– I thought you were supposed to have the bag, so I’m glad I got hold of him, laughs Kari Birkeland. Outside Felleskjøpet in Førde, there is only a bag of loose sand. Birkeland is relieved when she understands that it is hers. – I’m going to use it outside the house so I don’t have to wear spikes when I’m just going out, she says before the trip continues to the next store to see if they have more. Kari Birkeland is happy to have secured the last bag of loose sand. Photo: Nikolai Akse Helgås / news Many broken bones The ice that makes it difficult to both walk and drive a car is perhaps not the nicest thing about winter. Lately, constant snowstorms have made it very icy in many places. All over the country it has been difficult to find your feet in December. Just before Christmas, there were hundreds of broken bones on the street. When it’s slippery, you need something to sprinkle with. The plantation in Åsane in Bergen has experienced a growth in the sale of shingle of 30 per cent so far this season, compared to 2021. – Several of the stores in Bergen still have some shingle left, but they are sold out for salt, says Ole Christian Nilsen, who is regional manager for Plantasjen Nord Vestlandet Several shops notice the demand for something to sprinkle with, and in several places where there should be bags of sand, the shops are empty in many places. On Wednesday, Felleskjøpet in Førde received a new delivery. Now everything is gone. – It has been extremely busy, and it is terribly slippery. We have a lot on order, but there are only eight sacks left in the warehouse I order from, says store manager Janne Strandos. December has offered frequent weather changes and lots of ice – like here at Leikanger in Sogn. – We must have, we must have At Coop Extra there is also an empty pallet. It took a while this winter before it took off, says store manager Ørjan Alme. – We must have, we must have, the customers say to us. It is unusual for us to have run out, but suddenly everyone wanted it. Coop central reports an extraordinary increase in the sale of electricity, just in the last three months of 2022 they increased the sale by 77 per cent, compared to the previous year. At Biltema in Førde, they are also noticing progress. – We are empty of the deicing salt, but we can get more. Distraught customers come in who have to check further in the next store, says assistant store manager Lillian Boge. At Biltema in Førde, there was not much to sprinkle with. Photo: Nikolai Akse Helgås / news But while the salinity of salt and loose sand has disappeared in the south, the salinity has been rather sparse further north. In Trondheim, they have a stable cold winter and little rain, and Plantasjen has so far only sold 32 bags of loose sand. It is actually only a third of what they sold at the same time in 2021. Sold more than the year before. Central warehouses have also run out of electricity. At Biltema in Norway, sales for electricity increased by 20% for electricity in December, and nearly 50% for salt and defrosting products compared to the same month in 2021. The store in Førde has tripled. Some products are out of stock at the main warehouse. – Those who have run out of electricity have to wait a bit for a top-up, as we are empty centrally, but from mid-January there will be new deliveries to the shops. We have other defrosting agents and these are delivered to the shops, says press contact Laila Solberg. There is the same tendency at Felleskjøpet. They have sold large quantities of bedding and thawing products in the last two weeks. The increase is 50 per cent in December on bedding and thawing agent compared to December the previous year. – Both just before Christmas and during Christmas, shops have run out before we have had time to replenish from the main warehouse, says senior advisor Sigbjørn Vedeld at Felleskjøpet Agri SA. In December, there has been frequent littering along vegans. Photo: Brit Jorunn Svanes / news Rubbing their hands Those who produce sand also have good days. Sandtaka has a large influx of people who want to buy loose sand. Owned sand roofs at Sandane supply loose sand to Mesta, Vegdekke, several municipalities, airports and private customers. Daily manager Stig Seime says that so far this winter they have sold more than in the last three or four years. – We rub our hands and sell goods as long as we have them in stock. It’s not a mistake for us when we’re in this business that it’s smooth sailing, he laughs. Freeze in several layers Normally there is sand all the way up the floor in Sunnfjord municipality’s sand storage. Now this is just a small pile, says Leif Halvor Kårstad. Photo: Brit Jorunn Svanes / news For those who are responsible for vegans being approachable, the ice leads to a lot of extra work. Leif Halvor Kårstad, who is unit manager for technical operations in Sunnfjord municipality, tells about high consumption. – This is due to the phenomenon of supercooled rain. It settles on the ground and when it is cold there, it freezes. Even if we add salt and sand, freeze this in the ice so that it becomes just as smooth soon after. With responsibility for 32 miles of road, there will be a lot to do for the around 60 contractors who plough, salt and gravel. – When the weather first turns, the phone is quite hot. The vast majority of them understand, but we have to listen to some a little longer than others to put it that way, he says.
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Shops and warehouses empty of loose sand and salt – news Vestland
