By JOHN THOMPSON

Business Editor

Within two weeks, the bones should be picked clean and the corpse of one of Peachtree City's oldest grocery stores should be laid to rest.

The shelves are nearly empty now as some of A&P's loyal shoppers and bargain hunters stalk the low prices that appear when a store closes.

The store's corporate headquarters in Atlanta announced late last month it was moving out of the Atlanta market. The store in Peachtree City will be converted to an upscale Harris Teeter within a few months, but many shoppers are sad to see the store vanish from Peachtree City's retail landscape.

The scene at the store is almost funereal as residents run in to get a glimpse of the last few items left in the store.

Many of the shoppers use the same phrases to describe the closing; "sad," "like losing an old friend."

Store manager Al Beaty said he was instructed not to talk about the closing and said all comments had to come from the home office in Atlanta.

Glenn Dixon, who serves as A&P's group vice-president for the Southeast, said the move was simply based on economics.

"We're doing this to concentrate on some of our other markets," he said.

Dixon said the Atlanta office has been overwhelmed by the number of shoppers who have called and complained about the chain leaving the market.

"We've had a lot of loyal customers over the years and they're really sad to see us go," he said.

The Peachtree City site was the first location in the city for a chain grocery store to set up shop. The store was originally a Big Star and changed to A&P when Big Star pulled up stakes in the Atlanta market.

Since A&P moved to town, two Kroger stores have opened, along with a Publix. The grocery market is one of the fiercest arenas for competition in the Atlanta market and A&P represents the latest casualty in the war.