With a whimper: Giant closes at 6pm Thursday
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Sharon Reaves and Mary Burton left at 6:02pm when their quest for bread and milk was fruitless.hawes spencer
A few seconds after ordering a Hook journalist off the premises, the manager warned customers– both of them– over the public address system that it was now 5:55pm and time to bring all purchases to the front. He didn't mention that it was the last and final day for the Giant store; but with the shelves mostly denuded, and fresh foods all gone, he probably didn't need to.
The Giant grocery store at Seminole Square locked its doors five minutes after this warning, marking the end of one of Charlottesville's major stores, and officially consigning the once-thriving grocery to history's dustbin after a spate of competition and a big decision by a parent company. The final customer politely asked not to be photographed, but she did show off her purchase: a set of bamboo skewers for 25 cents.
In the end, Giant was skewered by competition from Harris Teeter, Kroger, and the nearby Whole Foods, as well as by the imminent openings of Fresh Market and Trader Joe's.
1 comment
This is sad, but they were as much to blame for their own demise as the Competition - after the change of ownership to the new corporate parent, the offerings and prices went downhill.