Local shops busy as last minute customers prep for winter

The heavy snowfall Friday made it hard for drivers and many waited until the last minute to buy snow tires.

The Les Schwab Tire Center in Idaho Falls was busy all day Friday. The parking lot was full and people were waiting in line to get helped.

“Come in early and get your snow tires swapped off because it is like black Friday in here today,” said Curtis Godfrey.

Tire technicians at Big O Tires on Northgate Mile also had their hands full.

“About 2 p.m. we were 60 cars behind,” said George Casanova, owner.

Casanova also said around 3 p.m. Friday the store had to turn away business because they were so busy.

“We had a huge storm in the Mid-West and supplies dry up. We are usually the last one to get the storms so we usually have more availability, but not this year,” said Casanova.

So if you were turned away from local shops Friday what can you do in the meantime?

Here is what you’ll need: A good mechanic, a winter survival kit, a jack, winter wiper blades and extra wiper fluid. You can also keep a bag of cat litter in the trunk. The weight will help with traction and if you get stuck in snow you can spread the litter around the stuck tires for added traction.

“Don’t be in hurry, take your time. This kind of weather has a lot of ice content so you get a chance to slide through intersections, which is not a good thing,” said Casanova.

A big demand at shops is for studded tires. Some shop owners saidthe tires tend to do a better job on the roads.