Recently there have been lootings happening across Chicago in many Walmarts which has caused extreme damage. In April 2023, there was looting in four Walmarts in Chicago causing all of these stores to close down permanently.
How It Began
So far, Walmart has said that they are losing revenue which is the reason for the pullback. When the looting occurred it was Walmart’s last straw and they decided that it was enough. This is a huge deal for Chicago, due to the fact that Walmart is one of the largest retail stores in the U.S. and many low-income communities rely on it. Walmart officially closed down on April 16 in these four locations: West Chatman, Kenwood, Little Village, and Lake View.
“These stores lose tens of millions of dollars a year, and their annual losses nearly doubled in just the last five years,” stated Walmart. The community finds it odd that this store had once said that they were planning to “be here and stay here” and now they are pulling back.
How It’s Affecting the Community
Many people have spoken out about this, and they are very upset with the decision. A video of a crying woman walking around a looted Walmart has been surfacing around the internet recently, showing the impact this has on the community that depends on this store. However, there have been speculations that such video and other videos of the looting were not in fact recent and are from several years ago during the 2020 riots following George Floyd’s death. Even though those videos are old, it does not mean that lootings did not take place recently. The lootings caused Walmart to leave and now the communities are suffering the consequences.
Some people have said that they are “used” to this because they have seen many other big retail stores state that they will stay, and then a few years later they left. Walmart leaving also affects the community by taking away the jobs of its employees.
What the People Have to Say
People are angry about Walmart’s decision and have said they are lying about losing money. “They say they’re not making money off of this store, but they are. They’re lying. You can come here for everything: clothes, food. Now folks are gonna have to go out of the city to get a better deal. I’m appalled at Chicago,” stated Leroy Brown, a Walmart shopper in Englewood. Brown has added that he went to the store several times a week and it was always filled with customers. Furthermore, he claims that Walmart’s decision has pushed him to leave Chicago forever.
Another angry customer has spoken about this matter. Ron Love from Kenwood has shopped at Walmart since it first opened there. “We need stores with affordable prices, places where we can pick up a loaf of bread. I gotta go way over to Western [Avenue] to find that now,” stated Love. He said he does not believe Walmart’s explanation for leaving, but hopes that a new store will come along and will stay for real.
What the City Says
The city has come out and criticized Walmart for its decision on closing down. Officials have stated that Walmart should have done a much better job in implementing strategies to combat the price increase, but they did not do so. Hopefully, Walmart changes its mind in the future and comes back to Chicago again. The communities are dependent on them.
Written By Erika Paola Cano Peralta
Sources:
AP News: Old video of looted Chicago Walmart spreads anew
Block Club Chicago: Walmart Fought For Years To Open In Chicago. Now, South And West Siders Feel Betrayed As They Close
CNN: What Walmart’s pullback from Chicago says about Corporate America’s limits
Top and Featured Image Courtesy Of JJBers Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy Of Flickr Page Rusty Clark 100K Photos – Creative Commons License
