Some Winter Equipment In Short Supply As Snowfall Heads For Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - An average of 1 inch of snow should accumulate in the metro area by Sunday morning.

"I think it's about time. It's the middle of December, I've got my decorations up already. I want there to be snow," said Lindsay Schmidt.

Many Minnesotans welcome the snow.

"To be honest I'm ready for it really. I ain't got my shovels and everything but I got my snow boots and my snowsuit and I'm ready for it," said Norman Irving, walking in downtown Minneapolis.

But for many, being proactive just isn't the routine.

"Typically it's very few people who want to buy ahead of time. If we get the snow, they're in," said Casey Jones, who works at Bryant Hardware in Minneapolis. "You always gotta have the stock ready for when it snows. Then they come in."

At Bryant Hardware in Minneapolis, you can wait until the need is there to buy sidewalk salt, but snow shovel supply is a bit more limited, due to worldwide supply chain problems.

"We're OK, getting stuff in. Not everything is available. It's like with everything. There's some things that we haven't been able to get for almost a year. But other things come in and out. We're able to get some shovels. We don't have lot of stock right now. There are some things that are missing," said Jones.

Even for hearty Minnesotans who have their shovels and car scrapers ready to go, the pros and cons of the winter weather must be weighed.

"I play some winter sports like broomball. Ready for the ice to freeze," said Nick Turner, who lives nearby Bryant Hardware. "But yeah, don't have my wardrobe ready at all."

"I want a white Christmas, so I'm happy for the snow," said Irving.

If you want to take the kids out to play in the snow, Bryant Hardware says they've had no problem getting a supply of sleds, but have been unable to stock snow tubes.