27 Grocery Items That Are Really Difficult to Find During Idaho’s Big Snow Storm

Milk and bread! Milk and bread! We don’t know why, but for many Idahoans the natural reaction to the words “Winter Storm Warning” is running to Albertsons or Winco to panic buy groceries. 

Personally, we don’t grocery shop like normal people. We live near the Parkcenter Albertsons and have to drive past it on our way home, so instead of doing grocery shopping for a week at a time, we’re at this store every…single…day. (Which honestly, really cuts down on the amount of food that spoils before we can eat it, but we digress.) 

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With the very real potential of Boise receiving up to 13 inches of snow thru Saturday night, we decided to take a walk around the store on Thursday night BEFORE the next round of snow arrived. It appears that our neighborhood took advantage of the break between storms to do their panic buying. There were certain shelves that were hit HARD by shoppers! 

Why Do People Panic Buy Before a Snow Storm?

The likelihood that this storm is going to leave us stranded at home for days, possibly without power, is low but we can learn something about our urge to stockpile from folks who DO experience snowstorms of that magnitude. New York based psychotherapist tells “How Stuff Works” that the urge to stockpile items like milk and bread ahead of a winter storm may have something to do with our desire to be in control.

You can’t control how many inches of snow we get and you can’t control when the snow plows reach your neighborhood. But you CAN control the amount of staples in your pantry and that can bring you a little comfort. 

What Items Do People Stockpile Before a Storm?

The practice of stocking piling before a storm is so common that multiple websites, including All Recipes, put together of the best things to have in your pantry during a storm. Bottled water, canned soups, crackers and oats were all on the list. Those sections WERE picked over at Albertsons, but so were some other items that sort of surprised us! 

Here’s a look at what people in Boise are ACTUALLY stocking up on as we gear up for a snowy, snowy weekend.