As households across Illinois brace to lose their federal food assistance this month, grocery stores, especially independent grocers across the state, are preparing for the devastating effects of decreased spending.
For some independent grocers, whose profit margins average 2%, a decrease in consumer spending associated with cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could lead to store closures.
Changes to SNAP from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” also known as H.R.1, mean that thousands of Illinois households will lose access to their SNAP benefits in May if they did not fulfill new work requirements or submit for an exemption.
Grocery stores operate on some of the slimmest profit margins of any business because…