Local grocery store forced to close due to frequent thefts

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Rampant crime has led another business to close its doors, this time it’s a neighborhood grocery store.

The manager at the Save-A-Lot at Knight Arnold and Perkins said that the large number of thefts has forced them to close.

“I was surprised,” shopper Temeka Jones said. “I’m like, what kind of theft?”

Jones said she stopped by the Save-A-Lot Tuesday for milk while she was out running an errand.

When she arrived, she saw a sign on the door that said, “Apologies for the inconvenience but this location is closed due to theft.”

Going forward, the store owner said the groceries left at the Parkway Village location will be packed up and distributed to other locations so the food won’t go to waste.

The store’s owner spoke with WREG off-camera and said that he’d tried to save the store, but due to poor sales and theft, it had to close. We were told that the location was losing more money than the company’s eight other stores combined.

Neighbors say that crime in the area is not only negatively affecting businesses, but people who live in the area because it forces them to find other places to shop, which are usually further away.

The nearest Save-A-Lot is on Getwell and Park, which is a nine-minute drive away if you take the interstate, but much longer for those without transportation.

“Save-A-Lot is a store we like to go to for its prices,” Shandra W. said. “A lot of people walk in this area. So, it is definitely going to affect the community a lot.”

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