CVS Shifting To Digital Strategy, Will Close 900 Stores Over Next Three Years

[kalvado]

So, cabiness42, if you have an issue with a pharmacy closing stores that are not making much profit due to the impoverished nature of the area they are in, surely you also have an issue with, say, a barbershop that primarily appeals to black men being reluctant to open a location in a majority white neighborhood? Right?

Not the best comparison.. There are lot more barbers than pharmacies (actually 2x more barbers than pharmacists per BLS). A remote community is more likely to have a barber, or people can combine haircut with a shopping trip. Having to drive an hour to get an antibiotic when you got sick is a bit more if an inconvenience - and seem to be a growing social issue
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/11/10/drugstore-shortage-rural-america/

So you're arguing that CVS should put stores in rural locations, not near any major population centers (100k+ metro areas), despite the fact that they are unlikely to get as much business in those areas compared to if they were to put stores in more urban locations, where they would get significantly more business?

You are conveniently ignoring the fact that prescriptions can be simply and easily delivered to almost any location - the same cannot be done for the service that a barbershop provides.

I am arguing that this is a problem. And no, same day delivery for antibiotic, or painkiller after trauma, can e complicated.
My personal opinion, though, is that pill counting pharmacist should have became a thing of the past some 50 years ago. It takes much less training to sell prepacked boxes.
And I don't buy common argument about pharmacist being helpful professional. I was subject to that twice, and both times it had purely negative effects. I was ready to complain to FDA about one of such "professional" action. Too bad I cool down pretty fast.

[thspfc]

CVS pharmacy locations are roughly 10-15 miles apart in most American cities.

If CVS chooses to close a store that serves many people in an urban area, they increase the driving distance to 20-30 miles for the many people near to the former location. That's anywhere between 25 minutes and one hour of driving, depending on routes and traffic conditions, as opposed to what it was previously - probably anywhere between 10 and 25 minutes when the closest location was still open.

Compare that to a  drive time difference of +1 hour, as you say, for the relatively few people in these rural areas that have lost CVS locations, and it evens out - in urban areas it's a smaller difference for more people, and in rural areas it's a larger difference for fewer people.

[kalvado]

CVS pharmacy locations are roughly 10-15 miles apart in most American cities.

If CVS chooses to close a store that serves many people in an urban area, they increase the driving distance to 20-30 miles for the many people near to the former location. That's anywhere between 25 minutes and one hour of driving, depending on routes and traffic conditions, as opposed to what it was previously - probably anywhere between 10 and 25 minutes when the closest location was still open.

Compare that to a  drive time difference of +1 hour, as you say, for the relatively few people in these rural areas that have lost CVS locations, and it evens out - in urban areas it's a smaller difference for more people, and in rural areas it's a larger difference for fewer people.

As always, better off neighbors where people actually buy things will see little, if any, cuts - and rural, or less well to do, areas would be affected more. Same happens with groceries.

On one hand, business exit to make profits; on the other - people really need access to groceries and medications even if they do not drive or have tight budget. So I call it a problem - but I cannot think of a solution.

[GaryV]

CVS pharmacy locations are roughly 10-15 miles apart in most American cities.

There are roughly 10-15 CVS locations within 10 miles of my location.

[thspfc]

CVS pharmacy locations are roughly 10-15 miles apart in most American cities.

There are roughly 10-15 CVS locations within 10 miles of my location.

Thanks for sharing your personal anecdote that accurately represents every city in the country.

[Rothman]

CVS pharmacy locations are roughly 10-15 miles apart in most American cities.

There are roughly 10-15 CVS locations within 10 miles of my location.

Thanks for sharing your personal anecdote that accurately represents every city in the country.

Come to think of it, there are a few CVSes much closer than 10-15 miles in my city as well -- like 2 or 3.  One of them doesn't have a pharmacy, however.

[hotdogPi]

From what I understand, the shoplifting issue (where it's decriminalized up to $950) is unique to California. If they're closing stores for that particular reason, it shouldn't affect the rest of the country much.

And they're much closer than 10-15 miles apart here, too, and I live in the suburbs.

[jp the roadgeek]

From what I understand, the shoplifting issue (where it's decriminalized up to $950) is unique to California. If they're closing stores for that particular reason, it shouldn't affect the rest of the country much.

And they're much closer than 10-15 miles apart here, too, and I live in the suburbs.

That specific proposition is, but lately it's becoming nationwide.  My state has made national news with people just walking out of stores with carts full of unpaid merchandise and just loading it in their vehicle and driving off.  In my town, they even caught 3 thieves from Texas who were hitting up Lowe's around the country with fake credit cards stealing giant spoils of wiring for the copper.  It is becoming an epidemic of kleptomania. 

CVS on every corner is a Northeast thing (kind of like Dunkin).  My town has a 24 hour freestanding one, another in a plaza, and yet another inside Target.  The plaza one is outdated, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's among the 900 (plus there's a supermarket that is a rare one without a pharmacy right next door, so it would be an opportunity to add one).   Every town has at least one.

[kalvado]

CVS pharmacy locations are roughly 10-15 miles apart in most American cities.

There are roughly 10-15 CVS locations within 10 miles of my location.

Thanks for sharing your personal anecdote that accurately represents every city in the country.

Come to think of it, there are a few CVSes much closer than 10-15 miles in my city as well -- like 2 or 3.  One of them doesn't have a pharmacy, however.

For me, there are 23 (twenty three) cvs stores within 20 mile radius.
Point here is that cvs seem to be dominant pharmacy chain, with Walgreens slowly building up as a competition. CVS may have lesser role in other areas. Walgreens is bigger on the national scale, but not so much nearby

I would certainly be OK with some of these cvs locations closing as there is ample medication buying opportunity in the area. But I suspect these are not the pharmacies slated for closure.

[Pink Jazz]

I wonder, how will the older stores without pharmacies be affected? Could these be on the chopping block?

[Rothman]

I wonder, how will the older stores without pharmacies be affected? Could these be on the chopping block?

Part of me actually hopes so.  There's one right up the road from me and I irrationally find it annoying that it doesn't have a pharmacy.

[wanderer2575]

I haven't used a "big box" pharmacy in close to 15 years.  When Mrs. wanderer had a temporary colostomy done, no location of any of them around us would order her supplies.  We went to an independently-owned pharmacy about a mile from us and they were happy to help, no pleading needed.  We've used them for most of our drug needs since (we do use a mail-order service for maintenance drugs where we can obtain a three-month supply at a time).  Sometimes, not at all often, we have to wait a day or get only a partial filling to begin with because they have to order something they usually don't have in stock, but we don't mind.  Their greeting us by name when we walk in and being able to take a little time to have a conversation is worth something to us.

[kkt]

The cost of receipt paper was hurting their bottom line .

And they liked to give you receipts that are a yard long even if you only bought two things.

[Takumi]

As a former longtime employee of that accursed company, this doesn't surprise me at all, and looking back I think I caught wind of it a couple years ago when I heard some higher level management talking about goings-on over the next few years. Glad I got out when I did. I can think of a few locations near me that are likely to close, including one or two I worked at.

Also found out recently that the auto shop I left CVS for (and have since also left) is closing next year and not being replaced, but for different reasons. Can't say I'm sad to see that place go either.