Massive financial losses led to the dispersal of the entire chain through a combination of liquidation sales and transferral of individual store locations in 1978.

[9] The 1973 shareholder report provided a note of warning that the big-box competition was getting “intense” and the chain would not be extending past its Southwest locations.

But later that same year, Walgreens reported lower earnings partly due to the financial downturn of its Globe store unit.

Losses were at $10 million in 1977 when Walgreens decided to exit the big-box space in 1978[12] closing or transferring all of its Globe Discount City locations by July 1978.

However, one location in McAllen remained as an independently-run Globe Discount City Store that operated for 20 more years closing at the end of 1999.