six inches, and one the next hour eight inches.”

“I heard from one inch to 24 inches,” Wright said of her customers at Walton.

The snow amounts may vary, but those associated with the stores agree that the weather has a bearing on the bottom line.

“January and February are usually slow,” Sutphin said as customers crowded the aisles before an expected bout of mid-week snow and ice. “We count on the weather to boost us during those two months.”

And even if people had a hard time getting out of their driveways to his store’s “Super Saturday Sale” this past weekend, Sutphin didn’t seem too concerned. The storm shoppers had the cash registers ringing early.

“Thursday and Friday made up for it,” he said.