Metcalfe Park residents, concerned neighbors march, rally against closure of Pick 'n Save on Milwaukee's north side

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- After a Pick 'n Save on Milwaukee's north side shut its doors Friday, July 18, many area residents marched and held a protest, calling for the chain to reconsider its decision.

It's one of five locations in the Milwaukee area the chain will close this year.

“Sad about the announcement closure, maybe a little angry about it too," said Marianne Robbins, a former Metcalfe Park resident who had lived in the neighborhood for 40 years until 2022. “I saw the kind of community that needed this kind of thing.”

She, and dozens of others, decided to create signs for the march to voice their disapproval.

“When I first heard about the closure, I was shocked," said Jarvis West, who shops at the Metcalfe Park location three times a week. “It’ll decrease the health, I feel, in this area, because you won’t have healthy options, now you have to go to corner stores and pay a higher price.”

It's the same story for Shirley Dunn, who said she lives just a quarter mile from the store.

“We gotta go where the east side is now. I gotta call a ride, I gotta get a ride, I gotta pay somebody. That’s more money coming out of my pocket," Dunn said. “Where am I gonna walk to now?”

Rally organizers said Pick 'n Save responded to their concerns, noting that the closures are part of a broader company strategy to enhance efficiency and ensure long-term success.

But residents argued it shouldn't come at their expense.

“Very frustrating, oh my God, Pick 'n Save, stop," Dunn said. "Don’t do it, don’t do it.”