11/03/025 - The last customers checked out as Triple J Saipan, Inc. officially closed Payless SuperFresh & Truckload retail store in Saipan last Friday at 3 p.m.
“It is a sad day for Triple J Enterprises. We are closing down Payless SuperFresh and Truckload store. We’ve decided to close at 3 p.m. today because it has already been slow and there is not much inventory on hand,” General Manager Charles V. Cepeda told Marianas Press.
In a previous announcement, the company said it will continue to serve the island through its wholesale division operating from its existing location in the Townhouse Shopping Center on Beach Road. The company said the closure comes amid continued economic challenges and rising costs that have made it unsustainable to maintain retail operations.
Cepeda added, “Thank you to all our customers who have been coming in, especially the past two months. It has been very welcoming that the customers have been coming in and saying that they are sad that we are closing down.”
Marianas Press spoke with Terry and Gloria McClure, who were among the last shoppers.
“We do a lot of shopping here. We enjoy it. We love the meat and the different things we can get here…We are very sad to hear that they are leaving, but we hope that they won’t be gone long.”
Report by Thomas Manglona II.