MOUNT VERNON — Mary Lou Langenhop of Fredericktown asked the question that has social media abuzz: Are the Mount Vernon and Fredericktown Rite Aid stores closing?
Yes, they are.
The Mount Vernon location has specific information. The Fredericktown location does not.
“Our pharmacy’s last day will be July 24. The front end store’s last day will be Aug. 25,” said Mount Vernon store manager Trina O, who declined to give her last name.
The pharmacy will fill prescriptions until closing time on July 24.
“Kroger has bought out our prescriptions, meaning the very next day after our pharmacy closes, they will be transferred to Kroger,” Trina said.
“Kroger will be sending out a letter stating prescriptions have been transferred there. Once they have been transferred there, any customer who doesn’t want to stay with Kroger can transfer somewhere else.”
Regarding the location’s liquor license, Trina said, “At this time it’s business as usual.”
“We do not have the information who will be holding the liquor license,” she said. “At this point, we still hold the license.”
The store closing affects 23 full- and part-time employees.
“Most are full time. They have been here a very long time,” Trina said. “One of our associates has been here 25 years. The next one has been here for 12 years.
“It’s more like a family here,” she continued. “We’re all affected as one big work family, that’s for sure.”
Fredericktown store manager Nate Aelling does not know a closing date nor how prescriptions will be handled.
“They will make all of that determination at the same time,” he said.
“We just found out yesterday. They held a division-wide conference call about it.”
The closing affects 25 full- and part-time employees in Fredericktown.
Rite Aid files bankruptcy
According to Bloomberg, Rite Aid had about 2,100 stores nationwide when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October 2023.
Since then, Rite Aid store closings top more than 520 stores, including 286 in Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
Aelling said yesterday’s announcement included all stores in Ohio and Michigan except for four Ohio stores.
The Ashland, Uhrichsville, Cambridge, and Wooster drugstores will remain open, according to reports. Store managers in those locations referred questions to Rite Aid’s media relations department.
Rite Aid did not respond as of press time.