THE BRONX (WABC) — A Walgreens in the Bronx is among more than 1,000 stores across the country that will close their doors — leaving many forced to find a new place to get their prescriptions.

The pharmacy on East Fordham Road will close for good on November 7. It is one of 1,200 U.S. locations to close in the next three years.

“I think it’s very uncomfortable,” said Fordham student Ryan Murphy. “We don’t have another good option in the area.”

Residents in the area believe shoplifting played a role in the store’s closing and say they’ve seen shoplifters become more daring.

Walgreens said economic headwinds made it too difficult to cover rent, staffing and supply costs.

The pharmacy giant said in a statement:

“Our retail pharmacy business is critical to our business strategy going forward. However, increased regulatory and reimbursement pressures are affecting our ability to cover costs associated with rental, staffing and supply needs. It’s never an easy decision to close a store We know our stores are important to the communities we serve, so we do everything we can to improve store performance. We intend to redeploy the majority of our team members from those stores we are closing.”

Experts believe shoplifting is one factor among many.

“When everything is behind a Plexiglas screen and a customer tries to buy something, it creates additional friction, and friction is the death of retail,” said business analyst Parag Amin. “In the long run, I think this will be good for customers because it creates more competition ready to take their place.”

A mom-and-pop pharmacy on Webster Avenue is more than ready to take on new customers.

“We’re going to get some of the business, so we’re very happy for that, we’re very fortunate,” said Mahesh Patel, co-owner of the Plaza Pharmacy.

The East Fordham Road location is among 500 stores to close in fiscal year 2025.

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