Portlanders will soon be without a Walmart because the well-known retailer has announced it would close both of its city locations in March, forcing customers to go outside of Oregon to fill their prescriptions.
When Walmart abruptly decided to close two cherished locations at opposite ends of the city, rumors quickly spread that stealing was a big factor. Longtime shopping hotspots like Hayden Meadows Road and SE 82nd Avenue didn’t appear to make enough money to stay open, while being well-liked by the community.
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“Walmart has long been harshly criticized by the city’s left-wing politicians & residents,” The Post Millennial Senior Editor Andy Ngo said, suggesting that, “this shutdown follows the consequences of the 2020 BLM-Antifa riots that normalized urban criminality.”
“The decision to close these stores was made after a careful review of their overall performance,” a Walmart spokesperson said in a statement. “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.”
Walmart recently sent Mayor Ted Wheeler a letter informing him that the closure of its SE 82nd Avenue site will have a significant impact on its employees. Almost 300 staff are now without jobs after the store closed to the public in late March as Walmart gears up for mass layoffs by early summer.
“We expect the employment separations to be permanent,” Walmart said, adding, however, that “all separated employees can apply for open positions at other Walmart or Sam’s Club locations.”
When it was announced that the only two stores located within the city limits of Portland would be closing, customers were outraged since it meant they would have to drive outside of the city even though there were many other stores placed just beyond its boundaries.
A Walmart shopper lamented the lack of affordable local shopping options, pointing out that traveling to an out-of-town store would end up costing more than just choosing the more expensive options.
“We gotta resolve the shoplifting one way or another,” she added, addressing the topic of retail theft at the city’s locations, “because that is simply the problem. It’s gotta stop.”
