Chaos! Walmart Shutting Down Popular Location Just Days Before Christmas

A Walmart in Huntsville, Ala. is nestled in what's known as a "desert food town." Other than this one grocery store, there isn't another place for folks who live there to get their groceries for miles.

Now, just days before Christmas, Walmart has confirmed that they will be closing the doors on this location for good, and people are freaking out!

Oakwood University's Health Community Director, Robin Daly, is very concerned for Huntsville's citizens, noting:

"They’re going to be going and getting their food from convenience stores, from gas stations, which do not have the fresh produce that they need to be healthy."

Another Oakwood University health worker doubles down on that, saying: "We are located in a food desert, and some of the chronic diseases that we are trying to help fight are diabetes, hypertension, and obesity."

Residents of the small community near Huntsville also have concerns over their only major grocery store closing.

"I hate this! It's such a convenient location in an underserved area," one person says.

Another concerned citizen chimes in, "I'll have to go further to get groceries now."

The closure comes as Walmart executives continue to look for underperforming locations to either shutter or make changes.

On the closure, Lindsay Coulter, a spokesperson for Walmart, says:

"This decision was not made lightly and was reached only after a careful and thoughtful review process. We have nearly 5,000 stores across the U.S. and unfortunately, some do not meet our financial expectations. While our underlying business is strong, this store hasn’t performed as well as we hoped."

This means the pharmacy is closing, too. Staff will work with customers to transfer prescriptions to another convenient Walmart location. Walmart employees will be paid through March and offered a transfer to another location, should they wish.

The location closes on Dec. 20.