Why Stockton city officials aren't worried after 3 major businesses aim to close their doors
STOCKTON – Two major corporations are closing three stores throughout the city of Stockton, and it's leaving some shoppers frustrated.
Family Dollar is closing two locations, citing "underperforming stores." One on Mariposa Road and another on Wilson Way.
Meanwhile, KFC, also on Wilson Way, has a sign on their front door that says, "lost our lease," as well as an empty drive-through and missing sign. It closed on Monday, leaving customers upset and confused.
"When we finally got one, I was happy, so now they're taking it away from this side of town," said Linda Rhodes, a Stockton native.
Rhodes has lived there all her life and just visited the Family Dollar Store on Wilson Way to buy dresses and diapers for her grandkids.
The "everything must go" sales are good, but the doors closing permanently, she feels, is bad for the community.
"It's sad because every time we get something nice, somebody has to come and mess it up – whether it's theft or crime and stuff like that," she said.
Rhodes believes the retail crime and theft that happens in the area are contributing factors to the closure.
So why is Stockton seeing the closure of not just one, but two Family Dollar stores? We went to Stockton City Hall to ask officials what they think.
"It could be something to do with the brand itself. Perhaps they are expanding or contracting in other ways," said Harry Black, Stockton city manager.
While parent company Dollar Tree did decide to close down 600 stores nationwide, they said in a statement that they did this to "identify and address underperforming stores, and invest in improved store standards."
Black, however, said business in the city is actually on the rise. In 2022, they had just over 3,200 new business permits, and in 2023, that number jumped to 4,000.
"If our business license activity is in decline, then that is something to worry about, but it's quite the contrary," Black said.
Still, Rhodes wants to see her city grow in a positive way.
"It's really sad," she said. "Hopefully, somebody can come in and clean the community you know."
The city manager told CBS13 that in the next couple of months, the city aims to announce the addition of new stores opening up in Stockton. As for a replacement for stores like Family Dollar or KFC, that has yet to be figured out.