Supermarkets flooded with customers

Van Cortlandt Village resident Elizabeth Bobadilla was among a mass of people trying to make their way to one of the cash registers at Stop and Shop on Broadway on Saturday.

 At 11 a.m., as she waited behind a grocery cart literally overflowing with goods, she said she had crafted a fail-proof strategy for getting prepared for Hurricane Irene.

“I’ve got my husband in one supermarket and my mother in another, so they can get anything I can’t find here,” Ms. Bobadilla said. She also stocked up on plenty of food she wouldn’t normally get.

“I never buy canned goods, but today I bought loads of cans, and any food we can eat raw, like carrots,” Ms. Bobadilla said.

Overhead, the store’s manager gave warning to anyone who parked illegally in the Stop and Shop’s filled-to-capacity lot.

“If anyone is parked in a handicap spot, move your vehicle now, they are giving out tickets right now. So you will get a ticket,” the manager announced on the loudspeaker.

As he loaded a stack of steaks into his basket, firefighter Brian Bane said Engine 81 firehouse usually eats a big meat and potato dinner on Saturdays.

“We’ve got a dozen guys who are on alert. We’re ready for tonight,” Mr. Bane said.

Vinny Gomez, a manager at Key Food on 235th Street, said the store has been unusually busy since Thursday.

“Everybody’s buying everything they can get their hands on, basically,” Mr. Gomez said. “We’re out of gallon water, D-batteries, any size batteries people use with flashlights.”