NORWALK, Conn. — For years, the Walmart store located at 680 Connecticut Avenue in Norwalk has provided customers with a wide range of products at affordable prices, including groceries, clothing, furniture, toys and electronics.
On Tuesday, the store’s remaining inventory may fit into a small section of shelves, with most items offered at 90 percent discounts as stores prepare to close on Good Friday.
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Walmart announced in August that it would permanently close its Connecticut Avenue store, one of its two stores in Norwalk, on Nov. 3, including the pharmacy. Walmart will continue to operate its store at 650 Main Avenue in Norwalk, near the Wilton state line.
After a big sale leading up to Friday’s closing day, the building was mostly empty Tuesday, with all sections of the store closed off to the public with caution tape, except for the remaining shelves of merchandise.
A customer leaving the store on Tuesday afternoon was heard saying he felt sorry for the people who lost their jobs when the big-box store closed.
Walmart spokeswoman Felicia McCraney told Patch in August that the “difficult decision” to close the store was made after the store’s landlord decided not to renew the store’s lease.
“We are grateful to our customers for the privilege of serving us at our Connecticut Avenue store,” McCraney said in a statement to Patch. “We look forward to offering them at Main Avenue Supercenter and other stores in the surrounding area. [online]. ”
McCraney said the company hopes most of the 255 employees at the Connecticut Avenue store will continue working at Walmart by transferring to one of six nearby stores. He also said the company plans to identify mobility opportunities for employees and support them through the process.
All employees will be paid through December 1st unless transferred to another location. After that date, eligible employees who do not transfer to another store will receive severance pay, McCraney said.
The company operates 33 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores in the state, and McCraney said it will continue to serve the state.
Plans to convert the Connecticut Avenue store into the city’s first Target were submitted to the Planning and Zoning Department earlier this year. At the time, the city’s chief planner, Brian Baker, stressed that the plan was still in the very early stages of the approval process.
In August, Norwalk spokeswoman Michelle Woods Matthews informed the city that Target’s permitting team was in the process of submitting construction plans for city planning and building permits and was in contact with the Department of Planning and Urban Planning regarding signage. He said he had contacted him.
Patch reached out to the city for an update on the planned targeted projects.
Mayor Harry Rilling said in an earlier statement that he was sad to see Walmart employees lose their jobs due to the closing, but the city’s Department of Business, Development and Tourism is working diligently with Target to eliminate job losses. He said he will try to connect people who may be experiencing this. Planned new job opportunities at Target provide relief from store closures.