Frenzy before Tropical Storm Ian slows Sunday morning; stores restock with most basics

Southwest Florida residents were not feeling the frenzy early Sunday to get ready for Tropical Storm Ian.

Several Walmart stores in eastern Collier were still out of bottled water and running low on batteries while at least one Publix was fully restocked with water.

Brandon and Kathryn Budet were at the Publix at 4370 Thomasson Drive near U.S. 41 early for supplies with three cases of bottled water, Ruffles potato chips and other snacks.

“We will eat this or donate it,” she said.

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At the Lowe’s near Collier Boulevard and U.S. 41 East, dozens of generators, racks of batteries and flashlights were just waiting to get snagged, and there were no takers.

“We sold hundreds of them and gas cans,” Tony Badalucco, a store clerk, said.

The store got a new delivery of generators sometime later Saturday or overnight after selling out Friday, he said.

At super Walmart Supercenter at 6650 Collier Boulevard a few miles from Marco Island, bottled water was still sold out and paper products were running low. But shoppers appeared to be doing their normal routines and carts were not filled.

At the Walmart at 3451 E. Tamiami Trail in East Naples, botted water was also sold out and makeshift sign on taped at the shelf said there was a limit of two cases per customer.

The Home Depot at 1651 S. Airport Road had plenty of supplies and the shelves of plywood were half depleted.

A store clerk, who didn’t want to be named, said the store was crazy busy Saturday selling a lot of batteries, gas cans and some plywood.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Frenzy before Tropical Storm Ian slows Sunday morning; stores stocked