Charleston shoppers were scrambling to find available shopping carts outside of Kroger on Charleston's West Side Thursday afternoon.
The impending threat of Winter Storm Jonas had residents flocking to grocery stores and hardware stores, stocking up on water, bread, canned goods and other necessary items.
Pam Williams, 58, headed to the Delaware Avenue Kroger to stock up on milk, juice, cereal and snacks.
She said she frequently shops at this Kroger, but that it's never this crowded. She said she wanted to stock up before the storm to reduce any need to leave her house.
"I don't want to but that's what the plan is going to be - to stay home and be safe. So that way I won't be out on the street because I don't have to be out there," Williams said.
People were heeding Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's warning, as a state of preparedness was issued Wednesday in advance of Winter Storm Jonas. The state's price gouging laws went into effect Wednesday afternoon. The price gouging laws prohibit any person, business or contractor from inflating the price of any consumer item by more than 10 percent of what it sold for 10 days prior to the declaration. The laws remain in effect until the declaration is lifted or 30 days, whichever is longer, subject to limited exceptions. Items subject to the laws are food items, essential consumer items, emergency supplies and home heating oil.
At Green's Feed and Seed, the parking lot was busy with workers loading cars full with bags of salt and other ice melting substances.
Chad Green, assistant manager of Green's Feed and Seed, said the store's two best-selling items have been bags of salt and black oil sunflower to feed birds.
"The wildlife ain't got nothing to eat when the snow comes," Green said.
He said he's also seen an increase in sales of shovels, generators, gas cans, propane tanks, personal propane bottles, heaters and gloves.
Green said one thing he recommends to his customers is to stay away from using salt on concrete driveways. Salt can cause the driveway to freeze and then crack. A safer, more economical option is urea, which is pure nitrogen.
When it comes to Winter Storm Jonas, Green's reaction was "Bring it on."
"I love it. This is our bread and butter in the wintertime," Green said. "We only get two, three days of it, that's it. We're ready for it and we're always prepared for it."
Ann Mollohan, 57, said she's well stocked for the storm but stopped by Green's Feed and Seed to grab two bags of magnesium chloride ice melting pellets for her sidewalks before the storm hits.
Mollohan said she doesn't expect the roads around her East End residence to be cleared of snow, but she tries to be a good neighbor and keep her sidewalks clear.
"We do it because as a person who walks a lot, it's really appreciated when the sidewalks are cleaned off," Mollohan said.
Pat Boggess, 68, said she was well prepared for the storm but was seeing if there was anything else she might need in Green's. She had already bought 60 pounds of salt: 40 pounds for her driveway and 20 pounds of pet-safe salt for her walkways that her dog uses.
"I have plenty of flashlights, propane lantern, propane heater," Boggess said. "I have a generator if it gets to where I have to use it. I don't like to use it because to me, it's more trouble than it's worth."
While Boggess said she's not worried about her home during the storm, she is worried about her sister who lives up on a hill and isn't in great health.
"It would be hard to get her out of there [in the snow]," Boggess said. "She went to the store yesterday and got her dog stuff and everything."
Lea Anne Coffman, 80, was stocking up on bird food before the winter weather as well as buying salt.
"When you care for the animals you're going to load up on their food as well as your own food," Coffman said.
She said she always keeps her bird feed well stocked, and it was even more important to stock up before the storm.
"Where are they going to find [food] if it's buried? When you think of those little animals you wonder how they even know where the bird-feeders are but they find them quick as you fill them up," Coffman said.
Cassandra Erenrich, 43, was looking to buy a heater at Green's Feed and Seed Thursday afternoon.
"We're stocking up on water and batteries, and assuming we won't have power because we always lose power during storms," Erenrich said.
With her husband, a dog and four cats, Erenrich said she's not too worried about the storm, but wants to be well prepared in the event their home loses power.
"With the animals I try to hunker down and stay warm," Erenrich said. "Cats don't travel well."
Reach Laura Haight at laura.haight@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4843 or follow @laurahaight_ on Twitter.