When the forecast calls for a winter storm, there must be a contagious craving for French toast.

Why else would so many people stock up on milk, bread and eggs?The uncertainty over the winter storm this weekend had people preparing for the worst on Thursday.At grocery stores in Carbon County, shoppers were stocking up on the essentials.“Whenever we have a snowstorm like this, we joke that everybody must be having a French toast party,” said Chris Anthony, part-owner of Country Harvest Family Market in Palmerton.The old tradition of people rushing to the store to buy milk, bread and eggs is going strong here in Carbon County.Grocers said Thursday that sales were already ramping up in preparation for the storm, and they expected a busy day Friday.“I’m looking at our front end. Every order has milk and bread in it. Two loaves even,” Anthony said.Over the years, shoppers added some items to that list. Bottled water and lunch meats are popular, Anthony said.At Mallard Market in Lehighton, tobacco and soda sales also go up, according to owner Frank Kuhn.But the most popular items are still the three essentials.To prepare for the extra shoppers, grocery stores are watching the weather closely.Preparation for the storm began early this week.Since most grocery stores receive shipments on Saturdays, some local stores got their shipments ahead of time, and in larger quantities. As of Thursday, there was still plenty to go round.“When you know a storm is coming, you make arrangements to have your vendors in earlier,” Kuhn said. “It they haven’t planned, or they get caught short, it becomes difficult to get the product.”These days, most of the area’s bread actually comes from the same company, despite being sold under a variety of labels. Supermarkets have to plan in advance in order to ensure they have enough on the shelves in time for the storm.“We have really good vendors when it comes to milk and eggs, we are able to negotiate additional deliveries. Bread’s a little different. On Monday, I went ahead and made our order,” Anthony said.With the rush that supermarkets see before a storm, you would think that it would be good for business. But on the flip side, the day after a storm, the number of customers plummets.“By the end of the week, you actually do about as much business,” he said.For chain supermarkets like the Giant in Lehighton, the popular products are the same, but the process of getting ready is a little more of a balancing act.“We use our past experience to schedule associates, get our warehouse ready, and get shelves well stocked in advance of the potential snow so we can meet our customers’ needs,” Samantha Krepps, a spokesman for Giant, said.