The Midtown St. Petersburg Walmart saga has come to an abrupt end as store officials announced the store has closed - nearly a month ahead of its expected closure. 

  • With its inventory mostly sold, the Midtown Walmart has closed a month ahead of schedule
  • Opened in 2014, the store was located at 1794 22nd Street South
  • Most of the store employees have transferred to other Walmart locations
  • RELATED: St. Pete 'Neighborhood Market' closing

Residents near the Tangerine Plaza Neighborhood Market store, located at 1794 22nd Street South, will now have to look elsewhere for groceries, goods and prescription services. 

Walmart officials said the closure is based on low financial performance along with a number of other factors. Shoppers in the Midtown area will have to travel to other markets or one of the closest Walmarts, at 34th Street and First Avenue N.

Residents are not happy about the store closing, although some said they no longer shop there. 

"It’s going to be bad for a lot of people here," said neighborhood resident Temeika Reynolds. "It’s real convenient, especially for a lot of people who don’t have transportation to get to the further out Walmart. It was very convenient."

But other residents said there’s not enough security to deal with aggressive panhandlers and transients that harass customers at the store.

"They just hang out here and want money and stuff," said Nita Gray. "They go inside, put stuff in their bag and go."

Walmart officials decided to shutter the store earlier than expected as the store's inventory quickly sold out after the closing announcement last month. 

Store officials did announce that the majority of the store's staff will keep their jobs and will transfer to other Walmart locations. 

Now, three years after much fanfare and excitement with the store opening, the question remains what will go in the store's void. 

St. Petersburg officials say they don't know just yet. And, it could be months before there is movement on some type of retail replacement. 

Meanwhile, Walmart officials released a statement to the Midtown community: 

"We are grateful to the customers who have given us the privilege of serving them at this location," said regional Walmart spokesman Phillip Keene. "We look forward to continuing to serve them at other area locations and online."