Rite Aid has Successfully Exited Bankruptcy

Romr123
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Re: Rite Aid has Successfully Exited Bankruptcy

Post by Romr123 »

Great service at Palm Springs RA yesterday, shelves were spottily empty (they had a reasonably full selection of P&G toothpaste and a few SKUs of Rite Aid specialty toothpastes....zero Colgate). Picked up a prescription midevening---four people in the pharmacy working steadily, no one in line.
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Re: Rite Aid Experience

Post by SamSpade »

THEY NEED TO GET THE STORES REORGANIZED (!)

This week I had to obtain a few more prescriptions after a medical checkup. Since I live right near a Rite Aid, my spouse had good treatment there previously, and on the other medicine their copay was much lower than the Walgreens where I had it filled in another state, I thought I'd try it out.

Positives:
Really great in-store music, was practically a dance club. Is this what they play nationwide? (song 1 was something I was unfamiliar with, song 2 was a remix of Sara Barellis "Love song" that was very upbeat)

Pharmacy counter was OK. Pin pad easy enough to navigate. Apparently in my state we can choose to decline a consultation with a pharmacist. Employees there seemed busy but helpful. I'd phoned ahead because I'm a new customer and wanted to check they had everything they needed. While I had to wait on the line for an extended period, the employee was polite and never seemed rushed in helping set up my information. Text messages when the scripts were ready to fill and I could have chosen to pre-pay my copays online.

Restroom must have been okay, as my spouse used it but didn't comment.

Negatives:
Store looks *so* weird with reduced merchandising. I feel like they pretty much do have what one might need to buy at a pharmacy, but at the same time with it all spaced out and poorly fronted, it feels weird. This is probably a former Payless. The landlord has a "location available" placard at the street. I suppose this means that with lease terms notice, this location could be booted.

No store brands/generics available in any of the typical drug store category products that I saw, only name brands.

Last time I was here in the summertime, the location had broken air conditioning and those portable units trying to fix the temperature. It was fine in winter (comfortable, despite recent near freezing temperatures here).
storewanderer
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Re: Rite Aid Experience

Post by storewanderer »

SamSpade wrote: February 13th, 2025, 12:16 pm THEY NEED TO GET THE STORES REORGANIZED (!)

This week I had to obtain a few more prescriptions after a medical checkup. Since I live right near a Rite Aid, my spouse had good treatment there previously, and on the other medicine their copay was much lower than the Walgreens where I had it filled in another state, I thought I'd try it out.

Positives:
Really great in-store music, was practically a dance club. Is this what they play nationwide? (song 1 was something I was unfamiliar with, song 2 was a remix of Sara Barellis "Love song" that was very upbeat)

Pharmacy counter was OK. Pin pad easy enough to navigate. Apparently in my state we can choose to decline a consultation with a pharmacist. Employees there seemed busy but helpful. I'd phoned ahead because I'm a new customer and wanted to check they had everything they needed. While I had to wait on the line for an extended period, the employee was polite and never seemed rushed in helping set up my information. Text messages when the scripts were ready to fill and I could have chosen to pre-pay my copays online.

Restroom must have been okay, as my spouse used it but didn't comment.

Negatives:
Store looks *so* weird with reduced merchandising. I feel like they pretty much do have what one might need to buy at a pharmacy, but at the same time with it all spaced out and poorly fronted, it feels weird. This is probably a former Payless. The landlord has a "location available" placard at the street. I suppose this means that with lease terms notice, this location could be booted.

No store brands/generics available in any of the typical drug store category products that I saw, only name brands.

Last time I was here in the summertime, the location had broken air conditioning and those portable units trying to fix the temperature. It was fine in winter (comfortable, despite recent near freezing temperatures here).
From what I can tell the pharmacy operation is still fine. General consensus out in the professional community seems to be they have a better pharmacy computer system than CVS or Walgreens. Their stores aren't as busy so the pharmacy staff seems more laid back. McKesson who they use is a very solid supplier; they supply Safeway too.

I noticed the store brand items keep dwindling down. This makes me think the chain isn't going to be around long. Can they not order in store brand stuff from a grocery wholesaler to just get stuff there on the shelf? In the OTC category, profit margin on store brand stuff is a lot... lot... lot higher than the name brand OTC.
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Re: Rite Aid Experience

Post by ClownLoach »

storewanderer wrote: February 14th, 2025, 12:20 am
SamSpade wrote: February 13th, 2025, 12:16 pm THEY NEED TO GET THE STORES REORGANIZED (!)

This week I had to obtain a few more prescriptions after a medical checkup. Since I live right near a Rite Aid, my spouse had good treatment there previously, and on the other medicine their copay was much lower than the Walgreens where I had it filled in another state, I thought I'd try it out.

Positives:
Really great in-store music, was practically a dance club. Is this what they play nationwide? (song 1 was something I was unfamiliar with, song 2 was a remix of Sara Barellis "Love song" that was very upbeat)

Pharmacy counter was OK. Pin pad easy enough to navigate. Apparently in my state we can choose to decline a consultation with a pharmacist. Employees there seemed busy but helpful. I'd phoned ahead because I'm a new customer and wanted to check they had everything they needed. While I had to wait on the line for an extended period, the employee was polite and never seemed rushed in helping set up my information. Text messages when the scripts were ready to fill and I could have chosen to pre-pay my copays online.

Restroom must have been okay, as my spouse used it but didn't comment.

Negatives:
Store looks *so* weird with reduced merchandising. I feel like they pretty much do have what one might need to buy at a pharmacy, but at the same time with it all spaced out and poorly fronted, it feels weird. This is probably a former Payless. The landlord has a "location available" placard at the street. I suppose this means that with lease terms notice, this location could be booted.

No store brands/generics available in any of the typical drug store category products that I saw, only name brands.

Last time I was here in the summertime, the location had broken air conditioning and those portable units trying to fix the temperature. It was fine in winter (comfortable, despite recent near freezing temperatures here).
From what I can tell the pharmacy operation is still fine. General consensus out in the professional community seems to be they have a better pharmacy computer system than CVS or Walgreens. Their stores aren't as busy so the pharmacy staff seems more laid back. McKesson who they use is a very solid supplier; they supply Safeway too.

I noticed the store brand items keep dwindling down. This makes me think the chain isn't going to be around long. Can they not order in store brand stuff from a grocery wholesaler to just get stuff there on the shelf? In the OTC category, profit margin on store brand stuff is a lot... lot... lot higher than the name brand OTC.
I start to like that idea of Dollar General taking over the front end and just let Rite Aid run as a pharmacy only operation.
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Re: Rite Aid Experience

Post by storewanderer »

ClownLoach wrote: February 14th, 2025, 2:32 pm
storewanderer wrote: February 14th, 2025, 12:20 am
SamSpade wrote: February 13th, 2025, 12:16 pm THEY NEED TO GET THE STORES REORGANIZED (!)

This week I had to obtain a few more prescriptions after a medical checkup. Since I live right near a Rite Aid, my spouse had good treatment there previously, and on the other medicine their copay was much lower than the Walgreens where I had it filled in another state, I thought I'd try it out.

Positives:
Really great in-store music, was practically a dance club. Is this what they play nationwide? (song 1 was something I was unfamiliar with, song 2 was a remix of Sara Barellis "Love song" that was very upbeat)

Pharmacy counter was OK. Pin pad easy enough to navigate. Apparently in my state we can choose to decline a consultation with a pharmacist. Employees there seemed busy but helpful. I'd phoned ahead because I'm a new customer and wanted to check they had everything they needed. While I had to wait on the line for an extended period, the employee was polite and never seemed rushed in helping set up my information. Text messages when the scripts were ready to fill and I could have chosen to pre-pay my copays online.

Restroom must have been okay, as my spouse used it but didn't comment.

Negatives:
Store looks *so* weird with reduced merchandising. I feel like they pretty much do have what one might need to buy at a pharmacy, but at the same time with it all spaced out and poorly fronted, it feels weird. This is probably a former Payless. The landlord has a "location available" placard at the street. I suppose this means that with lease terms notice, this location could be booted.

No store brands/generics available in any of the typical drug store category products that I saw, only name brands.

Last time I was here in the summertime, the location had broken air conditioning and those portable units trying to fix the temperature. It was fine in winter (comfortable, despite recent near freezing temperatures here).
From what I can tell the pharmacy operation is still fine. General consensus out in the professional community seems to be they have a better pharmacy computer system than CVS or Walgreens. Their stores aren't as busy so the pharmacy staff seems more laid back. McKesson who they use is a very solid supplier; they supply Safeway too.

I noticed the store brand items keep dwindling down. This makes me think the chain isn't going to be around long. Can they not order in store brand stuff from a grocery wholesaler to just get stuff there on the shelf? In the OTC category, profit margin on store brand stuff is a lot... lot... lot higher than the name brand OTC.
I start to like that idea of Dollar General taking over the front end and just let Rite Aid run as a pharmacy only operation.
It could be an avenue to enter Dollar General into pharmacy.
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