LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The discount chain 99 Cents Only announced it is shutting down all 371 of its stores in California, Texas, Arizona and Nevada, citing rising costs and theft. Employees and shoppers at one local location on Maryland Parkway and Charleston Boulevard say they’re left in a tight spot.
“I actually found out through email,” employee Tonika Rosario explained, adding that the sudden announcement took her aback. “It’s hurtful because we’re a family here.”
Rosario has been working at this location for a year. She initially thought it was only that store closing down, and that she’d be able to keep her job at another location in the valley. The single mom soon learned that was not the case, though, and was also disappointed to hear the lack of a package for laid-off employees.
“(We thought) we’d get some kind of stipend just to kind of hold us over until we could find something new,” Rosario said. “And then today, we were told something different.”
She calls the sudden announcement a slap in the face for her and her coworkers.
“We have a great group here,” she said. “Hands down. Best people I’ve ever worked with.”
Rosario also is upset for the shoppers she’s befriended while working there.
“All our customers know us by face, by name, by everything,” she said. “Don’t worry honey, we got you,” she told one frequent shopper who came up to her during her interview with FOX5.
Many of those shoppers share the same sentiments.
“They fit more than a niche. They fit a need for most of the public,” one said. “A lot of people are going to be hurting. They’re going to be upset.”
The company has not provided a timeline for the closures of its stores, nor has it said how many people will lose their jobs. According to the chain’s website, there are 17 locations for 99 Cents Only stores across Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson.
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