DENVER — Although the number of King Soopers' employees on the picket line Saturday afternoon was dim in comparison to Thursday's crowd, empty parking spaces were a sign of the ongoing strike.
A handful of employees striking gathered at the entryway of the King Soopers at the intersection of E 14th Avenue and Krameria Street in Denver, asking customers not to cross their picket line.
For some, it worked.
Denver7 spoke with customers who chose to shop across the street at Safeway instead, many of them making a last-minute trip ahead of Super Bowl Sunday.
"If it stays like this, I think they'll feel a big impact," said customer Lisa Cozart, when asked if she thought King Soopers would respond to the lack of customers.
Cozart typically shops and King Soopers, but Saturday was an exception.
"I always shop there, but I want to respect the employees, and I'm not going to cross the picket line," she said.
This King Soopers is one of 77 locations impacted by the strike.
Denver7's cameras were rolling as people dropped off snaps for employees picketing.
"It warms my heart. It definitely warms my heart. It's nice to feel that support from the community. You know, what we do is so important," said Ashley Bagley, deli manager at the location.
"There's no mistake. [UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova] called this strike to hurt us over Super Bowl and going into Valentine's Day — two big, big times," Kelley said.
Cordova disputed that statement during a press conference Thursday afternoon.
"Absolutely, because the only thing they understand is their profit," said Cordova, in response to Kelley's statement.
The strike is expected to last two weeks.
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