[ad_1]
The only Aldi grocery store location in West Garfield Park has been closed, leaving the community with only one grocery store – the Save-A-Lot location at 420 S. Pulaski Rd.
The Aldi store was located at 3835 W. Madison St., at the eastern end of the Madison / Pulaski trade corridor. The exact time of the closure is unclear. Reports of the store’s closure appeared on social media on October 9, and on October 11, the store’s sign was gone and workers could be seen clearing shelves and other furniture from the building.
Aldi didn’t respond to calls and emails asking for comments, but a Google search for the store at 3835 W. Madison St. returned a search result showing the store was permanently closed. Try to reach 28. Ward Ald. Jason Ervin, to whose district the store belongs, were unsuccessful.
The grocery chain still has four locations on or near the West Side, and West Garfield Park still has a handful of stores selling fresh groceries. But Siri Hibbler, director of the Garfield Park Chamber of Commerce, criticized the shutdown, saying the loss of Aldi means the community is now a complete food wasteland.
The lack of grocery stores on the West Side has been a problem for decades. Last spring, a group of West Side nonprofits set out to develop the West Garfield Park Corridors Plan, which would, among other things, develop “strategies to tackle food shortages.”
In recent years, Aldi has significantly expanded its fast food range and still offers many longer-lasting items at reduced prices. The chain has also updated its stores. The Austin Island location at 5629 W. Fillmore St. was renovated earlier this year.
On August 16, Aldi issued a statement announcing that due to its “aggressive growth”, the company would be hiring “more than 20,000 new store and warehouse workers” in locations across the country. The chain announced workers would earn wages between $ 15 and $ 19 an hour, plus benefits such as “health and retirement plans, financial wellness and employee support programs, and generous paid time off.”
“ALDI cares a lot about its employees, customers and the communities it serves,” the statement said.
Located near Hamlin Avenue, which serves as the border between West Garfield Park and East Garfield Park, the Madison Street store attracted customers from both neighborhoods. When the Madison / Pulaski corridor was looted on May 31, 2020, the Aldi survived practically unscathed thanks to heavy shutters and employees climbing the front doors early in the day, so the store will reopen earlier than the neighborhood’s Save-A-Lot could.
The sign on the shop door said Aldi “apologizes for any inconvenience” and directed customers to the Austin location; the two locations in West Humboldt Park, 800 N. Kedzie Ave. and 1140 N. Kostner Ave .; and a location in Cicero at 4630 W. Cermak Rd. In North Lawndale.
But the closure leaves West Garfield Park residents with little choice in their community. The Save-A-Lot location is still open.
The Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Charities operate a WIC Grocery Store at 3932 W. Madison St., which sells fruits and vegetables along with non-perishable items, but primarily for families participating in the federal Special Nutrition Program for Women and Young Children and Children’s Program (WIC ).
“We deserve a grocery store,” said Hibbler.
[ad_2]
