Basic Essentials Still at Many Stores as Hurricane Sandy Nears Ridgewood, Glen Rock

It's hit or miss when it comes to finding critical supplies as Hurricane Sandy begins its rapid descent on New Jersey.

Several of the grocery stores in Ridgewood and Glen Rock are well-stocked with water, though limits have been placed on quantities at most shops.

At King's in Ridgewood, customers could only take either two 24-packs of water, four -gallon jugs or three 6-packs.

"It enables us to still satisfy all of our customers needs," King's General Manager Vince Gramuglia told Patch Sunday afternoon. Gramuglia said customers have been very appreciative of the policy and have been stocking up on peanut butter, dry goods, pastas, ice, brad, deli items, fruits and even chopped meat over the last few days. 

The store closes at 9 p.m. and even if the power goes out, they expect to open with the use of a truck generator. "Our goal is to be here, be open and serve all of our customers," he said.

At nearby Stop & Shop, water could still be found though it was in much smaller supply. Bread was limited and there were several smashed jars and food on the floors. The lines were long with few cashiers. Batteries, however, were plentiful though flash lights could not be found.

Customers knew what they wanted at Kilroy's in Glen Rock. The wine shelves were beginning to look sparce Sunday afternoon, though water was still in strong supply. Kilroy's also instituted a restriction on water, limiting customers to two 1-gallon jugs.

Food Basics was fresh out of water on Sunday but still had booze, bread and some other items popular in storm conditions.

With Home Depot on Route 17 carrying next to nothing, the best place for home supplies is Glen Rock Hardware. Owner Geno Paolucci went to Pennsylvania to restock on supplies. He still has some batteries, flash lights and extension cords on hand.

Good luck finding a generator though.

"No one has any of those," Paolucci said.

The gas stations in the village and borough were busy on Sunday but none were approaching running out of fuel. Gas cans can be found at the Home Depot in Paterson, a resident told Patch.

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