Residents of Milwaukee are rallying to keep their local Pick 'n Save grocery stores open after Kroger announced plans to shutter several locations, including the store at 35th and Meinecke slated to close on July 18. As reported by WISN 12 News, a recent community meeting at Milwaukee's Metcalfe Park Community Bridges was packed with dozens of community members voicing their concerns. "Our community deserves a grocery store," stated Melody McCurtis, lead organizer for the group, highlighting that the neighborhood requires more notice than what was given.
The grocery store's closure is part of a wider move by Kroger to close 60 stores nationwide, and the decision has left many feeling abandoned. According to a FOX6 News report, residents only became aware of the impending closure through a Facebook post and argued the community needs more time to adapt to such a significant change. In the wake of Kroger's decision to strategically enhance efficiency, the local community is calling for grocery chain to keep the store operational until at least December 2025, as stated in an interview with McCurtis by CBS58.
Alderman Russell Stamper, who shops at the same Pick 'n Save location, expressed his disappointment in a statement to WISN 12 News, emphasizing the store's importance for daily necessities and pointing out the heavy reliance the community has on its accessibility. "I'm disappointed that it's leaving and it's going to hurt us, but we're resilient," Stamper said. The importance of the store extends beyond just food, as residents also depend on the pharmacy for medications. With no immediate grocery stores or pharmacies in the vicinity, Dr. Jennifer Potts from the Center Street Business Improvement District told WISN 12 News, "The food, the necessities, the milk, the bread, the produce, the meat, we need that in our community."
Despite actions by Pick 'n Save to offer solutions such as free prescription delivery for the remainder of the year and a "30-day free Boost membership trial" for home grocery delivery, community members stressed these efforts are not enough to fully address the impact of the store's closing, as mentioned on WISN 12 News. As part of their response, Pick 'n Save communicated these measures to customers, hoping to ameliorate the inconvenience caused by the closures. Yet, as Andron Lane, a Milwaukee resident, expressed to CBS58, the closures will likely create a "ripple effect" impacting not only the community but other support systems such as food pantries.
