- Target workers in Buffalo hosted stranded shoppers and motorists during a deadly storm.
- Around 24 people took shelter from the storm in the Target over two days, The Buffalo News reported.
Workers at a Buffalo Target hosted a slumber party for shoppers and motorists stranded during one of the deadliest blizzards in the city's history.
Buffalo was hit by the lethal snowstorm that left at least 27 people dead over the Christmas weekend.
A group of seven Target employees in Cheektowaga offered the closed store as shelter to around 24 motorists that were stranded during the storm, the Buffalo News reported.
The workers, who were also stranded at the store, provided the motorists with Starbucks drinks, blankets, portable heaters, and a place to rest, per the local news outlet.
One driver, Jessica Sypniewski, told the news outlet she had been refused by a nearby grocery shop before she tried the Target store on December 23. She said her family was welcomed into the store with cups of hot chocolate.
"I got so emotional, I just sat down and started crying," she said. "You never know. People could have died. I truly believe they saved lives."
The Target workers hosted the string of people over two days as the blizzard left much of the city in icy conditions unsafe for travel.
One shopper, Carla Rodrigues, posted about the experience in a series of TikTok videos.
Rodrigues posted a video from the store on Christmas Eve after spending the night there. She said "the first night wasn't bad" despite a lack of heat and she expected to stay to be trapped in the store for at least another night.
She posted a separate TikTok on Christmas Eve showing a TV that she said had been set up to watch the Bills game. She added the motorists had been provided with "activities" by the Target staff.