Walmart is closing a number of stores starting on February 17.
If you buy your groceries every week at Walmart, you’re not the only one. Zippia says that a single Walmart Supercenter in the U.S. sees an average of 10,000 customers a day. The store is a mainstay in the area, and because it always has low prices, it’s also a good place to go to ease the effects of inflation. But do you think your local Walmart will last? The company just said that, starting Feb. 17, it will close a number of stores. Find out where Walmart is closing stores in the next few weeks by reading on.
In the Chicago area, three stores are going out of business.
CBS Chicago says that three Walmart stores will be closing in the Chicago area. The first one will close next Friday. The news source said that on Feb. 17, the Lincolnwood Walmart Pickup location at 6840 McCormick Boulevard will close for good.
Walmart told CBS, “This decision was not made quickly and was only made after a thorough review.” “Since this is only a pick-up and delivery location, we’ve taken what we’ve learned here and used it to improve how our other stores handle pick-up and delivery.”
Next month, two stores in Homewood and Plainfield, both near Chicago, will also close. “We have almost 5,000 stores all over the U.S., but some of them don’t make enough money for us. Even though our business as a whole is strong, these stores haven’t done as well as we had hoped “The store told CBS. “There is no one reason why a store closes. Our decision is based on a number of factors, such as past and present financial performance, and is in line with the threshold that guides our strategy to close underperforming locations.”
The stores in Homewood and Plainfield will close on March 10, the store said, and employees will be able to move to other Walmart locations.
Customers in the area are worried.
Fox 32 Chicago said that local Walmart shoppers are upset about the closures. They are especially upset about the Homewood store, which is “always busy.”
Angel Johnson, a shopper, said, “This is a big deal for the area because, well, Walmart has great prices.” I can’t believe a Walmart is going out of business.
Even the mayor of Homewood, Rich Hofeld, said something about it. He said in a statement, “The Village was surprised to hear this news, and we will work with the property owner to fill the space as soon as possible.”
There will be one less Walmart in New Mexico, too.
KOB says that a Walmart in the southeast part of Albuquerque will also be closing soon. A Walmart representative said that the San Mateo Boulevard store will also close on March 10.
“We’re thankful that our customers in Albuquerque have given us the chance to serve them,” a representative told the outlet. “We’re looking forward to helping them in our other stores in the area and on walmart.com.”
Later, a Walmart representative said that the company has no plans to close any more stores in the Albuquerque area, and that workers at the San Mateo Walmart will be able to move to other stores.
As in Chicago, many people are worried that when Walmart leaves, the area will become a “food desert.” Albuquerque City Councilor Pat Davis told the Albuquerque Journal, “It really takes away the last option for fresh food and grocery stores for a big stretch of East Central. It creates the food desert that we have been worried about for years.”
Customers kept saying that this Walmart is the only grocery store nearby that low-income families can walk to, and that other stores in the area don’t sell healthy food. Marcelina Romero, a frequent shopper, told the Albuquerque Journal, “There are no other grocery stores nearby that sell anything but junk food.”
A store in Wisconsin is also going away.
The Milwaukee Business Journal says that a Walmart store on West Silver Spring Drive in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will also close before March 10.
A Walmart spokesperson said that the store closing is part of a review process and that the company is “grateful to the customers who have given us the chance to serve them at our West Silver Spring Drive location.”
Concerns in Chicago and Albuquerque are shared here, and it’s clear that the closing of the Walmart will hurt the community.
In a statement to the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Alderman Mark Chambers Jr. said, “It’s frustrating that such a large, resource-rich, and wealthy Fortune 100 company as Walmart can’t keep such an important location open.” “The move is bad for shoppers, pharmacy customers, and store employees. I also worry that it will make the food desert problems in that area worse.”
Chambers confirmed that he and the Department of City Development are working to find a new place for Walmart.
Best Life has tried to get Walmart to say something about the store closings, but hasn’t heard back yet.
