It’s a funny sort of understatement to say the current retail environment in the U.S. is filled with challenges.
It’s probably fairer to say that retail in the U.S. is like one big obstacle course filled with ball pits, lava pools, 20-foot hurdles, and spectators waiting to throw tomatoes at you.
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It sounds like a fun reality television show to watch, but in real life, most retailers are not having a good time.
Of course, there are always those glimmers of hope we can point to and see a happy story.
Large retailers that offer deep discounts — like Walmart, Amazon, and Costco — are seeing historic enthusiasm as shoppers seek out the lowest price possible on household goods.
But the reality for the vast majority of retailers around the country is that current times are trying, and some are starting to bow out entirely.
Albertsons is benefiting from Rite Aid’s demise.
Image source: Shutterstock
Popular drugstore’s bankruptcy spells trouble
Such is the case with Rite Aid, the large pharmacy that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for a second time in May 2025.
The giant retailer, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy previously in 2023, has struggled under the weight of online shopping pressures and declining revenue.
More closings & bankruptcy:
Popular Mexican chain closing all restaurants, no bankruptcyIconic mall chain shuttering more stores foreverMajor gym closing multiple locations after franchisee bankruptcyAfter Chapter 11 bankruptcy, beloved retailer closes all stores
It ultimately buckled in May and has agreed to shutter all of its stores and sell its assets to competitors like Walgreens and CVS — something no retailer wants to do.
This is not an aberration but rather emblematic of the times. Rite Aid was the first major drugstore to fall entirely, but most of them are struggling.
Walgreens, for instance, is in the process of going private after a doomed investment in VillageMD, over-expansion, online competition, and inventory shrink all took a toll on revenue.
And CVS is closing hundreds of stores across the U.S.
Customers get good news
Rite Aid is currently in the process of closing down its more than 1,200 stores.
And this leaves customers and workers in something of a lurch. Many of them depend on these drugstores to get their prescriptions, and it’s always confusing to hear your local pharmacy is pulling down the shutters for good.
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So Albertsons (ACI) , the parent company of large supermarket chains like Safeway, Shaw’s, Acme, and Balducci’s, is swooping in.
Albertsons will acquire some of Rite Aid’s assets, including:
Pharmacy assetsPrescription filesStore locations (potentially)
To this end, Albertsons has begun outreach to Rite Aid customers, offering them coupons for transferring their business to Albertsons.
Albertsons is offering new customers a $15 grocery coupon for purchases over $75 and $15 off every five prescriptions.
Albertsons is also inviting Rite Aid employees affected by store closures to apply for positions at the following stores:
AlbertsonsSafewayVonsPavilionsShaw’s Acme
