BEECH GROVE, Ind. (WTHR) — It is almost all over for Marsh.
The once prominent and profitable Indiana based grocery store chain closes Saturday.
The chain’s bankruptcy brought big bargains, bad feelings and uncertainty.
Customers were in and out of the Beech Grove Marsh store all Friday. They were looking for bargains, looking sad and, as of now, looking for another place to shop.
Debbie Fuller bought some chewing gum and a few snacks. More important than finding bargains was finding the words to say goodbye to workers she’s known for decades.
"I worry about them," Fuller said, trying not to cry. "I know a lot of them have growing children or grandchildren they are trying to raise. They need the stability."
Marsh's bankruptcy has taken the jobs of nearly 28 hundred workers.
Its 44 stores started closing months ago. Customers looking for final day bargains may have to look really hard. A lot of the shelves are bare.
Lloyd Ruby found a few things.
"It is really sad. There is not much in there," Ruby said. "It used to be packed wall to wall with stuff."
The loss of stores in Beech Grove, and other neighborhoods and communities in Central Indiana, left people worried about where they will shop now. Goliath supermarkets are scary places for some citizens and other shoppers.
Getting to another grocery, even if it’s just a mile further from home, can be really can be really difficult according to Mary Okragly.
"If you don’t have transportation- we have to walk to the store- it's a real problem," Okragly explained.
The once mighty Marsh, a home grown supermarket chain, served Hoosiers for almost 90 years. It survived a depression and numerous recessions but not the modern cutthroat completion of the grocery industry.
Tammy Mustard walked away with a bags full of deals but also feelings of anger. She said, "Corporate greed has gotten into the society of life. Now it takes all the money from the neighborhoods."
More than half the 44 stores have been purchased and are expected to reopen. At last count, 18 stores are looking for buyers.
In neighborhoods with stores that haven’t sold people are asking what’s next? Unfortunately nobody knows.
