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| Grand Union on NY 3 in Saranac Lake in the Adirondack Mountains |
It's been five years since the merger of Tops and Price Chopper, which had led to several overlapping locations in small towns to be sold to C&S Wholesale Grocers, who revived the Grand Union name, yet this past year, old habits die hard while recent events make it difficult to operate, even in outlying rural communities with little competition since even there, some residents can have a transportation barrier, such as the over-60s, disabled, low-wage earners and others on a limited income. The Owego store was the first of the new generation to close last year, with ALDI opening nearby to boot. Now down I-86 & NY 17 and up NY 12, the stores in Norwich and Watertown are next. Chenango County has no proper public transport, so the authorities are scrambling to help those who can't get to the outskirts of town. The North Country has more options by comparison, yet between having something close at hand and even finding another union chain, this is happening coast to coast, and with Grand Union, you know how things happen in threes. There have even been some rumors in Cortland on Facebook, and that's the largest and nicest one I've seen of the current chain. The old guard Grand Union had dealt with the economy of that time, mismanagement, debt, administration, embezzlement and liquidation. The Enron of supermarkets! While the new ones are dealing with different challenges, it does make me want to get back to one of the few I can reach because it does worry me and these communities. It's not quite the Grand Union I grew up with, but one closure of any place is one too many.
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