Downtown Walgreens needs to extend its hours

The downtown Walgreens at Madison and Main is open until 8 pm weekdays, 7 pm Saturday, and 6 pm Sunday. This type of schedule made sense when downtown was merely a place people worked. But now downtown is a full-fledged neighborhood with 10,000 people. Just within walking distance I can name several large apartment/condo complexes – No. 10 Main, Shrine, Echelon at the Ballpark, Porter Building, 66 Front, Exchange, 99 Tower, Claridge, Gayoso, Pembroke. Plus, there are a half dozen hotels within walking distance. We need and deserve the late-night drugstore service that every other neighborhood in town enjoys.

Many nights I have sat across the street in the coffee shop, and watched people walk up to Walgreens only to discover that it’s closed. What do they think this is, a real city with a thriving downtown? The last night I watched I saw at least 25 people walk away in frustration between 8 and 10 pm. How dare they expect service in the middle of the night!

Worse, the criminals know people do this, and prey on them. By now most locals know it’s pointless to make the trek to Walgreens after 8. But tourists (who are perceived as targets) don’t know any better. So when criminals see someone walk up to the door after 8, they know they have an easy mark. Just today some Iragi dignitaries in town visiting were robbed at gunpoint at 10:45 pm as they walked away after discovering the store was closed.

Two businesses on that same corner, Empire Coffee and Six50, stay open until 10. Why can’t Walgreens do the same? Madison and Main could become the late-night mecca for downtown residents (as opposed to tourists, who have Beale Street). But Walgreens needs to take the lead.

If you agree, please go to

www.walgreens.com, click on Contact Us, then click on Store/Pharmacy Inquiries. Fill out the form – the address is 2 N. Main St., Memphis, TN 38103. Don’t know the store number. Tell them they need to stay open later. Maybe if enough people do this they will listen.