Pharmacist explains driving forces behind Walgreens closures

It's been a very tough year for pharmacies. Today, Walgreens announced it's closing 1,200 stores across the country over the next three years. The locations are yet to be determined.

[@kymm6306]

Amazing how they saturated the market and pushed out the smaller independent pharmacies. Now look, they're closing.

[@shauny2285]

Large corporations tell their employees were to get their prescriptions. Politicians allow shoplifters to go unpunished.

[@Edwardsjm]

Good

[@JK-yf2vl]

The gig of selling huge amounts of opioids is over.

[@michaeldavid6284]

@@JK-yf2vl Yep. Now you'll have to buy the ones made in China that come across the southern border.

[@factchecker6674]

It's a story as old as time.

[@romeysiamese6662]

Walgreens is on every corner here. Their prices were always 200% more than other stores. They did it to themselves.

[@MerelyGifted]

Hard to miss how ridiculous their prices are.

[@Bigrignohio]

@@MerelyGifted Have you considered WHY their prices were so high? I have seen blatant theft every time I set foot in there.

[@imtryinghere1]

Yes. And they demand their employees work for free and sell heroin out the back to feed their families

[@StefaniClowdis]

100%

[@YungFondo]

@@BigrignohioWalmart gets more shoplifters than anyone, they still have good pricing

[@jeffaulik3980]

People finally figured out that the $8 bottle of cough syrup at Walgreens is only $4 at WalMart.

[@11C1P]

Or $3 on Amazon.

[@theotheleo6830]

@@11C1P Yeah, but that $3 bottle from Amazon could have been looted from Walgreens.

[@16-BITFPV]

​​@@11C1P$3 on Amazon if you want it lost somewhere in the mail for a week or two...

[@scaboi]

@@theotheleo6830 Why would thieves sell the bottle at a lesser price?

[@slk1352]

Walgreens was charging me 80.00 a month for my rx. I switched to Sams club and they charge 10.00 a month. I haven't stepped in a Walgreens in over four yrs now and don't miss it one bit!!! 😊

[@commonsenseisntcommon1776]

Wow, what a difference.

[@Natalia_Gonazalo.gonzales]

Many usual suspects keeps stealing. These people are not so bright upstairs.

[@MerelyGifted]

When pharmacies can't get the medications that people need, it's also not going to help their bottom line.

[@UncleDavesKitchen]

yes, so many meds from China and now moving that to Vietnam which has worse quality control.

[@GetToDaChoppa50]

my insurance forces me to go with optum rx or they wont pay for my prescriptions after the 3rd refill. That should be illegal and we ought to be able to choose where we have our scripts filled

[@Panic-buying-toilet-paper]

That's correct.

[@dnezarmichael]

This is what is killing the pharmacies, my insurance company has done the same.

[@UncleDavesKitchen]

@@dnezarmichael same here

[@The_General_Zubas]

I agree, the American healthcare system is designed to make money, not to help people get better after being sick

[@okoyono-r3g]

Paint it anyway you want, but it’s retail theft. Theft is causing all the closures.

[@scaboi]

SO it's considered theft that more people are choosing to shop online than in the stores?

[@GeminieCricket]

186 stores closed from people stealing

[@The_General_Zubas]

I agree, along with the opioid money, tying up, people find it easier to steal now than ever, combined with higher inflation and lower wages, NDA who will just let them out and give them a free pass.

[@XX-qd6ke]

Corporate needs more private jets...

[@malachiteofmethuselah9713]

That man has nothing but opinions on why Walgreens might be closing... He is not even an employee, let alone a Walgreens executive. Wtf?

[@AK-47ISTHEWAY]

I'm going to make a similar comment. He knows nothing about Walgreens, yet they interview him like he has all the answers.

[@MerelyGifted]

Insurance companies are a big part of the problem? I'm shocked!

[@The_General_Zubas]

It’s quite simple. All the opioid money dried up.

[@tyarnold4088]

I didn't think of that factor. You're probably right. It was probably about half of their business. Now the fent dealers get the money.

[@The_General_Zubas]

@@tyarnold4088 Yea, exactly. they cut out the Pharmacy middle man.

[@The_General_Zubas]

@@16-BITFPV What's a clown show is thinking that Opioids isn't a factor at all.

[@16-BITFPV]

​​​@@The_General_ZubasJust referring to that stupid comment about fentanyl. I don't know why I even read this crap my brain hurts now. People hear a buzz word and regurgitate it like a parrot.

[@tyarnold4088]

@@The_General_Zubas they killed half their customers off too.

[@rodneywilliams3762]

GREED GREED GREED that's all this country is about now How much can we get from the people

[@XX-qd6ke]

Corporate needs more private jets...

[@ST-rj8iu]

but your politicians care about you, right?

[@doctordetroit4339]

people vote for FREE!!! they are thieves too

[@tyarnold4088]

They have always been like that, you are just now figuring it out.

[@iii9266]

I disagree. I think it was their building boom a few years ago. I watched them building a store every mile down the two busiest streets in town, 10 new shops.

[@illiniwood]

A few years ago? More like twenty years ago. Back then, Walgreens was building so fast it was making national news.

[@The_General_Zubas]

Yeah, all that opioid money

[@ChrisCarlin-is8wv]

In my state, most Walgreens and CVS are on long term lease. Unless they go bankrupt they are obligated to pay their rent , open or not.

[@JohnD6280]

Here in Homestead, FL, the Walgreens pharmacy has 2-3 people working, shelves packed with premade meds and nobody picking them up. Old computers, old stores, nothing updated, 1-2 people on the general floor, people waiting for help and nobody shows up. It's not the employees fault, it's REALLY POOR MANAGEMENT problem that nobody seems to have noticed over the years. I prefer Walgreens over CVS 10x over so fix it!!!

[@dzsnutz6669]

This is what happens when the govt wants to control the people....jobs, food, farmland, money, meds....the list keeps growing

[@socalsp3]

who they can marry, abortion... yes the list goes on

[@henryc1000]

It’s been a tough year for pharmacies in the inner cities would be more accurately stating the issue.

[@AndySaenz924]

My mom gets all of her prescriptions at Walgreens. And we live in a relatively safe area, so there’s not any petty theft here. I hope our stores stay open.

[@allykatt1849]

There is no such thing as a "safe area."

[@imaslob6168]

Shoplifting has consequences!!!!!

[@Stormin505]

same with Auto Parts Stores, their prices are way out of reach, got a price on a fuel pump Auto Zone $386 with tax, Amazon sold it to me for $63 delivered to my house!

[@Alec-x5l]

lol it has nothing to do with over saturation and everything to do with crime that is going unpunished. Theft is happening in the billions. San Francisco has legalized all theft under 950 dollars. How the fuck can a store survive in that city ?

[@Natalia_Gonazalo.gonzales]

Because of a certain group thew will close obviously they will naver say that. The store would go bankrupt for a statement to a certain community since they get easiky offended.

[@wlachappelle]

They are making money or the CEO is getting the money

[@XX-qd6ke]

Corporate needs more private jets...

[@davey11ify]

CEO gets $40 million a year.

[@toddportice4997]

​@davey11ify for doing a bad job. If he was doing a good job, they would be maintaining or expanding. If you have to close stores and lower the number of staff, then you are doing a poor job. Pay should be cut or you should lose your job. Ceos are only now hired for short-term to milk a company for max profits for the investors. They don't care if the companies fold anymore. They will just move on and get hired by another group of board members at another company that are greedy.

[@kellyluvskolors2083]

NORTHWEST OHIO Hancock, Seneca, Wyandotte, Sandusky, Wood Counties, are ALREADY REACHING Pharmacy Desert STATUS, patients waiting days for prescriptions to be filled after they have already ran out of necessity life saving daily medication NEEDS. Along with shortages of supplies. Rite Aid, CVS, & Walgreens are already closing or closed. Leaving ONLY Kroger or Walmart, maybe Meijer.... People are FLOCKING to towns that now only have ONE Pharmacy left open to serve upwards of 10-40,000 customers with highly limited Pharmacy personnel, Pharmacy hours of operations, etc.... This has already reached crisis status for MANY. And it is only getting WORSE.

[@MerelyGifted]

Telling people, "Just buy it online!" doesn't help those who are poor and have no credit cards, either.

[@kellyluvskolors2083]

@@MerelyGifted Exactly poor folks that can't, won't credit cards they can't afford.

[@Edwardsjm]

​@@MerelyGiftedcry me a river, debit cards also exist

[@isocarboxazid]

@@Edwardsjm People without bank accounts also exist, trash brain.

[@The_General_Zubas]

Yes, this is the consequence of selling opioids to American people without understanding the consequences.

[@bradbradshaw-i4n]

walgreens built to many stores in the last 20 years.

[@edie4321]

Exactly, this has all been planned.

[@GeminieCricket]

too. Not to. Not two. Sheesh

[@bradbradshaw-i4n]

@@GeminieCricket you should go to school and be a english teacher. since i haven't been to school in 60 years i'll just claim i am old and senile. so you are picking on an old senile person. you should be ashamed of yourself.

[@tednguyen208]

The tough part is the combination of filling Rx and convenience store. If either is not making enough money then the store is not profitable. My Walgreens pharmacy is doing well but barely anyone buy their convenience store products. This will open the door for pharmacy only stores.

[@unitedhybrid187]

Walmart is also almost always cheaper. People rather go there and complain about the service than pay higher prices. I get it. The cost difference can be pretty big. When I didn't have insurance last year, I shopped around for one or my prescriptions. $600 at CVS, $400 at Walgreens, $40 at Walmart. What do you think I chose? I actually refuse to even try the local mom and pop ones here because the few that we have, they're also part of very ghetto convenience stores that I feel like I'm going to get shot just by driving by. Crack addicts and gangbangers hang out around them. It's Florida after all.

[@khbow2810]

Aetna tried to force me to get my prescriptions from CVS. Guess who owns CVS? Aetna!

[@hermesmcclintok]

Stealing that pregnancy test prob not the worst thing she's gonna do with that kid

[@rfugy]

if they cant afford a pregnancy test, they cant afford the child.

[@eleven903]

Make no mistake about it; THIS IS AGENDA driven.

[@batsonelectronics]

what the hell does that mean ?

[@williammielenz3752]

Large sums of money never move by a accident, only by design.

[@CasualHoarder-ny9sd]

Getting meds and Walgreens is like mailing a package at USPS. There is always an elderly person at that counter who is trying to fill out mortgage papers

[@chuckgladfelter]

Even more of a reason for regulated national healthcare. Insurance companies and unregulated pharma are the worst.

[@josephnessschmoe2864]

I feel bad about the jobs but you don't need them drugs

[@allesasmart]

They made a deal with the devil.

[@Chicago48]

In Chicago they're prices are not competitive. For example, I went to buy a product and it was $3 higher than target. Also, our local Walgreens gets a lot of theft. The store doesn't have guards.

[@frankm7707]

I don’t shop at Walgreens unless it’s a prescription. But people are looting the stores causing the revenue drop

[@MerelyGifted]

That's been shown to be untrue.

[@toddportice4997]

Most companies factor in theft and damage when estimating projected profits. They would rather write it off then solve the issue or staff the stores to detour theft. If you have one staff member or two in a big store and they are both at a register, who is making thieves nervous so they don't steal. No one! Companies now a days just don't care to solve the issues, they just hope it goes away or they close a store, or they just let it happen. Makes no sense to me. All they have to do is hire one or two more staff members and theft will drop. The money saved would go to paying for those staff members. Compare how it was 10 to 15 years ago. Stores priced themselves on customer service and having staff knowledgeable. Having staff greeting and checking on customers and being the eyes lowered the theft in a store. If you look today you have only a few people in a store and they are all ar a register or in the back room. So what happened, theft increased and here we are today.

[@memyselfeyetallent7149]

Bottom line, cheaper elsewhere.

[@teresakaiser1366]

Not a big issue as they are the worst pharmacy for customer service that exists!

[@tomevans4402]

Prices to high

[@Mossbeehave]

Amazon is delivering medications and hospitals have their own pharmacy! Competitions !

[@1962LIBBY]

Why is the mailman in the story ?

[@GeminieCricket]

Medicine can be bought online and mailed to the house.

[@XX-qd6ke]

Corporate needs more private jets...

[@issahumps]

Amazon and Walmart is just better, they had a decade to catch up.

[@outlaw1law2guns16]

LOOTING and THEFT is the problem. I bet they aren't closing in my area.

[@mla8680]

Chicago ... I remember every block there was Walgreens and a CVS. Is it still like that?

[@commonsenseisntcommon1776]

Both my Sister and Brother in Law used to both work as Walgreens managers….. thank God they both got new jobs several years ago

[@Helibeaver]

Watch. They will close stores in democrat areas.

[@jdawglawler8833]

Don’t know why anyone would use CVS, Walgreens or Rite Aid. Prices way ro high.

[@AndySaenz924]

Online shopping is the biggest factor behind this trend. People love the convenience of it!

[@hkr321hkr]

Yes over saturated with walxrap

[@StefaniClowdis]

Walgreens is waaaayyyyy overpriced

[@mittenil2972]

STOP STEALING THE OLD SPICE

[@AK-47ISTHEWAY]

Only hipsters and senior citizens use Old Spice.

[@michaelmcginsie2600]

Bad planning. Now those god awful buildings left empty as an eye sore

[@james-b7j7v]

blame harris

[@susanl8478]

Can't shop in our Walgreens ... EVERYTHING is locked up.

[@undone8103]

Blame those 81 million biden voters😂.

[@LAFITZ10]

the CEO MAKING HOW MUCH $$$$$$$$$$$ - SICKENING! GREED!

[@sandtoy11510]

blame the board of directors, they approve the salary.

[@vu4uboo582]

They're just your local drug dealers.

[@williamnessanbaum7464]

Repeat, chronic shoplifters should go to jail.

[@6milemary419]

Corporate greed is destroying Walgreens.

[@ATF1985]

Everything is closing , ceo greedy and shitty government, but what’s new

[@kainsarafan8190]

I live in a town of 30,000 people.. there's literally a drug store on every corner.. I was in CVS the other day and I asked the lady are all these bags for people's pickups?? She said yes I said y'all got the whole downtown on drugs don't you?? There was more bags than there are people in the town and that's just one drugstore.. biggest drug dealers on the planet

[@toddportice4997]

Big chains opened too many but they also pay the top 10 positions way too much. Cut the ceo pay and save money. Those that make the bad decisions never seemed to be held accountable and those in the store working hard following the decisions of the leaders are the ones that suffer. Really sad.

[@kimberlyfamoly1963]

I don't know how they are closing, ever Walgreen and CVS I ever go to is packed with customer and always a long lone.

[@bigboomer751]

drugs are bad

[@AK-47ISTHEWAY]

M'kay

[@troyingram716]

If there are no state sponsored facilities, you have to go greyhound to free market pharmacies.

[@StamperWendy]

They don't take my health insurance so in my state, I'm sure they wouldn't be doing well (a common insurance)

[@sharonshumpert1917]

I switched to mail order pharmacy through my insurance company. My medications are on auto refill and I don’t have to make a drive to the pharmacy. It’s more convenient.

[@commonsenseisntcommon1776]

Shoplifting is out of control??

[@larryfromwisconsin9970]

Businesses come and go. Amazon killed book stores first and now many businesses are falling. We would use local pharmacies but our insurance forces us to use a mail order pharmacy.

[@Bone2187]

Have you ever been in one? If you have you know why they're closing.

[@nateh3441]

This is completely unacceptable.

[@petegregory517]

Thru independent I paid 24 for my 90 day, at Walgreens 6, another 90 day was 15, now I pay 2....don't ask me, I know nothing.

[@ryanyoung9202]

DAMN, RITE AID CLOSED ALL THEIR STORES 🏬 😮😳😬

[@AA-BB]

But Biden said he fixed prescription drug prices 🤣

[@michaelbatty2645]

All by design. Our lives as citizens is being devalued in front of our eyes. Are children are screwed

[@m00dy7]

the market is just adjusting and going to where it should be. Walgreens, cvs and riteaid opened way too many stores in the first place to cash in on the high profit margins which is now getting smaller. let the smaller independent pharmacies pick up from the bigger ones. nothing to worry about.

[@arribaficationwineho32]

Many insurers force subscribers to use only Walgreens then squeeze the pharmacies to provide drugs for less they the meds cost. They do not staff to meet the demand and it is awful for everyone

[@trinasyoutube]

Oversaturation 1:34 of pharmacies 1:45 and insurance companies steering where patients can fill their prescriptions!

[@machineman6498]

Keno screen in the background did not help the situation.

[@Earth_Rocker]

We won't be needing as many pharmacies in the future. MAHA

[@Tuscarora21]

The driving forces theft theft and theft

[@justayoutuber1906]

Prices at Walgreens are 2-3X the price of things at Walmart.

[@markrush5013]

prices too high....doesnt take a genius to figure out why walgreens,rite aid,Cvs, etc are closing down. maybe cause a toothbrush is double at these places compared to Wally world?

[@yt650]

The stores that are going to be closing obviously are not profitable and those are the ones that are in metropolitan areas like Detroit for example. When you have a lot of of your customers on Medicare for example of Medicaid, the profits are not there. Theft in the stores is a big deal and in the cities the big cities, it’s going to dictate how the rest of the people get their medication and it’s probably going to be through the Internet, or Walmart for example. The same thing will happen with big box stores that have issues with inner cities.

[@deloach205]

They are going to centralize all pharmaceutical drugs. To have absolute control

[@aromad5557]

So retail theft? Who knew? 🙄🤬👎🏾

[@punkbyproxy]

Two minutes and fifty seconds of video and you hone in on the last few moments where theft was mentioned. Is it the school system that has stunted our collective ability to think critically?

[@arielsea9087]

Granny and pastors will come to protest 3, 2, 1. While the grandchdren running around in masks getting stuff.

[@joelowens5211]

It's a power play by Walgreens. They get some newbie commercial retail leasing broker to throw out sh*t letters to the landlords asking for crazy rent reductions on the lease or they will close down. Any reduction won they throw a crumb to the leasing broker. Walgreens whether they shut a store down still on the hook for paying the lease. They are investment grade tenant current by Standard and Poors so will not usually risk not paying landlord as it affect their credit rating and borrowing costs to the business in all facets. Vintage leases from 10 to 15 years ago the starting rent too high and the sales never materialized to compensate so Walgreens would rather shut down and sublease to another tenant or offer buyout to landlord to terminate the lease early. The landlord you have to know if in place rent replaceable for that box building size. If not you might be losing money putting new tenant in at lower rents. Pre-corona mostly all tenants expanding everywhere. Now tenants more about quality locations to make a profit and culling weak locations out of the portfolio to right size the overall business model.

[@TL-wy1nk]

Close them all due to theft. Let forces work.

[@andyleibrook6012]

95% in black area's for very reason you would think. I'm only being real.

[@AK-47ISTHEWAY]

Do not suffer any guilt if you are speaking the truth.

[@mrich9654]

most of people get their Rx's mailed to them and people need to not buy Rx's from amazon!

[@toddportice4997]

Bet the ceo and top excutives still are getting the same pay and will bonus at the end of the year. Doing a good job means maintaining profit or expanding. Not closing stores and losing staff. That means you are making wrong decisions at the top. However board members dont care because they are milking the profits for them and investors. They dont care about doing a good job and keeping people employeed all while making profit. If you have to shrink a company and lay off staff then the top excutives should have to take a big pay cut if not lose the postion they hold. Most companies factor in theft and damage when estimating projected profits. They would rather write it off then solve the issue or staff the stores to detour theft. If you have one staff member or two in a big store and they are both at a register, who is making thieves nervous so they don't steal. No one! Companies now a days just don't care to solve the issues, they just hope it goes away or they close a store, or they just let it happen. Makes no sense to me. All they have to do is hire one or two more staff members and theft will drop. The money saved would go to paying for those staff members. Compare how it was 10 to 15 years ago. Stores priced themselves on customer service and having staff knowledgeable. Having staff greeting and checking on customers and being the eyes lowered the theft in a store. If you look today you have only a few people in a store and they are all ar a register or in the back room. So what happened, theft increased and here we are today. The other difference is they look at staff as a number and do not value them, treat them well, or pay them for the work they do. So you have turn over or staff that dont care its happening. Companies used to be loyal to staff and treat them well. That changed and this is what happens.

[@morrismonet3554]

Bidenomics at work.

[@andreward8268]

And no businesses shut down under Trump, right???

[@Josefernandez35563]

Putting your company in the hands of the federal government has worked for years. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@ISeeCrazyPeople]

Patient steering? Most of your customers would prefer going elsewhere but their insurance company will not pay. Talk about steering 😂😂😂😂

[@mogeking56]

Who sold pain medication 💊 to junkie people plus you have lots of shoplifting this is what’s causing them to close lots of lawsuits

[@unbreakable7633]

Walgreens is the worst. I never use Walgreens -- for anything.

[@Socratic199]

Just means there's a market for some local folks. Know how much more you make working for yourself? Go make a living, helping people.

[@GeckoHiker]

We rarely need prescriptions but when we do they are filled at our Local Family Pharmacy or Walmart. I haven't set foot in a chain pharmacy at all since 2010.

[@GeckoHiker]

@@Plutogalaxy I know what Walmart is. I pick up an elderly neighbor's insulin and diabetic supplies at Walmart because that's a required "pharmacy" for his insurance.

[@joykennedy1368]

PBM companies. Patients being forced into mail pharmacies owned by ins companies.