Protesting Commercial Intrusion -- Walgreens

NE 50th Street, between 12th Ave NE & Brooklyn Way NE
University District, Seattle, Washington

This banner appeared shortly before ground was broken for the construction of the new Walgreens. Within days of it's placement, somebody had annotated it by adding a protest comment:

Hailing from the Midwest, I immediately identified with the point. In the Midwest, Chicago especially, these places are sprouting up like weeds. Presumably, Walgreens is expanding geographically in order to better compete with CVS, Osco, and other pharmacy-type, overpriced, pseudo-convenience stores. But could the ruffian malcontent who defaced this fine banner also be on the same wavelength?

That got me to thinking. At first, I thought that a Walgreens in that location would be awfully convenient... and certainly better than having to buy shaving cream from the paltry selection at the Safeway a half a block away. But waitaminute... as long as I was doing that, why wouldn't I just walk another half a block to the Rite Aid on the Ave? And say, friend, isn't there a Bartell's down at 45th and the Ave? Hmmmm, I smelled saturation.

So I took this opportunity to assemble a handy infographic:

By golly... maybe this disgruntled individual was onto something. Why would Walgreens be entering the existing cacophony of drug stores in this neighborhood? Just because it can... and to assert its growing presence?

In any case, point well taken, Anonymous Annotator. With two drug stores already here... oh great, another fucking drug store. The following images show some of the curious happenings to the banner following its annotation...

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