Local Pharmacy Choices

I spent most of my afternoon gathering information on local pharmacies. I learned a few things that I didn't know which is always good. I have compiled a list of what you should know about the local pharmacy choices and included it below. People who regularly fill perscriptions should really think about who will receive their pharmacy dollars. Choose wisely and you might find yourself coming out ahead or at least be aware of what your options are.

There are 10 pharmacies in my local area. They are listed here. Let me know if you think I have left one out. I'd be happy to add it if I have overlooked any.

• Walgreens ~ Soon we will have 3 Walgreen's in our community. Walgreens will not pricematch a competitor's price or accept a competitor's pharmacy giftcard coupon. Occasionally a Catalina coupon will be generated for a giftcard with a transferred prescription but it is rare in my experience. They do not make these coupons available in their weekly circular or on their website. Walgreens prides itself on customer service and being open 24 hours a day. The local Walgreen's do have drive-up service which is convenient. I have been told by other pharmacies that Walgreen's tends to be the highest priced option in our community.
• CVS ~ There is one CVS in our community. CVS will pricematch depending upon the situation. They will not pricematch on the $4 generic items or if they will lose money on the deal. Bring in verification of the competitor's price and CVS will call the pharmacy for further verification. CVS will accept a competitor's pharmacy giftcard coupon and on occasion will have one of their own available either in their ad or online. CVS is not a 24-hour pharmacy but it does have a drive-thru.
• Cub Foods ~ Cub Foods has a pharmacy just inside the front door. They will pricematch a competitor's price if it is a local pharmacy with pricing that can be verified. They will not accept a competitor's pharmacy giftcard coupon. Cub Foods used to offer these coupons in their weekly ads or have offers including a hot meal with a prescription. They haven't done this for about the last 6 months.
• Rainbow Foods ~ Rainbow Foods has a pharmacy inside the grocery store. They will pricematch on a case by case basis depending upon the situation. They will not pricematch if it means they will lose money. This is the exception. Rainbow will not accept competitor's pharmacy giftcard coupons but they often have one of their own in their weekly ad. Look towards the back of the ad in the lower right or left corner. Their coupons range from $10-$25 dollars. Rainbow Foods will either pricematch or allow the use of their own pharmacy coupon, but not both. You will receive a Script Saver for each transaction at the Rainbow pharmacy. Read the requirements on these as they specify how many you need to collect in order to receive a $10 giftcard for groceries.
• Target ~ Target will pricematch a competitor's price if it is within a 5-mile radius of the store. They will call the competing pharmacy for price verification. Target will not accept a competitor's pharmacy giftcard coupon but they often have one of their own in their weekly ad. Generally it is for $10. Right now Target has a $10 pharmacy giftcard coupon on their website. It is good until 1/31 and you can print up to 2 of them per computer. There currently is a coupon in the 1/17 Target ad as well.
• Walmart ~ Walmart will not pricematch. They say it's up to their manager to decide if an item can be pricematched or not. I am not confident that this would fly at the local Walmart. There are several other choices of pharmacies that will be competitive, so you might want to stick with those options. They will not accept a competitor's pharmacy giftcard coupon either.
• Costco ~ You can use the Costco pharmacy even if you are not a member. Just tell the attendant at the door that you are going to the pharmacy. Costco will not pricematch. They will not accept a competitor's pharmacy giftcard coupon either as they only take their own coupons. Costco tends to be the lowest priced pharmacy in the community. You can check a prescription price simply by going to the Costco website, click on pharmacy and find the link for drug prices. This is a great feature! Now, Costco will not take checks from non-members. Your choice for payment is cash, or AMEX. As a non-member you are not allowed to purchase anything in the warehouse other than the prescription.
• Byerlys ~ Byerlys has the Prairie Stone Pharmacy inside the store. This pharmacy does pricematch as long as they don't lose money on the deal. They say their prices are in line with Target pharmacy prices. Prairie Stone will not take competitor's pharmacy giftcard coupons. However, they do have an interesting loyalty program. for every 5 perscriptions filled at Prairie Stone you will receive 10% off your next grocery order. While this isn't great, it's more than some of the others offer.

General Pharmacy Guidelines

Consider some of these things when you need to fill a prescription.

• When filling a prescription it is common for people to call and ask for a quote from the pharmacy. Don't hesitate to do this so that you can gather the necessary information needed to make the best choice. Ask the pharmacy if they will accept a call from a local competitor to verify the price.
• Ask the pharmicist if there happens to be a rebate on the prescription you are filling. With some diabeties medications and other drugs there often are rebates you can take advantage of.
• Watch the local Target, Rainbow Foods, Cub Foods and CVS for pharmacy giftcard coupons.
• Read the fine print on these giftcard coupons. They will specify that they are valid with a "new or transferred prescription" or with just a "transferred" prescription. Some pharmacies pay attention to these guidelines and adhere to them while others will give you a giftcard with any prescription. See what works for you.

Let me know if this is useful information for you. Also let me know if there are pharmacies that I have overlooked. Thanks!