Customers flow in and out of East Palo Alto’s Target on a Saturday afternoon, carrying white and red plastic bags in their hands. The afternoon shoppers appear to be enjoying the good weather. However, inside the store, aside from a row of clearance products at the front, shelves are almost completely empty as employees shuffle around the store, removing the last items from displays.

In August, Target announced that it would be permanently closing its East Palo Alto location on Sept. 28, according to ABC News. The store, with its on-site pharmacy, has been a go-to place for its surrounding communities since its opening at the Ravenswood Shopping Center in 2017.

Residents from East Palo Alto and other neighboring towns are now uncertain of where they are going to get their basic necessities like medication, as this leaves only two other pharmacies in East Palo Alto: Ravenswood Family Health Network and Drews Center Pharmacy. These pharmacies can be hard to access as Ravenswood Family Health Network is in the nothernmost part of the city and does not appear on Google Maps under a search for pharmacies. 

According to East Palo Alto City Council Member Ruben Abrica, the building that currently houses Target is privately owned, meaning the city had little power in preventing the closure. Abrica said that the closure of the Target’s will be particularly impactful to pharmacy goers.

“The pharmacy is definitely a big loss,” Abrica said. “We only have one other one that’s been there for a long time … it’s gonna impact people’s accessibility.”

East Palo Alto’s other pharmacy, Drew Center Pharmacy, is a family owned business located at 2242 University Ave. According to Abrica, this pharmacy is smaller than Target’s. It is expected to receive an influx of patients, so many will be forced to go to pharmacies in neighboring cities.

Target has responded by posting a sign on the entrance doors saying that the suggested alternative pharmacy is in downtown Palo Alto on University Ave. This might only be a 2.4-mile drive from the original location, but for some, that distance could be a barrier, making them unable to pick up their medication. 

Palo Alto High School senior Brianna Meza’s family has relied on Target’s pharmacy.

“I would walk with my grandma to Target some days after school and we would go pick up her medicine,” Meza said. 

Meza said her family is impacted by the pharmacy’s closure and her grandma doesn’t have a set plan for her medication when Target closes.

“Honestly I don’t even think she’s aware that it’s closing,” Meza said. “My mom is in charge of getting her medication … I think my mom will figure it out … I don’t know.”

According to KRON4 News, Target said the closure is due to “prolonged underperformance” and the slow industry decline in people shopping at big-box stores. According to Abrica, another factor is that inflation has caused prices to rise too far to be purchased by East Palo Alto’s low-income community, causing a decline in sales and more theft. 

However the closure’s impact will be widespread due to Target’s central location providing a convenient place for many residents to shop.

“Target’s right next to my house. … I would always go there to get everything,” Meza said. “If I was missing something when I’m baking, Target was right around the corner. … Where am I going to go now? The closest [other] Targets are really far.” 

According to Palo Alto Online, many areas of East Palo Alto are considered food deserts, defined as areas where people have limited access to healthy and affordable foods. Target closing exacerbates this problem as it is closing one of the only three stores that sell produce to its approximately 28,000 residents. 

Anthony Johnson, a resident of East Palo Alto and president of its local Little League said he goes to Target to buy drinks his players, as well as groceries for his family. Johnson said having a store like Target in East Palo Alto makes it convenient for residents to shop.

“Having the Target right here in your backyard speaks volumes,” Johnson said. “For certain people, it meant not having to drive far or even having it within walking distance. My house is right behind the shopping center, so I could walk there.”

Johnson said he is hopeful that a new store will move in, but said that Target will be missed among residents.

“It’s just been hard to swallow that these big corporations are going to come to the community, and they can just go ahead and forecast their own exit,” Johnson said.    v