Final days to shop at discount supermarket as four closures hit October 11

SHOPPERS are running out of time to get their hands on budget buys as a discount supermarket plots four shutdowns in just days.

As the handful of Shoppers Food stores approach their last day on October 11, consumers are racing to scoop up last-minute groceries.

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The four budget stores will close for good on October 11[/caption]

The popular low-price supermarket was originally launched in 1949 as Jumbo Food Stores prior to being acquired by another company 50 years later.

Today, Shoppers Food operates over 40 locations across Washington DC, Virginia, and Maryland.

The latter state is home to more than 20 locations, with seven housed in Baltimore.

Shoppers are about to see that number tick downwards as the grocer plans to shutter four spots in Maryland by mid-October.

The following locations will close their doors for good by October 11, a company spokesperson confirmed to CBS News:

• 2286 Middlesex, 1200 Eastern Blvd., Essex, MD
• 2339 New Carrollton, 7790 Riverdale Rd., New Carrollton, MD
• 2349/2414 Waldorf, 1170 W. Smallwood Dr., Waldorf, MD
• 2374 Westminster, 551 Jermor Ln., Westminster, MD

Shoppers Food did not share a specific reason for the closures, instead offering a broad statement about the shutdowns.

“Like any other retailer, we’re constantly working to optimize our footprint, which includes investing in stores as well as closing stores where necessary so we can operate as effectively and efficiently as possible,” said the spokesperson.

SHOPPING STRUGGLES

Although Shoppers Food did not clarify why the four Maryland stores were getting the axe, it is likely that retail theft played a role in the decision.

Retailers across the country lost roughly $45 billion to shoplifting last year, according to reports, with the majority of food retailers experiencing what they described as a “theft crisis.”

Spiking rates of casual shoplifting and organized retail crime have stemmed from factors such as inflation, high-demand items being easy to steal and resell, and the open nature of grocery stores. 

Over in the Baltimore area, Shoppers Food competitors have taken steps to combat the theft that has plagued the industry.

For example, two Giant grocery stores in the city rolled out a youth supervision policy in 2024 following a jump in shoplifting.

The new rules meant that customers under 17 were not permitted into the two stores after 6 pm if they were not accompanied by an adult.

One of the two Baltimore grocers also had a ban on large bags in place to prevent crime.

At the beginning of this year, some Maryland business leaders and advocates pleaded with lawmakers to address organized retail theft.

They argued that shoplifting slashed inventory levels and resulted in price increases and eventually, store closures.

“It hurts because it leads to higher prices, it hurts because it limits access, availability of goods and merchandise that is surely needed, and it causes our residents to be fearful for their own personal safety at times,” said Pastor Bobby Williams, from St. Paul Church in District Heights.

Shoplifting is especially detrimental to supermarkets as they struggle with challenges such as higher product and food costs as well as increased competition.

With e-commerce giants such as Amazon creeping into the grocery space and retail behemoths like Walmart already reigning supreme, it is getting tougher and tougher for regional grocery stores to stay afloat.

As macroeconomic factors weigh down on the grocery industry, the mass closures of a popular grocery chain that’s “better than Walmart” will “devastate” communities and threaten SNAP users.

Meanwhile, a beloved grocery chain with 524 spots has confirmed a store is closing down.