The Decline of Rite Aid...What Happened?

One of America's biggest drugstore chains has filed for bankruptcy. This video attempts to identify the reasons behind their troubles.
To submit ideas and vote on future topics:
companymanidea...
Patreon: / companyman
Twitter: / mikecompany17
A very special thanks to this wonderful group of Patrons:
Library of Scars, Craig Mews, Jon Sturtz, Gabriela Martinez Celaya, Jennifer Yugo, Checkered Omega, Caitlin Kenney, Jennifer Peters, Jandel, John Briscoe, Laura Floyd, John & Becki Johnston, Kib Bibens-LeFebvre, Andrew Jeeves, aziz alfozan, Audria Richmond, Adamant, Moriah Krawec, Dandaley, Tyrone Cowan, NoChance13, Ronnie Cheng, Astra, Ahmad, milkshake, Jon, Christian & Penny Gray, Emerald Computers - Jason Dragon, Brett Walton, Peter Wesselius, Meow Wolf, MyNameIsKir, Sirpoptart.
Company Declines:
Kmart: • The Decline of Kmart.....
Blockbuster: • The Decline of Blockbu...
RadioShack: • The Decline of RadioSh...
Solo Cups: • The Decline of Solo......
Toys "R" Us: • The Decline of Toys R ...
hhgregg: • The Decline of hhgregg...
Pan Am: • The Decline of Pan Am....
ESPN: • The Decline of ESPN......
Gibson: • The Decline of Gibson....
iHeartMedia: • The Decline of iHeartM...
Bon-Ton: • The Decline of Bon-Ton...
Kodak: • The Decline of Kodak.....
General Electric: • The Decline of General...
Woolworth: • The Decline of Woolwor...
Dell: • The Decline of Dell......
Sears: • The Decline of Sears.....
Payless: • The Decline of Payless...
Hostess: • The Decline of Hostess...
Redbox: • The Decline of Redbox....
Nokia: • The Decline of Nokia.....
JCPenney: • The Decline of JCPenne...
Quiznos: • The Decline of Quiznos...
GameStop: • The Decline of GameSto...
NASCAR: • The Decline of NASCAR....
Shopko: • The Decline of Shopko....
MoviePass: • The Decline of MoviePa...
Reebok: • The Decline of Reebok....
The Gap: • The Decline of The Gap...
Pier 1 Imports: • The Decline of Pier 1 ...
Sbarro: • The Decline of Sbarro....
AOL: • The Decline of AOL...W...
Long John Silver's: • The Decline of Long Jo...
Chuck E. Cheese's: • The Decline of Chuck E...
GNC: • The Decline of GNC...W...
Hertz: • The Decline of Hertz.....
Steak 'n Shake: • The Decline of Steak '...
CiCi's Pizza: • The Decline of CiCi's ...
Boston Market: • The Decline of Boston ...
Yahoo: • The Decline of Yahoo!....
Montgomery Ward: • The Decline of Montgom...
Fry's Electronics: • The Decline of Fry's E...
Souplantation: • The Decline of Souplan...
Gateway: • The Decline of Gateway...
BlackBerry: • The Decline of BlackBe...
Sports Authority: • The Decline of Sports ...
Atari: • The Decline of Atari.....
KB Toys: • The Decline of KB Toys...
Pizza Hut: • The Decline of Pizza H...
MGM: • The Decline of MGM...W...
FYE: • The Decline of FYE...W...
HP: • The Decline of HP...Wh...
Forever 21: • The Decline of Forever...
Guitar Center: • The Decline of Guitar ...
WCW: • The Decline of WCW...W...
Sega: • The Decline of Sega......
KFC: • The Decline of KFC...W...
Macy's: • The Decline of Macy's....
Circuit City: • The Decline of Circuit...
Bed Bath & Beyond: • The Decline of Bed Bat...
Carvana: • The Decline of Carvana...
Fuddruckers: • The Decline of Fuddruc...
Borders: • The Decline of Borders...
Friendly's: • The Decline of Friendl...
Sprint: • The Decline of Sprint....
Groupon: • The Decline of Groupon...
______________________________
Website created by - fullertonmedia...

[@kingrob8278]

I once worked for CVS and there was a rite aid down the street. One day a rite aid shopping cart mysteriously ended up in our parking lot. And we took it in and used it as our own. Looking back, I'm glad that cart escaped the inevitable.

[@lens_hunter]

I'm happy for cart-kun.

[@killerfrank8974]

As someone who currently works for Rite Aid, another reason for their downfall was not using their resources wisely enough. For instance, Rite Aid no longer has the red, white, and blue logo anymore. It's now a green and white logo that they changed to. Want to take a guess how much it cost to change every store's sign and logo? Try $700 million! When we heard that, we couldn't believe it. That was money that could have gone towards new equipment (our cash registers, for instance, aren't the fastest) better technology, investing in staff, etc. Think about it; if you were the CEO of a company or business owner and you had $700 to invest, what would you spend it on? That money definitely would have come in handy when all the pharmacists and techs were leaving during the COVID nightmare when everyone was getting burned out.

[@mkdisciple]

The red logo was nice, too.

[@arnoldhey6515]

Same, as a former RA associate. I can agree they don't spend their money in the right places. Most RA stores only have 2 to 3 functional security cameras, and all of them are only deter their employees from stealing 🤦🏻‍♀️ not the ACTUAL theives and looters we deal with. The distrust this company feels with their employees is mind boggling, that they're constantly at our throats to fight shrink, but won't put forth the money to actually deter theft and shrinkage with training and programs. many neighboring RA stores drop like flies, and employees are sitting there scratching their heads if its going to be their store next. And I feel you on the understaffing, only 1 cashier and manager on the floor EVERYDAY is ridiculous. Not to mention a majority of the time the manager is trapped helping the pharmacy a majority of the shift because they're understaffed too 🙄

[@johnnypham2850]

I would spend it on useful capital gains but most CEO’s would spend it on a contract for their Cousin.

[@rockday701]

The business doesnt care about anything but making money and wasting money on things they feel like wasting it store employees are excluded but not office workers

[@DarDarBinks1986]

@@arnoldhey6515 At my store, I was originally a front-end cashier. One night, I got called to bail the pharmacy out. I transferred to the pharmacy in under a year. Now, I'm getting burned out on that. My store is the second-busiest pharmacy in Delaware, and we're understaffed on a regular basis. If the staffing issues aren't fixed, I'm done. I'm either moving to a low-volume store or hanging up my blues and doing something less stressful.

[@currythegoatofmankindthepa5156]

They stopped selling peanut chews that's what happened 😡

[@UberHeroMystic]

😂😂😂

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

😅😅

[@nakamaswarrior292]

100% based.

[@kamarichristie4346]

Lol

[@kamarichristie4346]

It's my birthday🎉🎉

[@Lokie-cd2hw]

Rite Aid did not value loyalty of their employees at all. Associates at the store level had their loyalty stomped in the ground by constantly being treated as if they were the enemy responsible for the company's poor performance. Corporate was not culpable for anything.

[@hackwrench5583]

Been there. Cut hours, your fault, etc. They cut our hours so much I had to run the store by myself. And they also refused to install cameras in our store for a basic level of safety.

[@bethbattjes6223]

I worked there 21 years. After 21 years I was only getting $11 an hour.

[@MJ-jz1ju]

​@@bethbattjes6223Wow! Tragic

[@glennso47]

Sounds like a certain political party. The members are not culpable for anything. They blame everyone else.

[@glennso47]

I live in an area where rite aid has no stores. So I go to Walgreens or Walmart.

[@IronHorseReviews]

When they bought the Thrifty's chain in SoCal back in the 90's the change in ownership was immediately evident because the former Thrifty's store immediately became dirty looking. Rite Aid's smartest decision was not getting rid of Thrifty Ice Cream.

[@JM1993951]

Double-edged sword. Serving ice cream all day while being understaffed prevents us from getting anything else done. A lot of stores close with two people, one of them (cashier) serving ice cream all night, the other (supervisor) on register. Nothing is getting cleaned, faced, or stocked in a timely manner. 😞 When we had hours for two closing cashiers and one supervisor it made all the difference in the world. Now, the only time we ever get ahead is when the ice cream counter is down for repairs.

[@yodaisgod2]

$0.45 ice cream scoops!

[@niceguy60]

@@JM1993951 The first thing that comes to mind when I think of your chain IS THE ICE CREAM

[@courtneicey15]

That ice cream though 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@ilovegoodsax]

​@@yodaisgod2 I remember buying Thrifty's ice cream for 10 cents a scoop back in the late 70s, and buying an over stuffed hand-packed pint for $1.99 in the early 2000s. Great ice cream!

[@andrewkaye2108]

I feel for founder Arnold Grass. He worked hard to make a profitable company, retired and his OWN SON ran it into the ground and went to jail! Damn. I have not been in a Rite Aid for years. Having viewed several of these videos, ive noticed that 9 times out of 10 these companies get into financial trouble when they try to expand. IDK. I get that you have to keep moving forward, but I think that most of these companies should get to a certain number of stores, then stop and say "We cant run effeciently with anymore than this. Lets just concentrate on what we got. As long as its profitable."

[@medicbabe2ID]

I've seen it countless times. A man grows his company over his lifetime with love and hard work to great success, turns it over to his kid when he retires, and that little idiot can't burn it down fast enough. It's so sad.

[@wildbill7267]

The rich flunky son that never had to work for a living thinks he’s smarter than everyone.

[@KristianWontroba]

When you think about how privileged a life the son/daughter of a wealthy person has, it’s foolish to hand that business over to the son/daughter because they can never understand the value of hard work. It’s better to hand the business off to another investor with a similar background as your own who had to work to be where they are.

[@DarDarBinks1986]

@@KristianWontroba It's far better to hand the business off to the workers. Collective ownership and control over the means of production is all we ever needed. In other words, socialism a.k.a. democracy in the workplace. If I had my own drugstore/pharmacy, I'd have it all be employee-owned and operated. We all do all the work and we all get all the money.

[@justicedemocrat9357]

My heart weeps for the mega billionaire.

[@whyaddnamehere]

I worked as a pharmacy tech for a decade. How a pharmacy goes bankrupted is beyond me. Trust me, they make good money with generic meds!

[@thehighllama8101]

I used to be a shift supervisor at CVS, back in the 90s. I remember the head pharmacist used to brag that the pharmacy was responsible for 60 or 70 percent of the store's income. He would often remind us of that when the front store employees were running around trying to get things done (most for minimum wage), while the pharmacists and pharmacy techs had it easier and were paid more. Oftentimes, when things were slow, the pharmacy techs would just sit there talking, chillin'; they weren't even responsible for dusting or organizing the merchandise directly in front of the pharmacy. From what I understand, things are different for pharmacists at CVS and Walgreens today; they feel overworked and underpaid. Well, join the club.

[@pulaski1]

They operate out of a building ten _times_ the size needed to operate a pharmacy, then fill the space up with over-priced dollar store crap that has _nothing_ to do with operating a pharmacy. Maybe traditional stuff, like cosmetics makes sense, and the photo/ printing desk, _maybe._ But the greetings cards, candy, kids toys, seasonal "holiday" decorations, and all the other junk is just clutter. Most of them would have done better a decade or two back, cutting a deal with Walmart or Kroger, to rent space in their stores. Now Walmart and the big grocery chains are direct competitors to the pharmacies, but without the boat anchor of underutilized retail space.

[@thatwasprettyneat]

Greed. So many of these corporate people are desperately insecure, and desperate to prove that they are big-wigs somehow. I mean he explained it--policy at some point dictated that pharmacists gloss over red flags so that they could fill the most prescriptions possible. That policy was crafted by the business people in corporate who are desperate to look upscale and elite to their peers.

[@thehighllama8101]

@@pulaski1 I believe it. I live in the Central Valley of California. When I go to the CVS, Walgreens, and Rite-Aid in my town, they have 4 or 5 customers, at most, shopping on the retail floor whenever I'm there. I really am amazed that those stores manage to stay in business. All that merchandise taking up space, plus 4 or 5 front-store employees that the companies have to pay, but no customers.

[@XSoulRazorX]

@@pulaski1 That seasonal clutter has a higher margin than almost anything in the pharmacy.

[@yaservasquez9538]

I used to work at Rite Aid as a Shift Supervisor, it was honestly horrible! We were very understaffed and overworked, not to mention the amount of theft we had to deal with. I also think Rite Aids distrust to employees was another factor to its downfall due to how much they would keep an eye on employees, and I heard it was through AP by multiple sources. Also the change to target another market audience was not enough to drive sales forward

[@hackwrench5583]

Same here. They cut our hours back so much that I had to work shifts alone. Associates were the blame for everything, with the most ridiculous of complaints being taken as gospel by corporate. I could share some stories. I saw a shift supervisor written up after a customer kicked the front door in. I seen an associate fired, because a kid in school who didn't like him in school called in a phony anonymous tip that he was stealing candy and handing it out at school, and that was after I found out about it and informed AP.

[@michaelgodwin6158]

The whole pharmacy industry's staffing model often results in grossly understaffed pharmacies where just a few people have to process, bill to insurance, fill hundreds to thousands of prescriptions (and make sure each is safe for the patient!) -as well as- give out tons of vaccines, answer near constant ringing phones, and deal with large volumes of customer service. I worked in a pharmacy for 6 years and I witnessed many new pharmacist graduates who were over $100k in student debt start excited and get burnt out within a year or two, and despite spending many years preparing for their role decide to leave the career track to pursue other lines of work.

[@briananderson7497]

I heard a report recently about how often Pharmacies fill the wrong prescription. Walgreens and CVS were the worst offenders. (probably Rite Aid too, but I remember the other 2 specifically being mentioned) Over 90% of the wrong prescriptions. Over worked and understaffed was the biggest reason for the mistakes. Not a good trend as peoples lives are on the line from those mistakes.

[@GOATexp]

@@briananderson749790%? You sure it was that high?

[@phil2782]

Always seems crazy to me that someone would willingly become a pharmacist. Imagine spending 6 years studying. . . . Just to have to deal with the general public in a glorified checkout chick position to the same companies that want to pay you like the 18year old checkout chick. Fuck that.

[@Lokie-cd2hw]

@@briananderson7497 Rite Aid would have a pharmacist employee on a state Board Of Pharmacy. When pharmacists complained to their board, the Rite Aid shill on the board would summarily dismiss the complaint and would suggest that the pharmacist was incompetent in not being able to handle a large volume of prescription with the staff given. Other chains do this too.

[@Gatorade69]

The part about making sure it is safe is a huge one. My friend who is a doctor now started by working as a pharmacist. I remember him telling me a couple times he denied someone a prescription because it would have a bad interaction with the other medications the person was taking. Some doctors just prescribe shit without checking what the person is taking. Hopefully he saved some lives but he probably pissed them/their doctors off.

[@PuffGawd]

I worked as a supervisor there for over 5 years. Our store was in a small town and was actually really profitable. However, they spent so money on dumb shit it blew my mind. I just left a couple months ago due to how much they cut the payroll. I was full time and couldn't get more than 34 hours a week because there was "not enough hours" while the manager committed serious time theft:) crazy time. They have what's coming to them

[@AlexSanchez-ff3uh]

Left as a supervisor almost 10 years ago, glad your out of that terrible place...greener pastures are ahead of you for sure !

[@JHOffSuit]

Supervisors were not treated with the respect they deserve given what we had to do. I always thought of the position as being the "pretend manager" They called them managers but paid same as cashiers.

[@seanhartnett79]

@@JHOffSuitin some places it is the same but you are paid like $2 an hour more.

[@hackwrench5583]

Same. When I was there the store manager was salaried for 60 hours. Though I doubt if a single one of them ever worked over 40. I worked at a union store, so I was probably paid less than you.

[@seanhartnett79]

@@hackwrench5583 the manager always stole our hours and we had no ability to complain. Basically non-union CVS sucked. He gave himself 44 hours per week, and he fucked around for that. But he was salaried, he didn’t need those hours.

[@MyManEarl]

Rite-Aid bought a regional drug chain in Michigan called Perry Drugs, back in the late 80s or early 90s. The stores almost immediately went downhill. They became dirtier, were out-of-stock more often, and lost that neighborhood feel. They basically became worse than other options, so they made it easy for former Perry customers to go to supermarkets or other Rx providers. They seemed to be too focused on growth and achieving a national footprint than on their day-to-day operations.

[@JL-sm6cg]

I remember that.

[@BellaRio2]

I worked at Rite-Aid Pharmacy back in the late 90s when they were still sweeping through cities and buying out all the small mom and pop shops/pharmacies. That was when patients were starting to be told to come back hours later or the following day to pick up prescriptions. I felt bad for sick patients, elderly or anyone that was inconvenienced by this. Fast track to present day and this is common now, terrible for patients but apparently good for business.

[@jessdrewthis]

The two Eckerd pharmacies in my town were converted into Rite-Aid locations. But Eckerd wasn’t our local pharmacy, that designation goes to Happy Harry’s…which was sold to Walgreens.

[@tiffanygossett7125]

Ten years later, my grandmother still had a perry drug petroleum jelly in her cabinet

[@zEropoint68]

i worked (very) briefly for the perry drug on the corner of newburgh and 6 mile in livonia

[@DaveAdams222]

This is so weird. I'm a Cloud DevOps Engineer . . . Rite Aid JUST reached out to me looking for a new engineer. When they found out how much my salary requirements are, they rejected my application outright. . . . it all makes sense now.

[@justicedemocrat9357]

If you lowered your insane salary expectations maybe you'd get a job instead of mooching unemployment benefits.

[@Ant-ym3mw]

You can look for work while being employed... In fact mowt employers are looking to poach people from companies​@@justicedemocrat9357

[@thewildcardperson]

​@@justicedemocrat9357 bud if hes getting offers from them hes getting better offers else where know your worth

[@shadowtheimpure]

@@justicedemocrat9357 In the US, the average salary for that job is $145,000 a year.

[@mack.attack]

I was a pharmacist for Rite Aid for a while. The company made moronic decision after moronic decision while ignoring the basics for so long that I'm honestly surprised they haven't gone out of business yet. I will say they had, by far, the best/most sophisticated/fastest pharmacy computer system (NexGen). Way better than CVS or Walgreens.

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

Man the fact that Rite Aid has lasted longer than K Mart is really something. Rite Aid could've gone out of business 20 years ago but they didn't and survived.

[@infallibleblue]

Wild right? Always making pharmacy the back end while pushing random seasonal products.

[@rxanime535]

NextGen was amazing. When we converted from Rite Aid to Walgreens in the buyout it was madness. We would joke that it was like going from an iPhone to a jitterbug.

[@hackwrench5583]

NexGen was great. But I worked front end. In the front end, we had an early 80's PC running a text based unix OS.

[@DarDarBinks1986]

I'm a pharmacy tech/cashier at a Rite Aid in Delaware, and one of the dumbest decisions I've seen the company do was when they bought a mom-and-pop pharmacy near my house and dumped all their scripts and customers on my store. Long lines stretching out the door? Our pharmacy being over 1,700 scripts in the shit? MY BROTHER IN CHRIST, YOU BOUGHT THE MOM-AND-POP JOINT!

[@MundaneGray]

Like many other commenters, I fondly remember a regional pharmacy chain that Rite Aid acquired and assimilated. Here in the Carolinas, it was Eckerd Drug. Eckerd stores were everywhere in the 20th century. Then Rite Aid bought them, and the stores were rebranded or closed. Today, all the Rite Aid stores in my area have closed, and Eckerd is a distant memory.

[@westrivervideotapes]

There was a 20-something drug store chain named Crown Drug that mainly operated in the Triad; Eckerd bought them out in 1994, way before my time. Crown Drug, like Eckerd, is also a distant memory.

[@lukeskywalker1702]

I had never heard of Rite Aid until the Eckerd buyout. Most of the former stores in the Atlanta area are now something else or a community blight. I miss Eckerd

[@Fuji086]

Now Eckerd is nothing but payroll branding for Rite Aid.

[@mattycooldude6462]

I miss Eckerd. That was a great drugstore.

[@Fireballof3]

The worst is that even while losing so bad for so long, they kept acquiring local chains for no reason! The one that hurt was Bartell's (Seattle area chain) - you would often see a Bartell's, a Rite Aid and a Walgreens all within walking distance of each other, but in some places Bartell's was the only option. Bartells was friendly, nice, local and had good staff. Once purchased, they closed down most of the locations and gutted the rest down to bare bones before closing them too. Bartell's was purchased in October 2020 - 3 years before this bankruptcy.

[@killerfrank8974]

As someone who currently works for Rite Aid as an assistant manager, yeah, even to me on that level in the company, it didn't make a whole lot of sense for Rite Aid to buy them.

[@seattlebeard]

Bartell's is still there 4 blocks from me, but it has become so depressing I cannot bring myself to shop there. Wallgreens down the street is where the junkies hang out, so I buy my meds online. America sucks now.

[@justicedemocrat9357]

OMG a crackhead Batell's pharmacist used to blow me at the back of davidson street.

[@kendrasullivan7407]

I used to go to rite aid for flu shots but not anymore after this years experience. The website made it sound like I was scheduling an appointment for the current week when it was actually 3-4 weeks away. Every time I went in person to ask if I could do a walk in flu shot they had a different excuse to say no. Ended up going to CVS.

[@theswampangel3635]

Rite Aid took over Thrifty Drugs in my area and pretty much destroyed them. I had to take my prescriptions to another drug store because Rite Aid kept dropping the ball on prescriptions for things like insulin. The employees went from friendly to nasty in about the time it took to change the signs on the stores.

[@nucleargrizzly1776]

Same as when they took over K&B in Louisiana. They lost life long generational customers.

[@sonic23233]

My family just uses the pharmacy at Giant Eagle now

[@CandidLy1]

I remember it happened to Thrift Drugs in our area. Whereas Thrift was unique it then Became very generic and just like every other chain.

[@cmdraftbrn]

thats all mega corps do. buyout the competition, or crush it. cisco does the same thing

[@BurritoKingdom]

I hope the ice cream stays

[@AlexSanchez-ff3uh]

I worked at Rite aid for about 6 years...all around pretty terrible executive and district management. They just churned through store managers in my area. It almost felt combative towards their employees under certain leadership...they didn't care or invest in their employees. Once I left to better run companies I can see the major flaws with their HR side of the business. I left when I saw there was no viable future back in 2014.

[@Dominicc95]

I been through 6 managers and 3 dms over 5 years all with different (Dumb) ideas

[@ghostcoffee1099]

Rite Aid was always the ice cream place for me. Love that Thrifty brand.

[@Sheikh_Speare]

Thrifty still exist as stand alone ice cream shops in Mexico. Tastes as good as I remember. 😋🍨

[@gjd424]

Did they put opioids in the ice cream!?😅

[@SivaExperiment]

@@Sheikh_Speareand some places in the west coast

[@TheManny717]

Well, their Thrifty’s brand is in jeopardy because of Rite Aid.

[@ganymedehedgehog371]

I hope they at least sell off thrifty so that it can live on.

[@Sarappreciates]

This genuinely messed me up for a couple days. I got a post-surgical staph infection, and the nurse had to special order the antibiotic Rx from Walmart because our local pharmacies were inundated with so much overflow from these closures all week!! Crazy stuff!

[@UberHeroMystic]

I was always impressed how they managed to last this long with how bad their financials were.

[@edupunknoob]

We used to ‘face out’ the store to hide how low our sticks were because our vendors wouldn’t fulfill orders because our invoices were going unpaid.

[@justinbremer2281]

They were having to rob Peter to pay Paul, but first they needed to rob Steve and pay Peter so there's something to steal for Paul

[@thequintanashow5058]

@@justinbremer2281😂😂😂

[@thegreat9481]

Debt baby

[@DarDarBinks1986]

Rite Aid dug its own grave by buying up so many regional chains and mom-and-pop pharmacies.

[@shaunoconnell5457]

I'm surprised it took this long for them to file bankruptcy. I worked for CVS in the late 90's and early 2000's and we were told rite aid was about to be out business way back then.

[@CozyButcher]

It's a shame, they were the first store I worked at as a lowly Pharmacy Tech years ago. When a Wal-Mart opened across the street with the $4 plan for many medications, that hurt. Instead of upgrading the pharmacy with more space, hiring more techs for faster service, or price-matching the $4 plans if a patient asked...they put money towards trying to keep the Wal-Mart from being opened. They bribed local politicians, which was in the news but the papers deleted the articles since. Today there is a Wal-Mart there but the Rite-Aid pharmacy has lost over 60% of the pharmacy Rxs. Cozy's former peer as a Tech is currently the RPh, but is moving to that very Wal-Mart very shortly. TL;DR This isn't shocking they're going the way of Sears and K-Mart.

[@infallibleblue]

As a tech, I know what you mean. I hope all is well.

[@hackwrench5583]

They did the same thing at the Rite Aid that I worked at. Working with politicians to keep Wal-Mart from moving into town. I remember one of the things that stopped Wal-Mart from moving in was apparently someone found a rare species of turtle there. When Wal-Mart did come in, I applied and moved over there. I was working as a front end supervisor at Rite Aid, and became a lowly associate at Wal-Mart... and that got me a RAISE in pay.

[@AtotheZ7]

I worked at a Rite Aid while in college when photos when from being on film to digital. I think one downfall is digital photos. A good part of the business was developing photos. People would come in, get their film developed, and shop around. When things went digital, people had no reason to come in anymore.

[@hackwrench5583]

When photo's went digital, my Rite Aid got this new, fancy Kodak kiosk in. It worked great at first, but its flaw was that when you put an SD card in, it copied the entire card, including blank areas to its 2GB RAM. So larger cards were a problem as it would take up all the RAM. I remember someone coming in with a 2GB card, and it crashed the kiosk instantly. I called Kodak once, and the rep tells me to tell the customer to take the card home, use her computer to copy her pictures to a smaller card, and bring it back to print.

[@blueblousedesigns]

I miss One Hour Photo, period

[@darrenthetuber743]

It's the excelling at something that becomes obsolete, the cruel nature of technologies booms

[@hackwrench5583]

You reminded me of something. Before Kodak made kiosks, they tried so desperately to stop people from getting digital cameras and stick with 35mm. My favorite was HD film. As someone who developed it, I can confirm that it was just standard Kodak 400 film with a higher price.@@darrenthetuber743

[@DarDarBinks1986]

Why the blue hell would anyone still use film in 2023? Our phones take better photos and you don't have to develop them.

[@cindythecatwoman1601]

I've always liked Rite Aid being from PA. I didn't know the history of the company until now so thanks. I liked the old red, white and blue logo better than the one they have now.

[@suntanman99]

I noticed that despite all the acquisitions over the decades, Rite Aid currently only has stores in 17 states - mostly in the northeast and pacific time zone. Virginia is the only southern state with Rite Aid and Ohio & Michigan are the only midwestern states. Idaho, Nevada, & Vermont only have a few stores each. Thus it is really a regional chain rather than a truly national one.

[@MirzaAhmed89]

Not true. They had stores in most or all of the 50 states. The 2000 stores they sold to Walgreens were converted to the latter, making it appear they have a smaller footprint.

[@bruceh4180]

You are correct in that it is now that way. We STILL have vacant locations here in Las Vegas a decade after they pulled out. The repurposed ones are very obvious. Oddly- a long time vacant store is finally being remodeled into a charter school.

[@dynamicdave2647]

They are rare even in virginia

[@bluegrassman3040]

In Henderson, KY, we have three Walgreens. A town of less than 30,000 people.

[@mikeroni]

I don’t have a drugstore preference but I’ve always seen CVS/walgreens as much more modern and clean looking

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

Yep I literally live close to a CVS too.

[@ydcee3123]

To me, CVS is more expensive.

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

If I'm getting a prescription filled, it means I've hit a moment of rock-bottom health and I'm not leaving the house again for awhile 😅. So, I want to stock up on stuff before I shut myself away. CVS is too expensive so I go to Walmart. I can buy stuff like a humidifier, food, get my meds, and then be miserable for the next week surrounded by my goods 😂

[@Leonard_MT]

Huh in my area CVS looks terrible while Walgreens looks pretty good but RiteAid looks extremely clean and modern, surprised that this isn't the norm since every RiteAid I've been to looks very good while every CVS looks dilapidated.

[@meatbleed]

So it sounds like you have a preference

[@codyspeedy]

I cannot believe how many videos you have made!! And all with superb quality and accuracy!! You truely are making the world a better place with your documentaries

[@AvenueD417]

You should do Boston Market next, talk about a fall from grace. All the restaurant locations by me were evicted by the sheriffs department

[@jriley1992]

He already did

[@BattleOverride856]

That was done already....last year

[@cindythecatwoman1601]

They used to be everywhere but, you can't even find their frozen meals now.

[@AvenueD417]

@@jriley1992 he did??? Alright cool, I was blown away by the spectacle I saw last week with two separate restaurant locations being emptied out, one happened today in Staten Island, I’m in the Long Island region. I’ve never seen a corporate chain be halted like that before. The employees didn’t know they would lose their jobs so abruptly

[@libertymartin5167]

I agree with you, and he actually did a video on this. I loved going there when I was a kid and teen. Last month I visited the last one nearby in my area and sat and ate there, and I'm glad I did. The girl working there was the only person working, (besides the dishwasher) and when she quit to work for Perkins, I haven't seen them open since, since they need more employees there now. I wish people would go to work there to save this place.😢 I love their food.

[@GLI1346101]

I used to have Rite Aids in my town and they were all over Kentucky, but Walgreens bought all of the Rite Aid stores in the state of Kentucky. Rite Aid now has a partnership with Amazon where you can order Rite Aid products and their branded OTC medicine on the Amazon website, and Rite Aid and Amazon is fulfilling the orders, not a third party private seller. Great for people who no longer have access to a Rite Aid store in their area anymore. I even stopped at a Rite Aid in Washington, PA on my way home from a family reunion in Connecticut and was able to use my Rite Aid rewards again I could not use anymore in Kentucky except for their online store. A lot of former Rite Aid stores Walgreens didn't want to keep are now Dollar Tree stores in my area.

[@bluegrassman3040]

There were two Rite Aids in Henderson, KY that became Walgreens. Them and a Walmart pharmacy are about all we have now. Maybe a mom and pop pharmacy here and there.

[@daedaluswriting9350]

I remember when Rite-Aid was replaced in Henderson, now i know why; Walgreens' buisness practices there are horrible, but its about all we got other than Midway, Butlers, or other mom & pops

[@VidClips858]

I stopped going to my nearest Rite-Aid because of constant miscommunications with the pharmacy staff and ridiculous wait times for the amount of customers actually in the store. That store is surprisingly not on the closure list. There are no decent pharmacy chains left in America. They are all horrible.

[@markwilliams2620]

Publix is good. So is Meijer. Supermarkets they are, but great with scripts.

[@VidClips858]

@@markwilliams2620 Costco has been very good, too. That's where I go now.

[@ryanvandy1615]

@@markwilliams2620Meijer pharmacy is fantastic

[@LoveClassicMusic0205]

@@markwilliams2620 Kroger is good as well. The one by me gives me fast service and short lines.

[@TheMicro4]

Giant Eagle is fine. They actually call you when your order is ready. Also they actually answer your questions. But they also wont hire enough techs and will not hire veteran techs unless they have a manpower shortage. When they do they will hire up to 4$ an hour under normal wage. Average is like 9.50 - 12.50 per hour. Why work there when you can work almost anywhere else for 11 - 15 dollars per hour

[@garymcomber9354]

I worked for Rite Aid around the year 2000. I've never seen a company focus so much effort on employee theft. The break room had a constant video about how much employee theft they were experiencing and how they were going to catch us. I couldn't leave fast enough.

[@bluegrassman3040]

I worked for Lowe’s and they told us the same thing. Supposedly, employee theft is the worst in retail, idk. But I as an employee, do not enjoy being treated like a criminal while trying to do my job. Funny, the whole six years I worked for them, I never knew one such instance of employee theft. It was always from customers. Much of it organized theft rings.

[@Markimark151]

Finally! I’ve been requesting this video on Rite Aid! I used to work for this drugstore and their demise was happening for over a decade! I thought they already went bankrupt several years ago because they close all their stores in my state! They’re the RadioShack of drugstores!

[@bobjones4827]

They really started losing customers when they discontinued the rewards program. Gold level gave me 20% off most things in the store. It made everything reasonably priced and I would browse around and impulse buy all kinds of products. More recently they raised prices and are even stingy with the ac. Its always stuffy in there.

[@bethbattjes6223]

That's what I think drove the majority of customers away. And i worked there for 21 years

[@HollywoodShono]

@@bethbattjes6223 You have been found!

[@DarDarBinks1986]

That's what happens when you raise the prices of everything but keep the pay the same.

[@Fuji086]

It's even _worse_ in the pharmacy. We can't even take our pharmacy coats off lest our store manager (or her little snooty little lapdog) raises a stink about it.

[@DarDarBinks1986]

@@Fuji086 Funny, some of the other techs at my store don't wear their blues unless corporate visits. Nobody bats an eye.

[@pepsiaddictgaming]

Something impressive I noticed was how quickly every Rite Aid was able to rebrand all their stores signage with the updated logo. Feels like it could take several years to a decade for other buisnesses to do the same

[@jays2551]

anything is possible when you simply spend more money than you're able to pay back!

[@edupunknoob]

Anything is possible when you berate your staff until it’s done. “The bee tings will continue until morale improves “ is a lot closer to the truth than anyone who didn’t work for the company might suspect. (Worked for Rite Aid for almost a decade, cashier, Supervisor, Assistant Manager, and Pharmacy staff.)

[@TheAbandonedAccount7]

Kmart took so long to do it that they just straight up never did lol

[@killerfrank8974]

Yes, but rebranding that fast came at an enormous cost, about $700 million to do that!

[@kevinestes9800]

@@TheAbandonedAccount7 There used to be a Kmart within a quarter mile of where I live, that closed in 2014, it had the current logo on it when it closed. It depends on the franchise. Taco Bell is the biggest "violator" of this, as the franchises around me often update their logos shortly before the new logo is already released.

[@LudicrousSpeed2001]

I’ve been waiting for this video to drop for a long time!!🤣

[@MrRezRising]

They just closed our local RA here in Inwood, NYC. Dramatic results. They were a real focal point in the neighborhood for basic shopping.

[@LifeCoachTay]

I Haven't Been To Or Seen A Rite Aid In A Long Time But Didn't Realize It Until I Saw This Upload.

[@michaelstasyszyn8857]

As a lifelong resident of NEPA, how did I not know Rite Aid started in Scranton? Growing up, they were pretty much the only game in town.

[@jamrhein2]

Rite-Aid took over Eckerd by me and it has been a terrible place to go ever since. We used them for rx for awhile but too many times they didn't have the meds we needed. The final straw was when my daughter got sick and they kept telling me to come back and every time i came back theyd move when they'd have it in and after like a week someone finally told us they didn't know why the others kept stringing us along, they were almost definitely not getting that med in any time soon if at all. Haven't been back since. It's 6 blocks from my house but I drive 20min to not have to deal with them.

[@allstardumbazz4773]

The Rite Aid closed by me around September 2018. Once those refrigerators were not being fixed for about 4 months, something was terrible. Today it’s now a Family Dollar store. That new store almost closed down for good because of safety, OSHA closed them. They reopened early September

[@1mlb704]

Great video, I've always been curious about this company. In my area we had several Brooks pharmacies, and they all turned to Rite Aids in the mid-2000s like you mentioned. Now those Rite Aids are all Walgreens. Between those and the dozen CVS stores in my area, I don't even remember the last time I saw a Rite Aid.

[@FairDrogon]

Rite Aid was my pharmacy for about eight years because it was through my insurance and down the street from me. The pharmacists were always kind and understanding. I believe that store still remains open for now.

[@jamesslick4790]

My insurance forces me to CVS, Meanwhile I can WALK to THREE different Rite Aid locations! 🤦‍♀️

[@seanhartnett79]

@@jamesslick4790proof that private insurance isn’t as good as people believe.

[@blueblousedesigns]

​​​@@jamesslick4790my childhood rite aid closed in 2003, and the Piggly Wiggly next door closed around '98 or '99, and become a Goodwill Emporium. Ever since my Rite Aid closed, I go to CVS

[@MitchellShilling]

My aunt actually works at a warehouse for Rite Aid. There was one Rite Aid that just closed near my house not too long ago.

[@acegarcia3719]

Used to be a Rite Aid in my town that I went to a lot, the location was sold to Walgreens during their 2017 selloff.

[@davidslife989]

Here in Western New York we started with Fayes>Eckerd>Rite Aid>? So anyone's guess after Rite Aid maybe a local grocery store or walmart after Rite Aid closes for good?

[@misfitwookiee3177]

Rite Aid bought Thrifty's, and kept their iconic ice cream (them and Tillamook are my go-tos), to which I am eternally thankful. They're also the closest pharmacy to me, so I do appreciate the company. Thank you for doing this episode. I truly had no idea what was going on. Tangent: there were several companies that impacted me as a kid (just turned 50), and would LOVE a deep dive on Gemco, Zody's, or BEST. Regional fast food chains Pioneer and Pup & Taco would be epic as well. Seriously, thanks for all you do!

[@oxxnarrdflame8865]

I think they will tank. It’s really difficult to recover from that type of incompetence (I was going to say mismanagement but it’s beyond that). There are many examples of that, you’ve covered many of them.

[@CodenameSailorEarth]

My dad worked at one for a few months. Terrible management at the top. He didn't have true "off" days. Can you also do Phar-Mor and Ames/Venture/Jamesway?

[@numbuh74]

I live near one of their pilot stores and when they changed the logo to the current one, they tested a new layout in these select (I believe there are 3 in total) stores. Everything is very spread apart and the men's section is on the opposite side of the store from the women's. Most of the lighting is natural lighting. All in all, as someone who takes pictures of businesses at different stages of their lives and has seen many stores go out, it reminds me a lot of a closing store. It is no surprise that no one likes the renovations, so it never got passed on to other stores.

[@MrMagnaFarce]

In my area Longs Drugs was the best because of their old fashioned candy selection (then CVS bought them and made the locations worse) and Rite Aid was second best because they had a decent old fashioned candy selection and a very good ice cream parlor inside. I was a fat kid.

[@gamesmovienation3516]

I remember longs they were incredible I loved their neon sign outside in cursive writing and every time I went in their I’d immediately go to the vhs movies and ask my dad to rent one and we always did rent a vhs movie. And the store looked so nice and clean but then it was bought by cvs now don’t get me wrong cvs is pretty nice but longs drugs was the best

[@MirzaAhmed89]

In Hawaii, they are still branded as Long's Drugs.

[@LJK193]

I was literally about to suggest this and then I see this in my feed. Thank you Company Man for putting out such wholesome, informative quality content. You take subjects like finances which maybe boring to many and make the videos entertaining, without resorting to anger, swearing, or unnecessary jump cuts, just calmly talking about something you're passionate about. Good job, man. Thought the decline videos are always a bit depressing. Sad reminders of how a company can be on top of the world one day and become absolute nobody later on.

[@coupdeforce]

One just closed in my town last week. They moved to a new location in town about 10-15 years ago. I don't even know the exact year, because they made themselves that irrelevant to my life. They used to be in the shopping center, but decided to build a new store across the main town square. Then CVS built a store next to the shopping center. So I haven't been in my local Rite Aid for anything for 10-15 years. I used to go there all the time for over 25 years. The new store layout was completely bizarre. It's hard to believe they're still pretending to be a drug store. It's like someone's personal vanity project. They want people to know they exist. But there is no reason for their existence.

[@Cloudpiroth01]

I worked at Rite Aid a decade ago. What a blast from the past.

[@peterlau4683]

The Rite Aid store near my home used to Payless before Rite Aid acquired it in 2000's lucky still stay after the company filed for bankruptcy days ago, but sadly there are four stores in San Diego announced to close as the plan to close over 100 stores across the US for the company to restructure, there were few stores in SD closed before the news announced that they go bankrupt, and I doubt more closure will be coming up beside those set to close.

[@davids6898]

Thrifty Drugs in California had an ice cream counter in their stores. I must say when Rite Aid bought them they did not get rid of this. I would really hate to see this go.

[@PASH3227]

Same. Need to pick some up before my location closes!

[@SleepyKyju]

We were a rite aid family growing up because it was close to my house, and I stopped in often to get a little treat for myself with my allowance after middle school since it was directly on the way home, and I walked. There aren't any rite aids where I live now so I never go there, I just go to whatever is cheaper. And usually I just fill my two monthly scripts at the grocery store chain I used to work for because not only are their drug prices pretty good, but I know they have reasonable prices on other items I might need. There's always a huge mark up at drug stores.

[@patrickcarrillo714]

Was the little treat a thrifty ice cream cone from the ice cream stand?

[@cloudstrife6435]

Rite Aid was the biggest pharmacy in my hometown for the longest outside of WalMart and now the lot where they were is completely leveled.

[@alwallace4538]

When I saw an article about their bankruptcy my thought was: "they're still in business?" Considering how many repurposed Rite Aids I see it wasn't an unwarranted thought.

[@stormy313]

just pieced together after seeing 4 different michigan rite aids closing... They closed the michigan distribution center even! I went into the Warren location and it looked like it hasn't been updated in 40 years. My girlfriend picked up some 20 year old CDs that were probably behind a shelf their whole life

[@SilverEyesValentino]

My ex worked at Rite Aid for many years. Hated every minute of it. It did sound like an awful place to work from the issues she told me about. I was not surprised when I found out it was not doing well.

[@catwealljustgetalong1612]

A prescription at Rite Aid for NARCAN is $120 w/o insurance, and is only $40 when purchased OTC in the store

[@saviordream]

There are still a couple of Rite Aid stores in my local area, but I've never really shopped at them. The only time I ever went into them was when I would pick up prescriptions for my mother-in-law (when she was alive). She liked them as she got older because they would deliver to her house, but when she needed stuff in a hurry she would often ask me or my wife to pick them up for her. Since she passed, I don't think I've been in one since. They, along with CVS, just have prices that are too high compared to the local WalMart or supermarket chains, all of which also offer prescription service, so there's really no reason to go in any of dedicated drug stores.

[@billplatt]

Every Rite Aid I go in the shelves are continuously empty and I end up walking out.

[@jimv77]

Back in the 1990s as a teen I worked at a small local drugstore. At the same intersection were two larger pharmacies. The grocery store next door also had a pharmacy…again all at the same intersection! Even as a teen that told my there was money to be made in the pharmacy business.

[@MasterMalrubius]

More so as people get older. One thing I feel bad about for younger people is not growing up in a community where the majority of businesses were owned by the people living there. It is a completely different feel.

[@JM1993951]

Yeah, by the people putting up the buildings and the endless string of temporary CEOs getting what they can get before moving on.

[@damontalavera2736]

Great video on Rite Aid. You are always a pleasure to listen to because of your facts about these companies. I really enjoy how you present everything. If possible, could you please do a Chicken Express vs Golden Chick comparing the companies pros and cons. I would really appreciate it.

[@niksoncutts]

It's crazy how Rite Aid just vanished, the one near me is now a japanese bookstore

[@Imorajna]

My mother and I used to walk to the local rite aid when I was in elementary school. She called it "The Treat Store". I used to be really big into video games, my mother purchased my favorite video game of all time for me from Rite Aid when I was 9 or 10 years old. I have a lot of nostalgia for this company

[@aglassofchocolatemilk5553]

They’re are 3 certainties in life death, taxes, and company man giving me a video to watch while eating lunch

[@history_leisure]

In my tweens, we switched from Rite Aid (after using Eckert). The location I had used closed this year, and it’s right across from a CVS (who also isn’t doing too hot as the CVS we used immediately after the change is now closing, leaving that area without that form of grocery outside of a weekly or so farmers market)

[@Jada88227]

So funny that this is a company that you decided to review. My very first job ever was as a cashier at a Rite Aid in California. I’ve since moved to a handful of other states but have yet to see Rite Aid’s presence in any other state like it was when I was a high schooler in California. CVS is the convenience store I shop at now.

[@jorgegramajo8232]

Me too, was my first job, I guess times changed, and they dropped the ball

[@jorgegramajo8232]

Me too, was my first job, I guess times changed, and they dropped the ball

[@jorgegramajo8232]

Me too, was my first job, I guess times changed, and they dropped the ball

[@jonathanrios3214]

I just want to say how much I love your videos, as soon as I see a new one, I click!

[@DerekScottBland]

For a while, there was literally a Rite-aid every block or every other block down some roads of my town. What's the point of having these stores so close to each other? Financial irresponsibility like this doesn't end there, it's obviously more spread than that and answers why Rite Aid is failing now.

[@goodmaro]

I noticed that near where I used to live. They'd close one store but open up two more, very nearby. These were not acquisitions, they were newly built.

[@FuzzyKedama]

Here in Cali back in the day we had a chain of drugstores called Thrifty. Always went there to buy whatever small things I needed and the occasional foodstuffs and other home related things. However in my town we all went there to get the Thrifty ice cream. Whether it was on the cone or in the take home boxes, they were the best. I remember as a kid when it was announced that Thrifty was becoming Rite Aid, I was so upset with it. Thankfully they still kept the Thrifty brand ice cream and still sell it to this day. Sad that Rite Aid has been messing up, I hope they can rebound.

[@SpaceGhost999]

The craziest thing to me about this is that rite aid even will exists. I thought they were all gone already. Also thanks got ulocking the eckerd and revco memories. I'd totally forgotten them both.

[@sixletters9759]

I still have some Eckerd brand gold bond type powder, that I bought when Rite Aid bought out Eckerd. They were selling off Eckerd branded stuff at 50% off. I really liked Eckerd. I didn't care one way or the other about Rite Aid. After Walgreens bought all the Rite Aids active around here, and Kerr Drug, it got ridiculous. It seems like that's all years around is Walgreens, with a handful of CVS.

[@kailin2017]

There was a Rite-Aid and a Walgreens side by side in the town I went to high school in. The Rite-Aid closed a few years ago and was replaced by an Ace Hardware

[@FoAmY99]

Most of the Rite Aid locations in my area, always closed at weird hours in recent years. And its primarily because they were constantly dealing with staffing issues, and what few employees they could get to show up, would just loot the places, after a few shifts, then disappear.

[@infallibleblue]

I went to Rite Aid for a while. When Walgreens opened in the neighborhood, it felt brighter, cleaner and offered basic items at a decent price. The Rite Aid in my neighborhood will be closing and I’m kind of not surprised.

[@Ipps246]

Same thing for me as well. Rite down the road for me has looked the same since I moved here in 2000. A Walgreens opened up in 2012-2013 and looked and still looks 10 times nicer than rite aid.

[@RMacca]

I'm from PA and my partner works for rite aid as a tech/tech trainer. His store does well and isn't closing as of this moment but hearing that the company has basically been failing for many years is concerning.

[@infallibleblue]

I Hope all is well

[@jamesslick4790]

I am also from PA (Pittsburgh). My insurance forces me to use CVS, This SUCKS as I have THREE Rite Aid stores within WALKING distance! (I have to drive to get to the closest CVS!) If you are in Pittsburgh, you would never know Rite Aid was in trouble as they are EVERYWHERE in the city!

[@antonio1681]

pgh too

[@metademetra]

Probably one of the creepiest looking things is a boarded up Rite Aid.

[@Style_224]

I feel like the lawsuit really put a nail in their coffin for them

[@MasterMalrubius]

And is complete bullsh*t. They fulfill prescriptions. If there is an issue with the prescriptions then the doctor is the one who should be investigated. All that money goes to the government where it will never be seen again.

[@joewilson3393]

Too bad the same can't be said for the Sackler family.

[@DarDarBinks1986]

@@joewilson3393 We need to eat the rich. Meanwhile, replace opioids with something better such as dank-dank. So sad to see many people become addicted to those damn opioid painkillers. The active ingredient is in the same chemical family as smack!

[@seanhartnett79]

@@joewilson3393yep. I feel like they should not just be jailed forever. They should have to take the drugs they made.

[@oxylepy2]

I tried getting a job at one. They sent me all this info to go through that was VERY inclusivity and diversity heavy (like a lot of places have that as a core concept and it's part of the info you get, for Rite Aid it was the only thing), which was a little suspicious amd made me think they had gotten in trouble. Then before the interview I was warned that they wouldn't pay me what I was asking for (1 dollar over base pay at places like Walmart because they wanted me to be a shift supervisor) and they told me their pay for a shift supervisor was 2 dollars less than Walmart's base pay WAIT how was Rite Aid buying another small chain a violation of anti-trust laws, yet T-mobile was allowed to purchase Sprint?

[@seanhartnett79]

Basically the rules are inconsistent.

[@seanhartnett79]

Our local rite aid paid like $4.5 above Walmart.

[@westrivervideotapes]

​@@seanhartnett79aka selective enforcement

[@seanhartnett79]

@@westrivervideotapes it always depends on what kind of administration is in office to appoint the anti trust people. During the sprint t mobile merger talks the Trump administration had appointment power and they appointed several guys who were in the communication industry.

[@hackwrench5583]

Sounds about right. When I quit Rite Aid as a shift supervisor and joined Wal-Mart as a lowly associate, I was paid more!

[@theodrax9958]

Rite Aid just recently bought a regional chain here in the Seattle area called Bartells and has immediately started closing stores. It was generally a well regarded chain that carried local brands. Now that Rite Aid owns it I’ve defaulted to just going to whoever is closest to

[@lienmeat]

Yeah, the Bartells near me went from a decent store to somewhere I won't go. They managed to mess up my prescription "profile info" somehow and mixed it up with someone else's. I don't go there anymore.

[@keyesrm]

100% agree, my trips to the pharmacy started taking significantly longer after the acquisition finished. All the previous pharmacy staff left and were replaced by less experienced staff. Nowadays they constantly miss their promised pickup times for prescriptions. I really wish Bartells hadn’t sold.

[@llouie4999]

What a sad turn of events. We knew Rite Aid when they took over Thrifty because my mom would take us for ice cream. We otherwise don't distinguish the drug stores aside from CVS' intersection with Albertsons due to another family member being impacted by that

[@micycles1200]

I'm from California and some of the older people I know still refer to Rite Aid as Thrifty. I always wondered why. That being said, do other Rite Aids across the country carry the Thrifty brand ice cream? That ice cream counter has always been what has made Rite Aid stand out to me. Quite honestly I prefer going to Rite Aid for ice cream than a Baskin Robbins, plus those scoopers are iconic.

[@catsandbears8213]

I live in KY and have seen a few Rite Aids, but I never even knew they had ice cream in the west! There's barely any left here though, so maybe not so surprising the ice cream never made it out here

[@Noahwarriorsfan]

The ice cream is amazing, just bought 4 cartons. Always have loved it. CEO is rite aid is terrible. You'd think they would want to sell their ice cream in every single Rite Aid. They hardly market it too. All the California ones have ice cream counters/cartons. But other states probably don't. A very dumb strategic move

[@lp-xl9ld]

I started to need prescription drugs on a steady basis in 1997. The nearest pharmacy to where I lived at that time was a RiteAid. Couple years later. I changed jobs and the benefits package I had required that you get meds by mail. Then I moved to Florida and discovered that RiteAid basically didn't exist there. So I haven't dealt with them since perhaps 2005. And even though I've been a pharmacy tech since 2004, I never considered working for them.

[@goodmaro]

Huh...Rite Aid used to be big in Fla. Or at least some parts of it.

[@DarDarBinks1986]

As I work at a Rite Aid, I just have my meds filled at my store so I can get them as soon as they're ready. The most critical ones I need are my estradiol and spironolactone. And I'm in the pharmacy so I can have my titty skittles rung out within mere minutes of being filled. One of the perks of working in a pharmacy. It's not all roses, working in a pharmacy, though. I get customers who act like entitled Karens, Kevins, and other shits in between and beyond. Customers who act like they know more than the people who actually sling scripts. They will kibitz our sale prices at us and act like the customer is always right when they really aren't. No, Karen, the customer is NOT always right! A handful of times, I've had people make transphobic comments at me.

[@matthewschilling610]

@@goodmaroI thought Florida was the one state Rite Aid never operated in.

[@nordisk1874]

The fact that the Genovese Drug store was mentioned in bankruptcy filings is epic they were super cereal that they had no connections to their crime family!

[@seanhartnett79]

Interesting. Did they?

[@andrew-be7vf]

I still tend to shop at rite aid a lot simply because its closer to me than any other drug store and this rite aid is open 24/7 and everything else seems to be closed when im on my way home from work at 1am. However, im pretty sure its one of the stores closing. So i wont be shoping there for very long.

[@mightyfilm]

Everywhere around me, all the Rite Aids were either turned into Walgreens or closed outright Some even turned into Walgreens and closed. One even went in reverse and turned from a Walgreens to a Rite Aid...and closed not too long after only to become a CVS. I must've missed the fact the sale of the company didn't go through, because I assumed that it did and was surprised any RA's were still around. Anyway, it was always the store that was there that had candy in it that I'd frequent after holidays. That's my only connection to it.

[@jray0717]

Yeah I thought Walgreens acquired them too since they have their name on locations now.

[@chelmrtz]

Justice for Thrifty. Their ice cream counter was iconic

[@devingiles6597]

Totally. I love their ice cream at Rite Aid.

[@jons.6216]

I miss their presence in my city! There were only four of them, but in large, substantial locations and provided a good alternative in things Walgreens offered. Sadly they all closed here and Walgreens took over most of the spaces but in current times Walgreens is now closing too many stores to count!

[@frank-bmtz]

This one hit close to home for me. There was 4 Rite Aids within a 15 minute radius of my house. They all closed in the last 6 months.

[@TheNewgreatlife]

Also, a video on the rise and fall of the American subsidiary of LJ Hooker and its control and demise of the department stores Bonwit Teller, B. Altman, and Sakowitz would be awesome! No KZbinr seems to have dived into depth with that story, but it's a huge, tumultuous, and interesting chapter in American retail history.

[@sirekumasutra7022]

That'd be interesting. Only time I ever hear that name is if someone mentions the late Cincinnati Mills/Forest Fair Village mall which was designed by Hooker.

[@TheNewgreatlife]

@@sirekumasutra7022 It's sister mall, Richland Mall, in Columbia, South Carolina is what put me on to that whole debacle. It's a very deep and important story that needs to be told. I heard George Herscu died in prison for all of his illegal activities and taking so many companies down with him.

[@jeffmiller211]

There used to be a Rite-Aid in my hometown but it closed over a decade ago though. It's a Hibbett Sports now, I honestly thought the entire Rite-Aid company went out of business several years ago!

[@briananderson7497]

I'm surprised there was no mention of Thrifty Ice Cream with the purchase of Thrifty/PayLess pharmacies. The Ice Cream is the biggest reason to visit a Rite Aid vs any other store/pharmacy.

[@Rebeccaac]

The shelves were emptied due to shoplifting in many NYC stores. There didn’t seem to be much emphasis on loss prevention. A lot of people assumed that was the reason for closures. It’s too bad because in many sections of my neighborhood Washington Heights it’s the only major retailer of basic pharmacy and grocery items

[@astraldirectrix]

First there was Eckerd, and that was a pretty cool pharmacy chain. Then they went under and got bought out by Rite Aid, which was okay. And now they’re gone too, and all that’s left are a bunch of iconically-shaped buildings that might now be a trampoline playground or a discount beauty shop or something. If you’re young enough, you might not think much of it, but if you’re of a certain age or older, you’ll remember. RIP Rite Aid and Eckerd 💐

[@ElleBrOw]

I believe Eckerd was a southern store. Have never seen one except when visiting NC.

[@Nostaljack]

Yep. The Walgreens near me was first an Eckerd and then a Rite Aid. Eckerd was perfectly fine for what it was but Rite Aid made them much less interesting so I just went to CVS instead. I go to it again sometimes now that it's Walgreens.

[@sonic23233]

​@@ElleBrOwthey had them in Pittsburgh

[@ElleBrOw]

@@sonic23233 Oh wow, didn’t know..thanks 💕

[@mattycooldude6462]

I’m from Long Island, NY and I remember Eckerd and Rite Aid. I’m 25 and I remember the Eckerd Pharmacy in Long Island before they closed in the mid 2000’s. It became a Rite Aid around 2007 and now I go to Walgreens. We still have Walgreens, CVS, and some Rite Aid stores around Long Island still. I will miss Rite Aid however.

[@ZeitroMusic]

You forgot the other major juggernaut chocking Rite Aid out: Walmart Pharmacy

[@crash.override]

When Rite Aid rebranded with the new logo, their ads played up their selection of (bogus) herbal/natural products, which really rubbed me the wrong way. We stan for Science in this house!

[@edupunknoob]

Hey, it’s hard to deny that homeopathic (oops, I mean tiny bottles of water and sugar tablets) have a high profit margin.

[@DarDarBinks1986]

I work at a Rite Aid in Delaware and I laugh every time I see that natural bullshit. I also cringe because we're supposed to help people "achieve whole health". Homeopathy is not whole health! It's a fucking scam! If it weren't for that con job, homeopathic hucksters would have to go back to selling used cars, pyramid schemes, and religious propaganda!

[@chesspiece81]

They opened up so many so close together. My city has a population of 350k and we have 14 locations.