Mom-and-Pop Drugstores Thrive as Chain Pharmacies Close in New York

At one of the few chain pharmacies still open in the South Bronx, just about everything except for the greeting cards is behind plexiglass barriers and sealed with a lock. Yet near a subway station on that same bustling shopping street, four mom-and-pop pharmacies are doing brisk business. Their unlocked shelves are filled with merchandise, and the pharmacist and technicians are on the phones, answering calls from patients in multiple languages. The chain pharmacy industry nationwide is in significant turmoil due to poor working conditions, aggressive productivity targets, and increased costs from anti-shoplifting measures. Online shopping has also impacted their business.