Are Walgreens And Rite Aid Open On Christmas Day 2016? Sunday’s Pharmacy Store Hours And Merger Update

Many people are wondering if various stores including Walgreens and Rite Aid are open on Christmas Day 2016? The two pharmacy stores are going to be merging soon, but there will be plenty of customers who might need to get out to the stores in their areas. It could mean picking up last minute gifts or items to make the Christmas Day holiday more special. Here’s the latest information on both of these stores and their latest hours for Sunday, as well as some information about changes that will be coming to Rite Aid stores shortly.

The first Rite Aid opened back in 1962 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Years later there are hundreds upon hundreds of the drug stores located around the nation. In 2015, it was announced that Walgreens would be purchasing the chain in a major buyout deal. However, there’s been some snags in the deal, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is now involved. As the New York Post reported on December 23, if the merger deal is able to go through, it will make Walgreens-Rite Aid the biggest chain of pharmacies in the nation, surpassing CVS.

In addition to Walgreens buying Rite Aid, just a few days ago the Chicago Tribune reported that Fred’s drugstore chain from Memphis, Tennessee, would be purchasing 865 Rite Aid stores for $950 million. That helps Rite Aid in a major way as they try to complete the $9.4 billion buyout deal from Walgreens. It certainly helped Fred’s stock soar upon the news as it will more than double their current number of stores. There are currently 650 Fred’s stores around the country. Most Fred’s pharmacies are closed on Sunday, but it’s best to call the local store to double check.

What about the other two pharmacies? According to News for Shoppers in their report on store hours, only select Rite Aid stores and pharmacies will be open on Christmas Day 2016. The website reported that the company didn’t return their request for information about store hours. Shoppers are able to take a look at Rite Aid’s store locator to find out if stores in their area are open and if so what their hours are.

Depending on the store location, Rite Aid may have different weekly deals available. One of the latest weekly advertisements shows deals on items including detergents, makeup, candy, supplements, paper towels, tissues, medicine, toiletries, drinks and select food items. It’s best to check online by going to the Rite Aid website, clicking on Weekly Ad and entering your zip code to see the deals offered in that area.

Walgreens stores and pharmacies will be open on Christmas Day 2016. The 24-hour stores which will be open all 24 of those hours to accommodate customers on Christmas this Sunday. As for stores that aren’t the 24-hour variety, they’ll be open from either 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. or from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. depending on the location. The Walgreens store locator here will give more insight into which stores are open for the holiday.

There may be a lot of customers picking up boxes of candy or other gifts for family and friends they are visiting on Christmas Day. The latest Walgreens advertisement for the week features a variety of items on sale, which may vary by store location. These may include calendars, posters, vitamins, supplements, beverages such as 12 packs of select soda, crackers, cookies, bottled water, and many other items.

There seems to be Walgreens just about everywhere people look in their town or city these days. That means plenty of options for picking up those last minute Christmas Day 2016 gifts, food or other fixings for meals. Will you be shopping on Christmas Day at a Rite Aid, Walgreens or other pharmacy location?

[Featured Image by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]