Aldi, one of America’s fastest-growing grocery retailers, markets itself as an ally for customers.
But, after a Gainesville Winn-Dixie announced its closing to be transformed into an Aldi, some residents see the store as an enemy.
Winn-Dixie, located at 300 SW 16th Ave., will close Dec. 8. It was previously a Pick ‘N Save before it was acquired by Winn-Dixie in 1997. Now, 25 years later, it’s being converted again due to Aldi’s plan to acquire 800 new stores by 2028.
Aldi’s plan, which was announced in March, will expand the grocery store’s reach nationwide and will be accomplished through an acquisition of Southeastern Grocers, a supermarket company that owned both Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets.
After gaining Southeastern Grocers, Aldi officials decided which stores to convert to an Aldi format and which to remain open as a Winn-Dixie or Harveys Supermarket. In the southeast United States, including Florida, Aldi hopes to open 400 of these 800 stores.
One of these chosen conversions includes one of Gainesville’s three Winn-Dixie stores, a staple that many residents are sad to see go. With the change, residents will swap out their traditional Gainesville grocery staple of over 25 years for quarter-rented grocery carts, lower prices and warehouse-style shopping.
Patti Webb, a 75-year-old Micanopy resident, was unaware of Winn-Dixie’s closing and only shops there because her city is a food desert, she said.
Webb said she was unaware of the store’s closing and originally went to shop for two cans of cat food. Instead, she emerged with 200, a result of the high sales to clear the shelves, she said.
Other than cat food and a few select items, the store was pretty much vacant, she said.
While customers couldn’t purchase deli or seafood, as the departments had already permanently closed, other store sections and aisles were laid bare as a result of these sales.
When the new, converted Aldi opens in six to eight months, Webb is unsure if she will return due to Aldi’s long checkout lines, she said.
“My time is valuable,” she said. “I think the last time I was in Aldi, I got up there and left my groceries.”
But Gainesville residents are upset for more than just wait times, some calling for a complete reversal of the decision entirely.
A change.org petition created on Oct. 19 called on Aldi to reverse the decision to close the Winn-Dixie, listen to the local communities' wishes and hire back employees who were either forced to quit or fired due to the closing.
With almost 300 signatures, residents shared their personal experiences, memories and pleas.
But the petition won’t do much, Winn-Dixie employee Watson Chery said.
“It’s not gonna redo anything,” he said. “It’s a little too late for it.”
In the days leading up to the store’s closing, Chery said customers speak of losing access to their main source of groceries, as many walk from local low-income neighborhoods.
“They said they’re gonna figure it out,” he said. “It’s really hard for them.”
When the Aldi opens, Chery will work as an employee there, an option given to all current Winn-Dixie employees as long as they apply, he said.
Because some employees depend on their Winn-Dixie paychecks for necessities, the store has offered “as many hours as possible” to account for the upcoming closure, he said.
In his new position at the converted Aldi, he said he hopes to continue to see regular customers.
“A lot of people really aren’t happy with the Aldi decision, a lot of people don’t even like Aldis,” he said. “Hopefully, if they see familiar faces they’ll be more welcomed.”
While many are opposed to the grocery store’s change, some residents support the conversion and believe that with time, the rest of the community will, too.
“I understand people get emotionally attached, but they’re going to love Aldis,” Paige Anderson, a 61-year-old Winn-Dixie regular, said. “I think it’s gonna be great for the community down here, honestly.”
Stephen Onley, a 58-year-old Gainesville resident, already frequents Aldi along with the 16th Avenue Winn-Dixie and believes that if Aldi provides the good prices they promise, locals will warm up to the new store.
Aldi’s new location is expected to open in 2025, making it Gainesville’s third location, while only two Winn-Dixie stores will remain.
Contact Kairi Lowery at klowery@alligator.org. Follow her on X @kairiloweryy.
Kairi Lowery is a third-year journalism major and a metro general assignment reporter for The Alligator. When she's not writing you can find her lounging on the beach with a book or collecting vinyls.
