A discount grocery store in northern New York reached its announced closing date on October 10, ending an 11-year run in Watertown and leaving eight employees facing job losses. The loss adds to other grocery store closures across New York this year.
The Save A Lot at 1851 State Street in Northland Plaza opened in 2015. Its planned final day was Saturday, October 10, according to Watertown television station WWNY, which spoke with an employee at the store earlier in the month.
Eight employees affected by the closing
The employee told WWNY that eight full- and part-time workers would lose their jobs. Staff members had not been told why the location was closing, the employee said.
WWNY contacted Save A Lot’s corporate headquarters for more information, but the company had not provided an explanation when the station published its October 2 report. The reason for the closing remains unclear.
The announcement was unwelcome news for employees facing a change in their work situation, as well as customers who had included the discount grocer in their regular shopping trips. Save A Lot specializes in lower-priced groceries, including produce, meat and pantry staples.
Other northern New York locations remain open
The Watertown location’s closing does not mean Save A Lot has left northern New York altogether. Independently operated stores in Canton, Gouverneur and Ogdensburg remain open, according to WWNY.
Those stores may be options for customers who want to keep shopping with the chain, although each requires a trip outside Watertown. Residents who previously used the State Street location will have to decide whether another retailer closer to home makes more sense.
The area’s Save A Lot footprint had already gotten smaller before the Watertown announcement. The chain’s Potsdam location closed in 2025, WWNY reported. That gives shoppers in several North Country communities fewer nearby choices under the same discount banner than they had just a couple of years ago.
What remains unanswered
Neither the company nor store employees have provided a public explanation for the Watertown decision. Whether rent, sales or other expenses played a role remains unknown.
The eight employees identified in the local report were expected to lose their jobs, but no information was available about possible transfers or other employment assistance. Nor has a replacement grocer for the Northland Plaza space been announced.
For Watertown, the biggest change is straightforward: the discount store that opened in 2015 reached its planned October 10 farewell, and its workers and regular shoppers have been left to find their next steps.
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