As shelves at the Save A Lot in West Lawn began to empty, Gladys Roman filled her shopping cart with whatever she could find to get her through the next few weeks.
Roman walked out of the store with a cart full of frozen meat, canned goods, juice and cooking oil — all for a fraction of what she would normally spend on a grocery haul of that size.
But the feeling was bittersweet.
“The people who shop here are on a budget,” said Roman, 64.
Roman was one of many shoppers who stopped by the store hours before it was set to permanently close on Saturday.
Save A Lot announced this week it was ending its licensing agreement with embattled operator Yellow Banana, which meant it had to find an alternative or shutter all of its Save A Lot stores Saturday, just a few years after promising to address food deserts in Chicago’s South and West sides. The closures will leave some predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods without a grocery store for miles.
On Saturday morning, the store in West Lawn, which opened last year, had several empty shelves and no fresh produce. Many of the items left over were discounted at least 50%.
Some shoppers left the store with carts full of groceries, while others walked out empty-handed when they couldn’t find what they were looking for.
Loretta Claiborne took advantage of the discounts and stocked up on nonperishable items like cups, utensils, plates and napkins. She spent about $50 on a cart full of groceries. But the 78-year-old said she was disappointed to hear all the stores were closing.
Claiborne typically shops at the Save A Lot in Auburn Gresham, which is only a few blocks from her home. She said that location is frequented by seniors who don’t have a way to drive or are disabled.
“How are they gonna get what they need?” she wondered. “We have to eat, too.”
Shoppers said the Save A Lot stores were not only convenient but also more affordable compared to other grocery stores.
“It’s good deals here,” Claiborne said. “I could get everything I need.”
Residents in West Lawn hoped the store wouldn’t stay empty for long and another affordable chain, like Aldi, would take over. The nearest grocery store to the Save A Lot is over a mile away, and shoppers said the prices were higher.
Roman used to work at a grocery store and retired in 2016 after suffering a stroke. She lives just two blocks from the Save A Lot and took advantage of its location to not only buy groceries at a discounted price but also get some exercise.
She’ll have to travel farther to do her shopping. Though inconvenient, she said she would be OK, but she worries about the employees she’s gotten to know over the years.
“The neighborhood is going to miss them,” Roman said. “Something better is going to come their way. I know it. We just have to stay positive.”
An employee who did not want to be named said he’s worked at Save A Lot for more than 22 years. “Now I’m out of work,” he said.
Save A Lot did not respond to a request for comment.
“Financial headwinds” under Yellow Banana’s ownership led to the termination of the relationship, said Save A Lot spokesperson Sarah Griffin, pointing to “dramatic cuts to SNAP benefits” as a significant challenge.
Save A Lot was unable to find a path forward to keep the stores open and notified Yellow Banana at the end of June that it would terminate its operational agreement.
Ohio-based Yellow Banana has a $26 million redevelopment agreement with the city of Chicago, through which it received more than $13 million in taxpayer financing to renovate and reopen Save A Lot locations. The remaining funding came from federal grants and loans.
In addition to that taxpayer funding, Save A Lot has requested $3 million more from the city to recoup money given to Yellow Banana, Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) told the Sun-Times. Quinn said Save A Lot told him last week that the stores were in danger of closing.
Roman said she would be reaching out to Quinn’s office to find out what was being done to help residents in the neighborhood.
“Hopefully, [Quinn] can bring a good department store over here for the neighborhood,” she said.
With the stores closing, “the city is exploring every opportunity to recoup taxpayer funding, if necessary,” Department of Planning and Development spokesperson Peter Strazzabosco previously told the Sun-Times.