Large supermarket chain with 150 points of sale confirms permanent closure of store doors – the shutters are already closed

SHOPPERS are worried they will go hungry after the abrupt closure of a major supermarket chain left them in a food desert.

Residents of Chattanooga, Tennessee, still reeling from the loss of their local Walgreens earlier this year, have now spoken out about the loss of a Food City store.

3

3

The supermarket has been serving local residents for decades, but officially closed on Monday night.

While store closures can be frustrating for some, for others it can leave them stranded.

A new Food City store will open in downtown Chattanooga on June 12.

However, for those who frequent the closed location, it is a 10-minute drive away.

This presents a challenge for those who do not have a vehicle or are disabled and other logistical or economic setbacks.

“I don’t feel very good about it,” said resident Jesse Mills Local news 3.

Mills has been a customer of the store for more than two decades.

“I am a disabled veteran myself and this makes it difficult for me and others, especially older people like me, to move around and shop for our necessities,” he said.

Similar comments were made on Facebook after some residents accused others of dismissing people’s struggles.

As it turns out, some have argued that the closure isn’t an issue with a new store opening two miles away.

“A 3-kilometre walk is too much for an elderly person, a disabled person or someone with children,” said one resident. he wrote.

“I found myself depending on groceries from that same store.

“I can’t imagine how many will go hungry now.”

“Walk 3 kilometers in the shoes of the people this affects and then make your comment,” said another.

“It really surprises me how unempathetic we have become as a society.”

“Not everyone in that area has transportation and some are elderly. Hopefully they can find a way to the new location,” wrote a third.

Jeannine Carpenter with the Chattanooga Area Food Bank revealed that the latest closure means the area is in even more trouble than before in terms of being a food desert.

“It is in a high-density, relatively low-income area of ​​the city. You have people who live on a fixed income, who most of the time depend on shared or public transportation. access location,” she told the media outlet.

Carpenter said a bus ride from the old site to the new could take about half an hour, while the walk could take almost an hour.

Furthermore, he argued that the more money they have to spend on transport, the less there is to buy food and other essential goods, which puts more pressure on food banks.

“Whenever there is a change in the food system and what people can access, if it creates more barriers, we see more people needing help,” Carpenter noted.

The 53,300-square-foot Food City store is scheduled to open tomorrow and will feature a Starbucks and pharmacy, as well as one of the chain’s largest seating areas.

Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly welcomed the new store, calling it “another big step in the revitalization of South Chattanooga.”

US Sun has reached out to Food City for comment.

3