Report: Rite Aid to close all Michigan stores due to bankruptcy

Reports: Rite Aid to close all Michigan stores

Employees say Rite Aid plans to close all its Michigan stores as it files for bankruptcy. The company has announced the closure of some locations, but has not confirmed that all will shutter.

BERKLEY, Mich. (FOX 2) - "I currently use this Rite Aid for my medicine and this one on Coolidge Highway," said Steven Glover.

Glover is among the many in Berkley and across Metro Detroit who will need to change where they get prescriptions filled now that Rite Aid has announced another round of store closures.

Rite Aid is planning numerous closures in Michigan due to financial issues.

"It does impact me," Glover said. "I remember as a little child what it was before Rite Aid, when it was like Perry Drugs so something specific to the city like, Spartan Foods - seeing something like that go away is really a piece of the city going away too."

Rite Aid workers at multiple locations who did not want to go on camera say they’ve been told by higher-ups that all company stores in Michigan will be closing - with prescriptions transferred over to Walgreens.

Employees say that the shutdowns will begin in phases, starting next month. Some have already closed across our area, since the company filed for bankruptcy last October due to dropping sales and increasing debt.

A spokesperson previously said it was required to notify the court of certain under-performing stores it planned to close to reduce the cost of rent.

"I’m sorry to see another business going under - it seems to happen a lot lately," said Gail Gilchrist.

Gilchrist frequents the Rite Aid in downtown Berkley.

"My husband has a prescription there and it’s handy because we go to the post office all the time, so we just snip over there to pick up things when we have to so, I can’t even think of where the closest Walgreens is," she said.

FOX 2 reached out to Rite Aid’s corporate office for comment but have not heard back.

In the meantime many shoppers we talked with hope the pharmacy giant will bounce back eventually.

"I am, for one - I can only speak for myself - Rite Aid has always been good to me so I would love to see the people of Detroit be good to it," Glover said.

Workers who spoke to FOX 2 off-camera said they are in a wait and see mode with numerous unanswered questions.

The company, headquartered in Pennsylvania, has closed a slew of locations across the country while in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Rite Aid operates over 1,700 stores across the country, according to its website.