Local Grocery Stores Closed Due to Tornado Warnings

I was returning home to beat the storms coming to Omaha when I ran into a little snag. I heard a siren go off near 72nd and Blondo. It occurred to me that a tornado might have been spotted. I parked at the Bag-N-Save at 76th and Dodge and wondered what the grocery store's reaction would be to the tornado siren. It was around 6:45 p.m. I walked into the grocery store and was told that they weren't open because of the storm. They did mention that I could seek shelter in the back. I wondered if other grocery stores would have the same reaction to the sirens.

I was able to enter Baker's Supermarket on Leavenworth and Saddle Creek. After gathering up a few items, I went to the checkout lane. The loud speaker mentioned the storm but it looked like the store would let me purchase groceries. The woman in front of me was able to. The clerk then told me that the checkout lane was closed. I asked her if it was due to electrical reasons. She said that the grocery store was worried about safety. I told her the best way for me to be safe was to buy the groceries and then go home. This did not occur.

I parked at Hy-Vee at 50th and Center. People were buying items when I came into the grocery store. I once again reached the checkout lane only to be told they had just shut down.

I asked a manager why I couldn't buy at the grocery store. He said it was due to concern about employee and customer safety. I asked him how the lack of buying groceries was helping the customers or the employees. I saw at least five employees at the front of the store by the windows. There were many customers by windows as well. I saw that one customer was still buying grocery items. I asked the manager about it. He said that perhaps the customer had been in the middle of checking out when they stopped letting the customers purchase items. I did not see any use in not allowing customers to buy groceries during the storm and told him so. This lack of activity did not appear to be protecting the employees or the customers from a tornado or any other storm.