I live just 19 miles south and 12 miles east of where the eye of Hurricane Charley crossed here in SW Florida. Just like everyone else the day after the storm, we went out looking for supplies to repair our home and a generator because we knew we could be without power for quite some time.
Our first stop was LOWES. The line went from their exit doors past the end of the garden center. A LOWES associate told us that they were expecting 3 trucks from Tampa later that day and if we wanted a generator we needed to wait in that line and PRE-PAY $800 and give them our name. When the generators came in we could come back, wait in line again for the CHANCE of getting one of the generators. If there were not enough we could wait in line again for our money back! When I told the associate that I would not pay $800 for a lotto chance of a generator he told me to go to Home Depot, so I did! (needless to say I never got a Generator and I lost over $500 worth of food because no ice was available right away in our area).
Here we are, just days before Hurricane Frnces hits us and I went in search of a generator again. One store wanted $1500, no way, I don't have that kind of money. Home depot was out of them so I trek back to the same LOWES. I ask an associate if they have any generators left and they tell me no, I spot a pallet with generators on it still wrapped in plastic so I ask if those were already bought. The associate tells me no, they will be in their RENTAL store after the storm hits!
It really IRKS me that they refused to sell those generators but they probably plan on making much more money renting them after the storm! LOWES, I know you are a business to make money but this community has been damaged enough and not everyone in Cape Coral is rich! I have refused to buy more than 3 days of food at a time becaue I don't want to lose it all again. Over 2 weeks since Charley and we still cannot get a roofer to even tarp our roof and we can't find an affordable generator to save what little we have left or to try and keep cool!
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