[7][8] In 1970, Peoples had 252 stores operating in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, New York, and New Jersey.

[10] In 1975, the chain was purchased outright by Lane Drug, creating a combined company of 380 stores.

[21] In 1984, Peoples was acquired for $320 million (~$794 million in 2023) by the Canadian conglomerate Imasco, the Canadian arm of British American Tobacco, and owner of Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix in Canada.

Not long after being acquired by Imasco in 1984, Peoples sold some stores to concentrate on the Mid-Atlantic states.

[28] The 85-store division gave Big B its entrance into the Atlanta market, a goal they had been working on for years.

[32] Reliable survived only four years before it filed for bankruptcy and its stores were sold off to Osco Drug and Rite Aid in 1993.

[37] In May 2018, a bar and restaurant called The People’s Drug opened in Alexandria, Virginia.

According to the owners, the name was picked as a tribute to the local pharmacy chain that was once known for its lunch counters.