Archive for the ‘Walgreens’ tag
Wallgreens Pharmacy, 2300 Decker Boulevard: Spring 2023 1 comment
This Walgreens was perhaps the least Wallgreens-looking store in the Columbia area, having been an Eckerd and then a Rite Aid until 2018. I had been in there a few times in each incarnation and it was fine, but it wasn't one of my go-to drugstores.
Commenter Andrew speculates that the issue here was the lack of a drive-through, but it's a corner spot, so I think they could have put one in somehow (though I did not think to look at the side area of the store). At any rate, the issue wasn't Walgreens oversaturation -- I believe the nearest one to here is either at Spring Valley Commons, or on Forest Drive, neither of which is particularly close.
(Hat tip to Mr. Guy)
Whither Rite Aid? 13 comments
4730 Forest Drive:
6118 Saint Andrews Road
7900 Garners Ferry Road:
Commenter Mr. BO sends the pictures of the Garners Ferry Rite Aid, saying
I remember when this place was Rosewood Furniture which was raised to make an Eckerds, then I think it was a CVS for a short while before becoming a Rite-Aid. Now Wallgreens purchased the place. With a Wallgreens just a block away, I sort of fear for this store's future. They're not in the system yet so I can't do my prescriptions from Rite-aid's web site and the transfer function only lets you select the store across Garner's ferry from Hazelwood.
I had noticed similar signs on the Forest Acres and Irmo Rite Aid stores: This Rite Aid now has a Walgreens Pharmacy, which is rather like going to Sears and seeing a sign saying This Sears is now stocked by J C Penny.
Looking at google, and Wikipedia, what seems to have been going on is that Walgreens tried to buy the whole of Rite Aid, but the merger was not approved for anti-trust reasons, and Walgreens ended up with only about 2000 Rite Aid locations. Now, the rump Rite Aid chain is in negotiations with the Albertson grocery chain to merge with it.
What actually happens to the stores that Walgreens got is unclear. I would expect many of them to eventually be reflagged, but some of them are really too close to existing Walgreens locations, and those will probably be closed. How close is "too close"? We'll know when it happens, I suppose.
UPDATE 25 September 2018 -- As mentioned by several commenters, the Saint Andrews Road store is now officially a Walgreens:
