SAN DIEGO — As CBS 8 reported earlier this week, the Walmart at Parkway Plaza in El Cajon will soon be close its doors. An employee at the 605 Fletcher Parkway location told CBS 8 it will close February 9.

The announcement is concerning for some local residents, who fear they may not have many other affordable options nearby.

CBS 8 is Working for You to find out where the next best options to shop are.
CBS 8 looked up the neighborhood around the Walmart on the USDA’s Food Access Research Atlas. The information is dated from 2019, but it shows the area in a low-income census tract where a significant number of people live more than a half mile from a supermarket, what is sometimes referred to as a “food desert.”

“I was actually pretty surprised because this is a fairly busy and large Walmart,” said shopper Janet Reade.

“I hate the fact that they’re closing,” said Art Floto, who shops at the store regularly. “When I heard that, my stomach kind of turned over.”

Several shoppers CBS 8 talked weren’t sure where they will shop for groceries once the Walmart location closes next month.

“I think this location for Walmart is very good for people who just need to walk here,” said Reade. “So I think it’s going to create kind of a desert for them, a food desert.”

The USDA’s Food Access Research Atlas data indicates a fair number of people in the same area also don’t have vehicles.

“Sometimes for families that don’t have a car, maybe a ride that could take ten minutes, it could turn into half an hour or forty minutes or an hour to just go for groceries,” said Alondra Alvarado, president and CEO of the San Diego Hunger Coalition, a nonprofit with the mission to fight hunger in a holistic way.

“We are seeing this with rural communities in east county, they don’t have access to fresh produce and we see all the needs and barriers that they have,” said Alvarado. “Closing down those markets that are closer to the families, we have to think about how this is going to affect their budget and the time that they will have to invest to go to a different grocery store.”
As for alternatives, CBS 8 found an Aldi supermarket on the other side of Parkway Plaza that opened last April.

“It’s budget-friendly and I have a young daughter so I definitely try to get fresh produce and things that have cleaner ingredients,” said Kiana Jones, who shops at the location.

There is also a Food 4 Less at 444 Broadway, just under a mile from the Walmart, which is a 6-minute drive or a 20-minute walk.

“I’m getting old and decrepit and it’s hard for me to change,” said Floto.