The call to pick up milk, bread and eggs this winter is getting old for consumers, but some local businesses are saying that the snow, ice and cold weather are helping their bottom line.

With another major storm forecast for tomorrow, retailers have struggled this winter to maintain supplies for local people.Linda Guy, manager of Lehighton Hardware, said the store has been selling a steady supply of shovels and ice choppers.Guy said the store has also sold out of heat tape. She said customers have been looking for space heaters, kerosene heaters and weather stripping."Also selling good have been those little propane tanks," she noted. "I've also sold a couple of sleds. We're out of snow blowers, but we do have some salt on hand. We were out of salt, but we've gotten some in."Guy said that the last time the store sold out of snow blowers was in 1995."We've have two mild winters," she said. "But the bad winter has been good for business."At Marzen's Feed and Hardware in Franklin Township, salt is missing from the shelves."Our salt is on back order," said owner Mike Marzen. He said the salt mine has been selling most of its supplies to municipalities."We've been selling a lot of roof rakes and snow shovels," Marzen said.The store doesn't sell snow blowers, but they do sell wood pellets and those are in short supply."Wood pellets are one item that is hard for us to get this winter," Marzen said.His employee, Phil Nuccio, said that no one knows what to expect each winter."No one really looks at the long range forecasts."Another Marzen employee, Pam Hough, said, "We sold a ton of rock salt in two hours."Marzen said that part of the problem is that salt supplies are low everywhere."I ordered 10 tons of salt and I received one ton," Marzen said.Bernie Shea, owner of Shea's Hardware Inc. in Palmerton, said his business still had rock salt available Wednesday morning."My suppliers are feeding us, and I'm faring rather well compared to other outlets," Shea said. "I just received more this morning; it might not be what people want, but it's the only thing that's available."That wasn't the case at A.F. Boyer Hardware in Slatington, where sales employee Tom Zeiser said there was no rock salt to be had."I'm all out; I sold my last probably on Monday," Zeiser said. "I'm trying to see when I can get my next shipment; my main suppliers are not answering their phones and are all out, too."The supply of rock salt at Country Junction in Lehighton is scarce as well, according to Harold Cook, hardware manager, who said, "The only thing that has been available is water softener salt."There has been some price gouging out there for some of the other ice melt," Cook said. "Even at this point, that is becoming hard to find."Cook added, "We've been looking for any opportunity to purchase ice melt products, but it seems that those who do have it are holding on for their own use rather than actually selling it."Several retailers have contacted me trying to purchase material," he said. "This is the first time we've run out in 10 years."As to why there's such a shortage overall, Shea added, "My understanding is they have ceased all bagging operations. The focus is being given to state contracts and producing bulk salt only."Zeiser added, "Just from what I heard from our suppliers, I believe all the salt that they're mining is going right to the boroughs, cities and municipalities. I heard it's not even being bagged at this time."Cook attributed the shortage to the fact that ice melt products have been scattered further south this year, which is causing a shortage elsewhere.But spring really is around the corner and retailers are stocked up on seeds."We have a large supply of seeds and they are always on sale," Marzen said.At Lehighton Hardware, Guy agreed. "We've been selling seeds."Terry Ahner contributed to this report.