And we are not reopening today. Yes, Abby and Jess, we are here with May on 140th Street and we have signs just like this up at multiple businesses here. Some have decided to reopen tonight and others are keeping their doors closed. But some have really had to endure the lack of heat and electricity and the horrible heat all day today. Yes, it's a little stuffy inside the store, but we have plenty of space and we're good enough for each other. Several businesses near Quail Springs were working in the dark with their doors open. Yeah. In terms of letting people know we're open, an open sign obviously doesn't help. With most other businesses closed, people assume we're closed too. Some are closing their stores with signs up. With electricity, it creates challenges like getting creative with card readers and making sure customers know we're open. When the doors open, we have to be on the front lines to be seen and heard because obviously there's no sound to let us know. We post on social media when we can and people can see it. And as for the restaurants and businesses with full refrigerators, they're basically doing everything they can to keep cold things cold. This shopping center has multiple restaurants and some employees who are disposing of food told KOCO they had no choice but to close and throw out tons of food, costing them thousands of dollars. OGNI is here now and has restored most of the area, but power remains out across the metro and crews will work as much as they can to restore power. If the power is still out, you're probably wondering how long it will take to restore. We have a list of all the outages that have been cut on KOCO.COM.
Long-term power outage causes huge losses for OKC businesses
Thousands of central Oklahoma residents are suffering from power outages and heat, while the hit to businesses could be costly.
While thousands of central Oklahoma residents are struggling with the heat and power outages, the hit to businesses could result in heavy losses. Click here to get the latest related news. Most of the area around Quail Springs Mall was without power all day, and nearby businesses put up closed signs in their windows, but others stayed open during the outage. “It's a little stuffy inside the store, but we have plenty of space and everyone is friendly with each other,” said Anthony Hast, manager of Triad FSN. “The open signs don't help people know we're open, and since most other stores are closed, people assume we're closed, too.” >> Download the KOCO 5 App Some businesses stayed open to work in the dark, while others closed. The outages bring challenges, like getting creative with credit card readers and letting customers know the store is open. “When the doors open, you have to be at the front of the line to make sure, because they don't have a sound to let you know,” Hast said. “When we can, we post it on social media so people can see it.” And when it comes to restaurants and businesses with full refrigerators, the outages could be more than just an inconvenience. Employees who move food out of area restaurants said they had no choice but to close and throw out a lot of food, costing them thousands of dollars in losses. TOP STORIES:Hurricane-force winds hit Oklahoma on Tuesday: What we knowDevastating winds cause widespread damage in OklahomaLocal renters face power outages, water issues, fallen pipesSevere damage on Britton Road in Oklahoma CitySevere storms leave thousands without power in central Oklahoma
Thousands of central Oklahoma residents are suffering from power outages and heat, while the hit to businesses could be costly.
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Much of the area around Quail Springs Mall was without power all day, and nearby businesses had closed signs in their windows, though some continued to operate despite the lack of electricity.
“It's a little stuffy inside, but there's plenty of space and everyone is friendly enough to each other,” said Triad FSN manager Anthony Hast. “Open signs don't help people know we're open. Most stores are closed, so people assume we're closed too.”
>> Download the KOCO 5 app
Some stores are open and continuing to operate in the dark, while others are closed. The power outage brings challenges, like coming up with creative credit card readers and letting customers know they're open.
“We don't have a 'ding' sound to let us know when the doors open, so we have to be out front and see when they open,” Hast said. “We post on social media when we can, so people can see it.”
For restaurants and businesses with full refrigerators, a power outage could be more than just an inconvenience.
Employees who transported food from area restaurants said they had no choice but to close their businesses and throw out tons of food, costing them thousands of dollars.
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