Shoppers left stranded as Save A Lot grocery stores permanently close: 'We have to eat, too'
<p>As shelves at the Save A Lot in West Lawn began to empty, Gladys Roman filled her shopping cart with whatever she could find to get her through the next few weeks.</p><p>Roman walked out of the store with a cart full of frozen meat, canned goods, juice and cooking oil — all for a fraction of what she would normally spend on a grocery haul of that size.</p><p>But the feeling was bittersweet.</p><p>“The people who shop here are on a budget,” said Roman, 64.</p><p>Roman was one of many shoppers who stopped by the store hours before it was set to permanently close.</p><p>Embattled operator Yellow Banana announced this week it would <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/money/2026/07/21/save-a-lot-stores-set-to-close-saturday-after-years-of-turmoil-recent-ceo-death-threatens-city-funded-deal" target="_blank" >shutter all of its Save A Lot discount grocery stores</a> Saturday, just a few years after promising to address food deserts in Chicago’s South and West sides. The closures will leave some predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods without a grocery store for miles.</p><p>On Saturday morning, the store in West Lawn, which opened last year, had several empty shelves and no fresh produce.
Reported by 1 outlet — Chicago Sun-Times. See all sources ↓
<p>As shelves at the Save A Lot in West Lawn began to empty, Gladys Roman filled her shopping cart with whatever she could find to get her through the next few weeks.</p><p>Roman walked out of the store with a cart full of frozen meat, canned goods, juice and cooking oil — all for a fraction of what she would normally spend on a grocery haul of that size.</p><p>But the feeling was bittersweet.</p><p>“The people who shop here are on a budget,” said Roman, 64.</p><p>Roman was one of many shoppers who stopped by the store hours before it was set to permanently close.</p><p>Embattled operator Yellow Banana announced this week it would <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/money/2026/07/21/save-a-lot-stores-set-to-close-saturday-after-years-of-turmoil-recent-ceo-death-threatens-city-funded-deal" target="_blank" >shutter all of its Save A Lot discount grocery stores</a> Saturday, just a few years after promising to address food deserts in Chicago’s South and West sides. The closures will leave some predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods without a grocery store for miles.</p><p>On Saturday morning, the store in West Lawn, which opened last year, had several empty shelves and no fresh produce. Many of the items left over were discounted at least 50%.</p><p>Some shoppers left the store with carts full of groceries, while others walked out empty-handed when they couldn’t find what they were looking for.</p><p>Loretta Claiborne took advantage of the discounts and stocked up on nonperishables like cups, utensils, plates and napkins. She spent about $50 on a cart full of groceries.
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- <p>As shelves at the Save A Lot in West Lawn began to empty, Gladys Roman filled her shopping cart with whatever she could find to get her through the next few weeks.</p><p>Roman walked out of the store with a cart full of frozen meat, canned goods, juice and cooking oil — all for a fraction of what she would normally spend on a grocery haul of that size.</p><p>But the feeling was bittersweet.</p><p>“The people who shop here are on a budget,” said Roman, 64.</p><p>Roman was one of many shoppers who stopped by the store hours before it was set to permanently close.</p><p>Embattled operator Yellow Banana announced this week it would <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/money/2026/07/21/save-a-lot-stores-set-to-close-saturday-after-years-of-turmoil-recent-ceo-death-threatens-city-funded-deal" target="_blank" >shutter all of its Save A Lot discount grocery stores</a> Saturday, just a few years after promising to address food deserts in Chicago’s South and West sides. The closures will leave some predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods without a grocery store for miles.</p><p>On Saturday morning, the store in West Lawn, which opened last year, had several empty shelves and no fresh produce.
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Shoppers left stranded as Save A Lot grocery stores permanently close: 'We have to eat, too'
Sources1TypeCoverageChicago Sun-Times