State Rep. Vernon Jones, the Lithonia Democrat, is still holding his town hall tonight to get further information on the sudden closure of the Sam's Club in Stonecrest.
Despite the threat of winter weather, Jones is hosting the town hall with representatives of Walmart at 6:30 p.m. at the Stonecrest Library, located at 3123 Klondike Road, Lithonia.
Jones said residents deserve answers.
“We will certainly see an impact on our local economy and our community as a result of the hundreds of jobs that were lost, as well as the lost sales tax revenue that Sam’s Club generated,” he said.
A spokesman for Sam’s Club said the decision to close was tough.
READ: Why five Atlanta Child Murders cases are still unsolved
READ: Doraville swears in Georgia's only transgender elected official
READ: DeKalb to solicit proposals for relocating Confederate monument
“We don’t take this lightly and decisions like these are incredibly difficult,” the spokesman’s statement said. “This decision is based on a number of factors, including financial performance.”
The company’s “hope” is that many associates “will choose to stay with the company via transfer and we’ll begin working to make that happen.”
Hourly associates will continue getting paid for 60 days, the spokesman said, and if they haven’t transferred to another Sam’s Club or Walmart, which owns Sam’s, by then they will receive severance.
The news of the store closings came on the same day Walmart announced it was raising starting wages for employees.
About the Author
