Community Chat

[MorningLover]

Walgreens will close about 1,200 locations over the next three years as the drugstore chain seeks to turnaround a struggling  U.S. business that contributed to a $3 billion quarterly loss.

Company shares soared Tuesday after Walgreens detailed the plan and also reported better-than-expected quarterly results.

The company said Tuesday that about 500 stores will close in fiscal 2025 alone and should immediately support earnings and free cash flow. Walgreens didn't say where the store closings would take place.

Company leaders said the initial wave of closings will take place mostly in the back half of its fiscal year, which started last month.

Walgreens will prioritize poor-performing stores where the property is owned by the company, or where leases are expiring.

Walgreens operates about 8,500 stores in the United States and a few thousand overseas. All of the stores that will be closed are in the United States.

[conlt]

 I do not know what to say about this, it is sad. I will say that I avoided Walgreens this year for my flu vaccine and went to a local pharmacy. The reason that I avoided Walgreens is that even with an appointment for the vaccine, I have to sit and wait for a long time to get it. At least an hour. 

I ended up going to a locally owned pharmacy and got my vaccine right away and the pharmacist sat and talked to me for a few minutes.

I also avoid Walgreens because of the long wait to get through the checkout. Sometimes there is not a person there and we have to wait. 

I think the company has changed over the last few years. Maybe they can't hire enough qualified help. 

[Mom2Dogs]

Once Rite Aid closed in our area, scripts were sent to Walgreens and CVS, which are now SWAMPED in their pharmacy...can't imagine if our Walgreens closes.

When I broke my shoulder and was waiting for pain meds it took HOURS (s) for the script to be filled.  I was in a lot of pain...what the hospital sent home with me made be physicall ill.

I feel bad for the pharmacy techs and the Pharmacists. 

[conlt]

I feel bad for them too. Last year, I think, Walgreens was under fire for the amount of work expected by their Pharmacists and techs. They claimed it was an unsafe working environment for dispensing drugs. I can see that. 

That type of "cost saving" by not having enough staff to properly serve the client always backfires into unhappy customers. 

I went to the local pharmacy for my flu shot because of the wait times for the vaccine, even with an appointment. 

[Goodie2shoes]

I hope the Walgreens up the street from me is not on the list of closings ! It's actually in walking distance and they are always busy. I had my flu shot and Covid Vaccine there and there was a wait time of over 30 minutes. I asked the person who gave me the vaccine why the wait and he said he came out of retirement so employment might be an issue  with the company like many other companies have. 

There's also a hospital across the street from this store so they might not be on the list of closings, there's always a line of cars for picking up scripts.

[Desertdi]

My local Walgreens closed 6 months ago...

[MorningLover]

The drug store chain struggles to contend with online competitors and declining prescription drug payments.

The closures come amid a challenging time for drugstore chains, which are being hammered on a few fronts.

Major drugstore chains, including CVS and Rite Aid, have struggled in recent years because of declining profits from filling prescriptions.

They’ve declined because of lower reimbursement rates for prescription drugs and new competition from Amazon.

The front-end of drugstores, where they sell snacks and household staples, also face pressure from larger competitors, including Target, and even Dollar General’s growth has also hurt drug store chains in rural areas.

In May, Walgreens slashed prices on more than a 1,000 items following rivals in an effort to lure back inflation-weary shoppers turned off by high prices.

[CelticCrafter]

Maybe if they didn't go around buying up the Rite Aid chain they wouldn't be in this predicament.

[catter70]

There seems to be pharmacies on every corner, so no surprise, I guess. Within about 3 miles from me is Walgreen's, CVS +Walmart, Wegman's, Target, Giant and 2 Weis markets that all have pharmacies. There had been a Rite Aid across the street from Walgreens, but that closed.

[ahoymate]

Where I live lots of Walgreens but lots of thief. Everything is behind locked doors. Many times I see windows that are boarded up due to robbery. They have to hire security guards inside their store. Lots of homeless people go there.

Plus, they are the most expensive, everything is. I don't know about prescriptions, but most everything else is more expensive.