Everything Must Go

Sunday around 9:00 am I pulled into the near empty parking lot of my local grocery store, to find every window hung with a sign reading ‘going out of business’ and ‘everything must go’. I tend to shop at off hours (years working in the grocery business have given me an edge when it comes to smart shopping) so it’s not unusual for me to see lots of free parking spots, and empty aisles. A few weeks ago I noticed the store was doing a reset, making the abrupt closing even more jarring. This was intended as a quick trip to pick up three things I needed in a hurry, but I stopped to talk to the pharmacist and customer service manager to find out what was the reason. They replied, in unison “Walmart”.

It’s been about fourteen years since I last stepped foot in a Walmart. I had just returned from China with my new daughter and Walmart was the most convenient place to get the formula she drank. I was exhausted and accidentally bought the wrong type. I went back the following day with the formula, the receipt and the credit card I had used to make the purchase. I was told by an extremely rude young woman that there were no returns on formula. (Formula is one of the most stolen items in Walmart world.) Despite all the evidence I was supplying to prove that this had been a legitimate purchase, and the fact that all I wanted was an even exchange, not cash, she remained unmoved and increasingly nasty. I asked to speak to a manager, and things escalated. Ultimately I walked out, leaving behind the useless for formula and swearing never to return, and to tell my story as often as possible. I have stuck to both resolutions.

There is plenty to dislike about Walmart, but that’s not really what this post is about.  Super Fresh is owned by A&P, so this isn’t the story of a mom n’ pop store getting put out of business by the big, bad superstore. This is a story about change and endings even in the most mundane of places. It’s about the demise of my store. There are other Super Fresh stores that aren’t closing, in fact only two are. Chances are I won’t be shopping at any of the remaining stores, I will reduce my store rotation by one third, and will adapt. The things I bought at Super Fresh can be found elsewhere, and in the meantime my daughter and I went there earlier this week and bought a ton of stuff at everything must go prices.

I feel worried about the people who work at this store. When I asked they said no one had been offered a job elsewhere. I feel depressed that this store may turn into one of those empty shells that stain landscapes all over the country. It may sound silly, but this feels personal. Enough people went to that horrid Walmart and now my store is going out of business. It’s possible, even likely that Walmart offers better prices, and I know for many shoppers that is what drives their decisions about where to shop, though I’m not convinced the net savings is significant, the feeling it might be is.

My Super Fresh wasn’t a great grocery store. The customer service was spotty at best, it was only fairly clean, and the rest rooms were a bit of an adventure, but they had a good selection of the conventional products I purchase, and easy parking. I will miss them, and in a few months I will not be correcting myself as I start out towards the soon to be defunct store. I will now have no reason at all to visit that shopping plaza. This will not change me into a Walmart shopper. I wish those employees well and hope they find new, better jobs.  And until then I will continue to stop by and see what I can score because everything must go.