Winter weather warnings cause holiday shopping craze

TOPEKA (KSNT) -- Christmas is just days away and many people are scrambling to get their shopping done.

However, the winter weather that's expected to come later this week could ruin your holiday plans if you're not careful. The manager of one local grocery store said winter weather warnings can make things even busier this time of year.

"Obviously it's a holiday week," said Daniel Coronado, the Wanamaker Hy-Vee store manager. "We know there's going to be an influx of shoppers, so we're prepared for that. We're also watching the weather, so we know that's going to drive and maybe change some trends a little bit."

Coronado says being busy is a good thing rather than a concern. Hy-Vee is already taking measures - like fine-tuning their online shopping platform and stocking the essentials - to adjust for the spike in customers this week.

"Getting staff here before the weather hits is the main thing we look at in order to take care of the customer," Coronado said. "And just making sure our shelves are stocked. And we're here to get you in and get you out and back home safely."

Safety is of the utmost importance this time of year. With adverse weather conditions expected Wednesday and Thursday, the Kansas Department of Transportation advises both shoppers and travelers to be cautious.

"Could be slick, could be windy, could be extreme cold, could be a lot of things," said David Studebaker, the K-DOT Highway Maintenance Superintendent. "This week, it's going to be a little challenging because everybody is traveling for the holidays, doing their thing. I would probably recommend getting that done tomorrow."

Studebaker said K-DOT plans to pretreat elevated surfaces Tuesday, and that they'll be monitoring the roads as needed.

"I would encourage everybody primarily Thursday, Friday, probably not a good time to travel if you don't need to," Studebaker said. "There are going to be emergency vehicles out and about... the biggest hurdle is going to be the cold, I think. And, you know, people don't understand the dangers of that sometimes, and it can be more dangerous than some of the others."