For example, True Value hardware stores sold half a million shovels during the winter of 1994. This was up 75 percent from the year before. Customers also bought 50 million pounds of rock salt, which is used to melt ice. Ice scrapers were another "hot" item. ServiStar's sales of ice scrapers in December, January, and February equaled sales of the past four years combined. Finally, sales of winter clothes were higher than ever. For example, hat sales were up 13 percent , and retailers sold about 95 million pairs of gloves. One company, L.L.bean, usually sells 150,000 pairs of its most popular winter boot, but during the winter of '94 it sold over 350,000 pairs.