After four years in business, the Duane Reade by Walgreens outpost on Avenue D at Houston (officially 310 E. Second St. for some reason) is closing today (Nov. 6) here in the retail space of the Adele residential complex.
In addition, the Duane Reade on First Avenue just north of 14th Street is also shutting down after today. DR relocated here from around the corner on 14th Street in 2013 ... setting up their drug store right next door to a CVS.
[1st Avenue DR via Steven]
In August, Walgreens announced that it was shutting 200 stores nationwide to slash costs by a $1.5 billion.
Some background via CBS:
The Deerfield, Ill.-based company operates over 18,000 stores worldwide, including the Duane Reade pharmacies around New York City. Walgreens acquired the familiar New York pharmacy chain in 2010.
Walgreens also acquired almost 2,000 Rite Aid stores in a $17.2 billion deal last year.
In June Walgreens reported a 24 percent decline in quarterly net income and predicted that annual earnings would be roughly flat with the prior year. Walgreens has been hit by challenges including reimbursement cuts and lower price increases for branded drugs.
According to published reports, there are 91 Duane Reade locations in NYC, down from 253 less than 10 years ago, when people figured a Duane Reade would be the new tenant in any newly vacated retail space.
Around here, you can still find a Duane Reade on Avenue B and Second Street, 10th Street and Third Avenue, Third Avenue and 14th Street, and Union Square.
Thanks to @artisanmatters for the Avenue D tip! And to dwg for the First Avenue scoop!
26 comments:
When the one on 3rd Av and 10th street will close it will be too late for East Village cheese
And 18th Street at 3rd Avenue just shuttered, too. That location never got a makeover, and was like walking into 1993 or something. Very old school. Bye for now!
Expand, gobble up all competitors, when you start to sink due to your size, cut jobs by the thousands, and leave retail spaces for the next chain to repeat your mistakes. Ahh capitalism.
WE 'grieve'---but---the reality is the 'hostile retail' environment exists on two levels---greedy old school landlords and the public that has become aware that we no longer need the 'middle man' and would rather spend our (limited) time pursuing less stressful stuff......
The 14th Street location was the target of an armed robbery yesterday.
They also just closed the Duane Reade on 23rd St. and 2nd Avenue yesterday, and before that the one on 23rd and 3rd, and the original one on 23rd St. and Lex. Plus they closed the Duane Reade Express on 27th St. and 3rd. Ave. which was useless store with little selection.
If they can’t survive in an area like Gramercy Park and Murray Hill I don't know where else they can. Now they are directing people and pharmacy customers to go to the Duane Reade on 26th St. and 2nd Ave, which has homeless people all over the sidewalk and a store that looks 100 years old, I don't think they are going to survive for long with the new Target nearby and prices that are much higher than CVS.
Even the Rite Aid in Kips Bay is cheaper, with a much nicer store. Duane Reade is the new KMart.
There was a blog post on West Side Rag about how people had at first hated the Duane Reades invading the neighborhood but had come to depend on them. Now everyone is sad that they are closing. The same thing happened with a Starbucks on Columbus Avenue that closed down — the Upper West Siders even did a petition trying to keep it open.
One day when Amazon finally closes down because someone else comes along with a better business model, people will be crying in their Amazon cardboard boxes too. It’s amazing how easy it is to get people to depend on things they once swore they would never use.
CVS is standing over Duane on 14th street, raising it's ... uh ... really long receipt? in victory!
I am required by my medical insurance to use CVS as my 'preferred' pharmacy - otherwise I pay a lot more for my prescriptions.
Meanwhile, CVS is now allied with Aetna, and it wouldn't surprise me to find out that Walgreen's/Duane Reade is losing $$$ b/c they are not the 'preferred' pharmacy for enough insurance plans.
Aww, what a shame. Not! No one can lure me away from my Avalon Chemists and Block Pharmacy peeps.
I live across the avenue from the Duane Reade on Ave B and 2nd st and I always walk over to Avalon is 2nd Ave or the drugstore on Ave A and 3rd st. I refuse shoddy customer service and rude employees at most all Duane Reade stores. I wish they could bring back the Gas Station that was at B and 2nd st, that was a fun place! and children I mean The Gas Station not a gas station. Google it
btw, it is 2nd street that meets Houston at Ave D there. like 1st St does at Ave C and ends at Ave C.
a few weeks ago the super going out of biz sales were going on & i scored a bunch of OTC meds for like 80% off. crazy.
For decades I used to go to Duane Reade every day, mostly because I would buy junk food snacks and diet cola to consume at my boring job. I was addicted to going in there. Anyway, my insurance no longer took Duane Reade and the CVS card began giving me way better discount incentives than the Walgreens card did. So I switched mostly to CVS and have cut way down on the junk food.
Its like Barnes & Noble, after being chiseled by them for years in college, I hate to see them close.
@ Anon at 1:15 PM: Totally agree about supporting Avalon & EV Rx Ctr on Av A/3rd St. That said, the pharmacy at the DR on Av B/2nd St is a bit of an anomaly run by a kind, talented and overworked (there's the corporate fallout) pharmacist who somehow makes the corporate mega-pharmacy feel like a small, independent shop.
The Duane Reade on 6th Ave. and Waverly Place closed two or three years ago.
Family owned and iconic Block Drugs on 2nd Avenue and 6th Street all the way. Best customer service in the neighborhood.
I'm partial to RITE-AID (corporate HQ in Harrisburg, PA) and love that they have so many 24-hour locations.
For my prescriptions, I go to East Village Prescription Center (#rd and A) simply because they take my insurance. (I'd go to Block Drugs if I could.)
Further uptown, the Duane Reade on 88th and 3rd has also closed on 11/6. A few months before that, the Duane Reade on 84th and 3rd shuttered. These stores will be vacant for some time.
Duane Reade has been fleecing New Yorkers for decades -- unbelievably high prices with crappy stores and service. But they were everywhere, so people paid for the convenience. Target and CVS invaded -- they have better stores, employees and prices. This is capitalism in action.
Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out Duane Reade, SEE YA!
Dagastino/Gristides >>>>Duane Reade>>>>>☠️
@11:26am: I don't know what CVS you use, maybe one in an alternate universe, but the one I have to use is disorganized beyond belief, with long waits for anything/everything pharmacy-related, plus NO privacy of any kind at the pharmacy counters ... everyone gets to hear your name & date of birth loud and clear.
Bonus points: They called me 8 months after I needed a vaccination (which I got elsewhere) to notify me that the vaccine just came in!
Duane reade 305 Broadway has terrible selection always out of stock on key items and managment in the store is extremely nasty and non professional
Horrific prices
"Everywhere you look, Duane Reade!" Not so much anymore.
Now that all of these Duane Reades are closing, where are people supposed to shoplift Häagen-Dazs ice cream and Oral B toothbrushes?
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