Snow, ice and cold temperatures have put a pinch on Northeast Oregon retailers’ supplies of ice melt, shovels and ice scrapers.

“Ice melt seems to go as soon as it comes in the door,” said Teara Howard, an employee at Union’s Hometown Hardware. “Shovels are the same way.”

She said deliveries the last few weeks have been from one to two hours late to as much as a day late because of closures on Interstate 84.

Don Leber, vice president of marketing and advertising for Bi-Mart based in Eugene, said stores across the state have been hard hit the last several weeks.

“It doesn’t appear we are going to be able to get more shovels, but other cold weather items we can get out to our stores, depending on the roads,” Leber said.

Read the full story in the Jan. 16 edition of The Observer.