By Anita Romero Warren
I have lived in Laurelton on and off for the past 40 years. At times, my viewpoint will come across as opinionated and judgmental which I cannot help. It’s part of my genetic makeup; anyone who knows my mother will agree with that statement. Through the ranting, I hope you will see that I am passionate about community, social justice and transparency.
Full disclosure. I was not a big fan of Pathmark (Springfield Gardens). I can share the countless letters I wrote to the corporation over the years. One letter actually caught the attention of a district manager; we had a nice chat and then nothing changed. So when I saw the obvious signs of Pathmark’s closing, I thought to myself, “it can’t be worst”. Those words are still hanging in the air. Rant #1: STOP before you shop. The “new” Stop & Shop opened last November. You may have not noticed since there wasn’t much fanfare. My first question to one of the store manager’s; “why didn’t they close the store to renovate like other locations. Franklin Square closed for over a month, New Hyde Park close for almost 3. His response: “we did not want to inconvenience the shoppers”. How considerate! Right? Rant #2: New & Improved?? The first thing I noticed is that there was little to no improvement in the physical state of the store. Evidence: rusted cases, worn floors and busted shopping carts. While other S&S have lovely, new purple carts, this store saw it fitting to slap on the S&S name on the rickety, blue Pathmark carts. Rant #3: Don’t SHOP here!! The moment you enter the “new” S&S you are hit by a funky smell, which makes you wonder if you should press on. If you do, you will find wilted vegetables, upswept floors.
Remember the community uproar over building Pathmark; it was divisive and heated at times. In the end, the promise of a quality supermarket and money infused into the commercial district won out. Pathmark never met up to the promise, Merrick Boulevard stayed the same (future rant) and it appears Stop & Shop has no intentions of improving on that record. Why is the burden on us to support local businesses even when they do not show us respect? Why don’t we hold them accountable and demand more. As a community, as consumers, as people worthy of a quality shopping experience in our own neighborhood. Just my not so humble opinion.
