Weekend storm forces dozens of customers to sleep at Walmart checkout

A severe winter storm caused emergency road closures on Friday, and dozens of people spent the night at a Walmart store in Chatham-Kent, southwestern Ontario. However, the trapped customers said that the staff tried their best to let them sleep better. A total of 50 stranded customers and 48 staff members spent the night that night. In fact, according to the descriptions of the overnight customers, sleeping in Walmart is even somewhat comfortable. After all, it is the largest department store, and daily necessities must be available. One stranded customer Heather Nickoli said that she and her boyfriend were on their way from Ohio to Peterborough, Ontario. She entered southwestern Ontario on Friday morning. When she arrived in Chatham, Highway 401 required drivers to take a detour. At that time, she decided to find a hotel room, but was unsuccessful. “It was a bit shocking at first,” Nickoli said. Unable to find a hotel, Nickoli decided to stay at the store first, but she said that when she left, the police urgently blocked the nearby highway. Walmart said that about 50 people spent the night in the store. The staff provided hot meals, air mattresses, pillows and blankets, as well as snacks for the children. “I think every air mattress in their store was inflated,” Nickoli said. “Some people didn’t sleep at all, and many just stayed up.” In addition to the Walmart store in Chatham, in Fort Erie, Ont., 10 employees stayed behind to help a small family that was still trapped there on Christmas Eve. Walmart said the family was being “kept warm, comfortable and well fed” and even watched a movie on a big-screen TV. Judy Lagasse, a store manager at the Chatham-Kent Walmart who slept overnight, said she and most employees didn’t sleep at all. She said police told her they were closing the road at 4 p.m. Friday, and within a half-hour, it was closed. Lagasse said she learned at 7:30 p.m. that people would be staying overnight at the store. Staff provided people with samosas, drinks and snacks. Staff gave children crayons and coloring books. She said one of the employees was celebrating a birthday that night and everyone had cake and played cards. “But we did need a nap, so we took a nap.”