The owners of some New Jersey businesses say that they are struggling amid widespread power outages after Monday’s thunderstorms.

The storms left thousands without power across the state due to uprooted trees and damaged utility poles.

Michelle Paradiso, of Colfax Pharmacy in Wall, says that she has been working by flashlight. The pharmacy has been without power for at least 24 hours. She says that it is potentially costing her thousands of dollars.

"It’s really bad for business…because you're losing money for everything. Filling prescriptions, selling things up front,” she says.

Paradiso says that she is one of only two businesses in Colfax Plaza on Belmar Boulevard that could at least stay open during the blackout. All of the others, including the post office, had to be closed. This includes several nearby restaurants, which were forced to throw away some food that was at risk of spoiling.

One business that was going well amid the outage was a nearby Shell Gas Station. Once power was restored there, dozens of people lined up to fill gas canisters so that they could keep their generators running.

The owner of a 7-Eleven says that they benefited by getting power back earlier than other nearby business.

“When the power came back on the lines were long because everyone wanted ice, cigarettes, milk,” says owner Veena Kapoor.

Utility companies say that over 350,000 customers were without power at the height of the storm. A JCP&L spokesman says that some of the state’s hardest hit areas may not have power restored until Friday night.