A sign on the store’s entrance doors informs customers that their prescription records are available at all other Walgreens locations, including a store at 2710 Salem Ave. The Salem Avenue store is about three miles away and would require two different bus routes each way to access.
Walgreens considers multiple factors when facing the difficult decision of whether to close a location, like the existing footprint of stores, the dynamics of the local market and changes in the buying habits of customers and patients, said Marty Maloney, a spokesperson for Walgreens.
“This location’s closure is due to a decline in foot traffic leading to an unsustainable business performance,” he said.
Walgreens will continue to operate five locations in Dayton, and the company is committed to its patients in the city and continuing to serve their needs, Maloney said.
All of the store’s employees have been offered jobs at other nearby Walgreens, he said.
“We are sorry for the inconvenience,” Maloney said. “We know that our customers and patients rely on our stores and trust our team members for their healthcare needs. And, when we must close a store, it affects them and their community. Our priority is to ensure a smooth transition for our customers and team members during this time.”
Walgreens company leaders last summer announced that the chain planned to close 150 locations across the United States. This decision was framed as a cost-cutting measure.
Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid in recent years have signaled plans to shutter more than 1,500 stores, with CVS already closing locations in Fairborn, Kettering, Brookville, Harrison Twp. and other communities in the past few years.
Tasha Rountree, who lives in West Dayton, said the West Dayton Walgreens store closure means the Westwood area is losing another resource. She said the neighborhood is home to many seniors who no longer will be able to walk to the pharmacy to pick up their medications.
Rountree said it might make sense to help seniors in the area learn how to order their prescriptions and essential food items online and get them delivered.
Public health experts have noted that the first neighborhoods to lose their pharmacies often are predominately home to Black and minority community members and low-income residents, says the Washington Post.
In the Dayton region, some of that sorting had already happened, as the immediate south suburbs have more CVS and Walgreens locations than the city of Dayton has.
Walgreens operates more than 8,700 retail locations across the United States and Puerto Rico, serving about 9 million customers and patients each day. Walgreens has about five locations in Dayton, plus other stores in suburban communities like Kettering and Huber Heights.
Timothy Wentworth, CEO and director of the Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., said in an earnings call in January that the company was navigating growing consumer pressures from inflation and depleted savings.
He said retail customers are under stress and are seeking value. He said the company was trying to achieve $1 billion in cost savings this year.
Dayton City Commissioner Shenise Turner-Sloss said she was surprised and saddened to learn that the Walgreens will be closing. She said the store provides a vital service to seniors in the community.
She said she hopes there will be conversations about how to redevelop the Walgreens property when the store shuts down.
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