Shaw's closing; 1,000 out of work

New Haven, Conn. (WTNH) - Last month, Shaw's Supermarkets announced that they were shutting down all of their Connecticut stores. Today, we got word that about 1,000 employees will be laid off.

Loading groceries in the trunk of your car can be such a mundane task. But for a neighborhood surrounding this Shaw's grocery store in New Haven, shoppers are quickly learning it's something not to be taken for granted.

"It was one of the first supermarkets in this area. And we need this supermarket very badly, because this poor neighborhood. We had Mom and Pop stores, but we didn't have a supermarket," said Jackie Grant of New Haven.

If things don't change soon, that will once again be a reality. Shaw's is leaving Connecticut, laying off close to a thousand workers. The majority of the stores have been bought by Shoprite, Pricerite, and Stop & Shop, but two stores, Manchester and New Haven are without a buyer. Meaning more than 250 people in these two stores will soon be out of work.

Mayor John DeStefano's office released a statement that read in part, "We will now work aggressively with the Economic Development Corporation of New Haven to identify another grocery store to fulfill the needs of the community."