KINGSTON, Pa. — It’s usually one of the busiest times of the year at chocolate and candy stores: the Easter rush.
From Peeps to Cadbury Eggs to Smidgens and more, the Easter sweet treats were a little tougher to get this year.
To get what they wanted, customers had to call stores or hop online.
“Our systems became overloaded and now we can no longer fulfill the sales we were getting online so we shut our website down," said Carolyn Hawk Horter of Gertrude Hawk Chocolates.
Gertrude Hawk sells its chocolates all over the world. Easter is one of the busiest times of the year. The company stopped taking orders for home delivery on April 1, though customers could do curbside pickup at certain stores.
In Luzerne County, Michael Mootz Candies stopped taking orders on April 6.
“The demand is still there, customers still want our chocolate, but we are unable to meet it given our current situation and maintain social distancing and maintain a safe environment for our employees," added Hawk Horter.
Those in the sweets business say it’s been a difficult season, but they’ve been overwhelmed by the support from customers.
“We have provided chocolate for Easter baskets across the country, around the world since 1936 and we are proud to do that," said Hawk Horter. "I mean it’s been unprecedented. This is our busy season and to try to meet our customers’ needs and our employees' needs has been really difficult.”