Winter ready: Islanders make sure they are set for snow

Although there's no snow on the ground yet, people in P.E.I. are still haunted by the last two winters, and are taking precautions for this one already.

They are stocking up on the necessities for winter weather, and the big-ticket items too.

Celia Liu was out shopping, preparedto spend a lot for peace-of-mind.

"I'm looking for a snow blower," said Liu, "because last winter, lots of snow, that scared me a lot."

Those days are fresh on Kevin Chen's mind as well. "Like a mountain in front of the house, when I opened the garage, it's higher than me," he recalled.

Shelves stocked early

The Canadian Tire store in Charlottetown has put out its winter merchandise early this year, and more of it.

The storebrought in almost three times as many snowblowers, and stocked up on everything from wood pellets to car windshield scrapers to winter tires.

Retailers say last year's bad weather is driving sales.

"We went after it very heavy this year to be in business early," said Cam Beach, owner of the Canadian Tire franchise.

"Our tire business is up almost thirty percent to date already, our snow blowers ... we have lots of them, and sales of them have been good."

Driveway markers are also a big seller; if snowfall amounts match last year, they need to be tall.

"It's a fair warning we got the last couple of winters," said shopper John MacKinnon, "to mark some stuff and figure out where everything is."

Good Equipment in Charlottetown reportedits snowblower sales have doubled so far, from the usual 40 a year to 80 units.

Shoppers not waiting for first snow

Retailers say usually there's a big rush after the first snowfall, so it's good to see people shopping early, and not getting caught without.

Despite spending the money on preparations, most people hope this year isn't a repeat of the last two.

"We're going to get one of these every now and again so I just hope we don't get five or six in a row," said John MacKinnon.

But not everyone is praying for a better winter. "I hope we do get the snow, it's good for business," said Beach, smiling.