Losing our neighbor, Rite Aid

As the residents of Spuyten Duyvil sit on our hands waiting for the final closure notice of our Knolls Crescent Rite Aid, I hope we can take stock of what we are really losing.

Knolls Crescent Rite Aid is not just another chain pharmacy that can be substituted with another, only in a more distant neighborhood. It is our local general store we’ve depending upon for more than just medications and shampoo, providing us with daily doses of community and friendship.

You see, our Rite Aid really is special. Unlike the animosity and bad customer service reported at some other Riverdale corporate chain pharmacies, the Knolls Crescent Rite Aid was a place of excellent customer care and kindness. When I first moved to Spuyten Duyvil 10 years ago, I noticed the pharmacy staff’s patience when dealing with the elderly customers, every single time. I measure the quality of a pharmacy by this compassion exhibited by its staff.

Losing a local pharmacy can significantly impact individuals and communities. Customers may need to travel further to get their medications, which can be a burden for those with mobility issues, chronic conditions or limited transportation options. Pharmacists provide valuable advice on medication and chronic disease management, and a pharmacy’s closure can worsen these conditions. Other pharmacies may become overwhelmed with patients, leading to longer wait times and potential staffing shortages.

Reduced access to vaccinations and other public health services can negatively impact community health. Pharmacies also contribute to the local economy, and their closure can have a ripple effect on other businesses. 

Rite Aid suffered terribly during the pandemic, but our Knolls Crescent pharmacy did its best under dire circumstances. It was a place to pick up masks, hand sanitizer and emotional encouragement.

Soon after, it became a target of organized criminal shoplifting, which was traumatizing to the staff, and resulted in so many products being kept off the shelves.  The bankruptcy exacerbated this situation, but the staff soldiered on.

Earlier this year, Rite Aid announced a settlement with its bankruptcy creditors, and the staff advised customers products would gradually return to the shelves. We were optimistic and waited for the tide to turn.

And then less than a month ago, Rite Aid corporate announced it would be selling most of its assets and stores, including our beloved Knolls Crescent.

On a personal level, I am already worried. My family relies on this pharmacy for important medications, and, yes, while I can change pharmacies, the access will be a factor. Instead of a 10-minute walk to a store open conveniently from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., I will have to find a new pharmacy at which I can drive and park. While I know the closest pharmacies are in central Riverdale, their hours/days are much more limited.

Yes, we will get by. But then I must ask myself: Why must we “get by”? Why should I feel guilty for wanting a local store I can walk to when I live in New York City? It should be a given that local access to food and medicines should not require buses, cars or online retail to obtain, especially in one of the world’s largest and most expensive cities.

But the number one thing we will lose with the closing of our Rite Aid is the humanity of a trip to our local store. This morning, I dropped by the store to use the cash machine, which we will also lose. I stopped by the pharmacy just to say hello and told Ali how very much we would miss each and every staff member. He looked incredibly sad, then said to me, “Yes, we will miss our neighbors too.”

Which perfectly sums it up, the loss of Knolls Crescent is more than just that of access to pills and products, it is a loss of humanity.

It is a loss of friends; it is a loss of neighbors.

Thank you, Knolls Crescent Rite Aid for being our neighbor.