Rite Aid - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Rite Aid is Medium Risk.

Rite Aid is Medium Risk. The company often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. The company occasionally embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues at times. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Medium Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	High Risk
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	High Risk
Funding	High Risk
Political Actions	Lower Risk

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Rite Aid received a score of 55 on the 2025 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. The company recruits employees based on sexual identity issues. The company discriminates against vendors that do not promote divisive sex and gender policies, indicating it prioritizes sexual issues over merit (1)(2). In 2020, a Rite Aid employee was fired for defending herself and the store from a violent customer, although Rite Aid alleges the use of a pocketknife for self-defense warranted the firing (3). The company has plans to dispense abortion pills at some of its pharmacies (4). The company integrates ESG into its business practices. From its 2023 ESG Report: “Currently we screen our new suppliers in areas such as… emissions data” (5). However, the company has not canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (6).

Criteria:

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Rite Aid’s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company will not donate to non-religious charities unless they embrace controversial sexual identity policies (1)(2). The company ’s charitable giving focus areas are children’s support, health, and wellness (3).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Rite Aid’s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company forces employees to attend multiple, controversial trainings on gender identity, sexual orientation, transgender issues, and divisive racial ideology. The company provides gender transition guidelines for its employees (1)(2). The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its leadership composition, supply chain, and mentorship program. From its 2023 ESG Report: “Rite Aid has made a strong commitment to racial, ethnic and gender diversity at all levels, including our Board.” The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its supply chain. From its 2023 ESG Report: “Currently we screen our new suppliers in areas such as supplier diversity.” The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its mentorship program. From its 2023 ESG Report: “including leadership development programs that specifically aim to advance diverse talent” (3). The company does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (4).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

As of April 2025, Rite Aid’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging page is no longer up and running (1). The company supports DEI within its business practices. From its Corporate page: “At Rite Aid, we are committed to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion” (2). The company supports ESG within its business practices. From its 2023 ESG Report: “The [CSR] Committee has oversight of ESG policies and operational controls aimed to lead progress on sustainability initiatives and programs throughout the company” (3). Rite Aid scored a 60 out of 100 on the 2023-2024 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group (4)(5).

Criteria:

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Rite Aid’s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company provides a benefits package for employees which includes some transgender medical benefits for covered employees and dependents, including children. This may include paid short-term leave, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, chest surgeries, genital surgeries, medical visits and lab monitoring, travel and lodging. By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company increases health care costs and risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders (1)(2). The company has pledged a $1 million investment to its Racial Equity Initiative, but the follow-through is unknown (3)(4). In 2022, the company donated $999,750 to EmbraceRace (5). In 2022, the company donated $99,750 to The Trevor Project (6). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of the company using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (7).