N. Texas Businesses Feeling Impact of Overnight Storm
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GRAND PRAIRIE (CBS11) - North Texas homeowners weren't alone Wednesday in dealing with the aftermath of an early spring storm.
From debris to downed power lines, area businesses were feeling the impact as well.
"They said it's going to be a couple of hours, it's already been a couple of hours," said Nick Khan who owns a Grand Prairie vape shop.
As the area woke up, dried out and got back to business, Khan could only hope to do the same. The storm left his shop in the dark. And it stayed that way for hours.
"This is a busy time, people come right before lunch hour and right after lunch, it gets busy again," said Kahn.
Khan said the loss of power cost him customers and cash.
"Oh, yeah, definitely… so we're open, but, our OPEN sign is not even on, so."
Staffers resorted to using mobile phones to process transactions, but Khan said with the big box retailers and anchor stores closed, most folks didn't have a reason to linger in the area.
He was already counting the losses.
"$300, $400 an hour… so, we open at 10. You can just imagine."
Even Walmart, the world's biggest retailer, was no match for nature's fury.
With the power out, staffers stood outside warning customers that there was no reason to grab a cart. Colleagues did the same at the Sam's Club in another area of the center.
"We have no power, Sugar!" yelled one employee with the warmth of an old friend. "We're closed!"
In addition to lost sales, sources tell CBS11 that retailers can incur significant losses when dealing with power outages because all dairy, frozen and refrigerated foods must be tossed if power is not quickly restored.
The lost power, though, was just part of the problem. At the Sam's Club, the storm had peeled away an exterior wall like an overripe banana. Throughout the shopping center, the message of the day was 'make do.'
"They come in, they're making jokes, like we didn't pay the light bill," said Jacob Sabedra at the nearby T-Mobile store.
Sabedra and his colleagues decided to deliver service with a smile, even without power.
"Luckily, we have these great tablets that connect to our service, so we use those to take care of our customers and get them connected," he said.
And brace for the next one: because spring, has barely sprung.
"I know, this is just the start," said Khan. "This is just the start."