Walgreens closes downtown San Francisco location
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – On the heels of Macy’s’ announcement, a Walgreens location closed in downtown San Francisco on Tuesday. People who live in the area have been working to try and prevent this from happening, but those efforts did not succeed.
Many are worried about seniors who are now without access to a nearby pharmacy. Dozens gathered outside the Walgreens at 275 Sacramento Street on Tuesday, rallying for the company to change its mind. But Walgreens moved forward with the closure.
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“At first, just total shock and surprise,” said Barbary Coast President Diana Taylor. “You know, a pharmacy is like a grocery store. It’s the center of a community serving really important needs.”
Taylor has organized efforts to plead with Walgreens and the city to stop the closure, but they’ve had no such luck.
“What we found out was it’s not about human needs or what the community needs, it was all about the numbers,” she said.
A spokesperson for Walgreens told KRON4 the location’s closure is due to a significant decrease in foot traffic since the pandemic. But Alec Bash, who lives just blocks away, disagrees with that assessment.
“I think we have plenty of foot traffic in this area and we get plenty more every week,” he said.
Bash and Taylor are among those worried about seniors not having access to a nearby pharmacy. The nearest Walgreens will now be a half mile away on Montgomery Street. Taylor says closures will take away their independence.
“In terms of the seniors, they feel… they are terrified,” she said. “They feel they have no choice and it could mean they have to go to assisted living.”
Other longtime residents worry this will only hurt the progress the city is making in the downtown area.
“With Walgreens closing, that’s taking away our amenities and I’m worried people are going to start moving out of the area, because what do we have?” said Michele Hennessey, who lives in the neighborhood.
A spokesperson for Walgreens says all pharmacy files are being transferred to the location on Montgomery Street. The company also says they are offering free and reduced prescription delivery for the next 90 days.
The group of neighbors that KRON4 spoke with say they have not given up hope. They still plan to see if Walgreens will reconsider its decision to close.
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