Jasmine Wright
"Marty," the robot patrolling Stop & Shop, roves near empty aisles on Sept. 17.
ANSONIA – The Salvation Army of the Greater Valley on Lester Street brought in an estimated $15,000 a year through donations to its holiday red kettle drive outside the Ansonia Stop & Shop. With the store closing, the charity organization will be out that amount this year.
In July, Stop & Shop announced it would close five stores in Connecticut, including its Ansonia location, by Nov. 2. Captain Cheryl McCollum, who leads the Salvation Army in the Valley, said that the location has been a valuable partner in past years, and that they will be missed.
“Stop & Shop has been one of our biggest supporters here in the Valley, whether it’s been donating weekly, three days a week to our food pantry, or allowing us to ring for kettles at the store in kettle season,” McCollum said.
McCollum said that, while the Salvation Army has kettle drive locations in Shelton and other towns, Stop & Shop was the only such location in Ansonia. She said it’s not as easy as simply setting up at another store, such as Target. The locations where the Salvation Army can hold their drives are based on national partnerships, she said, and the Stop & Shop drive was a partnership.
McCollum said that the Salvation Army continues to appreciate support from the public. She said the organization could still use sponsors in the upcoming holiday season, and that volunteers will still be able to chip in at locations in other towns.
There will be a kickoff event for kettle drive season at the Courtyard Marriott in Shelton on Nov. 14. Purchase tickets and sponsorships on the Salvation Army website.
Jasmine Wright
Pallets block off an aisle at the Stop & Shop in Ansonia.
Emptying Shelves Ahead Of Closure
The clues to the fact the Stop & Shop at 100 Division St. is closing are easy to find.
On Tuesday (Sept. 17), employees from Hallmark were packing greeting cards into boxes, to be shipped off to other stores or discarded. Across the store, shelves are gradually emptying, with some aisles closed off entirely.
Peggy Zadworny, who lives in Ansonia and has shopped at Stop & Shop for years, said she felt bad for the employees at the store. She said she’ll be taking her grocery shopping to Big Y in Derby on Route 34.
“We’re going to miss it, definitely, and I feel bad for the workers. They’ve been here so long,” Zadworny said.
Stop & Shop said in its July press release that all current employees would be offered relocation to other stores. A manager at the store told The Valley Indy he could not speak as to whether those offers have been sent out, and that he was not authorized to speak to the media.
State Sen. Jorge Cabrera, whose district includes Ansonia and who is a former union steward for that Stop & Shop, said in July that he doubts how feasible relocation will be for some employees.
“Most people will likely, because there was a contract, will be offered a transfer to either the Shelton or Seymour Stop & Shop, which is great for job security,” Cabrera said. “The problem is, a lot of folks who work in that store don’t have access to a car. They either walk to work or rely on public transit or a ride of some sorts.”
Another customer, Sable Bush, said she splits her shopping between Stop & Shop and the nearby ShopRite in Derby on Pershing Drive. She said Stop & Shop was great for picking up last-minute snacks for her kids.
“It’s always been a convenient store. The location was always convenient,” Bush said. “It’s a great store, it always has great sales, so I’m sure that a lot of people in the community are going to be affected by it. It was good to have Stop & Shop here. But you never know what they’re going to bring here, maybe it’s another grocery store.”
In July, elected officials discussed the closure with The Valley Indy, as well as possible future plans for the location. With Stop & Shop gone, and, before that, the closing of the Big Y on Main Street, Ansonia now lacks a full-service grocery store.
McCollum told The Valley Indy that, even with two other grocery stores just down the street in Derby, the closure will cause accessibility issues.
McCollum said that buses run in the area, but that they stop on the same side of the street as Stop & Shop. For anyone looking to get to the other nearby grocery stores, crossing heavily trafficked parts of Pershing Drive and Division Street can be a challenge.
“If you’re trying to get to Aldi and/or Shoprite, you’re crossing that large street, it’s almost like a highway, really, to get up the hill, and if you’re already handicapped or mobility-stressed, it’s hard for you to get there and walk up to Shoprite or Aldi,” McCollum said.
The Valley Transit District offers curb-to-curb rides on a reservation basis. You can reach them by calling 203 – 735-6408.
Daniel Wolk, a spokesperson for Stop & Shop, said he could not provide the number of employees currently working at the Ansonia location, or an exact date for the closure yet.
Wolk said that essential items will continue to be stocked until the Ansonia location closes for good. As for everything else? When it’s gone, it’s gone.
“When we have an exact date, customers will be made aware,” Wolk wrote in an email to The Valley Indy. “We will continue to stock produce, dairy, meat and other essentials until the last day of operation at our impacted locations, however the remainder of our products are not being restocked once they are sold through.”
