Target gives refuge to dozens of customers trapped in Buffalo's deadly blizzard in 2-night slumber party
BUFFALO, NEW YORK: A Target in the upstate town of Cheektowaga unexpectedly turned into a Christmas haven for stranded customers during Buffalo's devastating winter storm over the weekend, with the store's elves, who were stuck themselves, stepping in to save the holiday.
On Friday, December 23, a deadly winter storm started dropping several feet of snow on the area, leaving some two dozen customers and seven employees stranded at the store in suburban Cheektowaga outside of Buffalo. "They said, 'Anything you need, it's on us... Just let us scan it first'," a grateful custormer told Buffalo News. Following that, the group spent the following two nights together, with the staff organizing a memorable "family" reunion, as customer Carla Rodriguez described in a series of films that they put on TikTok. "First night wasn't bad," Rodriguez said. "Didn't get much sleep, the heat was turned off this morning 'cause store is supposed to be closed, so they are trying to get it working. ...We are safe, though, and people are warming up."
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Rodriguez was heard saying, "We now got a TV for the Bills game and some activities. Trying to make the best of today," on a video taken on Christmas Eve inside the Starbucks at the store. The Buffalo News reported that employees gave them free food, hot cocoa, water, heaters, blankets, beds, and coloring books.
"I got so emotional, I just sat down and started crying," Jessica Sypniewski, who was stuck inside the store with her children and boyfriend, said in reference to the staff' behavior. "You never know. People could have died. I truly believe they saved lives," she added.
"None of those trapped would have to pay for anything used during the storm," Mark Schindele, an executive vice president at Target, stated in a statement to the NewYork Post on Monday, December 26.
Schindele added, "Usually when we refer to Tarzhay magic, we're talking about the kind of products our guests can only find at Target and just can't live without. On Christmas Eve, that phrase took on a whole new meaning."
"Thanks to the compassion and quick thinking of the team members at our Walden Galleria store, they were able to provide shelter to those who were stranded, and also offered care, comfort and holiday cheer. Their actions are a living example of Target's values and we are thankful to have been able to assist those in need," Schindele concluded.