OTTAWA CITIZEN: "Stores flooded by Y2K shoppers"

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Stores flooded by Y2K shoppers

Mike Miner
The Ottawa Citizen
30 December, 1999

Stores across the region are reporting a jump in sales as a result of precautionary shopping on the part of people wanting to stay on the safe side of potential Y2K bug.

Rob Stone, a manager at the Canadian Tire on Carling Avenue, says Y2K has been great for business. Mr. Stone says items such as kerosene, emergency kits and "flashlights galore" have been flying from the shelves. And the hottest item this season is water.

"We've ordered a full 18-wheeler load of water," Mr. Stone says. "We would never get a full tractor trailer of water, especially during the Christmas season. It's unbelievable. It's going so fast."

So far, Mr. Stone says Canadian Tire hasn't had any trouble keeping up with demand.

"It looks like we did a good job of ordering," he says. "I'm glad we've been able to help out."

Roger Maisonneuve, manager of Alfred Roger's Fireplace Wood, is also feeling the benefits of Y2K preparedness. He says people are buying wood as fast as he can stack it.

"From any other year, the sales are up," he says. "It's doubled."

Mr. Maisonneuve says he doesn't know if he has Y2K to thank, "but I do know we're selling a lot of wood."

Mountain Equipment Co-op reports a sales run on portable stoves. "We've been out of a lot of stoves since Christmas," says Colleen Mooney, the store's manager. She says flashlights and lamps have also been hot items.

The potential of a loss of power on Jan. 1 is also affecting people's fashion choices. "You'll have people coming in and stocking up on warm clothes," she says. "People are looking at warm sleeping bags and things like that."

Non-perishable foods are the next step. At Conley's Barrhaven IGA, business has been brisk. Dana Conley, the store's owner, says people have been shopping very cautiously to assure they are provided for.

"We're selling a lot of water and fire logs and a lot of canned stuff," Mr. Conley says. But he says people have been taking everything in stride. He says their purchases are made for a feeling of security.

"They're not buying crazily, but they're buying a little more."

[ENDS]

-- John Whitley (jwhitley@inforamp.net), December 30, 1999


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