A LARGE chain of camping stores announced it would close a location for good.
Camping World announced on Facebook that it would shut a location just six years after it opened.
The Amarillo, Texas branch of the outdoors retailer will close for retail sales on October 27, 2023.
The location was acquired from competing retailer Gander Mountain six years ago.
All of the store’s roughly 45 employees will lose their jobs, the Amarillo Globe-News reported.
The store, which sells camping equipment and RVs, will leave a gap in the chain’s coverage of the region.
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The next closest Camping World location is in Lubbock, over a hundred miles to the south.
Brand-loyal campers in Amarillo will need to drive nearly two hours.
One Facebook user reacted to the closure with dismay.
“Where do we get inspections for tag renewal?!! Lubbock!!??”
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However, there are several other places to get an RV inspected in Amarillo.
Inspections are available at Kwik Kar, an auto repair shop with a location less than five miles from the shuttering Camping World.
There are also other locations to buy RVs in the small city of 200,000.
Custom RV is just 14 miles away from the closing Camping World on the other side of Amarillo.
To the south, Century RV is 10 miles away.
LOCALS REACT
Several local shoppers took to social media to express their concerns about the closure.
“Sorry for people who work there,” one Facebook user said. “Now no where to get things for our RV. It is so sad businesses can’t make it work in Amarillo!”
Not everyone was as disappointed, with some complaining about past customer service issues.
“I hate to see local folks lose their jobs but glad to see Camping World shut down,” another Facebook user posted. “We are full time RVers and Camping World has the worst reputation of any RV retailer in the country.”
Another local used the opportunity to vent about services.
They wrote: “We bought a camper from Camping World and we were not impressed and we even made the comment that we definitely will not go back there again!!”
MORE CLOSURES
The Amarillo location is not the only Camping World shutting its doors.
A branch in Hermantown, Minnesota will close for good on October 20.
The chain, located in a Duluth suburb, left a similar gap in the chain’s coverage.
The next closest Camping World is in Baxter, over 100 miles away.
Amid increasing online spending and apparent increases in theft, many stores around the country are shutting down.
The U.S. Sun has compiled a list of retailers experiencing the “retail apocalypse.”
Read More on The US Sun
A Kroger grocery store in Georgia will shut its doors in December.
Best Buy had a difficult year. The company announced 20 to 30 stores were set to close.
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