Rite Aid Conversions or Closings

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Rite Aid Conversions or Closings

Post by MSSportsGuy »

I saw a list over a year ago where it indicated Rite Aid was leaving most states in the southeast (where I reside). Rite Aid didn't have a large presence in the Memphis area where I reside and there were a few scattered around North Mississippi. The last Rite Aid in Memphis closed completely in November.

I visited Atlanta (my former home) recently and saw the two Rite Aid locations in relatively close proximity to my old apartment were still open but I assume both have converted their pharmacy to Walgreens. I reviewed the website and saw there were no more stores listed in Mississippi or Western Tennessee, but there were still several stores in Alabama, Georgia and East Tennessee listed and all those were among the states where Rite Aid planned to exit.

I assume these have been sold to Wolgreens but am curious why these closures or rebrands seem to have taken longer than the almost immediate closures of the stores around Memphis and North Mississippi.
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Re: Rite Aid Conversions or Closings

Post by storewanderer »

It is unclear what their timeframe is. They have kept one lone Rite Aid in Denver (the one with the full liquor department) but converted the rest of that market back in October over to Walgreens or closed. Rite Aid is 100% gone from Utah now. But there are still 82 Rite Aids left in Kentucky and 65 in Georgia. The Rite Aid locator may not be 100% accurate anymore (it sent me to a couple recently closed stores in Kentucky last summer- by recently I mean they closed a week or so before I got to them, and they did disappear from the locator within another week or two) but it is getting updated still.
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Re: Rite Aid Conversions or Closings

Post by BillyGr »

It does seem to be somewhat confusing.

For example here in NY (where a bit less than 1/2 the stores were sold to Walgreens), in one town they almost immediately closed the Rite Aid back in the summer (where it is across the street from an existing Walgreens), waited until November to convert another store (which is RIGHT NEXT DOOR, across a side street from an existing Walgreens) but have not (as of yet) converted other Rite Aids (except the pharmacies) in nearby towns that have no existing Walgreens stores.

Even the purchasing seemed odd - for instance the one I mention first that closed those are the only two stores in town (no CVS) - the second has an existing CVS on a 3rd corner of the same intersection.
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Re: Rite Aid Conversions or Closings

Post by SamSpade »

Via Portland Yelp Talk:
The Rite Aid on Lombard and N. Vancouver is closing. Went a couple of days ago and everything was 75% off with hardly anything left.
That store is somewhat isolated, but just a few blocks away from a standard (albeit 2 level) Fred Meyer.
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Re: Rite Aid Conversions or Closings

Post by Super S »

SamSpade wrote: February 20th, 2019, 10:12 pm Via Portland Yelp Talk:
The Rite Aid on Lombard and N. Vancouver is closing. Went a couple of days ago and everything was 75% off with hardly anything left.
That store is somewhat isolated, but just a few blocks away from a standard (albeit 2 level) Fred Meyer.
I had to look that one up...there doesn't appear to be anything resembling a Rite Aid at that intersection. I wonder if they meant Lombard & Denver.
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Re: Rite Aid Conversions or Closings

Post by SamSpade »

You're right, Super S.
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Re: Rite Aid Conversions or Closings

Post by Super S »

SamSpade wrote: February 20th, 2019, 10:34 pm You're right, Super S.
The way Portland has grown, I wanted to be sure.

I will say that I used to have family nearby and visited that Rite Aid a few times. The parking was a bit weird, but the store always seemed to be busy at least for a Rite Aid. It was more of a neighborhood store than anything.
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Re: Rite Aid Conversions or Closings

Post by storewanderer »

Super S wrote: February 21st, 2019, 9:23 am
SamSpade wrote: February 20th, 2019, 10:34 pm You're right, Super S.
The way Portland has grown, I wanted to be sure.

I will say that I used to have family nearby and visited that Rite Aid a few times. The parking was a bit weird, but the store always seemed to be busy at least for a Rite Aid. It was more of a neighborhood store than anything.
Probably the end of a 20 year lease. Interesting it was remodeled into a wellness store. Interesting it sold prescriptions to Walgreens rather than moving to another Rite Aid nearby. Another bang up management decision.
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Re: Rite Aid Conversions or Closings

Post by MSSportsGuy »

I was back in Atlanta to visit an old friend a couple of weeks ago and noticed one of the two Rite Aid's near my old home was having a massive clearance sale in preparation for closing a few days to reopen as Walgreens. I looked around briefly and didn't buy anything but just took in the fact the Rite Aid presence in a city the size of Atlanta will be gone sooner than later. The other store close to my old townhouse is still open but it's literally across the street from a Walgreens so I assume it will disappear completely soon.
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Re: Rite Aid Conversions or Closings

Post by BillyGr »

BillyGr wrote: January 12th, 2019, 4:48 pm It does seem to be somewhat confusing.

For example here in NY (where a bit less than 1/2 the stores were sold to Walgreens), waited until November to convert another store (which is RIGHT NEXT DOOR, across a side street from an existing Walgreens) but have not (as of yet) converted other Rite Aids (except the pharmacies) in nearby towns that have no existing Walgreens stores.
Just to update - they have now decided to close the original Walgreens of the two mentioned above (that are next door to each other) as of April 10th. Nothing special going on as of this past week, but then again anything not sold only has to be moved a short distance to the other store.

There are a couple other stores in the general area that had a 20% off on many items in Feb and 40% off (plus 70% off greeting cards) for March. No idea, though, if they'll go higher or on more items (they have less items, mostly "odd" stuff in the discounts than the store mentioned above did last fall before closing for the conversion) or just close down for conversion in early April.
They are only doing a couple stores in that particular area (2 of 4, with each having another store within 15 minutes travel time, or less), which makes sense as there are no existing Walgreens there, so it would make sense to stagger the conversions to allow some stores to be open at all times for customers (particularly prescriptions).
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