Even if you don't regularly take prescription medication, chances are you rely on over-the-counter (OTC) meds and other drugstore remedies when you're feeling under the weather. You likely have a preferred pharmacy in your neighborhood that you turn to—ideally one that's close by—so it can be especially frustrating when your go-to location disappears. Unfortunately, some Walgreens and CVS customers will soon have to make a switch, as both major drugstore chains are closing stores. Read on to find out which locations are shutting down, starting tomorrow.
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Three CVS locations will be the first to go.
ShutterstockThe first drugstore to close is a CVS on Euclid Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa, which will shutter March 1, according to CBS-affiliate KCCI. In a statement to the outlet, a company spokesperson said that the closure is due to several factors, specifically "local market dynamics, population shifts and a community's store density."
The following week, a CVS in Tallahassee, Florida is departing, ABC-affiliate WTXL reported. The Tallahassee store's final day in business is March 16, Matt Blanchette, a CVS store manager, confirmed to the news station.
Another CVS closure is slated for April.
ShutterstockAccording to the Queens Chronicle, another CVS is slated to close in April. The store is on 132nd Street and 14th Avenue in the College Point neighborhood of Queens, New York.
Resident Jennifer Shannon, president of A Better College Point Civic Association (APCP), was told that the official closing date was April 5, but that the CVS could shutter ahead of that date. In a statement to the Queens Chronicle, a CVS spokesperson stated that April 5 is the official closure date.
“Maintaining access to pharmacy services in the communities we serve is an important factor we consider when making store closure decisions,” a CVS spokesperson told the outlet. “Other factors include local market dynamics, population shifts, a community’s store density, and ensuring there are other geographic access points to meet the needs of the community.”
Best Life reached out to CVS for more information on all upcoming closures, but has yet to hear back.
Walgreens is axing locations, too.
iStockCVS isn't alone in its closures, as Walgreens also has some stores on the chopping block. On March 20, the Walgreens on S. Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando, Florida, will close, while another downtown store on 190 S. Orange Ave. is closing on March 30, Walgreens spokesperson Kris Lathan told Best Life.
Lathan noted that most patients won't need to take action when the drugstores close, as their prescriptions will be automatically forwarded, and they'll be notified of changes through the mail. Prescriptions from the Orange Blossom Trail location are moving to the Walgreens location at 5280 S. John Young Parkway, but it's not yet clear where pharmacy files from the S. Orange Ave. location are headed.
"As we expand as a leader in healthcare, we are focused on best meeting the needs of patients and customers in communities we serve by creating the right network of stores in the right locations," Lathan said. "When faced with the difficult decision to close a particular location, several factors are taken into account, including our existing footprint of stores and dynamics of the local market, and changes in the buying habits of our patients and customers."
Best Life previously reported that a Walgreens store in Houston, Missouri, would shut down on March 7, but the company changed plans. The store remains open.
Several Walgreens and CVS locations already closed this month.
iStockEven though we're only two months into 2023, several Walgreens and CVS stores have already shut down.
A Walgreens location in Ridgewood, New York, closed on Feb. 21, and on Feb. 22, individual stores closed in Minneapolis, Minnesota and St. Johnsbury, Vermont, Best Life previously reported. Also on Feb. 22, NBC-affiliate WSFA reported that a Walgreens in Montgomery, Alabama, shuttered.
CVS also closed a location recently. On Feb. 27, the store on 4th and Massachusetts Ave, NW, in Washington, D.C. shut its doors for good, a company spokesperson previously confirmed to Best Life.
CORRECTION: The drugstore in Houston, Missouri, is a Walgreens location. An earlier version of this post misstated the company. We regret the error.
