The Great American store in Greene is closing in the next few weeks. (Photo by Kelli Miller)

GREENE — The Great American grocery store in Greene, is closing.

Employees of Great American were informed on March 20 they had a few weeks before the store closes, although an actual date had not been given due to the possibility of a liquidation sale. The store may stay open into April but customers are now being informed of the impending closure.

The shelves are near empty, freezers are off, produce is minimal and dairy products are limited if not stocked. The parking lot is desolate with only employee vehicles filling the spaces.

A phone call and two visits to the store were made to the managing owner of the store, yet as of this date, there has been no response.

Great American's closure means local shoppers must find alternative means for their grocery needs. There are a few smaller stores in town that offer an inventory of goods but for a larger selection, they will travel to Bainbridge, Front Street in Binghamton, or Norwich.

This could have an impact on the Greene community as gas prices are high and driving further miles will increase their spending costs and customers that walked to the store will now rely on transportation to grocery stores.

Greene Village Mayor Phillip Brown said, “It’s a detriment to Greene, in my eyes. The population of the town is approximately 1,600 and is more of an elderly community. The people have supported Great American for years. We will really need something to go in and I’d like to see it be another grocery store.”

Community members on social media were speculating to the closure and what could have caused it.

They wondered who would buy the building, some said they heard Raymond Corporation was the new owner, but this turned out to be not true. A few others commented on the proximity of the Dollar General and how lower prices there may have impacted Great American. Some people heard it was a delivery issue, larger stores receiving supplies yet not the smaller stores, leaving them to suffer with empty shelves.

“I have spoken to an Executive at Raymond and they are not in the process to purchase Great American at this time,” Brown added.

The closure has come as a shock to many, but not to longtime Greene resident Lou Pixley, he considered there was a possibility the store was closing as he’d seen bare shelves offering minimal products for months.

Pixley said, “I have shopped this store for years but the last couple of years the store has had many bare shelves. I was told on several occasions that the shelves were bare 'due to waiting on a (delivery) truck'. It's unfortunate that it will be closing because many older folks would rather shop locally than make the trek to Binghamton or Norwich. It definitely will be missed.”

Local farmer Victoria Pezzino owns Greene Pasture Ranch in Greene. She said that shoppers can contact their farmers as they have no food shortages and farmers have always been here.

Also, the Greene farmers market will be held at 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. every Sunday from June through October at the Greene Tractor Supply parking lot. Fresh seasonal vegetables, farm raised meats, and local baked goods will be for sale.

Great American was at one time owned by Victory Markets but business changed drastically in the early 1990’s and by 1995, Victory Markets filed for bankruptcy. The remaining Great American Stores were privately owned and operated.