We have yet to find a place to land for Sunday morning breakfasts and my mom every now and then interjects a sad, \u201cbut it would have been nice to go to Coco\u2019s\u201d whenever we decide to go out to celebrate. A little irritating, yes, but a whole lot of truth, too.<\/p>\n
And then on Aug. 26, after doing some business at Wells Fargo, I looked up at Haggen, only to see a large, garish banner announcing \u201cStore closing! Everything must go!\u201d There were other signs as well, promising customers, \u201cNothing held back!\u201d<\/p>\n
Uh, sorry, Haggen, but I\u2019m not buying what you\u2019re selling.<\/p>\n
Haggen just opened in March after taking over Vons. The store was rebranded by the grocer, which described itself as cross between a Vons and Whole Foods, according to an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune.<\/p>\n
After a price glitch on approximately 1,000 items, Haggen had lost credibility among some consumers. The mistake, coupled with what seemed to be a wary unfamiliarity around this part of town, cost the supermarket dearly. Every time we would go to Haggen, which we adopted as our store due to its proximity to our home, we worried about the empty parking lot.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one\u2019s coming,\u201d my mom said.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t too much of a surprise then when we read in the daily newspaper that Haggen was closing several Southern California stores, including the one in La Mesa.<\/p>\n But I have to say \u2014 something smells about this whole mess. How many chains do you know open a store only to close it several months later? Something was held back, Haggen. You\u2019re just lucky my name isn\u2019t Jessica Fletcher.<\/p>\n I have two problems with Haggen closing. The first is the more selfish and lazy reason: I have to drive farther to buy my basics. As with many busy families these days, mine is one that forgets to buy milk, eggs or flour until we\u2019re halfway into a recipe, wondering why we didn\u2019t make sure we had everything before beginning to cook.<\/p>\n A quick run to Haggen took a whopping 15, maybe 20 minutes, if even that.<\/p>\n Now we have to make the decision to either drive across Fletcher Parkway to Vons, all the way down Lake Murray to Albertsons, which isn\u2019t technically in La Mesa, or even farther to Sprouts near the Village.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, as my friend told me, \u201cIt\u2019s not like you have to take a horse and carriage there. Sheesh!\u201d<\/p>\n The second problem I have, however, is much more significant, because I am once again losing the people in my neighborhood.<\/p>\n Mister Rogers sang, \u201cWho are the people in your neighborhood?\u201d Well, Fred, I don\u2019t know, because they keep losing their jobs and\/or moving away. (Don\u2019t get me started about the San Diego Chargers.)<\/p>\n My favorite cashier, Leinaala, who has a lovely Hawaiian name and a matching smile to go with it, worked for Safeway, Vons and Haggen for a whopping 36 years. I met her when we first moved to La Mesa. Seeing a friendly face with a familiar name helped this Hawaii expatriate feel more at home.<\/p>\n When I walked into the store in August to buy some succulents in memory of my grocery store, I saw Leinaala and began tearing up.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t look like that, you\u2019re going to make me cry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t get it,\u201d I said. \u201cI thought we had more time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, these signs are a surprise, huh?\u201d she said sympathetically, as though it were my business closing. \u201cBut you know what really bums me out? Not seeing your kids grow up.\u201d<\/p>\n Told you she was my favorite.<\/p>\n Ideally, another grocer will move in to fill the void and keep these wonderful people in my neighborhood. Until then, I will continue to shop at Haggen for my milk, eggs and flour, and refuse to give up my comfortable routine. I just wish I could refuse to give up my people as well.<\/p>\n![\"IMG_7031webtop\"](\"https:\/\/lamesacourier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/IMG_7031webtop.jpg\")
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