Tidyman's store closes on Aug. 22

By KRISTI ALBERTSON

The Daily Inter Lake

After a month and a half of negotiations, the Kalispell Tidyman's store has been sold. The supermarket will close on Aug. 22.

The buyer has not yet been disclosed; not even the employees know who purchased the store.

"Whoever it is, they don't want anybody to know at this point," manager Tami Curley said.

In June, Tidyman's announced plans to close its last eight stores. Following some of those transactions, the new owners have had grand openings without closing at all; nothing changed but the name.

That will not happen at the Kalispell store, which employs 30 people.

"Having made this decision, we fully recognize the difficulty the closure places on employees and their families, and we are committed to assist them in any reasonable way," said Mike Davis, president and chief executive officer.

Employees will receive a severance package based on years of service if they remain with the store until the end. They may also put their names down on a list if they want to work for the new owners.

Some employees have done so; some have opted to move on once the store closes. Others aren't committing to anything until they know who the buyer is.

"I'll wait and see what the new owners have to offer me," said receiving clerk George MacDonald, who has been with the company for nearly 30 years and has been in Kalispell since the store opened in 1992. "We're all just staying positive. We're all hopeful this will be a good deal."

MacDonald doesn't know what he will be doing in two weeks, but he's grateful for the customers and vendors who have made his job enjoyable for the last three decades.

"We thank the loyal customers that we've had," he said. "We appreciate their loyal patronage all these years."

Tidyman's has to get rid of all its inventory before it closes, so everything in the store, excluding the pharmacy, is now 25 percent off. The store will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily until it closes.

In 1998, Tidyman's had 21 supermarkets in Montana, Idaho and Washington. The following year, however, a federal jury ordered the company to pay $6.2 million in a sexual discrimination lawsuit, in which two former employees said they had been denied promotions because of their gender and were paid less than their male co-workers.

The suit's financial impact was more than the chain could handle, and Tidyman's has been selling stores ever since.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.