It might seem like Walmart is everywhere these days. But at least one major U.S. city soon will not have any of the retailer’s stores within its city limits.
On March 24, the final two remaining Walmart stores in Portland, Oregon, will close.
Fox 12 Oregon reports that the closures are due to the stores not meeting Walmart’s financial expectations.
A Walmart spokesperson told the TV station:
“The decision to close these stores was made after a careful review of their overall performance. We consider many factors, including current and projected financial performance, location, population, customer needs, and the proximity of other nearby stores when making these difficult decisions. After we decide to move forward, our focus is on our associates and their transition, which is the case here.”
However, some Walmart customers speculate shoplifting at the stores might be impacting the retailer’s ability to turn a good profit, Fox 12 Oregon reports.
The station said it reached out to Walmart to ask if shoplifting was a factor behind the closures, but the retailer did not respond.
At least one of the Walmart stores that is closing tends to serve a lower-income clientele, leaving some shoppers wondering where they will find affordable groceries and other items, Fox 12 Oregon reports.
If you are trying to cut the cost of groceries in your neck of the woods, try thinking outside the box. Money Talks News contributor Donna Freedman suggests visiting your local ethnic food stores, for example. As she wrote in “13 Unusual but Effective Ways to Save on Groceries“:
“When I lived in Seattle, I routinely shopped at one of these places — even though I wasn’t interested in cooking with taro leaves, mangosteen or edible cow bile. What interested me were things like chicken drumsticks for $1.40 less per pound than at a nearby supermarket, and 10-pound bags of potatoes for $2 less.”