ST. LOUIS — For nearly three years, Chris Goff has enjoyed being able to pick up his prescriptions at his neighborhood Walgreens near North Grand Boulevard and Dr. Martin Luther King Drive in north St. Louis.
"I like the convenience of being able to come here quickly," Goff said.
Word spread fast that the pharmacy chain will close the store in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood on April 9. Last year, the company announced its plan to close more than 150 stores across the country.
"My dad used to work at Walgreens, so to hear that will be a headache," Goff said.
He said the store's closure would be a painful mistake for him and his neighbors who have relied on the store for nearly 17 years.
"It's very disappointing, especially for our seniors," Kenneth Drones with the Jeff-Vander-Lou Neighborhood Association said.
Many of the seniors are physically-challenged or have limited transportation, Drones said.
While a concerned neighbor said the closest Walgreens is three to four miles away, a Walgreens spokesperson said there are closer stores to choose from.
The spokesperson also said the company is offering free 1-2-day prescription delivery for 90 days after the location closes. Customers can fill eligible prescriptions for delivery by visiting the company's website, the Walgreens app or calling their new store.
In a statement to the Jeff-Vander-Lou Neighborhood Association, Walgreens said the north side store's closure "was due to unsustainable performance." The company also said, "When faced with the difficult decision to close a location, several factors are taken into account, including our existing footprint of store, dynamics of the local market and changes in the buying habits of our patients and customers, among other things."
A few years ago, Walgreens closed its store near the intersection of Union Avenue and Page Boulevard, also on the city's north side.
Many customers at the North Grand store have started transferring their prescriptions to nearby Greater Health Pharmacy on Delmar Boulevard.
"A lot of patients are concerned about this," Dr. Kenneth Howell with Greater Health Pharmacy said. "They want to know how is it going to affect them and if it's going to cause a gap in their healthcare, so we have had a large influx of new patients coming to our pharmacy."
The Jeff-Vander-Lou Neighborhood Association has reached out to Walgreens executives and invited them to its April 1 meeting in hopes the company would hear their concerns and reconsider closing the store.
"I really hope they change their mind and keep the store here. I've just gotten used to it being here all the time," Goff said.
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