Feb. 6, 2023 Elijah Hamilton
The Walgreens located at 5802 Metropolitan Ave. in Ridgewood will permanently close its doors on Feb. 21, 2023.
Martin Maloney, senior manager of media relations at Walgreens, said that as they expand as a leading healthcare store, the company is working to meet the needs of patients and customers in the right locations.
“When faced with the difficult task of closing a particular location, several factors are taken into account, including things like the dynamics of the local market and changes in the buying habits of our patients and customers,” Maloney said.
Queens resident Lori De Leon, who used Walgreens for her and her husband’s prescriptions, was disappointed to hear about the store closing.
“Walgreens is the preferred provider for both our plans. We learned this the hard way when my husband had a couple of prescriptions filled at CVS, and they ended up costing him a lot more than Walgreens charges,” De Leon said. “Walgreens closing is going to cause a real hardship.”
She also told QNS that other Walgreens locations are too crowded.
“It’s my understanding that the two other Walgreens within a one-mile radius of this area are crowded and take too long to get prescriptions filled,” De Leon said.
Another Queens resident, Katie Johnson, was also frustrated about the store closing.
“I’m annoyed about it. I’ve only lived in the area for three years, and it’s the second brand name pharmacy within walking distance to close,” Johnson said. “That Walgreens saved me many of times.”
Many of the shelves in the store are still stocked full of items, even as the store enters its finals days. All pharmacy files will be transferred to Rite Aid Pharmacy at 583 Grandview Ave. in Ridgewood.