A really cool bathroom scale. A Navage nasal irrigation device. Some delightfully plush bath towels.

No, I am not what you would call a regular Missoula Bed Bath & Beyond customer. Although, I am probably not what you would consider the prime target customer for a store that specializes in bedding, kitchen gadgets, small appliances, bathroom accessories and assorted trendy do-dads.

But, while infrequent, I do enjoy my visits to the store. I've always found customer service to be friendly and efficient. Product selection is fun, even if nothing necessarily calls my name and motivates me to make a purchase.

With added competition from other stores and online sales, it is not uncommon anymore for big companies to downsize their number of franchise outlets. This past summer, Bed Bath & Beyond announced the closing of 56 stores by the end of 2022. No Montana outlets were on that 2022 closing list.

Unfortunately, welcome to 2023. It was reported in USA Today last week that the company has already made the decision to close 63 more stores in the near future, with more closings almost a certainty. According to that article, they are looking to cut $500 million in costs due to a net sales decline of 33% from the previous fiscal year.

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So, what does that mean for Montana?  No plans have been announced to close stores in Billings, Bozeman, Helena, Kalispell or Missoula. But, earlier this month, KRTV reported that the store adjacent to the Holiday Village Mall in Great Falls will be closing their doors, after a 15-year run in the Electric City.

"Store Closing" signs are in the windows, and an employee told KRTV that while no firm date to close has been announced yet, it is anticipated that it will be sometime in March.

Our thoughts are with the remaining Great Falls Bed Bath & Beyond employees. The guess here is that they will land on their feet quickly in pursuit of other jobs.

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