The news: Pharmacy retail brands continue to stumble with consumers. CVS and Walgreens both saw their consumer reputations plummet in the 2025 Axios-Harris Poll 100.

• CVS dropped to 57th place in the survey of the most visible US brands, down from 36th last year.
• Walgreens fell to 65th place, down from 51st last year.
• Both companies have fallen in ratings for two consecutive years: CVS dropped 17 spots and Walgreens fell 12 places in 2024.

Driving the news: CVS and Walgreens are closing stores and cutting jobs and services, which likely contribute to consumer dissatisfaction. Increased theft in drugstores is causing pharmacies to lock up more items, further frustrating shoppers.

• Walgreens plans to close 1,200 stores over three years, which is about 14% of its physical footprint.
• CVS will close 270 this year, per The Street, and is on track to close about 10% of its total locations.
• Faster service at the pharmacy counter is the top improvement that customers would like to see at drugstores, per EMARKETER’s December 2024 Digital Health survey.
• 27% of shoppers say they would rather switch retailers or abandon their purchase than wait for assistance for a locked-up item they need, per a November 2024 Numerator survey.

Why it matters: More consumers are willing to use online pharmacies, but pharmacies and especially pharmacists are still important in community healthcare.

While consumers think poorly of big pharmacy chains, they trust the pharmacists who work inside the stores.

• 57% of Americans rated pharmacists as highly honest and ethical, landing ahead of medical doctors at 53%, per Gallup’s 2025 professions’ survey.

Consumers are also concerned about pharmacy closings.

• 59% of consumers worry about being able to get medications close to home, according to a July 2024 Wolters Kluwer study. And just 16% prefer online pharmacies.

Retail pharmacy’s pivot: The current pharmacy model with a large retail store in the front and pharmacy in the back isn’t working. Both CVS and Walgreens reported declining front-of-store sales in 2024 and are experimenting with smaller-footprint stores focused on health and wellness and pharmacy services.