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Customers Slam Walmart for Closing Chatham Supercenter: ‘It's a Slap in the Face'

The Chatham Supercenter is one of four Chicago Walmart locations closing

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Regina Dickey went for an appointment at a new primary care clinic in Chatham Tuesday. Newly furnished and close to home, she thought she’d come back and was disappointed to learn she’d never get the chance.

Dickey, 38, is in fine health, but the clinic where she went and the store it’s attached to – a Walmart supercenter on the South Side – is not, according to its owners.

The supercenter is one of four Chicago stores that Walmart announced Tuesday will close by Sunday, joining other grocery stores — particularly on Chicago’s South and West sides — that have closed in recent months.

In addition to the Chatham Supercenter, the Walmart Health center and the Walmart Academy, at 8431 S. Stewart Ave., the other stores closing are the Kenwood Neighborhood Market, at 4720 S. Cottage Grove Ave.; Little Village Neighborhood Market, at 2551 W. Cermak Road; and Lakeview Neighborhood Market, at 2844 N. Broadway.

“This is going to cause a lot of issues for people in the community,” Dickey said. “Not cool.”

Dickey said she shopped there and at the Walmart in Kenwood (also closing) regularly.

“It’s like they didn’t even give a thought to the people in these communities,” Dickey said.

Pharmacies at the locations will continue to serve patients for 30 days after each store’s closure. All store associates are able to transfer to other Walmart or Sam’s Club locations, according to the news release.

After these closures, four Walmart stores will remain open in the city: Walmart Supercenter in Belmont Cragin, at 4626 Diversey Ave.; a Supercenter in Austin, at 4650 W. North Ave; Pullman, a Supercenter, at 10900 S. Doty Ave; and Walmart Neighborhood Market Gresham, at 7535 S. Ashland Ave.

MORE: Which Walmart Stores Are Closing in Illinois? Here's a Full List

The Chicago portfolio of stores overall has been “unprofitable” since the company came to the city, Walmart said Tuesday in a news release.

The Chicago stores lose “tens of millions each year,” and yearly losses have almost doubled since 2018, the release said.

“Over the years, we have tried many different strategies to improve the business performance of these locations, including building smaller stores, localizing product assortment and offering services beyond traditional retail,” the company’s announcement said.

A few hours after the announcement was made, Elijah Straight stood outside the store, watching the stream of people in and out and had a hard time believing profitability was the issue.

“It’s like this almost everyday,” said Straight, 38.

The supercenter closing would be crippling for the area, he said. “It brings jobs, it brings economic growth and in this part of the city, there’s really no super markets around here.”

Marcus Jackson, who came to the health center for an appointment on Tuesday, figured there was more to it than what the company said.

“You came in and filled a void– now you’re taking it away,” said Jackson, 38. “It was like a teaser.”

According to the company, city and community leaders have been receptive to meetings regarding challenges over the years.

“As we looked for solutions, it became even more clear that for these stores, there was nothing leaders could do to help get us to the point where they would be profitable,” the release said.

Chatham’s health clinic and pharmacy have been quality, affordable places for the underinsured to get care, said Nedra Fears, executive director of Greater Chatham Initiative.

Fears said the closure is a “really big deal” for residents in and outside of the community.

“It’s one of the most frequented places to visit (in Chatham),” she said. “It’s also a regional destination. It’s not only for people in our neighborhood. I was just there on Sunday, and it was packed.”

“I hate that this is happening,” said Vaughn, 71. “I’ve been in his neighborhood 58 years and I’ve seen a lot of changes and it’s disheartening to see a company this size could shut down like this.”

The resident of Gresham said she had been coming to the pharmacy ever since it opened, preferring it to others because it felt safer and because she had developed a rapport with the pharmacists.

She knew the company promised employees jobs at other Walmart stores and said she would follow the pharmacists from the supercenter wherever they went, but knew she likely wouldn’t feel safe going alone anymore.

She wondered if there was anything the community could do to keep the store from closing, but in the meantime said the immediacy of it the decision left a bad taste in the mouth.

“For older people and Black people, it’s a slap to our face,” she said. “We need this store.”

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