SAVE-A-LOT has confirmed the closure of one of its stores after desperate efforts to save it failed.
The budget store on the East Side of Buffalo, New York, will close its doors for good next week.
Following its closure, residents will be left with few options after six Family Dollars also recently closed in the area.
Only Aldi and Tops Markets will be the traditional supermarkets left to serve the area where most residents walk to buy their essential items rather than using public transport or private vehicles.
FALL
The owner of the Save-A-Lot store revealed he could not continue running the money-losing business.
“Everything got worse after we were looted,” said Ron Horrigan The buffalo newssaying that it has been losing money for years, which has only gotten worse.
In 2022, the store was looted numerous times and the $5,000 insurance deductible did not cover cleaning and restocking.
Meanwhile, the pandemic has dramatically impacted finances and store footfall is also down 50% this year, according to Horrigan.
The area has also been heavily targeted by shoplifters, with Horrigan saying it’s worse than seen at his other locations in Chaffee, Cheektowaga and North Collins.
Additionally, Horrigan is six months behind on rent payments after minimum wage increases and food delivery costs from vendors increased by $21,000.
Despite his efforts to obtain financial assistance from the city, Mayor Byron Brown allegedly denied Horrigan’s request because his sales were too high to be eligible for a grant.
“The town, everyone cries when someone leaves, ‘Oh, it’s a food desert. Nobody’s coming in,'” Horrigan said.
“Well, they don’t do anything when someone is leaving either.”
Despite efforts to take control of the struggling location by Upstate Supermarket, a Save-A-Lot franchisee with nine locations, no deal has been reached.
Broadway Market and Upstate Market reportedly were unable to reach an agreement on lease terms, according to the outlet.
‘SAD DAY’
Upstate Supermarket abandoned plans a few months ago, despite Councilman Mitch Nowakowski’s hopes of finding a suitable lease agreement.
“I want to keep Save-A-Lot and a grocery store in Broadway Market,” Nowakowski told the outlet.
“But I also want to protect the financial interests of the city of Buffalo, which owns and operates Broadway Market.”
It is feared the loss of the Broadway Market store will also affect other businesses in the area as it helped increase footfall.
Everyone cries when someone leaves: ‘Oh, it’s a dessert of food. No one’s coming in, ‘Well, they don’t do anything when someone’s leaving either.
Ron HorriganOwner of the Save-A-Lot store that is closing
Adam Abdul, manager of Broadway Seafood at Broadway Market, called the closure “a bad thing” for the shopping area.
“Save-A-Lot used to bring a lot of people to the Broadway market. That’s helped us… a lot of people won’t come to the market anymore.”
Local residents have been encouraging each other to report shoplifting when they see it in a bid to protect businesses.
“Gee, I wonder why it’s closing. I bet we all know the store can’t make money,” one resident wrote on Facebook.
“People are stealing items daily, just report it, don’t be afraid.”
“Either start enforcing laws and holding thieves accountable or continue to see businesses close,” wrote another.
“This is truly a sad day for this neighborhood,” said a third.
“Good people have to suffer because of evildoers. Very sad.”
The US Sun has reached out to Save-A-Lot for comment.
Meanwhile, other stores are closing across the country, including JCPenney and a popular pizza chain.
Walmart stores closed in 2024

So far, Walmart has closed the following stores in 2024:
- San Diego, California – February 9
- El Cajon, California – February 9
- Columbus, Ohio – February 16
- West Covina, California – March 29
- Towson, Maryland – April 5
- Granite Bay, California – April 12
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin – May 19
- Fremont, California – May 24
- Aurora, Colorado – June 7
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story