In a stunning coda to a decades-long retail saga, Rite Aid.
The pharmacy chain that once dotted nearly every New York neighborhood has begun shuttering all 178 of its remaining New York stores, marking the end of an era for communities from Harlem to the Hudson Valley. The closures, which sweep across Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Long Island, and upstate towns along the river, are the result of Rite Aid’s second bankruptcy filing in less than two years, a collapse fueled by mounting debt, opioid litigation, and the relentless churn of the modern retail pharmacy market.
For New Yorkers, the blue-and-white storefronts have been a familiar presence for generations, offering everything from last-minute prescriptions to late-night snacks. Now, as the chain winds down operations, the impact ripples through neighborhoods, employees, and the very fabric of local healthcare…