LETHBRIDGE -- The winter storm over the weekend saw the Lethbridge area experience 24 centimetres of snow and winds gusts reaching 69 km/h.

But there was a bright side when all was said and done.

“It was extremely busy, we’re selling huge loads of shovels, ice melt, sandbags, gear for kids to go play outside in the snow like toboggans and sleds. Lots of winter jackets, gloves, boots jackets,” said Canadian Tire manager-in-training Alyk Vander Linden.

The store ordered enough shovels to match the 2018 and 2019 numbers, but inventories quickly disappeared as Lethbridgians snapped up what they could to dig out. The store has ordered more, but is almost sold out, leaving many shelves bare.

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“We have already sold more ice melt than we did in all of 2019. We’ve sold 600 sandbags and we’re almost at how many shovels we sold in 2018,” said Vander Linden.

The store was planning that some of that stock would last through the winter season running from October to February.

“We were trying to be proactive cause we knew there was going to be a huge increase in sales due to COVID which we saw over the summer but unfortunately we are already out of most of that stuff,” said Vander Linden.

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Northside Lethbridge Dodge is also feeling the effects of the freeze. They have seen many customers come in to winterize their vehicles to prepare for less-than-ideal driving conditions.

“Winter tire sales have been (going) incredibly well. Guys have been busy all day getting some tires transferred over. People’s summer tires transferred over, get the summers into storage, ready for the winter season,” said Northside Dodge general manager Russ Gallant.

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Gallant says you should make sure your vehicle is prepared for winter, because there is more snow in the forecast.

“Windshield wipers are really important, people don’t think about them during winter but having the ice built up one windshield wiper can cause streaking,” he said.

“Changing your windshield washer fluid (is also important.) If you have summer windshield washer fluid, it can actually freeze in the winter, so (you need) different windshield washer fluid in there.”