SOME consumers only have hours left to shop at a beloved grocery chain before it closes a location permanently.
The retailer has been around since 1975 and has 82 stores.
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Those stores belong to Pick n’ Save, which started as a local supermarket from Roundy’s before expanding and being acquired by Kroger in 2015.
All locations are based out of Wisconsin, but some in the Milwaukee area are shutting their doors this year.
That includes the Pick n’ Save at 2355 North 35th Street in Metcalfe Park, one of the only locations for those in the nearby community.
Its final day of operation is today — July 18, 2025, per what a Kroger spokesperson told the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service.
Read More on Store Closures
Some frequent customers like resident Michael Davis said there was no indication the store would be closing.
“I was here last week, they didn’t have signs or anything,” Davis told the service.
“I guess I’m gonna try to catch a bus somewhere else.”
Inside the Pick n’ Save, most shelves are empty, but shoppers were still there trying to get the last of what they could.
Fellow community member Earline Mannery called the closure “tragic” as it’s “the only grocery store in the neighborhood.”
“And people like me, who usually walk down here, have to reroute ourselves and further now,” Mannery added.
INCONVENIENT MOVE
There is a Pick N’ Save remaining open about three miles away by car, but not all shoppers would have access to that.
To walk, it would take an hour, or it’s a 30-minute bus ride.
Some consumers have even decided take a stand, marching and rallying outside the shuttering Pick n’ Save during the early hours of July 18.
Melody McCurtis, deputy director and lead organizer of Metcalfe Parks Community Bridges, said “this shouldn’t happen quietly” while speaking with the Milwaukee Neighborhood Service.
Kroger’s refund policy
Kroger shoppers can return items with or without a receipt.
All Kroger Co. Family of Stores can accept returns of items purchased at any location within 30 days of purchase.
Returns with receipts:
- Customers can use digital or paper receipts to get a refund
- The refund will be returned in the same payment method the purchase was made. Either going back on a card or handed back in cash
Returns without receipts:
- Customers wanting to return more than $10 will receive a store merchandise gift card for the value
- Customers who spent less than $10 will receive cash
After the rally, McCurtis noted that the Metcalfe Park Community Bridges would host a Mutual Aid Afterparty BBQ, handing out free diapers, hygiene supplies, and other donated items to residents.
Milwaukee’s Pick n’ Save closure this month also comes after Kroger confirmed in June that it would be closing 60 underperforming stores under its purview, per a conference call.
It’s unconfirmed whether this store is part of the list.
CEO’S COMMENTS
Ronald Sargent, chairman and interim CEO for Kroger, noted on an the call that the impacted closures wouldn’t be concentrated in any specific areas.
“To position our company for future success, this morning we announced plans to close approximately 60 stores ver the next 18 months,” Sargent said.
“We don’t take these decisions lightly, but this will make the company more efficient. And Kroger will offer roles in other stores to all associates currently employed at affected stores.”
Alongside the shutdowns, Kroger will be opening at least 30 new locations in the coming months, according to comments from CFO David Kennerley.
Sargent also noted that even more would be on the way.
“New store openings are the biggest driver of market share gains, and we’re continuing to look at that,” Sargent noted.
“And I think we’ll be investing to accelerate store openings going forward. We don’t have a number to share with you this morning, but it’ll be north of the 30 that we open this year.”
Kroger is still recovering after a $24.6 billion merger with Albertsons fell through at the end of last year.
The retail giant also recently lost to a rival after it put deals “behind $100 paywall.”
