Chicago to Walmart: Stay open so we can continue to rob you

This editorial in the Chicago Sun-Times is really something.  Walmart is shuttering four of their stores in the Chicago area after losing "tens of millions of dollars" and the paper is shocked: "Walmart closures: Small businesses, not big box stores, are better bet in struggling neighborhoods."

Just before the reopening of several Walmart stores that were damaged in the unrest following George Floyd’s murder in 2020, President and CEO Doug McMillon vowed “Walmart’s commitment to Chicago remains strong. We are not going anywhere.”

Emphasis mine.  I guess "damage" is what we're calling all the widespread looting in the summer of 2020.  And despite heavy losses, Walmart did re-open those Chicago stores.  They promptly resumed losing money.  Hey, Walmart, how about a heads-up?

When stores are in danger of closing because of poor sales and lack of profit, communities with the fewest options deserve an advance heads up. Walmart says its continuous attempts to remedy the challenges, with the help of the city and community, were unsuccessful.

This is wild.  Do we really need to tell people that stores aren't going to stay open if they lose millions year after year?  Gosh, if only there had been a heads-up.  Oh wait: "Rising thefts at Walmart could lead to price jumps, store closures, CEO says."

Walmart stores across the U.S. are grappling with an uptick in shoplifting that could lead to higher prices and closed stores if the problem persists, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said Tuesday. 

“Theft is an issue. It’s higher than what it has historically been,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

That Heads-up! was made a year ago.  The community leaders in Chicago have a plan though:

Barring an about-face from the company, the group declared it was ready to protest at other Walmarts around Chicago and beyond. 

“The same Black and Brown people who made this store will be the same ones who walk away,” said incoming 6th Ward Ald. William Hall, pastor of St. James Community Church in Chatham. “If Walmart does not invest on this land, we will go from Chicago to Indiana to Michigan” to protest at other Walmart stores.

Yeah, that'll work.