Ward 8 residents such as Mike Thomas, have been deeply considering the fate of the Giant located on Alabama Avenue SE – particularly of its pharmacy, which is one of the few in the southern end of the ward.
“If they close the pharmacy at this Giant, that would be bad for the elderly people,” said Ward 8 resident Mike Thomas, who picked up his family at the store on Oct. 8. “They need their medicine. Where would they go to get their medicine?”
The discussion about the pharmacy comes as Giant officials initiated stricter security measures for customers at the Alabama Avenue store due to the high rate of shoplifting and theft taking place.
In August, D.C. Council member Trayon White (D-Ward 8) and community leaders called on the company officials to keep the store open because it is the only major grocer in the ward and some residents would have problems getting their groceries due to lack of transportation options.
Company officials have said publicly they have no plans to close the store, but customers must have their receipts checked by security guards when leaving and some name brand products have been pulled from the shelves.
Pharmacies in D.C.
Open Data DC reveals there are 11 pharmacies in Ward 8 as of earlier this year; however, this information does not reflect recent closures.
Pharmacies in the District are heavily concentrated in its downtown and daytime centers. The DC Policy Center posted on its website, “Pharmacy Access Varies Greatly Across D.C.”, reports that even though the wards have similar populations, there are 36 licensed pharmacies in Ward 2 and 25 in Ward 6 and 21 in Ward 3. However, Ward 7, which neighbors Ward 8, has seven, the post said.
Owolewa, the Pharmacist, Weighs In
District residents know Ward 8 resident Oye Owolewa as the city’s shadow representative to the U.S. House of Representatives. While he’s not donning his political hat, he serves residents as a registered pharmacist at the Safeway store located in Capitol Hill.
Owolewa said losing the Giant and pharmacy in Ward 8 would be “devastating for the community.”
“That store serves thousands of people each week,” Owolewa, 33, said. “The store and pharmacy closing would affect people who live in the Parkland neighborhood as well as the students in the area. The folks there need to get their prescriptions and medicines and should not have to go all over the city for that. Many of the residents who live near the Giant don’t have easy access to west of the river neighborhoods.”
Owolewa pointed out that U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris received their coronavirus booster shot at the Giant on Alabama Avenue.
Owolewa said losing the pharmacy at Giant would have consequences other than just making it inconvenient for residents to get their prescriptions filled.
“I would guess some of the people who work at the pharmacy live nearby,” he said. “That means some of our neighbors will be out of work.”
Giant Responds to Possible Pharmacy Closure
Jonathan Arons, a spokesperson for Giant, responded to an Informer email requesting an interview with the pharmacist at the store on Sept. 28. The request was declined; however, he did send a statement.
“We do not have any current plans to close our Alabama Ave [location],” he wrote. “However, we need to be able to run our stores safely and profitably. The reality is that theft and violence at this store is significant, and getting worse, not better. As a result, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to operate under these conditions. We have invested in a host of measures to mitigate the issue at the store, and across many stores, but we also need the help and partnership from the community and local officials to truly combat the theft and violence that continues to escalate.”
Thomas said if the Giant closes, residents will have to go to smaller pharmacies.
“People will have to get their medicine at the mom-and-pop stores,” he said. “Sometimes, they don’t give you the right medicine.”
Myrtle Evans shopped for her groceries at the Giant and didn’t seem too concerned with the status of the pharmacy.
“I will just go to Grubb’s on East Capitol Street,” she said.