By CRAIG FREILICH

POTSDAM – The Rite Aid Pharmacy in Potsdam Plaza reopens Saturday morning, but only for a liquidation sale before the store closes for good.

“They are selling off as much as they can – greeting cards, magazines, but no prescriptions,” said Rite Aid spokesman Eric Harkreader. He said the liquidation sale should take several weeks, depending on how fast the merchandise is sold.

A sign on the door at the store at 201 Market St. says that Rite Aid pharmacy customers’ prescription information has been turned over to Walgreens, just about next door, for future service.

Eight associates worked at the store. Some of them will be working during the sale, and Rite Aid is looking to place about half of them in other jobs, Harkreader said.

There are Rite Aid stores in Canton, Massena and Ogdensburg.

“It was a business decision” to close the Potsdam store, Harkreader said.

“Rite Aid, like many retailers, does evaluate each individual store. A decision has to be made whether it makes good sense to maintain each operation, or if it would make more sense to close one. It’s not s decision we make lightly.”

Harkreader said it was a long time coming, with executives following sales and expense figures “over a long period of time.”

Over the last several years in Potsdam, competition has increased in the pharmacy business with regional chain Kinney Drugs opening a second store in town near Clarkson University, Walgreens opening a new store near Rite Aid, and a Walmart with a pharmacy opening just outside of the village.

The store was purchased by Rite Aid in 2007 when Rite Aide bought the Eckerd’s drug store chain. Prior to that, Eckerd's had acquired the store when it purchased the Syracuse-based Fay’s Drugs.

Rite Aid has 4,700 other stores in the United States.