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Economy
'Retail apocalypse' forces Walgreens to axe 150 stores by summer 2024: Chain says sales have been hit by plummeting demand for Covid vaccines and tests
2023-07-01
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]
  • Shares in the pharmaceutical chain this week fell to their lowest in 11 years

  • Company blamed the end of the pandemic and declining demand for Covid-19 products for the closures

  • It comes amidst a widespread 'retail apocalypse' hurting bricks and mortar stores

  • The chain will also axe 300 of its sister brand 'Boots' locations in the UK.

  • It has around 13,000 stores in total across the US, Europe and Latin America.
Related:
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Walgreens: 2023-05-31 Old Navy Closes Flagship Store in San Francisco Amid Wave of Retail Theft Entitlement
Walgreens: 2023-05-16 San Francisco DA releases graphic footage of Walgreens security guard shooting dead transgender shoplifter - and says she WON'T charge him because he was in 'mortal danger'
Posted by:Skidmark

#9  I'm a military retiree, with Tricare for Life (medicare, backed by Tricare). Tricare covers my prescriptions. Although my long term prescriptions are covered through Express Scripts, any short term prescriptions like antibiotics, come from Walgreens. Luckily I don't live in a downtown blue city.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia   2023-07-01 20:14  

#8  Poorly priced cosmetics deserts are upon the city dwellers.
Posted by: Super Hose   2023-07-01 19:13  

#7  ^^ That goes without saying!
Posted by: DooDahMan   2023-07-01 15:32  

#6  Agree with Super Hose's #2. Bet that on a Venn Diagram "shoplifting approvedâ„¢ Blue City" and "closing Walgreens" overlap almost perfectly.
Posted by: magpie   2023-07-01 15:30  

#5  Company blamed the end of the pandemic and declining demand for Covid-19 products for the closures

Oh FFS.

I think Super Hose got it.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2023-07-01 11:58  

#4  I went to Walgreens recently to ask about passport photos. They wanted, like, $18 for two pics. After I caught my breath and politely expressed my outrage at such a cost, I checked at Wal-Mart...less than $7.50. Done deal.

So, I can't have much compassion for Walgreens, and I would bet their pharmacies were not filling prescriptions for Ivermectin, too.
Posted by: DooDahMan   2023-07-01 10:34  

#3  Walgreen's and CVS (formerly Eckerd's) have coasted for a long time on the twin points of (1) there's a lot of people that want to get something without leaving the neighborhood, and (2) there's a lot of people that don't want to go to the giant box store, with the giant packed parking lot, and having to walk all over the world to get something. That may be finally be winding down.
Walmart and Dollar General have both been experimenting with 'market' stores, which are basically a grocery store without all the big box add ons. Generally speaking, when your grocery store starts selling clothes, the whole thing starts getting out of hand. That's refered to as 'lateral expansion', the notion that if your customer leaves without spending every dollar they have, then you've failed at marketing.
Posted by: ed in texas   2023-07-01 09:40  

#2  It would be interesting to see a plot of the closing locations on a heat map of shoplifting rates.

Store locations that were viable in 2019 should still be viable.
Posted by: Super Hose   2023-07-01 09:36  

#1  Outside of pharmaceuticals, OTC meds, first aid and sickroom stuff, 99% of what "drugstores" carry is stuff you can get at the dollar store or big box.

A bottle of shampoo I get for under $10 at Walmart is $26 at CVS. Seriously. I don't use cosmetics, but they are among the most stolen items from chain drug stores, so I imagine the pricing is insane, and not Crazy Eddie insane wither...
Posted by: M. Murcek   2023-07-01 08:05  

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