marshd1000 wrote: ↑September 18th, 2023, 12:43 pm I am wondering if Rite Aid could be a nice way for Loblaws to establish more of a presence in the US outside it's T&T Supermarket opening. Loblaws does operate Shopper's Drug Mart! If Rite Aid does declare bankruptcy, could Loblaws acquire them and not have to pay the government opioid settlement? Shoppers have some real nice stores! It would be a step up for Rite Aid if they were rebranded as Shopper's Drug Mart. Maybe they could even keep the Bartell banner, as that seems to be more on the line of Shopper's. An interesting side note, Shopper's Drug Mart used to have stores in Snohomish County, WA in the early 1980's. Those stores were sold to Bartell as their first entry into that market! I kind of wish this would go full circle!

It's been explained elsewhere, but the only reason for T&T coming into the US is to source Asian import goods into the US (with US dollars) then export to the Canadian stores to overcome exchange rate issues. There is a real cost savings for those imports.

Otherwise the very high exchange rate makes it impossible for Loblaw or any other major Canadian retailer to enter the US. Why invest in the US where you basically get 70 cents return on every dollar you spend, when you can further invest in Canada and get the full return on your investment. It's the same reason why Canadian tourism to the US is down, down, down... They can get more for their money traveling within the country right now.

Several additional under-the-radar Rite Aid closures have occurred in Michigan over the past month: Essexville, Mio, Owosso, Mack/Alter in Detroit, Saginaw/MLK in Lansing, 8 Mile/Newburgh in Livonia and Clarkston/Sashabaw in Independence Township.

Additionally, the Rite Aid in the King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania has closed. That one was apparently one of the few that never received the new logo.

Interestingly enough a Rite Aid that received the new signage before being closed in Redondo Beach, CA (Whole Foods center on PCH) has opened as a new Michaels.

The Temecula location that closed was on the South end of town on Hwy 79/Temecula Pkwy which is in the competitive Redhawk area. The Walmart being remodeled into a "flagship" is on the other corner. I haven't been here long enough to know the history but I would wager it was a converted Thrifty, in line with no drive through. Somehow Winchester has survived... So far.

ClownLoach wrote: ↑September 22nd, 2023, 9:00 pm The Temecula location that closed was on the South end of town on Hwy 79/Temecula Pkwy which is in the competitive Redhawk area. The Walmart being remodeled into a "flagship" is on the other corner. I haven't been here long enough to know the history but I would wager it was a converted Thrifty, in line with no drive through. Somehow Winchester has survived... So far.

That Rite Aid on Temecula Pkwy actually did have a drive through. There was a small driveway on the side of it that opened up to a wider lane for a standard two lane drive through.

Based on the age of the Albertsons there (Stater) that was a mid 90's build 1995 or later, so whether it opened as Thrifty or Payless it was sort of a blended store of sorts. I am suspicious the drive through was added by Rite Aid. It has the configuration of two tubes (no window). Payless had very few stores with drive throughs and those that did were a single lane with a window (bank like). No tube machine.

Given Stater has no pharmacy there and pulls quite a bit of traffic it seems like the Rite Aid should have been viable. Yet another closure of a store that shouldn't have closed. Not that it matters at this point based on the current news reports.

storewanderer wrote: ↑September 22nd, 2023, 11:11 pm

That Rite Aid on Temecula Pkwy actually did have a drive through. There was a small driveway on the side of it that opened up to a wider lane for a standard two lane drive through.

Based on the age of the Albertsons there (Stater) that was a mid 90's build 1995 or later, so whether it opened as Thrifty or Payless it was sort of a blended store of sorts. I am suspicious the drive through was added by Rite Aid. It has the configuration of two tubes (no window). Payless had very few stores with drive throughs and those that did were a single lane with a window (bank like). No tube machine.

It was a Payless: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the- ... 132269425/
The Albertsons there opened on June 18, 1997. Was a clone of the Encinitas store opened a year prior (liquor license on that one dates back to 1996), which was also divested to Stater Bros.

retailfanmitchell019 wrote: ↑September 22nd, 2023, 11:39 pm

storewanderer wrote: ↑September 22nd, 2023, 11:11 pm

That Rite Aid on Temecula Pkwy actually did have a drive through. There was a small driveway on the side of it that opened up to a wider lane for a standard two lane drive through.

Based on the age of the Albertsons there (Stater) that was a mid 90's build 1995 or later, so whether it opened as Thrifty or Payless it was sort of a blended store of sorts. I am suspicious the drive through was added by Rite Aid. It has the configuration of two tubes (no window). Payless had very few stores with drive throughs and those that did were a single lane with a window (bank like). No tube machine.

It was a Payless: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the- ... 132269425/
The Albertsons there opened on June 18, 1997. Was a clone of the Encinitas store opened a year prior (liquor license on that one dates back to 1996), which was also divested to Stater Bros.

That would have been one of the last of the blue-gray stores based on that opening date.

Interesting they went with the Payless banner there. I know they favored that banner over Thrifty in general. Thrifty didn't have the best reputation in the 90's.