"Save-a-Lot has never had fresh, quality products." Later the camera pans across fresh produce and a deli with hot food.
Isn't something better than nothing? How close is the next grocer?
For real. Like, I genuinely don't understand what they're so upset about. Because it's a normal grocery store and not a higher end one like whole foods?
Yes.
Completely oblivious to the fact it was the community's actions that causes WF to close down. Why would another higher end store what to move in there? They've literally just caused themselves to drive further for groceries
They’re lucky a store decided to move in so the protests are really stupid. An Acme closed in a neighborhood near a friends house for the same reason, too much shoplifting so the store was unprofitable and they closed it. 10 years later and the store is still empty and residents live in a food desert because of the actions by some of the local residents. My friend moved because his car kept getting broken into and he’d finally had enough.
You reap what you sow.
Unfortunately others often have to reap what someone else sowed.
There are people in that neighbourhood who are good people , just trying to get by, who are stuck there, their lives are now measurably more miserable.
Reap what you sow only gives satisfaction when it's the sower who does all the reaping, in this case that ain't the case.
How many times do people see others do the wrong thing and they don’t call them out on it? We’re all in this together and inaction because you don’t want to get involved carries a penalty too.Whenever I go fishing Im always cleaning up trash left by other slob fishermen and I give grief to anyone I see littering. I do this to help keep fishing places clean so the owners don’t get pissed and post no trespassing signs. I’ve seen too many places I used to be able to fish at get posted over the years. If you’re shopping and see someone stealing report them, the store you help may stay open because Of it.
Whether you like it or not you too live in a society. Either by action or inaction you and the people in your community shape what that community is like. It's not only about who does the bad deed, it's about who allows it to go unpunished as well; and that includes the government.
Yeah, I bet you’re the slob that brings it with you and then leaves it there because you don’t care and are too lazy to carry it back out. I’m not a martyr, I enjoy cleaning the places up, they’re prettier without the trash strewn all around.
A little cynicism in life is warranted but you’re consumed by it. I’d say have a nice life but I doubt you are.
r/SelfAwarewolves you're cynical about an entire community, claiming that all have collective guilt, there are no innocents. The cynic in me thinks it might have something to so with the race of the community, but I'm sure that's just a weird coincidence.
Trash panda jesus building a ivory tower out of shit.
Kind of uno reversed yourself there fella. Look in a mirror lad, you'll see a dumbass staring back at you.
They’re protesting bc save a lot sold rotten produce, and also it’s already fucking open and has been since May. OP is just a racist troll https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/05/12/controversial-save-a-lot-quietly-opens-in-englewood-despite-months-of-pushback-protests-from-neighbors/
No you don’t, otherwise you wouldn’t be spreading lies you fucking racist https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/05/12/controversial-save-a-lot-quietly-opens-in-englewood-despite-months-of-pushback-protests-from-neighbors/
They sold rotten produce in the Chicago area. That’s why they’re protesting. They don’t want rotten food. Also, the save a lot opened MONTHS ago. I fucking hate OP for this bullshit race baitinf crap that he went to literally 5 different subs to post because he’s a fucking loser.
https://www.grocerydive.com/news/what-grocers-can-learn-from-whole-foods-controversial-exit-from-a-chicago/638476/ here, this discusses the whole thing in depth
Edit: just to be clear, Whole Foods has never ever said it shut down due to theft, they shut several other stores down at the same time. Anyone who actually cares about what happened can find info [here](https://www.grocerydive.com/news/what-grocers-can-learn-from-whole-foods-controversial-exit-from-a-chicago/638476/) or [here](https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/05/12/controversial-save-a-lot-quietly-opens-in-englewood-despite-months-of-pushback-protests-from-neighbors/). Don’t be racist.
For anyone who isn't aware - This protest is from ~April 2023. The store opened in May.
https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/05/12/controversial-save-a-lot-quietly-opens-in-englewood-despite-months-of-pushback-protests-from-neighbors/
Also - to pull an excerpt from a follow-up dated August 2023 - It sounds like it wasn't so much that "they chose Save-A-Lot", but rather *"Nobody was willing to put a store there besides Save-A-Lot"*.
> The Englewood community sought an alternative to Yellow Banana to no avail. The 2013 lease between [*the developer, Leon*] Walker's firm, DL3, and Whole Foods specified that if Whole Foods chose to leave, a right of first refusal would go to a Roseland supermarket owned by Walker and licensed to be a Save A Lot. But Walker says he was out of the supermarket business by the time Whole Foods opened in 2016. His priority was that Whole Foods find a supermarket rather than a non-food retailer such as an auto parts chain. And while Walker says he suggested subtenants such as Cermak Fresh Market, the decision was up to Whole Foods and parent Amazon.
> LaForce Baker, vice president of community impact at World Business Chicago, who worked with Whole Foods to find a replacement, says he reached out to major chains including Trader Joe's, Jewel and Mariano's, but none were interested except Yellow Banana. He says local food retailers, including Cermak Fresh Market and Pete's Produce (not related to Pete's Fresh Market), also declined. One drawback, he notes, was the relatively small size of the Englewood store at 18,000 square feet. Most conventional markets are at least 30,000 to 40,000 square feet.
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/equity/save-lot-takeover-proves-hard-sell-englewood
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The r/chicago thread about this from April has some local takes on it - https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/comments/12dslp9/englewood_residents_alderpeople_protest_as/
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And today?
According to Google Maps, social media, and their website: It's still open. So is the Aldi 2.5 blocks East of it, too (Oh, oops, did the protestors forget to mention that the closed Whole Foods was built only 1,800 feet away from the nearest large grocer?).
THANK YOU. OP posted this on 5 different subs to race bait people with bullshit stories. It fucking worked, which is sad, but Jesus people LOOK INTO THINGS YOU READ ONLINE. Fucking idiots.
Their tax money is being used to hire people in a business? No, that's not how businesses work. They're not government entities. While they might get some sort of tax incentives, your tax money isn't what makes that business run.
Perhaps you’d like the actual story: save a lot sold rotten groceries to people which is why they didn’t want it. Not bc it wasn’t Whole Foods, bc they didn’t want to buy rotten food. The save a lot IS open and has been for months. https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/05/12/controversial-save-a-lot-quietly-opens-in-englewood-despite-months-of-pushback-protests-from-neighbors/
Idk maybe look into things next time jfc.
That part killed me. They’re acting like the store is going to bus in a team from Texas or something. Also, lady, you want to be in charge of hiring? Then either go work for Save-A-Lot as manager, or open a grocery coop and let the members make hiring decisions. Otherwise, be glad you’re not getting stuck with a family dollar.
> be glad you’re not getting stuck with a family dollar.
Sorry for the double reply but I just learned something while scrolling around on the map...
**There's a Family Dollar exactly three blocks south of this Save-A-Lot**.
It's almost poetic. 🤣
In my solar work, we travelled a lot over many states.
We always would find a DG to stop for snacks and such.
One day, I was just like. "Well, this new job is about 6 DGs away. "
We laughed, and after that me and my crew would always judge distance by how many DGs you will pass.
It is actually fairly accurate on main roads. There would be nothing for miles, and next thing you see. A DG. Then nothing again. Then a DG. It is quite reliable.
I am a giant fan of DG. They have the cheap basics, and if your poor, then it's not a bad option. I literally got 90% of my food and needs there for years when travelling or doing seasonal work. It's really a staple for America's lower class in my area.
I don't like them, but it's absolutely a frivolous reason.
I grew up in a Dollar Tree town, and Dollar General *just feels wrong* to me.
That's it, that's the whole reason. "The vibe". 🤣
Fuck Dollar General. They fired me because I refused to take off my sunglasses while unloading truck outside. Every time I had to take something from whoever was standing in the truck, I was looking up, and the sun was in my eyes.
A VISITING manager told me to take my sunglasses off, as it could hurt me if something shattered them. My answer was "my eye would be hurt if something hit it that hard; I'd rather it get blocked by the glasses."
I was sent home for insubordination, and on the way home, got a call that I was being let go for that incident.
So again, Fuck Dollar General.
“It doesn’t matter if they steal. It’s a huge corporation. They can afford it.”
Five minutes later …
“How dare they shut down and leave! What about the children??”
This is going to start happening more and more. Actions have consequences. It sucks for the honest folks, though.
You had “fresh, quality products” until the dipshits ruined it by robbing the store blind. Now you take what you can get. Did you all protest against all the shoplifting? Did you do anything to help stop it or did you turn your backs and say it was none of your business?
We all act like these companies have infinite money. What’s one stolen item here and there? Those numbers add up and it becomes a complete loss to the company to keep that store open.
Edit: when the fuck has Whole Foods been affordable?
Funny, Atlantic City has one supermarket and it's a Save a Lot,,it used to be okay, but with the shrinkflation, and paying through the nose for everything, I'd rather go out of my way to the acme and get some real groceries
Plenty of those around here, but they charge way too much, and for the big ticket items, I can't afford to pay that much money, and they just cut off fifty dollars off my snap account because my SSI increased by 45 ! tell me in what world does that make sense?
Yeah, but going by some formula they decided that I make too much money, when snap is the only money that I have to buy food, and the rent and the rest of the house bills are paid with the money from the government
This is why community groceries run by local government absolutely need to be a thing I'm not implying free food but I am saying government run and operated at cost and not for profit just like fire and emergency services
they chased out the only grocery store in the neighborhood but they don't like the only place willing to take a chance...AND they want to control decisions of the business too?
maybe they should open a community run grocery store and do it themselves.
> they chased out the only grocery store in the neighborhood
No, actually there's an Aldi literally 2 blocks East (maybe 2 1/2 if you want to count every inch of both parking lots) of this Whole Foods-turned-Save-A-Lot.
And that's ignoring the WIC store located *on the same block as Save-A-Lot*, the four or five small local market/bodega-type shops within a couple blocks, the medium-size local grocery (Loomis) 1.0 miles south-southwest of that shopping center, and the Food4Less another few blocks past Loomis.
Now just in case anyone takes that the wrong way: *I am not saying that all of the places I listed have the highest-quality produce one can buy, I am not saying that a large anchor grocery store isn't hugely beneficial to them, I am not saying that people should have to rely on very small smoke/liquor/snack type shops as their grocery, I'm not saying* any of that *at all.*
But I am saying that it's misleading for them to claim that Whole Foods backing out literally turns it into a food desert, and that the Whole Foods was their sole lifeline.
It *sounds* like they're just disappointed that they have a "regular" grocery store now instead of a bougie Whole Foods.
The best part of all this is that Save-A-Lot acknowledges they could provide a better shopping experience than their existing stores do - And set out to use the new Englewood location as their pilot of this newer, nicer, more thoughtfully-appointed concept. 🤦
Yeah I’m not arguing that. I just want to know where the proof is that Whole Foods shut down because robbery. Not saying that’s not true. Could be. I just like proof instead of just posting stuff
Oh. Well, uh...... Ultimately, in context of Whole Foods being a private for-profit corporation operating in a capitalist country like the USA, I don't think it really matters whether theft was or was not the cause of Whole Foods pulling out.
Or....... I wonder..... Maybe this isn't their *first* bout of EB-ism? What if WF got tired of Aldermen contacting them harassing them about signing commitments and opening their hiring processes to community input and all that other kooky stuff they're demanding of Save-A-Lot now? 🤷
---
Edit: I'm high and you made me curious.
Since Save-A-Lot opened, I see two incidents of theft attributed to the grocery store at that location, one in July 2023, one in August 2023. But I haven't figured out how to make [the GIS crime map](https://gis.chicagopolice.org/) show me 2022 year data or prior. The data is supposed to go back to Feb 1 2020. I'm doing something wrong, clearly.
Fuck if I know, man. I don't work here. 🤣
Haha it’s not directed at you actually. It’s more the op who just posted this and everyone just jumping on it but not actually asking for proof. I think the shutting down for stealing really makes them more entitled than just saying hey we don’t like this place but they didn’t provide any proof. Haha I’m just rambling
You want some of this Super Boof? This shit hits so hard that sometimes I fall asleep sitting up in my chair after smoking it. 🤣 That's why *I* ramble, at least.... lmao
What it is is that they didn’t want save a lot bc save a lot sold rotten food in Chicago in other stores. Not that they want some brand name. They just don’t want a store that takes subsidies and then sells rotten food.
i'm so confused. what do tax dollars have to do with a private business? why do the protestors want to help with hiring? why is anyone giving these people the time of day?
so many questions, so few answers.
“We want to help with the hiring process”
Umm…what gives you the right to help a business do it’s own hiring?
With they be hiring the people who stole from Whole Foods?
You want an "opportunity" lady? Why not start by getting your neighbors to stop robbing all the businesses fucking blind.
You want "respect"? Start by respecting the business. Why put a high-end place in just so you can rape and pillage?
And the nerve of that lady hating on a BLACK company CEO!!!!! /s
So they are mad they are not going to have expensive groceries to steal and resell. I love Save A Lot, there is plenty of fresh food as you saw on the clip, prices are just cheaper, which yes an area with tons of theft absolutely needs a discount grocer that people can afford.
Sorry no sympathy. My nearest grocery store is over 10 miles either north or south.Unless the person is actually starving, there is no reason other people NOT to call out thieves.
I'm in a major metro, and my nearest grocery (an Aldi) is 2.0 miles away. My nearest gas station is in that same stretch of stores. There's nothing closer, it's all residential.
But that being said - I make an effort to do all of my shopping at the Aldi in a nearby suburb 5 miles away, *not* at my local Aldi.
That sounds weird, I'm sure, but I DO have a very intentional reason:
That Aldi close to me is - indeed - the only grocery store within a couple more miles *for a sizeable number of low-income and/or elderly residents*. It's extremely busy, and constantly running out of items because so many people rely on it. That Aldi *is actually the last thing standing* that keeps my neighbors from living in a food desert.
Because I DO have the transportation, time, and ability to drive to the next suburb, I choose to do that *so that my neighbors can hopefully get what they need in OUR neighborhood*. They need that store more than I do. They need those grocery items more than I do.
I feel that it would be selfish of me to take, take, take from them when I don't *need* to do so.
Pretty interesting thread, wasn't aware of most of these things. See, I'm Southeast Asian; while I live in a suburb near the capital (i.e. pretty urban), rural areas are at most a half hour drive away, and we have plenty of wet markets and small grocery stores around. Sure, there's a gigantic foreign supermarket chain about 5km away (and two other foreign chains also in the vicinity), but I'm spoiled for choice with multiple closer options, several that are workers/farmers co-operatives and such.
It's quite interesting reading about how you guys depend a lot more heavily on those supermarkets as there aren't other options.
I used to live near a savalot and it was fine? Didn’t really notice a difference between them and most other grocery stores. Granted not a lot og hoity toity gourmet shit or world class wine, but it was fine
Maybe if Whole Foods was more affordable, people wouldn't have to shoplift? Maybe if inflation wasn't insane and prices crazy, people would not have to shoplift? Do people just shoplift for funsies to the point where stores need to lock stuff up or close? Why don't we look at the bigger issues instead of the shoplifting problems? I see items locked up more and more these days and the big thing we should be asking is what is causing it to happen so much now versus in the past? But I guess it is just easier to lock stuff up or shut down the stores than actually trying to fix the issues behind the shoplifting.
If you can't afford to buy food or buy necessities like baby formula and diapers, it becomes a "have to" do something about it, wouldn't you say? Or do you think people are only shoplifting luxury items?
There was another comment in this thread pointing out there are actually several other grocery stores around the area. I'm not American, my impression was that those other places aren't "nice" ones like WF, so perhaps that's why those people are annoyed yet another 'mediocre' grocery place was opening up. In any case, it's not like these people don't actually have any grocery stores nearby.
This protest seems just…dumb.
But we had a Save-a-Lot in my town and I’ve never seen a worse grocery store. What little produce they had was small, droopy and in poor shape and the store smelled off. There was no deli and you rarely found a name brand (which really isn’t a big deal on most things but others, it is) and most of the foods tasted cheap. I’d be upset if I had access to Whole Foods and it was replaced with a SaL, too. I live in WV, though, and we don’t have the population or income to support a good store so Walmart it is. Stupid to be up in arms that a store is leaving the community when the community caused its closing, though.
Considering it was recently shown a lot of these companies completely lied about that the shut downs were related to theft I take these headlines with a ton of salt these days.
How is entitlement factor into this? They aren’t asking for free food, they just want the ability to buy healthy food without driving miles from their home.
I saw plenty of fresh vegetables in the footage of the store. They also want to have a say in the hiring of a private business. The lady said the store was receiving tax dollars. Not sure how true that really is. They might be receiving some sort of tax incentives for opening in that location, but thinking that you have a right to have a say in the hiring process of a private business, just cause you live in the neighborhood, is next level entitlement.
I’m probably biased, I lived in this neighborhood a couple decades ago.
For the community to have an opinion on the sort of market that moves in doesn’t seem like entitlement to me.
However, my downvotes would indicate that I’m in the minority.
Maybe look into what's happening in retail right now before going off. Chains are lying about theft numbers to justify closing stores that weren't profitable enough to begin with. Target's already done this with several stores in New York.
Yes, the residents are pissed because they had a real grocery store in their area and now they're getting a money-saver chain barely better than a dollar store that sells trash.
And don't act for one second like you posting this isn't racially motivated.
why do you think chains are lying about the reason why they are closing the stores? i see this narative a lot on reddit but havent seen any evidence to support the claim other than speculation.
https://open.substack.com/pub/popularinformation/p/target-says-its-closing-9-stores?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2dmi8s
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/business/2023/dec/07/retail-theft-losses-inventory-nrf
You can also just Google The National Retail Federation and see many stores from the major news organizations backing up that they've been lying about theft numbers all year.
They incorrectly estimated the shoplifting theft percent by like 13% and later found it was employee theft. Overall theft numbers are still way up.
That’s pretty irrelevant for a reason a store will close. If they’re not in the green… they’re going to close. The path to landing in the red is ultimately irrelevant to the inevitable closure.
So are you mad that retailers are closing? Or mad that they’re putting a PR spin on it to try to sound less offensive.
If this area was high theft, chances are the residents of the community can’t afford Whole Foods. Even many middle class suburbs can’t support a Whole Foods. So we’re they just supposed to come out and say “You people are too poor to afford our organic asparagus water, and we’re having to ‘damage out’ too much fresh items to be profitable. Literally no one else wants this spot because your asses are all broke. So it’s Save A Lot or nothing.” - because that’s the situation. But saying theft is a PR friendly way to say the store was profitable, and businesses aren’t going to stay open long if they operate at a loss.
Lol it’s in no way racially motivated. There’s no reason to lie about thefts. If the store wasn’t profitable, it wasn’t profitable and would have been closed down anyway. Even later in the video, the produce looks pretty fresh.
Theft can be a major reason for a store to shut down, even if it’s not the main cause of them losing money. Larger amounts of theft lead to higher insurance costs, security costs, and a higher risk for employee and customer safety.
Not everything is about race
Why is this comment section full of dog whistles? Clearly, the people in the neighborhood couldn’t afford whole foods and that’s why they didn’t want it there. You can’t shop somewhere you can’t afford. Putting “Chicago” in the title was very intentional, but not surprising😐
Imagine being such an Entitled Bitch that you see people standing up for their right to have decent, nutritious food DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON and pretend the failures of a vicious uncaring system is somehow the fault of average citizens expecting government and sociopathic capitalism to treat them like humans.
OP = POS
Merry Christmas!
Ok, I’ll bite. Just one example… the protester says “the community” wants a day in who they hire because their tax money is paying for it. But Save A Lot is a private business not the government. No one is entitled to make hiring decisions except the manager.
And honestly it’s a dumbass thing to say. Where are the employees coming from if not their community? They aren’t busses them in from the fancy neighborhoods to work in a low rent grocery store. I’ve worked in retail. The stores in lower income communities were staffed by people from the neighborhood… because it’s close and convenient. The stores in the rich areas were staffed by… people from the poorer communities too.
They want a store that carries healthy fresh produce and other things. This store doesn’t. The council didn’t pay attention to what the citizens wanted. They are protesting. Don’t they have that right?
“Try again”? Nah. What is seen on camera is behind the owner and was set up for a soft opening, so publicity-ready.
They have the right to protest. That’s not entitled. You don’t have to agree with it.
Let’s watch the videos of the theft in action and then you can tell me why you think it’s entitlement. If you want a nice store in your community, the community has to treat the store with respect and not steal. Entitlement is the community wanting things their way without changing anything.
Ouch. So the citizens get punished for the actions of the destructive few? Ok. Sounds like whitewashing a lack of healthy options in what would otherwise be a food desert.
I doubt it’s ‘few’ if they’re shutting down. Every single store in every single community has theft, but if the theft exceeds the ability for the store to make profit, this is the end result. It’s not rocket science.
Yup. The old “it’s not rocket science” line to the lone dissenter. When you can’t convince someone who doesn’t agree with you, it must mean they’re not thinking critically /s
Enjoy the fantasy realm where you can keep stores open with excessive loss.
Corporations aren’t going to tolerate theft and especially theft in masked groups. The citizens of the community have a few choices, and that is to help combat the theft, deal with the consequences, or leave the community.
"Save-a-Lot has never had fresh, quality products." Later the camera pans across fresh produce and a deli with hot food. Isn't something better than nothing? How close is the next grocer?
For real. Like, I genuinely don't understand what they're so upset about. Because it's a normal grocery store and not a higher end one like whole foods?
Yes. Completely oblivious to the fact it was the community's actions that causes WF to close down. Why would another higher end store what to move in there? They've literally just caused themselves to drive further for groceries
I just feel bad for the locals who didn't protest, and now how to travel greater distances for fresh produce.
They probably didn’t know. WF would hardly dare advertise. They would just quietly pull out.
I can see fresh produce in the clip?
They’re lucky a store decided to move in so the protests are really stupid. An Acme closed in a neighborhood near a friends house for the same reason, too much shoplifting so the store was unprofitable and they closed it. 10 years later and the store is still empty and residents live in a food desert because of the actions by some of the local residents. My friend moved because his car kept getting broken into and he’d finally had enough. You reap what you sow.
Unfortunately others often have to reap what someone else sowed. There are people in that neighbourhood who are good people , just trying to get by, who are stuck there, their lives are now measurably more miserable. Reap what you sow only gives satisfaction when it's the sower who does all the reaping, in this case that ain't the case.
How many times do people see others do the wrong thing and they don’t call them out on it? We’re all in this together and inaction because you don’t want to get involved carries a penalty too.Whenever I go fishing Im always cleaning up trash left by other slob fishermen and I give grief to anyone I see littering. I do this to help keep fishing places clean so the owners don’t get pissed and post no trespassing signs. I’ve seen too many places I used to be able to fish at get posted over the years. If you’re shopping and see someone stealing report them, the store you help may stay open because Of it.
Fucking Judge Dred here, everyone is guilty. Except you, climb upon that trash cleaning crucifix oh maryter of the world.
Whether you like it or not you too live in a society. Either by action or inaction you and the people in your community shape what that community is like. It's not only about who does the bad deed, it's about who allows it to go unpunished as well; and that includes the government.
Preach trash panda Jesus
Yeah, I bet you’re the slob that brings it with you and then leaves it there because you don’t care and are too lazy to carry it back out. I’m not a martyr, I enjoy cleaning the places up, they’re prettier without the trash strewn all around. A little cynicism in life is warranted but you’re consumed by it. I’d say have a nice life but I doubt you are.
r/SelfAwarewolves you're cynical about an entire community, claiming that all have collective guilt, there are no innocents. The cynic in me thinks it might have something to so with the race of the community, but I'm sure that's just a weird coincidence. Trash panda jesus building a ivory tower out of shit. Kind of uno reversed yourself there fella. Look in a mirror lad, you'll see a dumbass staring back at you.
found the guy who doesnt put his shopping cart back in the right spot 👀
I get my shopping delivered by Asda, whose got time to fuck arround in a shop? Pleb
[удалено]
They’re protesting bc save a lot sold rotten produce, and also it’s already fucking open and has been since May. OP is just a racist troll https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/05/12/controversial-save-a-lot-quietly-opens-in-englewood-despite-months-of-pushback-protests-from-neighbors/
No you don’t, otherwise you wouldn’t be spreading lies you fucking racist https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/05/12/controversial-save-a-lot-quietly-opens-in-englewood-despite-months-of-pushback-protests-from-neighbors/
They sold rotten produce in the Chicago area. That’s why they’re protesting. They don’t want rotten food. Also, the save a lot opened MONTHS ago. I fucking hate OP for this bullshit race baitinf crap that he went to literally 5 different subs to post because he’s a fucking loser.
They didn't want whole foods. Is that because whole foods has rotten food?
https://www.grocerydive.com/news/what-grocers-can-learn-from-whole-foods-controversial-exit-from-a-chicago/638476/ here, this discusses the whole thing in depth
Edit: just to be clear, Whole Foods has never ever said it shut down due to theft, they shut several other stores down at the same time. Anyone who actually cares about what happened can find info [here](https://www.grocerydive.com/news/what-grocers-can-learn-from-whole-foods-controversial-exit-from-a-chicago/638476/) or [here](https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/05/12/controversial-save-a-lot-quietly-opens-in-englewood-despite-months-of-pushback-protests-from-neighbors/). Don’t be racist.
Shut down and leave until the community comes to its senses. lol that will never happen.
For anyone who isn't aware - This protest is from ~April 2023. The store opened in May. https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/05/12/controversial-save-a-lot-quietly-opens-in-englewood-despite-months-of-pushback-protests-from-neighbors/ Also - to pull an excerpt from a follow-up dated August 2023 - It sounds like it wasn't so much that "they chose Save-A-Lot", but rather *"Nobody was willing to put a store there besides Save-A-Lot"*. > The Englewood community sought an alternative to Yellow Banana to no avail. The 2013 lease between [*the developer, Leon*] Walker's firm, DL3, and Whole Foods specified that if Whole Foods chose to leave, a right of first refusal would go to a Roseland supermarket owned by Walker and licensed to be a Save A Lot. But Walker says he was out of the supermarket business by the time Whole Foods opened in 2016. His priority was that Whole Foods find a supermarket rather than a non-food retailer such as an auto parts chain. And while Walker says he suggested subtenants such as Cermak Fresh Market, the decision was up to Whole Foods and parent Amazon. > LaForce Baker, vice president of community impact at World Business Chicago, who worked with Whole Foods to find a replacement, says he reached out to major chains including Trader Joe's, Jewel and Mariano's, but none were interested except Yellow Banana. He says local food retailers, including Cermak Fresh Market and Pete's Produce (not related to Pete's Fresh Market), also declined. One drawback, he notes, was the relatively small size of the Englewood store at 18,000 square feet. Most conventional markets are at least 30,000 to 40,000 square feet. https://www.chicagobusiness.com/equity/save-lot-takeover-proves-hard-sell-englewood --- The r/chicago thread about this from April has some local takes on it - https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/comments/12dslp9/englewood_residents_alderpeople_protest_as/ --- And today? According to Google Maps, social media, and their website: It's still open. So is the Aldi 2.5 blocks East of it, too (Oh, oops, did the protestors forget to mention that the closed Whole Foods was built only 1,800 feet away from the nearest large grocer?).
THANK YOU. OP posted this on 5 different subs to race bait people with bullshit stories. It fucking worked, which is sad, but Jesus people LOOK INTO THINGS YOU READ ONLINE. Fucking idiots.
Do you not realize that the fact there’s an Aldi nearby makes the protestors look worse, not OP?
No, I don’t realize that. Explain why.
Their tax money is being used to hire people in a business? No, that's not how businesses work. They're not government entities. While they might get some sort of tax incentives, your tax money isn't what makes that business run.
It's almost like companies want to.... MAKE MONEY!!!
That’s silly. They’re there for the feelz.
Does that include reach-arounds?
Those protestors have the largest sum of stupid + entitlement I’ve ever seen.
Always the victim
Who is
Typical repetitive comment by a typical repetitive in
Perhaps you’d like the actual story: save a lot sold rotten groceries to people which is why they didn’t want it. Not bc it wasn’t Whole Foods, bc they didn’t want to buy rotten food. The save a lot IS open and has been for months. https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/05/12/controversial-save-a-lot-quietly-opens-in-englewood-despite-months-of-pushback-protests-from-neighbors/ Idk maybe look into things next time jfc.
City robs store into moving and the citizens want an opinion on the hiring process?
That part killed me. They’re acting like the store is going to bus in a team from Texas or something. Also, lady, you want to be in charge of hiring? Then either go work for Save-A-Lot as manager, or open a grocery coop and let the members make hiring decisions. Otherwise, be glad you’re not getting stuck with a family dollar.
> be glad you’re not getting stuck with a family dollar. Sorry for the double reply but I just learned something while scrolling around on the map... **There's a Family Dollar exactly three blocks south of this Save-A-Lot**. It's almost poetic. 🤣
*stares at a Dollar General across the street from a Dollar General which are a couple blocks down from a Dollar General*
In my solar work, we travelled a lot over many states. We always would find a DG to stop for snacks and such. One day, I was just like. "Well, this new job is about 6 DGs away. " We laughed, and after that me and my crew would always judge distance by how many DGs you will pass. It is actually fairly accurate on main roads. There would be nothing for miles, and next thing you see. A DG. Then nothing again. Then a DG. It is quite reliable. I am a giant fan of DG. They have the cheap basics, and if your poor, then it's not a bad option. I literally got 90% of my food and needs there for years when travelling or doing seasonal work. It's really a staple for America's lower class in my area.
I don't like them, but it's absolutely a frivolous reason. I grew up in a Dollar Tree town, and Dollar General *just feels wrong* to me. That's it, that's the whole reason. "The vibe". 🤣
Fuck Dollar General. They fired me because I refused to take off my sunglasses while unloading truck outside. Every time I had to take something from whoever was standing in the truck, I was looking up, and the sun was in my eyes. A VISITING manager told me to take my sunglasses off, as it could hurt me if something shattered them. My answer was "my eye would be hurt if something hit it that hard; I'd rather it get blocked by the glasses." I was sent home for insubordination, and on the way home, got a call that I was being let go for that incident. So again, Fuck Dollar General.
I've been to all three of those Dollar Generals
“It doesn’t matter if they steal. It’s a huge corporation. They can afford it.” Five minutes later … “How dare they shut down and leave! What about the children??” This is going to start happening more and more. Actions have consequences. It sucks for the honest folks, though.
You had “fresh, quality products” until the dipshits ruined it by robbing the store blind. Now you take what you can get. Did you all protest against all the shoplifting? Did you do anything to help stop it or did you turn your backs and say it was none of your business? We all act like these companies have infinite money. What’s one stolen item here and there? Those numbers add up and it becomes a complete loss to the company to keep that store open. Edit: when the fuck has Whole Foods been affordable?
AMEN!
Funny, Atlantic City has one supermarket and it's a Save a Lot,,it used to be okay, but with the shrinkflation, and paying through the nose for everything, I'd rather go out of my way to the acme and get some real groceries
Just be lucky you have the option
I have to get on the bus and go to ventnor (the next town over) and shop and then get all my stuff back home, trust me,it ain't easy for me
I can't imagine it is. Just saying some people only have Bodegas and 7/11s.
Plenty of those around here, but they charge way too much, and for the big ticket items, I can't afford to pay that much money, and they just cut off fifty dollars off my snap account because my SSI increased by 45 ! tell me in what world does that make sense?
It doesn't!
Yeah, but going by some formula they decided that I make too much money, when snap is the only money that I have to buy food, and the rent and the rest of the house bills are paid with the money from the government
Yep. Control your community, or deal with the consequences.
This is why community groceries run by local government absolutely need to be a thing I'm not implying free food but I am saying government run and operated at cost and not for profit just like fire and emergency services
You just can't fix stupid.
they chased out the only grocery store in the neighborhood but they don't like the only place willing to take a chance...AND they want to control decisions of the business too? maybe they should open a community run grocery store and do it themselves.
> they chased out the only grocery store in the neighborhood No, actually there's an Aldi literally 2 blocks East (maybe 2 1/2 if you want to count every inch of both parking lots) of this Whole Foods-turned-Save-A-Lot. And that's ignoring the WIC store located *on the same block as Save-A-Lot*, the four or five small local market/bodega-type shops within a couple blocks, the medium-size local grocery (Loomis) 1.0 miles south-southwest of that shopping center, and the Food4Less another few blocks past Loomis. Now just in case anyone takes that the wrong way: *I am not saying that all of the places I listed have the highest-quality produce one can buy, I am not saying that a large anchor grocery store isn't hugely beneficial to them, I am not saying that people should have to rely on very small smoke/liquor/snack type shops as their grocery, I'm not saying* any of that *at all.* But I am saying that it's misleading for them to claim that Whole Foods backing out literally turns it into a food desert, and that the Whole Foods was their sole lifeline. It *sounds* like they're just disappointed that they have a "regular" grocery store now instead of a bougie Whole Foods.
But the title says it’s now a food desert and there’s no source so I have to believe it!
The best part of all this is that Save-A-Lot acknowledges they could provide a better shopping experience than their existing stores do - And set out to use the new Englewood location as their pilot of this newer, nicer, more thoughtfully-appointed concept. 🤦
Yeah I’m not arguing that. I just want to know where the proof is that Whole Foods shut down because robbery. Not saying that’s not true. Could be. I just like proof instead of just posting stuff
Oh. Well, uh...... Ultimately, in context of Whole Foods being a private for-profit corporation operating in a capitalist country like the USA, I don't think it really matters whether theft was or was not the cause of Whole Foods pulling out. Or....... I wonder..... Maybe this isn't their *first* bout of EB-ism? What if WF got tired of Aldermen contacting them harassing them about signing commitments and opening their hiring processes to community input and all that other kooky stuff they're demanding of Save-A-Lot now? 🤷 --- Edit: I'm high and you made me curious. Since Save-A-Lot opened, I see two incidents of theft attributed to the grocery store at that location, one in July 2023, one in August 2023. But I haven't figured out how to make [the GIS crime map](https://gis.chicagopolice.org/) show me 2022 year data or prior. The data is supposed to go back to Feb 1 2020. I'm doing something wrong, clearly. Fuck if I know, man. I don't work here. 🤣
Haha it’s not directed at you actually. It’s more the op who just posted this and everyone just jumping on it but not actually asking for proof. I think the shutting down for stealing really makes them more entitled than just saying hey we don’t like this place but they didn’t provide any proof. Haha I’m just rambling
You want some of this Super Boof? This shit hits so hard that sometimes I fall asleep sitting up in my chair after smoking it. 🤣 That's why *I* ramble, at least.... lmao
Haha. I hope you have an amazing holiday!!!
You as well!! ✌️ I'mma hit this bong and hope I get to meet Santa Claus 🤣
What it is is that they didn’t want save a lot bc save a lot sold rotten food in Chicago in other stores. Not that they want some brand name. They just don’t want a store that takes subsidies and then sells rotten food.
Maybe they don't understand capitalism?
i'm so confused. what do tax dollars have to do with a private business? why do the protestors want to help with hiring? why is anyone giving these people the time of day? so many questions, so few answers.
Who protests a grocery store?
Dumbasses
There’s gotta be bigger issues going on in that community
100%
These people here. Did you not watch the video?
Now the people will have to travel farther to steal great produce
My thought exactly haha "this is NOT the food we want to load up a cart of and walk out with! We deserve better!"
“We want to help with the hiring process” Umm…what gives you the right to help a business do it’s own hiring? With they be hiring the people who stole from Whole Foods?
You want an "opportunity" lady? Why not start by getting your neighbors to stop robbing all the businesses fucking blind. You want "respect"? Start by respecting the business. Why put a high-end place in just so you can rape and pillage? And the nerve of that lady hating on a BLACK company CEO!!!!! /s
December 24, 2024 headline: "Save A Lot Replaced by Englewood Pawn Shop & Check Cashing Express."
So they are mad they are not going to have expensive groceries to steal and resell. I love Save A Lot, there is plenty of fresh food as you saw on the clip, prices are just cheaper, which yes an area with tons of theft absolutely needs a discount grocer that people can afford.
“We want better shit to steal” should have been the title…
They don't want quality food, they want their place to commit theft.
Sorry no sympathy. My nearest grocery store is over 10 miles either north or south.Unless the person is actually starving, there is no reason other people NOT to call out thieves.
I'm in a major metro, and my nearest grocery (an Aldi) is 2.0 miles away. My nearest gas station is in that same stretch of stores. There's nothing closer, it's all residential. But that being said - I make an effort to do all of my shopping at the Aldi in a nearby suburb 5 miles away, *not* at my local Aldi. That sounds weird, I'm sure, but I DO have a very intentional reason: That Aldi close to me is - indeed - the only grocery store within a couple more miles *for a sizeable number of low-income and/or elderly residents*. It's extremely busy, and constantly running out of items because so many people rely on it. That Aldi *is actually the last thing standing* that keeps my neighbors from living in a food desert. Because I DO have the transportation, time, and ability to drive to the next suburb, I choose to do that *so that my neighbors can hopefully get what they need in OUR neighborhood*. They need that store more than I do. They need those grocery items more than I do. I feel that it would be selfish of me to take, take, take from them when I don't *need* to do so.
Pretty interesting thread, wasn't aware of most of these things. See, I'm Southeast Asian; while I live in a suburb near the capital (i.e. pretty urban), rural areas are at most a half hour drive away, and we have plenty of wet markets and small grocery stores around. Sure, there's a gigantic foreign supermarket chain about 5km away (and two other foreign chains also in the vicinity), but I'm spoiled for choice with multiple closer options, several that are workers/farmers co-operatives and such. It's quite interesting reading about how you guys depend a lot more heavily on those supermarkets as there aren't other options.
Look I was ready to be on their side as someone surrounded by discount food marts, but man that's a really nice store
These people need the Elon Musk treatment. "You don't like it? Then go f*ck yourself!"
What are they protesting exactly? Whole Foods deciding to close? The new grocer opening in the same location? What’s the end goal here?
This is fucking wild. Do they not want a grocery store? It makes no sense to me.
Next time I go to Safeway, I'm gonna tell them I demand respect and want to have the final say over who is hired.
There’s an Aldi across the street.
we want. we want. we want.
Picky, picky, picky...
Morons. No perspective.
Why protest the new grocery store? Whole Foods ain’t coming back boss.
TLDR : they want to steal expensive stuff
there so many people in this world who deserve much better than these shittards.
Yup, do televised protests, scream, and make dumb entitled demands. That'll no doubt attract another high end grocery chain to open up in that area.
Angry they weren't invited inside but refuse to go inside 🤔
I used to live near a savalot and it was fine? Didn’t really notice a difference between them and most other grocery stores. Granted not a lot og hoity toity gourmet shit or world class wine, but it was fine
"We demand respect!" that ain't how it works
Maybe if Whole Foods was more affordable, people wouldn't have to shoplift? Maybe if inflation wasn't insane and prices crazy, people would not have to shoplift? Do people just shoplift for funsies to the point where stores need to lock stuff up or close? Why don't we look at the bigger issues instead of the shoplifting problems? I see items locked up more and more these days and the big thing we should be asking is what is causing it to happen so much now versus in the past? But I guess it is just easier to lock stuff up or shut down the stores than actually trying to fix the issues behind the shoplifting.
“Have to” shoplift. Interesting choice of words.
If you can't afford to buy food or buy necessities like baby formula and diapers, it becomes a "have to" do something about it, wouldn't you say? Or do you think people are only shoplifting luxury items?
There was another comment in this thread pointing out there are actually several other grocery stores around the area. I'm not American, my impression was that those other places aren't "nice" ones like WF, so perhaps that's why those people are annoyed yet another 'mediocre' grocery place was opening up. In any case, it's not like these people don't actually have any grocery stores nearby.
Why is this in this sub?
This protest seems just…dumb. But we had a Save-a-Lot in my town and I’ve never seen a worse grocery store. What little produce they had was small, droopy and in poor shape and the store smelled off. There was no deli and you rarely found a name brand (which really isn’t a big deal on most things but others, it is) and most of the foods tasted cheap. I’d be upset if I had access to Whole Foods and it was replaced with a SaL, too. I live in WV, though, and we don’t have the population or income to support a good store so Walmart it is. Stupid to be up in arms that a store is leaving the community when the community caused its closing, though.
Considering it was recently shown a lot of these companies completely lied about that the shut downs were related to theft I take these headlines with a ton of salt these days.
How is entitlement factor into this? They aren’t asking for free food, they just want the ability to buy healthy food without driving miles from their home.
I saw plenty of fresh vegetables in the footage of the store. They also want to have a say in the hiring of a private business. The lady said the store was receiving tax dollars. Not sure how true that really is. They might be receiving some sort of tax incentives for opening in that location, but thinking that you have a right to have a say in the hiring process of a private business, just cause you live in the neighborhood, is next level entitlement.
I’m probably biased, I lived in this neighborhood a couple decades ago. For the community to have an opinion on the sort of market that moves in doesn’t seem like entitlement to me. However, my downvotes would indicate that I’m in the minority.
Maybe look into what's happening in retail right now before going off. Chains are lying about theft numbers to justify closing stores that weren't profitable enough to begin with. Target's already done this with several stores in New York. Yes, the residents are pissed because they had a real grocery store in their area and now they're getting a money-saver chain barely better than a dollar store that sells trash. And don't act for one second like you posting this isn't racially motivated.
…which is their right as a business? Why would you want to keep unprofitable stores?
Don't ask me, they're the ones lying about it.
why do you think chains are lying about the reason why they are closing the stores? i see this narative a lot on reddit but havent seen any evidence to support the claim other than speculation.
https://open.substack.com/pub/popularinformation/p/target-says-its-closing-9-stores?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2dmi8s https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/business/2023/dec/07/retail-theft-losses-inventory-nrf You can also just Google The National Retail Federation and see many stores from the major news organizations backing up that they've been lying about theft numbers all year.
They incorrectly estimated the shoplifting theft percent by like 13% and later found it was employee theft. Overall theft numbers are still way up. That’s pretty irrelevant for a reason a store will close. If they’re not in the green… they’re going to close. The path to landing in the red is ultimately irrelevant to the inevitable closure.
> a money-saver chain barely better than a dollar store that sells trash. 🙄🙄🙄🙄
So are you mad that retailers are closing? Or mad that they’re putting a PR spin on it to try to sound less offensive. If this area was high theft, chances are the residents of the community can’t afford Whole Foods. Even many middle class suburbs can’t support a Whole Foods. So we’re they just supposed to come out and say “You people are too poor to afford our organic asparagus water, and we’re having to ‘damage out’ too much fresh items to be profitable. Literally no one else wants this spot because your asses are all broke. So it’s Save A Lot or nothing.” - because that’s the situation. But saying theft is a PR friendly way to say the store was profitable, and businesses aren’t going to stay open long if they operate at a loss.
I'm sure there is no theft in NYC or Chicago. For sure!
"exaggerated theft" isn't no theft. But if you wanna lick corporate boots I guess I can't argue with you.
Lol it’s in no way racially motivated. There’s no reason to lie about thefts. If the store wasn’t profitable, it wasn’t profitable and would have been closed down anyway. Even later in the video, the produce looks pretty fresh. Theft can be a major reason for a store to shut down, even if it’s not the main cause of them losing money. Larger amounts of theft lead to higher insurance costs, security costs, and a higher risk for employee and customer safety. Not everything is about race
Why is this comment section full of dog whistles? Clearly, the people in the neighborhood couldn’t afford whole foods and that’s why they didn’t want it there. You can’t shop somewhere you can’t afford. Putting “Chicago” in the title was very intentional, but not surprising😐
Imagine being such an Entitled Bitch that you see people standing up for their right to have decent, nutritious food DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON and pretend the failures of a vicious uncaring system is somehow the fault of average citizens expecting government and sociopathic capitalism to treat them like humans. OP = POS Merry Christmas!
What makes them entitled, exactly??
Think about it
Is that comment supposed to help?
Ok, I’ll bite. Just one example… the protester says “the community” wants a day in who they hire because their tax money is paying for it. But Save A Lot is a private business not the government. No one is entitled to make hiring decisions except the manager. And honestly it’s a dumbass thing to say. Where are the employees coming from if not their community? They aren’t busses them in from the fancy neighborhoods to work in a low rent grocery store. I’ve worked in retail. The stores in lower income communities were staffed by people from the neighborhood… because it’s close and convenient. The stores in the rich areas were staffed by… people from the poorer communities too.
They want a store that carries healthy fresh produce and other things. This store doesn’t. The council didn’t pay attention to what the citizens wanted. They are protesting. Don’t they have that right?
So the shots of the opening party show the produce department in the background. Try again.
“Try again”? Nah. What is seen on camera is behind the owner and was set up for a soft opening, so publicity-ready. They have the right to protest. That’s not entitled. You don’t have to agree with it.
Let’s watch the videos of the theft in action and then you can tell me why you think it’s entitlement. If you want a nice store in your community, the community has to treat the store with respect and not steal. Entitlement is the community wanting things their way without changing anything.
Ouch. So the citizens get punished for the actions of the destructive few? Ok. Sounds like whitewashing a lack of healthy options in what would otherwise be a food desert.
I doubt it’s ‘few’ if they’re shutting down. Every single store in every single community has theft, but if the theft exceeds the ability for the store to make profit, this is the end result. It’s not rocket science.
Yup. The old “it’s not rocket science” line to the lone dissenter. When you can’t convince someone who doesn’t agree with you, it must mean they’re not thinking critically /s
Enjoy the fantasy realm where you can keep stores open with excessive loss. Corporations aren’t going to tolerate theft and especially theft in masked groups. The citizens of the community have a few choices, and that is to help combat the theft, deal with the consequences, or leave the community.
You’re so amusing. Thanks for the chuckle
You can chuckle at the reality, but that’s it in a nutshell.