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.

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 been a part of this neighborhood for as long as I can remember,” another chimed in. “Good memories whipping out the plastic club card for discounts and bogos.”

But not everyone understood why Safeway was pulling the plug on a seemingly bustling location.

“I’m surprised they are closing because Bollinger is always a lot busier than the Stevens Creek and Lawrence one,” one baffled shopper wrote.

“I’m surprised. I always thought it was in a good location unless everyone there shop at Costco,” another posited.

Others suspected that Safeway’s steep grocery bills could be partly to blame.

“I like Safeway but their prices are usually a bit higher than other grocery stores,” one customer wrote. “So, it wouldn’t surprise me if they’re having problems competing. I use them as supplemental shopping. But get most of my items elsewhere.”

Once the Bollinger Road site darkens, San Jose will be down to 13 Safeway locations.

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