Falling sales and ongoing opioid related lawsuits have had a huge impact on drugstores. Camp Hill based pharmacy Rite Aid has been hit hard by this and recently closed nine stores in the Pittsburgh areas. For those who get their meds at one of the Rite Aids that closed, they must get them elsewhere now. Those who got their medication at the Greensburg Rite Aid on US 30 will now get it at the Hempfield Giant Eagle.
I’ve driven past Greensburg and Export and notice the signs down, or they have been blacked out. Latrobe has also closed their storefront. This one was located in the shopping center and wasn’t on the list of closures, having shuttered over the summer.
While it shouldn’t matter which ones closed, this does affect me emotionally as it was one of our big accounts when I worked for WIS. Working on the dedicated Rite Aid crew meant I felt like one of the elite. Learning of the closures meant another thing from my past was gone. Kings is down to four restaurants and who knows how much longer they have, and more Rite Aids may be closing in the future. Walgreens and CVS may also face closures as well.
YouTuber WallieB26 explores closing and abandoned storefronts, having been to many K-Marts, Sears, and Ames that were closing (K-Mart and Sears) or have closed (Ames). Others on the platform (Ace’s Adventures, This Is Dan Bell) have done the same and also explored dead or abandoned malls. Urban exploring is fun but dangerous and anyone doing this should proceed with caution and show respect to the place.
I wonder if WallieB will be visiting these now closed Rite Aids in the near future. He also does Christmas videos from the stores he visits (Gabes, Kohl’s). I’m currently watching one of his Gabe’s videos. Follow him on YouTube at WallieB26.
Two years ago today marked the end of an era. This day will always be an emotional one as I left a job I had for 13 years working at WIS International. I would soon be hired by Giant Eagle (five minutes from home). That last day I worked in Rochester (Beaver County) at a Rite Aid. That store was one of the nine that closed in the Pittsburgh area last month. Rite Aid just announced that 22 more stores are closing, three in Pennsylvania and one in Pittsburgh.
We got done that day before Noon and that drive home was bittersweet. Passing through Robinson Township I remembered all the stores I counted over the years. I didn’t really make it official until just after the New Year, but that day in Rochester was my true last day. We just merged with RGIS and broke up the office. I was put on the traditional team and had to use the old machines. Everyone was light years ahead of me it seemed. It was nice to spend my last few days at WIS with people I knew well.
A few days later I celebrated not only getting hired by Giant Eagle but also, my First Friendsgiving. I got an invite a few weeks prior to the event and was excited about getting the opportunity to attend. I drove up to my friend’s house in Johnstown and we had a great feast. It wasn’t turkey and stuffing and all the sides, but it was really green. Nevertheless, we ate well and had a great time.
I was introduced to an amazing card game called “Cards Against Humanity”. Rae and Kit beat Sara and I handily but we enjoyed ourselves. Sara did my makeup (a precursor to her working at Sephora) and we enjoyed my pumpkin bread. I was in transition that holiday season being between jobs and having just left the church. We wrapped up the night by walking to the Johnstown Incline. She has a better incline in Pittsburgh.
I got an invite from Sara to attend Friendsgiving once again next Saturday. We’ll be home for Thanksgiving. My parents will be visiting Aunt Sue and Benny at Children’s during the day and we’ll eat later. I’ll get to meet some of her other friends and I’m sure I’ll have a great time.
It remains to be seen what’s on the agenda but I will for sure be slaying it!
Stylish 🍒 