This week, Pottsville faced yet another store closing. Center Street Rite Aid held its final hours on Tuesday, September 5. For the past week, they held enormous clearance sales and had heavy traffic as its doors shut, but why is yet another store closing down? This store closed just 2 months after the Super Shoes at Fairlane Village came to an end, and 5 months since the fire that closed down Black Rock.
Rite Aid store manager Mike Yuschock, who worked some of the final shifts at the downtown Rite Aid, gave some insight on why these closings are becoming more and more common.
“The biggest question is whether or not the companies that operate these stores have the want or the ability to adjust to how retail is changing” Yuschock said, “Stores that can support a strong presence have leverage to keep afloat, but that’s a expense that some retailers can’t or won’t make. Companies that resist that sort of change or don’t have the capital to invest in doing it properly are the ones that will dry up.”
In order for stores to not lose profit and close prematurely, they need to adapt to the changing environment. Additionally, they also need customers to make money. Advertising and word of mouth can help boost sales, but it’s up to consumers to shop locally. Shopping locally can help give employees better wages, and opens more opportunities for jobs.
Recent store closures have been sudden and abrupt. Some closings can be due to accidents, such as Black Rock, but then can evolve to permanent closure. Employees don’t have time to prepare, and thus are laid off. Super Shoes customers and employees were given a one month notice of closure, and downtown Rite Aid was given over a week of notice before its closure. With these store closings, it damages the economy of Pottsville.