Save-A-Lot Opening Divides Chicago Neighborhood
Controversy surrounding Save-A-Lot opening in Englewood, Chicago
Save-A-Lot can help reduce the number of food deserts, but at the moment, they are not welcomed by all in the Englewood neighborhood in Chicago.
The reputation of Save-A-Lot, a popular discount grocery store, has been marred by allegations of offering terrible foods. Does cheaper mean lesser quality? Of course it could, but at what point is it worth paying more for very little gain? Whole Foods used to occupy this space and tried to adapt to the neighborhood, but the prices were still outside the reach of the neighborhood, leaving it mostly empty. Even if the food quality in Save-A-Lot was decent, it doesn’t normally look good for a neighborhood, so I understand the frustration. When Dominick’s was replaced with Whole Foods, it gave people a sense of pride. Weird huh?
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I hope Save-A-Lot sees an opportunity to shut down its haters by providing a variety of plentiful vegetables and meats alongside its name-brand knockoffs. It could have mitigated some negative reactions by being more transparent and inviting a wide range of neighborhood leaders to see what’s in store, no pun intended.
I live very near Whole Foods, where it’s pretty busy, and there doesn’t seem to be any fear of it shutting down, but when I shop for my weekly staples, it’s at an Aldi a couple blocks over.
What’s your friendly neighborhood food store? Do you have an upscale store like Whole Foods but bypass them for something cheaper?
The neighborhood can influence the type of food they sell by purchasing that item until it sells out. It couldn’t be just a one-time event; it would need to be a continuous and sustained demand for vegetables over time to significantly impact the store’s supply decisions. If you visit a Save-A-Lot in a Latine neighborhood, you’ll see they have different options because of the neighborhood’s demand.
