A Trip to the Pharmacy

Since I was running some errands today, my husband asked me to pick up an over the counter medicine that was on sale at the local pharmacy. The several hundred prescriptions per week that I write are sent electronically so I have very little actual contact with the retail stores other than an occasional chat with a pharmacist clarifying directions. It had been a very long time since I was last in a store. I could not have been more dismayed at the apparent state of retail pharmacies.

First all, calling the operation a pharmacy is disingenuous at best. There is a prescription dispensing area at the back of the store, past the aisles of shampoos, Halloween and Christmas decorations, socks and electronics. The queue to attract a pharmacy technician was quite long; there was plenty of time to read the posters for flu shots, glucose meters and frequent buyer clubs. The perimeter of the store held refrigerator and freezer cases with an assortment of beverages (milk, juices, soda) and frozen dinners. There was a dazzling display of potato chips and other snack foods and the assortment of Halloween candy and Xmas wrapping paper was impressive.

The shampoo aisle ran the length of the store; the “professional” section had products for all types of hair all labeled “to be sold in professional salons only.” Nice selection of batteries and lots of laundry supplies as well. The school supply section was cleaned out.

I had plenty of time to observe the other customers since there was only one checkout person for the fifteen people in line. No one seemed too happy, but no one seemed to be sick. The candy display under the checkout counter had plenty of offers: buy 2 get one for a penny, 4 for $5, buy 10 and get a $2 credit to use next time. Maybe the ad for glucose meters should be moved from the back to the front?