Rite Aid closing at least 63 stores

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norcalriteaidclerk
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Re: Rite Aid closing at least 63 stores

Post by norcalriteaidclerk »

storewanderer wrote: May 14th, 2022, 9:06 pm
norcalriteaidclerk wrote: May 14th, 2022, 2:01 pm We can officially stick a fork in 2 more San bernardino county locations:the lone remaining chino location at 12059 central was a legacy thrifty that after getting remodeled into the ra-1 format never got any further capex beyond having updated exterior signs a year or two ago,while 13720 bear valley in victorville(legacy thrifty)was the only strip mall location left in town versus 3 freestanding drive-thru locations(one being a relocation store)and was only remodeled into rite choice decor in the early 2000's and still had late 1990's signage on the building.
There is another Rite Aid at 16120 Bear Valley which looks like an under 10 years old store (like Cameron Park, Tracy, and Roseville Pleasant Grove) and it still has old logo signs and there is a big "FOR LEASE FREESTANDING SHOP SPACE" sign in front of the store in the 2021 Google Maps photo. I hope.... they decided to keep this store now, instead of 13720 Bear Valley... the unit at 19035 Bear Valley (another of those under 10 years old stores) did get new signs. Good looking store base remaining in that area.
Speaking of Victorville(and the Victor Valley in general),an odd located Customer World unit on the SEC of Mojave/El Evado(not precisely on the corner as there is a Jack in the Box in front of it along Mojave Drive)on top of getting new logo signs is indeed one of the few such California units to have received the Wellness remodel(it's version 2 which seems to be more prevalent as the first version was only used for a year or two).The presumed relocation unit(don't know what building it originally operated out of)on 7th Street(Interstate 15 business/old US 66)is an RA-1 turned wellness store(2.0 version decor)that lost its blue awnings upon getting new logo signage.The remaining Victorville/Bear Valley store(16120 Bear Valley)shares a center with Food-4-Less;however the other go-forward Bear Valley store (19035 Bear Valley in the Jess Ranch Marketplace)is actually in Apple Valley while the other store in town(NEC Highway 18/Navajo Road,relocation store)is a blue-awning RA-1(no indication they have the new logo signs based on Google Maps)that has been remodeled into the Wellness 2.0 decor.Both Hesperia stores are on different stretches of the same street on opposite sides of town:15510 Main(relocation store)and 17441 Main are both RA-1's that remodeled into wellness 2.0 but no indication on Google Maps that either store has updated their exterior signage(both still have their blue awnings intact).

Also,though not yet to be treated as an outright closure,the downtown Bellingham store apparently has been temporarily closed due to serious structural issues,and this is actually a Wellness store.Sounds like they underestimated the routine maintenance needs of an older building(thought my store's roof was bad).
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Re: Rite Aid closing at least 63 stores

Post by SeaWolfFan »

I can confirm that the Rite Aid store at 31091 Mission in Hayward is closed.

I walked by this store on May 7th and it appeared from the outside to be business as usual. The next time I walked past on May 12th the store was dark and posters had been hung in the windows saying store closed your prescriptions have been transferred. I forget to which store I think it said the Walgreens on Tennyson even though the Rite Aid on Decoto in Union City is closer.
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Re: Rite Aid closing at least 63 stores

Post by storewanderer »

SeaWolfFan wrote: May 17th, 2022, 10:02 pm I can confirm that the Rite Aid store at 31091 Mission in Hayward is closed.

I walked by this store on May 7th and it appeared from the outside to be business as usual. The next time I walked past on May 12th the store was dark and posters had been hung in the windows saying store closed your prescriptions have been transferred. I forget to which store I think it said the Walgreens on Tennyson even though the Rite Aid on Decoto in Union City is closer.
One of those almost no notice closures... the part about the prescription files, this is very troubling. Why are they selling the files to a store that is further away, vs. transferring to the other Rite Aid?

Regardless what their plans are- sell the company, close the other stores, keep operating long term- keeping the prescriptions would benefit them as it would help the nearby store. It really feels like this is a short term get as much cash as possible type of move, but will impact the future dearly.
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Re: Rite Aid closing at least 63 stores

Post by HCal »

I bet Walgreens paid a pretty penny for those files. The other Rite Aid store may not have the staff or capacity to absorb so many extra prescriptions, or they figured they would rather have the cash now than the long-term profits.

Things aren't looking too good for Rite Aid.
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Re: Rite Aid closing at least 63 stores

Post by marshd1000 »

HCal wrote: May 18th, 2022, 3:48 am I bet Walgreens paid a pretty penny for those files. The other Rite Aid store may not have the staff or capacity to absorb so many extra prescriptions, or they figured they would rather have the cash now than the long-term profits.

Things aren't looking too good for Rite Aid.
If things aren't looking too good for Rite Aid, I wonder what that could mean for Bartell Drugs? Personally, I think maybe Rite Aid should be sold to Albertsons. The Albertsons, Safeways, etc could have their pharmacies branded as Rite Aid, like the original agreement called for. If Bartell was part of Albertsons, perhaps the Haggen pharmacies could be branded as Bartell?

Or maybe Bartell could be sold to CVS and keep it's branding like Long's in Hawaii?
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Re: Rite Aid closing at least 63 stores

Post by ClownLoach »

HCal wrote: May 18th, 2022, 3:48 am I bet Walgreens paid a pretty penny for those files. The other Rite Aid store may not have the staff or capacity to absorb so many extra prescriptions, or they figured they would rather have the cash now than the long-term profits.

Things aren't looking too good for Rite Aid.
I think it goes back to the sudden urgent need for cash. This is like living in a frozen climate and burning your furniture to stay alive because you can't pay the gas bill. It isn't a productive exercise and just prolongs the inevitable.
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Re: Rite Aid closing at least 63 stores

Post by ClownLoach »

marshd1000 wrote: May 18th, 2022, 8:08 am
HCal wrote: May 18th, 2022, 3:48 am I bet Walgreens paid a pretty penny for those files. The other Rite Aid store may not have the staff or capacity to absorb so many extra prescriptions, or they figured they would rather have the cash now than the long-term profits.

Things aren't looking too good for Rite Aid.
If things aren't looking too good for Rite Aid, I wonder what that could mean for Bartell Drugs? Personally, I think maybe Rite Aid should be sold to Albertsons. The Albertsons, Safeways, etc could have their pharmacies branded as Rite Aid, like the original agreement called for. If Bartell was part of Albertsons, perhaps the Haggen pharmacies could be branded as Bartell?

Or maybe Bartell could be sold to CVS and keep it's branding like Long's in Hawaii?
Sure seems like Bartell shouldn't have sold to Rite Aid. I wonder if they had some kind of hidden problem Rite Aid is on the hook for now that is part of this seemingly urgent cash crisis?
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Re: Rite Aid closing at least 63 stores

Post by storewanderer »

ClownLoach wrote: May 18th, 2022, 9:55 am

Sure seems like Bartell shouldn't have sold to Rite Aid. I wonder if they had some kind of hidden problem Rite Aid is on the hook for now that is part of this seemingly urgent cash crisis?
Bartell did not sell for as high of a price as I felt it should be worth. I really expected a bidding war for Bartell whenever they finally decided to sell out. Rite Aid was the last operator who I would have expected to get Bartell. So I think you have something there as to more than met the eye with regards to that chain.
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Re: Rite Aid closing at least 63 stores

Post by Brian Lutz »

As I've mentioned elsewhere in the thread I suspect that Bartell's Downtown Seattle stores were losing a lot of money from shrink and the need to have basically full time off duty police officer security, and wouldn't be surprised if Rite Aid (or some other future owner of Bartell) starts shutting some of those stores down.
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Re: Rite Aid closing at least 63 stores

Post by storewanderer »

Inventory levels in SoCal are pretty bad and seeing things like pots and box fans spread all over the aisles that used to be empty. Core categories are full of out of stocks.

Also cannot believe some of the locations where they've installed self checkouts which appears to be every store in the region. Nobody is watching these machines either. There is no scale on the bag platform.
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