Midtown Rite Aid shutting down, locals blame rising theft

High theft rate blamed for Midtown Rite Aid closure

Shuttered drug stores is part of a nationwide trend, with many in major cities either reducing their business hours or entirely ceasing operations.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Detroiters in Midtown believe the Rite Aid on Woodward is closing because of too many petty criminals ripping it off.

Store workers said the same thing off camera.

"You have to pay for stuff nowadays. You can’t just come in the store and take what you want!" said Raymond Dordon, a Rite Aid shopper. "I have been in the store where people were shoplifting. I’m just being honest with you."

In recent years, at least five drug stores in and around Detroit have closed. A former CVS further up on Woodward is now home to a Happy's Pizza.

"It’s a lot of crime in this area," another shopper, Delana Hall, said. "It’s a lot of homelessness, it’s a lot of people getting released from the hospitals – they come in here and they steal and then they leave."

Shuttered drug stores is part of a nationwide trend, with many in major cities either reducing their business hours or entirely ceasing operations.

Industry leaders point the finger at rising theft.

"I just feel like it’s a shame because we are trying to bring the city up… and people are stealing, making things happen to where we can’t grow. We can’t progress. So it’s sad for the city," Hall said. "Another store lost to the dust."

Fox 2 reached out to Rite Aid corporate to learn more about their Midtown closing but did not receive a response yet.

However, Detroit police did weigh in with the following statement:

"The DPD recently learned that the Rite Aid located at 4612 Woodward will be closing in conjunction with the company's bankruptcy restructuring. Beyond this, DPD cannot speak to the managerial decision to close this particular store. The DPD has made several arrests for retail fraud at this store and has been proactively patrolling at this location."

Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy last year, shutting down 19 Michigan stores, including nine in Metro Detroit. The filing in New Jersey's U.S. Bankruptcy Court showed debts of $8.6 billion against assets of $7.6 billion.

Another wave of shutdowns affects 77 stores across the U.S., with three of those located in Michigan.