When the Norwich Big Lots closes, local shoppers will have to rethink their plans.

The discount retailer recently announced the closure 293 stores across the country. The Norwich one is one of nine closing in Connecticut. The company cited declining sales as the reason for the closure, according to USA Today.

There will be seven locations remaining in Connecticut, with the locations at 940 Silver Lane in East Hartford and 820 Washington St. in Middletown being the closest to the Norwich area. Out of state, the closest remaining locations are 116 E. Main St., Webster, Massachusetts, and 217 S. Main St., Warwick, Rhode Island.

Plenty of regular customers were at the Norwich Big Lots Tuesday afternoon to get their shopping done. While the store still had plenty of items in stock, from everyday goods to fall and Halloween decorations, store signs reminded customers that all sales are final, and that the store wouldn’t take checks.

The staff are kind

Killingly resident Gail Erskine heard about the closing a couple weeks ago. Patty Erskine, Gail Erskine’s sister, said they’ve been shopping at the Norwich Big Lots for a couple years,” whenever we come down to Norwich.” The store has good deals on plenty of things, including the drinks Gail Erskine likes.

“The staff in there are sweet,” Patty Erskine said, “I feel bad for them closing.”

Gail Erskine hopes another good store can fill the void left in the Norwichtown Commons, and that the employees can find jobs, “especially in this economy.”

“I’d be a little depressed at first with losing a job, but my fingers are crossed that they can find a job,” she said.

Bob’s Stores closing all locations in Connecticut, begins clearance sale. What to know

“Can they reconsider?”

Salem resident Jessi Crisman visits the Big Lots weekly because of a good variety with good prices. Crisman and her mother Sunny Crisman are both upset about the Norwich store closing, as “it’s a one-stop shop,” Crisman said.

Online shopping services, including Amazon and Temu, are hurting retail, Sunny Crisman said.

“Everything’s closing, between the banks and the grocery stores; look at Crystal Mall for goodness sake,” she said.

Crisman made the most of the store closing sale, as she loaded her car with plenty of things, including a large pink pillow.

“We just spent a lot of money; can they reconsider when they cash out tonight?” Sunny Crisman said.

Family shopping trip

Voluntown resident Erica Tefft went shopping with her four children on Tuesday. She visits the store a few times a month. While Tefft likes her gardening supplies, it’s a pastime for the family to “find what we find” at the store.

“I’m sad that its closing,” she said. “I didn’t even know until we just pulled in.”

The closest thing to Big Lots Tefft could think of in the area is the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet in Waterford.

“That store is pretty fun too,” she said.

Patch PM CT brings you the breaking and trending news stories from all across Connecticut each weeknight. Here are those stories:

A total of nine people, 2 from CT, died in a single-vehicle out-of-state crash, including a 5-year-old child. A news outlet called it “the deadliest crash…in recent memory.”>>>Read More.

“When troopers attempted to stop the BMW, several items were thrown from the vehicle and later recovered, which included a backpack containing approximately $52,000 in $20 bills, a mobile hotspot, and an iPhone,” police added.>>>Read More.

The restaurant chain plans on keeping its Connecticut location despite filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to a report.>>>Read More.

A grand opening date for Burlington’s new store has been announced. This will represent the company’s 16th CT location.>>>Read More.

“It appears that a house was struck,” by gunfire, police noted. “The victim was inside and then stepped on glass, causing injuries to his feet.”>>>Read More.

K-9 Officer Kane fell ill on Sunday, and after round the clock treatment and testing was found to have cancer.>>>Read More.

The Patch community platform serves communities all across Connecticut in Fairfield, New Haven, Middlesex, New London, Hartford, Tolland, and Litchfield counties. Thank you for reading.

TOLLAND, CT — The Connecticut Department of Transportation Tuesday officially announced the opening of the new Route 74 Bridge in Tolland.

The project included the demolition and replacement of the 108-year-old span over the Skungamaug River.

“I’m a happy man today,” Tolland Town Manager Brian Foley said at the bridge site.

Foley admitted he was “a little worried” that the project, which began in October and involved an April road closure, would run into the school year because of weather delays. But there he was Tuesday helping to cut the ceremonial ribbon in anticipation of a 4 p.m. opening.

“Believe me, we had contingency plans and then contingency plans. Not only were we concerned over the bus schedule, but Route 74 is the main artery from Troop C to our schools and that’s not only state police but it’s our police force.”

The significance was not lost on CTDOT Transportation Construction Administrator John Dunham.

He said, “Replacing the Route 74 bridge in Tolland is crucial for ensuring the safety and reliability of the community’s transportation infrastructure. Projects of this size may seem small scale, but they have an outsized impact in our communities. Thank you to the town of Tolland and ROTHA Contracting for their hard work and dedication to complete this bridge replacement ahead of schedule and on budget.”

Dunham said 1,500 cars pass over the bridge each day.

“I can’t say ‘finally’ to the openening. I have to say ‘already,” Foley said. “Thankfully, the Connecticut Department of Transportation completed the project with plenty of summer vacation left. We thank Governor Lamont and Commissioner Eucalitto for replacing our bridge, and we thank all the staff and workers at CTDOT for completing so early. CTDOT didn’t just build a bridge, they also build confidence in this great state agency.”

Built in 1916, the Route 74 Bridge needed replacing after recent field inspections and an engineering analysis determined the bridge deck and superstructure were in poor condition, DOT officials said. Foley said the lay of the land on one side and the remnants of a historic sawmill on the other made a temporary bridge impossible and Route 74 thus has to be closed during construction.

State Rep. and Tolland resident Tammy Nuccio said she has “gone over this bridge a gazillion times” and admitted the closure could have been considered a major inconvenience. But the work was received well, she said.

“I have not received one complaint from a Tolland resident about the project,” she said.

The pre-bridge closure work for the project involved building temporary access roads for utility work and installing a portion of bridge foundations. Minor work remaining includes final utility relocation and applicable markings on the roadway.

The project (DOT Project No. 0142-0152) was awarded to ROTHA Contracting Company, Inc., at a cost of $4,947,742.23. The project was 80 percent funded by the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and 20 percent state-funded.

“We have fought hard to get projects like the bridge in this portion of the state,” State Sen. Jeff Gordon said. “It’s good to see this and a number of other projects getting these funds.”

Along with the 4 p.m. Tuesday opening, motorists can expect one-way alternating traffic on Route 74 (Tolland Stage Road) and Skungamaug Road until the remaining construction activities are completed, DOT officials said.