The Gulf of Mexico and the Southern states are not the only places where Hurricane Isaac is stirring up trouble. It also has retailers on high alert as they stock their shelves with necessary items consumers will need to brace the storm.

Isaac was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane and made landfall in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama on late Tuesday evening. The Wall Street Journal reports that many large retail stores closed their doors to weather the storm while it blasted the region. Some stores in Louisiana opened earlier on Tuesday to accommodate more customers, but also to ensure that staff can get home safely before conditions worsen. Wal-Mart has stocked several trucks along the coast with supplies such as bottled water, canned foods and batteries to provide residents with needed provisions in case of power outages and other associated events. Additionally, the retailer kept its doors open for consumers for as long as possible before the storm hit.

Gas prices were also anticipated to rise in preparation for the storm, reports New York Daily News. As off-shore oil rigs and gas production platforms were evacuated, the cost of fuel could increase and stay that way for the next couple of weeks due to Hurricane Isaac.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Wednesday, August 29th, 2012 at 3:20 am .