Pleasantville, NJ Walgreens Location Set to Close on February 20

There was a time that when you needed a prescription filled, you would run down the street to the local, family-owned pharmacy.

The pharmacist knew your name and took an interest in your health.

Then came the big corporate box stores.  These stores were more like 7-11's with a small pharmacy in the back.

One by one, local family-owned pharmacies began to disappear.  If you want a prescription filled, you probably are using a chain store like CVS or Walgreens.

The demise of the family pharmacy wasn't due to service.  Many would argue that small, family-owned pharmacies offered better service.  The reasons for their demise are a story for another day.

Today, we've learned of another big box store pharmacy closing a local store.

The Walgreens located at 505 Black Horse Pike in Pleasantville has put up signs announcing that they'll be shutting their doors on February 20th.

Walgreens, corporately known as Walgreens Boots Alliance, announced last year their plans to close 150 stores by August 2024.  Additionally, they will be closing an additional 300 locations in Europe.

The Walgreens closures are just part of the changing world of pharmacy.  Rite-Aid has announced plans to close 200 of its remaining stores and CVS has announced plans to close a whopping 900 stores by the end of this year.

Over-expansion would seem to be the reason for many of the closures.  There was a time when these stores seemed to be popping up everywhere.  Between 1980 and 2022 it is estimated that nearly 50% of all independent, family-owned pharmacies were forced out of business by these box stores.

According to a sign inside Walgreens, prescription information on file will be available at all Walgreens locations.