California grocery store closing after 57-year run

Another Northern California grocery staple is emptying out its aisles.Safeway is pulling the plug on a long-running supermarket on Bollinger Road in West San Jose, locking the doors for good around Nov.14 after nearly six decades in business, according to KTVU.The latest casualty is part of a troubling trend for the chain, which has already said goodbye to stores in San Francisco, Hayward, Pinole and Vallejo in recent years — even as it celebrates a century of doing business in the state.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story Safeway has remained tight-lipped about what prompted the latest closure, telling KTVU only that the decision “was not made lightly.” “We have been proud to serve the neighborhoods in this part of San Jose over the years,” a Safeway spokesperson told KTVU.

However, in a reprieve for Bay Area retail workers, employees won’t be thrown out on the street.“All associates will keep their jobs and be assigned to another store in the geographic area, consistent with the collective bargaining agreements,” read a statement issued to KTVU.

Parent firm Albertsons has felt the pinch, seeing sales slip 0.1% year-over-year in a recent quarter that ended in September of this year.The brand also moved to shutter its bread-baking plant in Richmond, California, after more than 60 years of production.

The closure has sparked an outpouring of nostalgia and speculation about what went wrong among lifetime residents who grew up shopping at the supermarket.“Sad days…my favorite Safeway, the one that’s always been with me before I was even born and one of my earliest childhood memories,” one heartbroken local posted on Reddit, along with a picture of updated hours listed at 7 a.m.

to 7 p.m.“It is sad that this Safeway is closing, it’s b...