Walmart in Livingston, Texas announced that the store is to close on Monday, for good. Shoppers and employees were shocked.
The announcement of the said store closing was announced on Monday and will close at seven in the evening of the same day. Many employees were surprised about the news since they were given only a few hours' notice.
"There was a lot of an emotion," said Walmart worker Lorenzo Johnson. "A lot of people were crying, trying to comfort each other. Some people have been here 25-30 years," Johnson added.
Ruth Jansoon, Livingston Walmart employee for 10 years, was trying to hold back her tears as soon as she learned about the news. She had that job for so long that she is at a loss where to get a new job since their town is a small one, Click2Houston reported.
Anne Hatfield with Walmart explained that closing the store is not an easy decision to make. However, since the plumbing issues, the management decided it is necessary to make the repairs and shut down the store temporarily.
Some of the Walmart staff thinks that the closure is permanent rather than temporary. With the letter that were given to every employee stated that the store will remain closed for the next six months, came as a shock to everyone, according to 24/7 News.
Walmart opened in Livingston many years back and forced all the local and smaller grocery shops to close since none can compete with Walmart's prices.
Today until six months, the citizens of Livingston will be forced to shop in Cleveland, Huntsville or Woodsville or Lufkin according to Betty Suarez, a resident of Livingston.