A customer looks for pipe insulation where the shelves are now empty inside a Home Depot, as people prepare for a rare and historic snowstorm in Baton Rouge, La., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. Photo credit: Gerald Herbert / AP.
A customer looks for pipe insulation where the shelves are now empty inside a Home Depot, as people prepare for a rare and historic snowstorm in Baton Rouge, La., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. Photo credit: Gerald Herbert / AP.

When a major winter storm hit the Baltimore region two weeks ago, residents scrambled to prepare. Shoppers rushed to stores for shovels, rock salt, and ice melt, but many found shelves empty or items sold out.

Some shoppers said they spotted those same items tucked elsewhere in the store, adding to confusion about whether shortages were real or being exaggerated.

Ravi Srinivasan, a professor of operations and supply chain management at Loyola University, said empty shelves are often the result of supply chain logistics.

Read more at WYPR.