The announced closure of the Fred Meyer grocery store on 72nd Street South and Pacific has stunned residents of Tacoma’s South End. The area is already one of the poorest in the city. The loss of the grocery store — and potentially neighboring shops that are anchored by the establishment — has sparked an outcry from the community.
Andi Haug, chair of the South End Neighborhood Council (SENCo), told the Tacoma Weekly: “It’s going to be a huge loss… There are so many things that will be affected. The emergent issue is food access.”
Unfortunately, losing a major grocery store, especially in a depressed area like South End Tacoma, should not be all that surprising considering the turmoil the grocery industry has experienced in recent years. Margins are tight. Grocery sales dramatically jumped during the pandemic when people were not eating at restaurants and the government was essentially paying people to stay home, but those sales came crashing down soon after, especially as consumers cut back due to record high inflation…