This Saturday is the last day of operations for the Target store located on 117th Street in East Harlem.
Neighbors of El Barrio regret the closing of the Target store in their community, which has been part of their lives for more than 10 years.
Loyal Target shoppers say this decision hurts them because the store is convenient and affordable.
Lorena Burgos, resident of the neighborhood
“It has everything good in terms of general service… food, clothing, that is, it has everything included, so it’s unfortunate that it’s leaving.”
And now that Christmas is just around the corner, many shoppers are wondering where they will go to do their shopping.
“It affects me because here I didn’t have to take the train, other than crossing the street and walking two or three blocks and coming here, like everyone else now you have to take the train, the bus, which is dangerous,” says Margie. Perez.
This is one of nine Target stores that will close in the country, according to the company, due to theft and crime that has affected its stores. The other stores to close are in San Francisco, Seattle and Portland.
However, the city is opening three more stores, one on 125th Street in Central Harlem, another in Yonkers, and one in Union Square that will open on Sunday.
According to data from the 25th Precinct, in the East Harlem area, 1,026 petty robberies have been recorded so far this year, compared to 1,070 last year.
Gloria Reynoso says:
“I started coming lately and I already had a hard time seeing it, and I told him, why my daughter? Now there is no way to get nice clothes, underwear like that that I bought for my husband, but she was already more, more confident.”
Citywide, the Manhattan District Attorney says shoplifting complaints are down 14% in Manhattan.
Target did not provide specific details on how it made this decision.
In a statement, Target representatives explain that, and we quote:
“Theft and organized crime in retail are threatening the safety of our workers and shoppers. We can only be successful if the working and shopping environment is safe for everyone.”
Company representatives said they had invested to add additional security, but that was not enough to stop the thieves.
We emailed Target representatives for more specific details about their decision, but they have not responded.
The company announced the closure of nine of its locations last month.
Target said an increase in theft and safety concerns were the main reasons for closing that location.
At the time, Governor Hochul issued a statement indicating that the state is aware of the problem and how much communities depend on big box stores like Target.
2023-10-22 00:57:00
#Target #store #East #Harlem #closes #doors
