STROUDSBURG, Pa. — Following reports of a potential bankruptcy filing for Rite Aid, one of the country's largest pharmacy chains, the store in Stroudsburg closed its door for good on Wednesday evening.
“I didn't know it was closing until I went through the drive-through and the lady told me she said I don't know if you know but we're closing on the 30th of, ok no I didn't know.” Said Joan Collier of Stroudsburg.
It was the last time customers like her could stop at the Rite Aid along Main Street in Stroudsburg after being told by employees the store would be closing its doors following business hours on August 30th.
“It wasn't even an advance notice really in fact, when I went in there just now they told me, my prescriptions are now going to be at Walgreens.” Said Leslie Howell, who was also at the store on it’s last day.
“ I think, especially for the elderly this one is closer for them, it's going to impact the area.” She added.
Newswatch 16 reached out to Rite Aid corporate. A spokesperson confirmed the closing of the Stroudsburg store and provided this statement.
"Like all retail businesses, we regularly review each of our locations to ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers, communities and overall business. A decision to close a store is one we take very seriously and is based on a variety of factors including business strategy, lease and rent considerations, local business conditions and viability, and store performance. We review every neighborhood to ensure our customers will have access to health services, be it at Rite Aid or a nearby pharmacy, and we work to seamlessly transfer their prescriptions so there is no disruption of services. We also strive to transfer associates to other Rite Aid locations where possible."
This follows news earlier this week that the company could be preparing to file for bankruptcy, following ramifications from opioid lawsuits.
“The store's only been here a couple of years. It seems like a waste of an investment.” Said Jackie Flynn of Stroudsburg.
Flynn says this has been the main pharmacy for many people in the area since another Rite Aid in East Stroudsburg closed a few years earlier.
Now, like many other residents who didn't receive a prior warning about this most recent store closing, she'll be moving to another pharmacy.
“All of our scripts are being sent to Walgreens, which is a little further away from where I live, but you gotta do what you gotta do.” Said Flynn.
Walgreens did acquire more than 1900 rite aid locations back in 2015 for sale $4.4 billion.
There is no timeline right now on when Rite Aid is expected to file for bankruptcy.