Anyone driving around in Escanaba Thursday saw a rare sight, one that’s only seen three times a year.
Elmer’s County Market was closed.
The grocery store is well-known for being open 24-7, but the business closes its doors for 25 hours every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.
Co-owner Mike Dagenais says the move is to allow employees to spend time with their families, even though competitors like Meijer and Wal-Mart remain open.
“They bust their tails off for us,” Dagenais told RRN News. “We try to keep the tradition going so the employees can enjoy it. It’s our way of giving back to all of our employees for all of their great customer service.”
But what goes into closing a store that never closes?
“We tell customers that we’re closing at 9,” Dagenais said. “Then we get everyone out. Sometimes it takes until 9:30. We check the bathrooms, we check the back rooms. Hopefully, no one is hiding on us. That’s never happened to us. Then we make sure we turn the alarms on, and then hopefully, overnight, none of the (refrigerated) cases go out.
He says that he and his brother, Pat, do go into the store on Thanksgiving to make sure that all of the refrigerated cases are working properly, and that there are no problems.
So, what happens to the leftover items in the store’s bakery area.
“Pat and I bring stuff to the (Escanaba) community dinner for Thanksgiving, and then at Christmas, we bring it over to the church in Gladstone for their community meal,” Dagenais told RRN News. “So, we bring some donuts, some coffee cakes, some dinner rolls, and some bread there to help out.”
The store was scheduled to re-open at 10:00 Thursday night.
