The big sign on the top of the Winn-Dixie building says it all: store closing. The long-time Thomson grocery store is going out of business, but no one knows exactly when that will happen.
The entire company is going through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring that will close the Thomson store, one of 326 that were put up for sale. No buyer came forward for the Thomson location, sealing its fate.
Currently, the store is selling most of its merchandise at 30 to 50 percent off the regular price as part of a liquidation sale. Store Manager Gary Moon said he hasn't yet been told of a closing date from corporate headquarters, but shelves are not being restocked.
"I'm guessing we'll sell out all merchandise, and then they'll come in and tell us ‘OK this is your last day,'" he said.
Corporate Winn-Dixie Communications Manager Dennis Wortham said a closing date for the Thomson store will be set once all the merchandise has been sold. He said that would probably take around four weeks.
The Winn-Dixie pharmacy has already closed and transferred medicines and information to CVS. The rest of the merchandise is quickly disappearing from store shelves because of the reduced prices.
The store has been out of milk, bread and other staples for some time now. Canned goods and other non-perishables are rapidly becoming a scarcity on the store's shelves.
Mr. Moon said the current employees at the Thomson location can either apply to transfer to another Winn-Dixie that is remaining open after the realignment, or they can search for jobs elsewhere.
