Walgreens, CVS shutting some locations on weekends amid Omicron impact on staffing
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The operators of the two largest pharmacy chains in the U.S., CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) and Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA), are closing some of their locations on weekends in response to severe staffing shortages worsened by the spread of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.

Even before the emergence of Omicron, CVS (CVS) and Walgreens (WBA) were taking measures such as pay hikes and adding new hires to address the labor constraints. However, as operators of major locations where COVID-19 vaccines and testing are offered, they are now grappling with staff dissatisfaction and customersâ concerns over their service.
Both chains have said they are unable to quantify the extent of closures The
Wall Street Journal reports. A spokesman from CVS (CVS) said a small percentage of its nearly 10,000 stores are shutting on one or both days of the weekend âto help address acute staffing issues amidst both the Omicron surge and the workforce shortage affecting nearly every industry and company.â
A vast majority of the companyâs 9,000 U.S. locations are open during their regular hours, according to a spokeswoman from Walgreens (WBA). âThe ongoing labor shortage, combined with the surge of Covid-19 cases, has resulted in isolated instances in which weâve had to adjust operating hours or temporarily close a limited number of stores,â she added.
Last month, Rite Aid (NYSE:RAD) announced its decisions to close its stores an hour early and limit walk-in vaccines for only an hour in response to the staffing crisis.
Read: Despite initial gains on earnings beat, Walgreens (WBA) shares dropped early this month after the companyâs Q1 FY22 financials amid concerns over labor costs.