Sysco Cash & Carry in Pocomoke to close its doors September 5th

POCOMOKE CITY, Md. – A community staple in Pocomoke City will close operations in a few short days. Community members are devastated and wondering what is next.

September 5th will be the last day for grocery shoppers who shop at Sysco’s Cash & Carry. Stewart Somers said the store has been here for a long time.

“It’s just been a community store for as long as I can remember. They just have stuff here that you can’t get anywhere else.”

And much like Stewart, Grace Dennis feels the same way. She’s been going to the shop the last few days to get on the deals. Including Senior Day on Tuesday. “I’ve been over here every day trying to pick up a few bargains.”

Pocomoke City is considered a food desert and lacks grocery options. There is a Food Lion to the north in Princess Anne, and to the south on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Community members also have Walmart to shop as an alternative in the city. Stewart, though, said Walmart is a tough alternative for people looking for a discount.

“It makes me want to go to Food Lion more in Virginia, after riding all the way down to Virginia. Because Walmart is Walmart.”

Martha Linton believes shopping in Pocomoke may never be the same. The 73-year-old shared with WMDT some of her fondest memories of the store.

“We’d have to come up here around 3 in the morning before they would open up at 9. We sit here on the steps and play dominoes, and people from Baltimore would come down that early too.”

She said back then, the store brought bonds that lasted a lifetime. “They would put things out in the parking lot, and in the hot summertime, things would be melting like butter and ice cream, but people brought it.”

Martha hopes the city can find a better option than Walmart or Food Lion. “It’s really going to hurt the community, as far as going anywhere else, you can’t beat cash and carry.”

WMDT reached out to Sysco Corporate to provide a statement. The company did not provide us with a comment or statement.