Walgreens Store At 2625 W. National Ave. In Milwaukee's Southside To Permanently Close In Early November 2024, Employees Allegedly Say Proliferation Of Shoplifters And Low Business Sales Partially To Blame

One of Milwaukee's Southside Walgreens stores located at 2625 W. National Ave. to permanently close in early November 2024.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

October 16, 2024

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - The Walgreens store and pharmacy at 2625 W. National Ave. in the Southside of Milwaukee announced in early October that it will permanently close the drug store on November 3, 2024. The Walgreens pharmacy will close on November 1, 2024.

Last month, the Walgreens pharmacy began to close on Saturday and Sunday at the location.

According to Walgreens employees, the store has allegedly been losing money by the proliferation of shoplifters (mostly homeless individuals in the area) and the lack of business sales.

Several weeks ago, a homeless Black male walked into Walgreens and ran out with several 12 packs of Coke. Walgreens has video surveillance cameras operating and usually has one or two security guards inside, but to no avail from keeping individuals from shoplifting.

Walgreens Corporate also announced on Tuesday,  October 15, 2024 that it will be closing 500 stores by 2025 and 1,200 by 2027, those targeted are the stores that are underperforming, according to Walgreens Corporate, which operates about 8,600 stores nationwide.

Editor's note:

The following Facebook comment was posted on October 15, 2024 by Olivia Villarreal, the co-owner of El Rey stores, which generate more than $32.6M in business revenue (according to Kona Equity dot com/in 2017, Voces de la Frontera reported, El Rey generated more than $59M in combined business revenue) per year in the Southside of Milwaukee. Olivia is also the co-owner of the shopping center at S. Historic Layton Blvd and W. National Ave. in the Southside of Milwaukee and commented in regards to the HNNUSA news article that the Walgreens store was closing permanently at 2625 W. National Ave..

Olivia Villarreal posted her comment in Jair A. Varela's Facebook account who shared the HNNUSA Walgreens news article announcing it is closing in early November.

Olivia Villarreal posted, "Welcome to our world at the shopping center on 27th & National and our problems of keeping tenants!  Homeless, drug addicts, women of the streets all up & down 27th Street to 16th Street on National Avenue.  Cristo Rey put in a $10 million investment and this is the neighborhood they have to school these children!  El Rey has heavy involvement & investment into this area, we are a destination!  This is shameful that people from all over Wisconsin come through National Avenue and witness this seedy part of Milwaukee!  The City of Milwaukee and EVERY SINGLE OFFICIAL should be ashamed and worried!"