As of Monday night, the Maplewood Shop ‘n Save employees were still waiting for word on what would happen with their store. On Tuesday they found out.
The Maplewood Shop ‘n Save is set to close by the end of June, according an announcement on the Union Local 655 Facebook page Tuesday afternoon.
On the Union Local 655 Facebook page:
‘’We have just been informed that the Maplewood Shop ’n Save store will be permanently closed by the end of June, 2018. The company will be meeting with employees to let them know and their Local 655 Union Rep is in the store right now to speak with members. All employees will be offered transfers to other stores to prevent any job losses. We will remain in contact with our members in the store as well as the company to help make this transition as easy as possible.’’
SuperValu is looking to sell their Shop ‘n Save locations in Missouri and Illinois, the union told its members in early May.
How about a Trader Joes or Whole Foods?
How about a Whole Foods or Straubs? I live near Maplewood and grew up there. The thing Maplewood needs is a high end store to continue creating a solid middle to upper middle end identity.
Maplewood I hope you are going to find another grocery store with similiar prices to Shop ‘n Save. It has been a staple for many years, and a huge loss to the area. It’s within walking distance for many people, this is a walking neighborhood. Not everyone can afford Schnucks, Dierbergs, etc.
There has been one with better prices for many years: Aldi. The amount of SnS’ weekly coupon was less than what we saved by doing our weekly shopping at Aldi.
Two of my brothers (now retired) were long-time employees of Supervalu (the parent company of Shop N Save). Things had been getting tighter and tighter for the employees of Supervalu; the competition in the grocery market, especially from WalMart supercenters, had been making it tougher and tougher for Supervalu to make their profit goals. The Maplewood store is just one of many that will be changing hands. R. I. P.
I will miss the Maplewood Shop N Save, and its ample supply of fair-priced ice cream to grab on the way home, among other great cold frosty items…
As for the haters, they’ll always be around.
It’s interesting this is happening now since they just did the light remodeling of the store this last fall. Plus it’s interesting they could never lease out those other parts of the plaza while everywhere else in Maplewood was getting grabbed up fairly quickly.
The plaza looks terrible and is far from the street. People walking around down town don’t go up there. Walking through a maze of meth head beggars doesn’t make it any more desirable.
What? Where is it that you stroll, Cindy?
You got that right Cindy. We can do a lot better than Shop n’Save. Perhaps a furniture store like Ethan Allen or Art Van would serve the community better. Furniture stores need lots of sq. ft. which this property can provide.
Sad to see it go. This was one of the lasts bastions of the Maplewood I remembered growing up (the burnouts, druggies, juvenile delinquents, etc.) before it became gentrified. Goodbye character, hello beards and yoga pants.
One of the employees told me that Schnucks bought the whole parcel. We shall see if that is truth or rumor. We do need something affordable for people to walk to and get their groceries.
Yes!!! This will be a net positive for MW as this store was a magnet for illicit activity. Whatever comes in there next will better for the community. Unless of course its Wally…
I’m sure any “illicit activity” will end at the end of June as well. Since there’s a Dierbergs in Brentwood and Clayton, you can only hope for a Schnucks here. I think you’re right though. Probably a Wal-Mart neighborhood market.
Will miss our Shop and Save~~~convenient to get to~~~some good deals on soon-to-expire milk, for ex~~~interesting folks, workers and customers~~~Maplewood! So sad to see it go~~~
Ditto.
For most of Maplewood’s history there has been a large, full-service
big name grocery store (walkable)near the center of town. People with
cars can drive to any specialty grocery they wish or to a Dierbergs or
Schnusks located in cities surrounding Maplewood. The citizen’s of
Maplewood deserve their own large, full-service, walkable grocery store.
What’s next ?? Tear down the SNS and build a Kmart (or something)
on the upper level and a parking garage underneath with store fronts on Manchester.
Maybe tear down the SNS & some additional houses to build luxury
high-rise condos with their own gated garage. If you build the condos
high enough, the upper floors can see the arch (maybe the stadium).
Does anyone remember about 40 years ago, when the Kroger store
was located where Schlafleys is now ???
Schlafly opened the bottleworks in 2003, The last tenant before they bought it was Shop and Save – which moved from that location to the new store
I remember walking with my Aunt to Kroger and Glasen’s, not sure that is how it was spelled, when I was a kid. We walked all over Maplewood.
Sure I remember. One of my sisters worked at a Sears office there about 45 yrs ago (and we weren’t from Maplewood).
I do remember a Kroger in the Deer Creek plaza. It was about where the state license office is now. The larger middle section where the Ross is now (or maybe it’s a Marshall’s) used to be Venture. The western end of the building had a Colonel Days.
Moved to Clifton Heights in 1978 and I remember that Kroger store! Small but always busy.
This store is not closing because it wasn’t busy or turning profit. It is closing because they are selling off this part of their business. Another grocery store will be coming. It is just a matter of time.
It’s closing because the lease is expiring
I cannot imagine that the SnS location will not be a hot commodity, as long as the property owner isnt super stingy about the rent. The other issue might be that the space is kind of small. However, that spot will almost definetly be filled.
Shop N Save was scummy. I heard Kroger was on line to move in to the space?
Doubtful. Kroger pulled out of Stl in the 80’s. The original Shop N Save in Maplewood was in the old Kroger building actually.
Kroger owns the stores called Ruler. It’s very similar to Aldi’s. Since Kroger is involved, it’s my belief it’ll be a Ruler. They’ve got very good prices.
Scummy is the perfect way to describe it
Scummy it might be, but not all of us can afford the kind of grocery store you all might consider nice enough for your taste. Maplewood has a charm because it was an affordable, practical, yet still cool place to live. I hope we can fix the issues we have (nuisance laws, for example) yet retain our affordable charm. There are plenty of fancy-pants neighborhoods for people who want fancy-pants grocery stores. Let’s hope Maplewood does not turn into one of those suburban nightmares.
People weren’t saving that much at Shop n Save anymore. I shopped there until about 5-6 years ago when I noticed their prices were continuing to rise to ridiculousness for a store that was supposed to save you money by bagging your own groceries. I quit going there, not because it was scummy,(even though it kinda was) but they kept raising prices. I can shop at Trader Joe’s for the same or sometimes better prices. Contrary to the belief of some…Trader Joe’s is not that expensive. Whole Foods is pretty expensive though.
I can walk to SnS in 5 minutes so that trumps a drive to Trader Joes where prices might be better. I also see employees walking there. I certainly hope we get a not-to-expensive grocery to replace it ASAP.
I agree that would be ideal Doug. Unfortunately, I’m not really close enough to walk to any store, so I have to drive regardless. But for the people that are close enough to be able to walk to that area in Maplewood, it would be nice to have a reasonably priced grocery store. I simply mentioned that Trader Joe’s was very reasonably priced because I think that some people may have the wrong impression. It’s not a fancy-pants store.
Thanks, Michele
Trader Joe’s is a different name for Aldi Nord
I’m afraid that ship done sailed.
Figures, first pharmacy pulls out now the store, pretty bad since they were the reason that area got built up anyway to move them to a bigger store from the one on Southwest Ave
Our prayers have been answered! The worst store in history.
Well, Cindy, you are on a roll. Thx for being supportive of our city by looking backward instead of forward! Building up is hard. Tearing down is easy.
Amen ! Shame on you Cindy.
Cindy must have never shopped at Kroger where the prices on the shelves were frequently wrong. At a time with my money so tight and I’d spend down to the last penny, it was very frustrating.
I seem to remember a major retailer/ parking garage/ sidewalk shops in that same location not that long ago …? Deja vu all over again?
Not too many may remember the K Mart that sat about where shop n save is now and that there was a parking garage that was 2 levels. One for the Manchester shopping and one for the K Mart store. I am thinking that the K Mart may have sat higher up for there to be 2 stories like there was but it was about in the same location. I can remember taking my kids to the lower parking garage on rainy Sunday afternoons and we would ride bikes or play wiffle ball in there since there was not much traffic.
Doug Houser probably has some pictures of the store and location to show what we are talking about.
I remember this! When I first moved to St. Louis to attend Wash U, the KMart was in that location and I got all of my new apartment supplies there — broom, mop, telephone (the days of land lines), cleaning supplies, and so on. I liked that store and the layout and always thought the Shop & Save in that location was a downward move, and not just physically.
My mother grew up on Sutton and she and her sister sold the family home and a 2 family flat to the developer who was putting in Kmart. I used to love to visit my grandparents and go to all the stores along Manchester
Nope! The old Kmart and horrible parking structure made that block of Manchester a dungeon. ?
This is terrible! I love my Shop n Save! It’s going to cost me so much more money at Schnucks. Their $15 off coupon was a dream.
I’ve never been much of a fan of this store. Would love it if we could get a Lucky’s/whole foods/global foods type.
glad you can afford stuff from those stores, most of the folks around Maplewood can’t
And there is a Lucky’s right up Manchester. Shop ‘n Save is perfect for regular people. Which many of us are.
Shop N Save isn’t really that cheap compared to Aldi, not to mention the quality/freshness of the produce/meat/dairy (I’ve seen expired milk/cream on the shelves). It’s like Walmart grocery in that sense, value being more reputation than reality.
I feel for the kind longtime SnS employees I encountered, not sure transfers will save them if the entire chain is for sale.
We’ll see if someone wants to redevelop/reimagine that part of downtown Maplewood to serve a hipper, more affluent clientele. Though the resources required would probably mean regional/national chain anchors rather than small local businesses, going against what’s been happening there in the last few years.
Shop n save was not even cheap. The last few years it was no different than a schnucks or dierbergs in terms of price but was still far worse in terms of quality. Many customers are not as price conscious as they think and continue to go because it looked so cheap even though it wasn’t.
I completely agree with you Jon. Some are misinformed I guess because they walked to SnS and didn’t know that their prices rose to the level of the other big supermarkets because they didn’t go to the other stores thinking they would have higher prices. There was a time when SnS was less expensive, but that hasn’t been for a few years.
Ugh. Would shop for everything there that I could not get at Aldi’s. Was really good when I couldn’t drive! Great exercise, walking to Shop N Save!!!! To me, (Schnuck’s, Dierbergs, Whole Foods, Trader Joe;s) is beyond my pocketbook, not to mention gas to get to the locations!
The last few years, I was hard pressed to find where I was actually saving by shopping at Shop N Save anyway. A box of Nonni Biscotti was 4.29! I can get it at Dierberg’s cheaper than that. I’m not really sad to see it go.
You are right Michele. Dierberg’s is actually cheaper if you have their phone app and take advantage of the weekly deals.
I read another article that indicated that the reason this store is the first to go is because it has a lease that’s expiring.
I wonder if whoever buys Shop N Save will have first crack at leasing the space.
Sad news for Maplewood when an anchor of the neighborhood closes. Hopefully another chain will realize the importance of having a grocery store there.
I think the better use of land for Maplewood’s downtown is a mixed use development with store front retail (including a grocery) up against Manchester. Then add in residential plus garage parking behind and/or above.
Completely agree, get a building up front on Manchester and do parking behind
We’ve been there. Done that. There will be lots of ideas, for sure!
Look at what filled in where the Target used to be in downtown Kirkwood. Or look at what they’re building at 141/Big Bend where the Kroger/National/Schnucks used to be.
I like the idea and a great urban plan but it just wont happen. The building isnt that old and it shares a space. The good news is that an improvement could still happen regardless of current building’s future. A small row of buildings could partially be built along manchester. The issue is with this as well as a parking garage is that MW still doesnt have high enough demand for new development.
We’ve been there, done that with the store in front and parking garage. It didn’t work lol.
Maplewood was still in decline at that time. Things have changed….a lot!
Not that I’m advocating a garage…I’m not. But storefronts along Manchester would not be a bad idea, with a grocery store still located where Shop n Save is. There is plenty of space with that HUGE parking lot.
That’s a joke, right
We had a garage
This.
Makes me think the land is now too valuable for a big box grocery store and tons of mostly unused parking. The landlord didn’t seem to be in too much of a rush to lease the empty slots next to Shop n Save.
Alright alright alright.
That lot represents a big opportunity to put in a great sidewalk and streetscape on the sunny side of the street, in a well-established center of retail and commerce. I can’t wait to see which corporate overlord has plans to botch it up. Bruce Mills, Maplewood is calling!
Yes, that would be nice.
If we are going to get another grocery store, I’d hope for something like Fresh Thyme. They are along the lines of Lucky’s Market and Trader Joe’s. Closest one is in Kirkwood, about 5-6 miles away. They would do well in this area IMO.
Couldn’t agree more. Fresh thyme is excellent. I’d also appreciate anything with a bit more international heft which they have. Between that and Aldis we’d be more than covered.
This is scary. A boutique butcher, a once-weekly farmer’s market and places that sell expensive local goods won’t disqualify us from being a food desert.
What about:
-Aldi
-WalMart (ugh)
-Richmond Heights Schnucks
-Fields Foods being built in Dogtown
Not to mention Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Target, Dierbergs in Brentwood, Lucky’s Market in Rock Hill all within a 2-3 mile radius of Maplewood. This is a slap in the face to people who actually live in food deserts.
Plus Google Maps says the Chippewa Shop n Save is 2.6 miles away. Not exactly a long haul.
but it is a very long haul if one walks to the store (which a lot of people do).
This is so disappointing! I realize I am part of the problem for not buying all of my groceries there but I still shopped there regularly. I really will miss that store.
This location always seemed busy. Hard to imagine it wasn’t turning a profit. Hopefully a new grocery chain will come and replace shop n save. We need a grocery store in our neighborhood to keep it walkable. Any word from city hall about this Doug?
Nah. They’re all off at the Paris Climate Accords.
Snarky comments and especially those with political overtones, are not helpful…
Nick – the city has nothing to say, only that Shop N Save is leaving in June.
Probably not that profitable once you take into account the shoplifting and security costs of operating in that environment.
So are you saying Wal-Mart, not that far from there, is also not profitable? Because Wal-Mart definitely gets its share of that element, and then some. WM would have left long ago if they weren’t making good money.