Our grocery store is closing this weekend. The Waldbaum’s in West Hartford is closing its doors, and will re-open as a Big Y next month.
The old store with the new name will still sell milk, bread, coffee and other supplies, but it won’t have Jenny.
Jenny has worked at the Waldbaum’s for 37 years. She is the pleasant woman behind the deli counter, slicing turkey and ham, always with a smile, even when doling out scoops of what I find to be revolting herring salad. She even smiled today as she told me she had not been hired by the new owners to become part of the Big Y staff. The 66 year old widow is not alone in the “what am I going to do now” department. A cashier with 36 years at the store has chosen to retire and another with 32 years was not hired either.
I’m not sure of the reasons Jenny wasn’t needed to help maintain the contuinity of service to the store’s customers, but I sure hope it wasn’t because of that time she kindly gave my daughter a small piece of mozzarella cheese.
Best of luck to all the Waldbaum’s folks who served us so well.
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Dennis House blog 
I am sad that MY Waldbaums in Middletown is closing also. The only person that I know in that store that is going to be staying on is Dan in the pharmacy. Everybody else has had interviews but no notification yet on if they will be hired. Funny thing is they don’t even know if that will be a Big Y. If it turns into a Big Y I will use it for the pharmacy but I think that they are to high in there prices. I can shop at X-Pect and Price Rite for the basics and Meadow Meat for my meat. I don’t like Big Y and I don’t even have a good reason to not like them except I think they are to expensive. They are fools to not higher people who have experience on there side along with customer knowledge. I bet that Jennie knows what type of cheese you like and probably knows what many more people like also.
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Wow. How sad. I remember the days of riding my bicycle to the end of Brewster Rd. and taking the “secret” path to Bishop’s Corner. Picking up a quarter of milk we would buy out of the vending machine at the gas station. I remember when there was a Grand Union, Lord & Taylor, when they built Bradlees. When I remember pictures of my late uncle’s furniture store where the post office is now. When the land behind the fire station was a huge field. Dino’s, (you had to order cheese since so many people got a pizza with meat and no cheese) Mayron’s Bakery. We thought all of those changes were the end of an era. Everything changes. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not. You’re lucky you still have the Crown. I wish we had a market like that down here in my part of FL.
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My Mom is Jenny who works in West Hartford. I just had a tear in my eye reading this by Dennis…I’m sorry for all of you that are losing your jobs. I know my Mom will be sad; she truly loves serving the public/seeing and talking to all folks…. I also know she does an awesome job and will be missed! Thanks Dennis!; Mom tells us about you coming into the store periodically and she always smiles when she tells us! 🙂
We just adore her and thank you for making her smile.
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Jenny probably wasn’t retained because of her age. When I and my co-workers got laid off two years ago it looked like a meeting of AARP in the HR office. Oh they threw in a few young ones so no could cry discrimination but we all knew what was going on. Good Luck to Jenny it will be BigY’s loss.
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