The worst thing in the world for us consumers is when a favorite restaurant or retail store that we've had a long history with suddenly closes down. Some of us (myself included) are still dealing with the loss of Papa Ginos on Merrill Road in Pittsfield which closed down a few years back.

WSBS 860AM logo
Get our free mobile app

Many long-time Berkshire residents are still lamenting the losses of awesome businesses such as Kmart(the Pittsfield location which, by the way, was the first-ever Kmart in New England, closed in 1997), Bradlees, Ames, the Dakota, Macy's, Best Buy, and Bonanza just to name a few.

If you follow the news at all, you probably know that retail giant Walmart closed over 20 of its locations across the country last year in 2023. And it appears that the company is starting 2024 by closing a few more.

Can you believe Walmart has been around for over 60 years? It's true! The very first Walmart store opened in Rogers, Arkansas back in 1962. And in less than ten years, Walmart expanded to over 35 stores in 5 states. That's pretty incredible.

According to the media news outlet msn.com, Walmart recently announced that TWO stores will be closing by February 9th. Both retail locations are in California, one in San Diego and one in El Cajon.

Luckily, (for us, anyway) none of the Walmart locations that closed last year were located in Massachusetts. But 2024 is still in its infancy so who knows what the future will bring for the Commonwealth?

Can you even imagine the possibility of not having a local Walmart? I'm having trouble picturing it and you have to remember that I was around before Walmart became the retail monster that it is today. We'll have to wait and see.

For more, please visit msn.com's website here.

Here are 50 of your favorite retail chains that no longer exist.

50 Famous Brands That No Longer Exist

LOOK: Food and Personal Care Shortages We Could See In 2023

Learn about the 13 potential shortages that could impact stores in 2023, from produce and meat to snacks and beverages.

Gallery Credit: Cooper Fox (B98.5) and Cameron (The Breeze 103.9)

LOOK: Things from the year you were born that don't exist anymore

The iconic (and at times silly) toys, technologies, and electronics have been usurped since their grand entrance, either by advances in technology or breakthroughs in common sense. See how many things on this list trigger childhood memories—and which ones were here and gone so fast you missed them entirely.

Gallery Credit: Stacey Marcus

More From WSBS 860AM