Low-cost grocery chains have shuttered a bunch of stores this year.
One, in fact, has exited a state entirely.
The Milwaukee Business Journal reports that Best Bargains — a discount and wholesale food retailer which first opened its doors in 1972 — has closed all of its stores in Wisconsin as it faces nearly $5 million in bank debt and over $2.3 million in accounts payable, among other financial pressures. The grocer entered receivership earlier this month, TheStreet states, which PwC explains, “is a remedy available to secured creditors to recover amounts outstanding under a secured loan in the event the company defaults on its loan payments.”
Another casualty in the bargain grocery chain has been Save A Lot: Fast Company reports that the grocer has shut down operations at dozens of stores this year. Grocery Dive notes how about 400 have closed since 2020.
These closures are part of a broader trend in which smaller grocery chains are having troubles holding their own against bigger brands like Walmart, Costco, and Amazon: The Street explains that the latter three have enough of a profit margin in order to cut costs while chains like Save A Lot and Best Bargains lack the same luxury.
A 2026 Consumer Reports study sheds a light on this issue, highlighting how Save A Lot’s prices are, on average, 19.3 percent higher than Walmart’s. Even other chains like Publix, Stop & Shop and Piggly Wiggly showcase higher prices in comparison to Walmart at 20.3 percent, 22.2 percent, and 22.6 percent, respectively.
“This is the last thing we ever conceived or wanted,” reads a Best Bargains social media post. “We have exhausted every resource possible and we have to move quickly into this forced shutdown.
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