Walgreens closing Milwaukee locations on north side; here's when
MILWAUKEE - Walgreens is closing two more stores on Milwaukee's north side, part of the pharmacy chain's plan to close around 1,200 stores over the next few years.
The store near 91st and Appleton is scheduled to close by Dec. 3. According to a voicemail, the location at MLK and Locust will close on Dec. 5. Hundreds in the community who rely on the store are now wondering what's next.
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"I look on the Walgreens' doors, and it says the store is permanently closing, and I am like, ‘Is that true?’" said Yasmeen Davis. "Since this Walgreens is closing down, I have to go take buses to other Walgreens to go get the medication I need, or the medication, let's say, my mother would need or my father.
The 91st and Appleton store is the latest the company plans to shut down in the city this year. In January, the Walgreens at Teutonia and Capitol closed. In October, the store closed at 26th and National.
Walgreens to close 1,200 stores across country
Walgreens will close about 1,200 locations over the next three years as the drugstore chain seeks to turnaround a struggling U.S. business that contributed to a $3 billion quarterly loss.
"Unfortunately, usually when they decide to exit, they decide to exit from those areas which really are pharmacy deserts," Hayat Pharmacy's Hashim Zaibak said.
Walgreens said changes in the pharmacy industry and declining sales are some of the reasons for the shutdowns. But it has people like Davis thinking: What about us?
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"You see these stores around here just one by one closing," she said. "Now the only thing that is open around here is a Family Dollar."
"Now is the time to connect with your healthcare team to seek alternative pharmacy options – whether that means transferring prescriptions to another Walgreens location, or exploring non-Walgreens pharmacies nearby," Ald. Lamont Westmoreland said in a news release.
For those looking for the closest alternative, both Life Tree and Hayat Pharmacy have locations roughly one mile from the 91st and Appleton Walgreens.