(CBS DETROIT) — The pharmaceutical industry has suffered another setback: first Rite Aid, now WalgreensThe latest closure announcement is causing problems for customers and even for the pharmacy labor market.
Walgreens customers like Kristin Ketzler worry when they think about having to change pharmacies.
Ketzler has chosen Walgreens for decades when it comes to receiving her medications.
While the company did not specify which stores would close, it raises the question of whether she should now switch her prescriptions.
“I wouldn’t go to Telehealth because you have to worry about whether or not it’s going to be delivered to the right address or whether the shipping will be delayed,” she told CBS News Detroit.
While Telehealth companies like Amazon and GoodRx appear to be succeeding, drugstore chains are in decline.
“They built those drugstores where they expected 10,000 to 15,000 a day without a prescription, which hasn’t happened in a long time,” says Dr. Mohammad Sohobah, CEO of PharMor Pharmacy.
Sohobah owns more than 20 pharmacies in Michigan. He says he’s not too concerned about the lack of access to medicine in urban areas, but he is in rural areas.
“Smaller towns and villages all over our country. I know of at least 10 towns in Michigan that only have a Rite Aid; that’s their only pharmacy,” he said.
According to Sohobah, the pharmacy industry is in something of a crisis because without pharmacies, there is a declining need for pharmacists. With hundreds of closures, that means hundreds of unemployed.
“There’s a 100% impact. There are at least 200 to 300 pharmacists in Michigan who would like to have a full-time job today,” he said.
Ketzler says she likes the proximity of her store, but isn’t sure how far she wants to go because of possible closures.
“That leaves CVS or some of the retail chains like Target and Meijer,” Ketzler said.
Walgreens has not announced a specific number of store closures. The company says it will target stores that are unprofitable, located too close to each other or stores struggling with shoplifting losses.
