Family owned grocery store, Bashas, announced on Monday that it will be laying off 3 percent of its staff. That 3 percent amounts to 350 fulltime and part time employees.

The Arizona based supermarket chain is expected, by some, to hold store closings in the near future.

Kristy Nied, spokeswoman for Bashas, said “We are battling on several fronts for our future profitability and viability. One is fierce competition. There is the economic recession, and we are facing countless attacks by the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which are intended to keep customers from shopping at our stores.”

Pheonix-based retail and real estate analyst, Bob Kammrath, said, “I think the thing that will hit groceries the most is they won’t have fewer shoppers, but people can cut back on what they eat. There is a lot of stuff you buy at the grocery store that you don’t really need.” He went on to say that Bashas, in particular, was vulnerable due to its localization in Arizona.

In addition to Arizona, Bashas also has locations in Needles, California, and Crownpoint, New Mexico. They own and operate a total of 165 stores.

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