Walgreens

[SEMIweather]

Midtown drug is incredible! The owner is awesome. I switched from Walgreens a few months ago.

Thanks, will look into them. Appreciate your comment.

[Bits_Of_Real_Panther]

Midtown drug is incredible! The owner is awesome. I switched from Walgreens a few months ago.

Yeah just noticed that pharmacy a few weeks ago.

There's also a pharmacy that opened inside super cao Nguyen in maybe the last 6 months. That one had a pallet of 25 lb bags of rice parked over there, they had a 'transfer a prescription to the new pharmacy' promo where u'd receive a free 25 lb bag of rice when you transfered a prescription.

Doubt you'll see that level of creativity at the chain pharmacies 🤣

[soonermike81]

Midtown drug is incredible! The owner is awesome. I switched from Walgreens a few months ago.

Yeah, this became my family's new pharmacy several months ago. Owner is super helpful. The level of care given to my elderly parents is what did it for me.

[Pete]

Walgreens is planning potentially sweeping store closures as it faces what its CEO called a “challenging” environment for pharmacies and U.S. consumers.

The dollar stores continue to have an impact.

I was in Walgreens on Saturday and they seem to have everything the dollar stores have at the same or better prices. For the life of me, I can't understand why people (other than in small towns with little choice) prefer the clutter and mess of the dollar stores.

[OkieBerto]

Walgreens is planning potentially sweeping store closures as it faces what its CEO called a “challenging” environment for pharmacies and U.S. consumers.

The dollar stores continue to have an impact.

I was in Walgreens on Saturday and they seem to have everything the dollar stores have at the same or better prices. For the life of me, I can't understand why people (other than in small towns with little choice) prefer the clutter and mess of the dollar stores.

We went into a Dollar Tree on Monday night for cheap mosquito coils. They had one register going and four people stalking items. One lady, well above her 60s, opened a new lane, and the computer instantly went down. The line was as long as half the length of the store. We proceeded to put the coils back and got out of there. I hate dollar stores; I have no clue how people shop there so often.

[Pete]

^

The dollar stores are often really trashy outside. Junky merchandise out front, overflowing dumpsters, garbage customers just throw down and nobody picks up.

[bison34]

I'm on Sooner and 89th, in SE OKC. There isn't a dang thing near me aside from a Walmart Neighborhood Market and a Dollar General. So I sometimes am forced to go to Dollar General. I don't hate it or love it. If it closed, oh well. I do wish a Walgreens could open near me, instead of 5 or so miles away, so I'd never have to go to DG again.

[Urbanized]

I recently watched a YouTube video describing how dollar stores took over low income and even rural markets, and explained it with data.

One thing that I guess I already knew but hadn’t given much consideration to is that often even name brand items are specifically packaged for dollar stores in quantities that are much smaller than is typical for the rest of the market. This is done to achieve a desired price point, but is pretty much universally more expensive per oz (or whatever the measurement might be).

This allows people to purchase at a perceived value that aligns with their often-meager resources, but in reality it means they are paying higher actual prices than they’d pay somewhere else; even if their “somewhere else” is a place like Wal-Mart.

Here’s the YouTube, for those who have time:

[Pete]

One thing that I guess I already knew but hadn’t given much consideration to is that often even name brand items are specifically packaged for dollar stores in quantities that are much smaller than is typical for the rest of the market. This is done to achieve a desired price point, but is pretty much universally more expensive per oz (or whatever the measurement might be).

Walgreens and CVS carry the same items; super small detergent bottles, for example.

[SomeGuy]

I imagine they're going to shutter the ones without pharmacies in them anymore, two of them in South OKC shut their pharmacies down as well and the 23rd and Meridian store barely has any customers since they shut their pharmacy. Between this and Rite Aid closing locations left and right, not a good year for chain pharmacies.

[Pete]

CVS closed at NW Ex and MacArthur some time ago and I believe the 23rd & Classen store is closed as well.

[Ward]

CVS closed at NW Ex and MacArthur some time ago and I believe the 23rd & Classen store is closed as well.

Yes, I used to get a few scripts filled at CVS NWY and Mac, they closed it, it recently reopened at a Natural Grocers. National Grocers moved from their location on N May a little south of Grand Blvd to that old CVS store.

It's a Merry Go Round and going to get worse.

[Dob Hooligan]

For me at NW 10th and May Avenue, my choices are Whittaker's, Dollar General, 7-11 or Family Dollar. Walgreens is a mile north.

Family Dollar is almost the dirtiest and has stock boxes all over the aisles. But, it is my dirty store, and the employees are nice enough. I rarely have to wait behind more than one customer checking out.

Dollar General is usually cleaner and has more inventory overall. It shares a parking lot with Whittaker's, and even I, with 40 years in the area, don't feel safe in that parking lot.

Whittaker's is filthy. COVID was scared to go in that store in 2020. It is also overrun with customers waiting to check out.

Walgreens and CVS don't have any more attraction that DG or Family Dollar when they don't have an open pharmacy I am going to. I don't see the attraction.

I watched the Dollar Stores video a couple weeks ago when it was posted in another thread. I think it is over 5 years old. I thought it was working to demonize the concept.

[Pete]

I've long worried about all these new big-box stores and gas stations.

Modern consumer trends shift rapidly and I'm concerned about what happens to all these properties once the world moves on from what they presently offer. Most CVS and Walgreens stores are only about 15-20 years old and they are already obsolete, and the rate of change is only accelerating.

As a community, we still have loads of smaller grocery store spaces that were all the rage up until the 90s, and now we have hundreds of vacant spaces that end up as bingo halls and pawn stores.

It's all become so disposable.

[bamarsha]

CVS closed at NW Ex and MacArthur some time ago.

I believe that is now a Natural Grocers...

[Dob Hooligan]

I've long worried about all these new big-box stores and gas stations.

Modern consumer trends shift rapidly and I'm concerned about what happens to all these properties once the world moves on from what they presently offer. Most CVS and Walgreens stores are only about 15-20 years old and they are already obsolete, and the rate of change is only accelerating.

As a community, we still have loads of smaller grocery store spaces that were all the rage up until the 90s, and now we have hundreds of vacant spaces that end up as bingo halls and pawn stores.

It's all become so disposable.

I think it has been since WWII, at least. Look at the section line corners. I bet over half of the have had 3 structures on them since 1955. Think of the NW corner of Quail Creek Road and N May Avenue. Since around 1970, I know there was a "new" Gibble Gas (or somesuch) a McDonald's, and BancFirst. Each of them an all new structure.

[Pete]

I think it has been since WWII, at least. Look at the section line corners. I bet over half of the have had 3 structures on them since 1955. Think of the NW corner of Quail Creek Road and N May Avenue. Since around 1970, I know there was a "new" Gibble Gas (or somesuch) a McDonald's, and BancFirst. Each of them an all new structure.

Most of those corners had 4 small service stations as the first-built properties. At least those lasted about 50 years and a lot are still around in evolved form. We are now down to like a 10-year cycle and the size and scale of construction are much larger.

[scottk]

Article: Walgreens plans store closures as CEO says consumers 'stunned' by prices

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/bus...ces-rcna159208

I am not "stunned" by their prices. I know going in that Walgreens and CVS are going to have higher prices than a big box store on many of their items. You are literally paying for that convenience. However, I don't know many people under 50 that use Walgreens or CVS for their general merchandise. The only reason I find myself in a CVS is because of the exclusive pharmacy partnership with my employer. I am sure many use it just for prescriptions and that's it.

I feel like the modern dollar store has taken the place of CVS and Walgreens for quick general merchandise when wanting to avoid a big box store.

[The]

I feel like one downtown would have been extremely valuable. And no the corner of 23rd and Classen doesn’t count - I’m talking in the core/Midtown/Bricktown. Those may be the areas where they can hang on the longest.

Of course, I also thought a Walmart Neighborhood Market would do well (on Broadway) so what do I know?

[Dob Hooligan]

I think that control and sale of non-generic, prescription drugs is what drove Walgreens and CVS. They might have fooled themselves and Wall Street by claiming all other sales were a profit center. But, I’m guessing they did not control costs and provide a competitive value for all other items.

[Bunty]

We went into a Dollar Tree on Monday night for cheap mosquito coils. They had one register going and four people stalking items. One lady, well above her 60s, opened a new lane, and the computer instantly went down. The line was as long as half the length of the store. We proceeded to put the coils back and got out of there. I hate dollar stores; I have no clue how people shop there so often.

It's surely because shoppers are little more than a few steps from getting what they want. A lot of people don't like all the walking they have to do when in a super Walmart. They may have to walk further from a Walmart parking lot as well. So, it's faster to go to a Dollar store. Also, some Walmarts don't have check outs open at all times and some people don't like self-checkouts.

[OkieBerto]

It's surely because shoppers are little more than a few steps from getting what they want. A lot of people don't like all the walking they have to do when in a super Walmart. They may have to walk further from a Walmart parking lot as well. So, it's faster to go to a Dollar store. Also, some Walmarts don't have check outs open at all times and some people don't like self-checkouts.

Of all the places I have recently shopped, the dollar stores, including Family Dollar, took the longest to find items and get through the checkout. Neighborhood Walmart was the fastest because of the self-checkout system. Walgreens has a long-time problem of taking forever, even if there isn't a line. Sometimes, you can't even find the person who is supposed to be at the checkout.

[Pete]

^

And the checkout process at both Walgreens and CVS is needlessly long...

Do you have a rewards card? Oh, that phone # didn't work, try another... Want to get a rewards card now? Follow the prompts on the screen... That coupon is expired... Oh, you have 8 more...

Yeesh. Just charge people one price and get them in and out.

[dheinz44]

The CVS by my house has self checkout and is never busy. I'm usually in and out in two minutes.

I wonder if dollar stores are what will start taking over these closing locations? A dollar tree recently moved into a vacant Walgreens at 51st/Lewis in Tulsa.