PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — When Kelsey Sandbeck showed up at her job at Label Shopper on Tuesday morning, she soon learned that business was anything but usual.
“I realized the lights were already on which was weird to me … I opened the gate and my district manager was in there with four other girls packing up the store already; then she told me we’re closing the store for good,” she said.
Without any prior warning, Sandbeck and a few others were laid off.
Sandbeck, who was the assistant store manager, said the company didn’t tell employees before closing on Sept. 17. “It was very devastating considering I have a child and now I don’t have an income at all.”
Her son recently turned 6 years old, she said.
Bruce Brigman, who took over as mall manager in July, confirmed on Monday, Sept. 23, that the store is closing indefinitely.
He said the company didn’t give him any notice in advance that they were planning to close, and only said they were leaving due to staffing issues.
“We had no idea we were closing,” said Sandbeck, who had been working at the store for almost a year and a half.
Mara Harris of Presque Isle said her fiance Alex Jordan, who had worked at the store since December, learned that he was being laid off while the store was busy closing down.
She said that the district manager called Jordan on Wednesday morning, asking him to come into work but told him he didn’t need to wear his uniform.
Harris said the company didn’t offer her fiance any severance or an opportunity to transfer to another location.
“They didn’t give us any other options. They were pretty heartless about the whole situation,” said Sandbeck.
Attempts to reach the company for comments on Monday afternoon were unsuccessful.
