Target first to offer $4 drugs in state - Small pharmacies call programs a gimmick
In the battle of the price cutters, Target Corp.
scored a blow against Wal-Mart this week by offering
$4 generic prescriptions nationwide, including in
Connecticut.
Consumers in the New Haven area can get a 30-day
supply of low-cost drugs at Target stores in Milford,
Orange and North Haven. Wal-Mart plans to go nationwide
by the end of January.
I n d e p e n d e n t p h a r m a c i s t s , though,
say they'll fight back against the heavyweights with
two weapons: loyalty and service.
" U l t i m a t e l y , people realize the value
of the service that we provide," said Scott Silver,
co-owner of Silver's Drug Shop in West Haven. "The
value of the integrity of the pharmacist is priceless."
In other words, picking up your Lovastatin isn't
as simple as buying a new throw rug for the guest
room.
Treating drugs as a loss leader ultimately won't
help the consumer, Silver said, because knowing patients'
medical histories and helping them find alternatives
to save money while avoiding dangerous drug interactions
is a major part of the pharmacist's art.
Critics of the discount program, including union-led
groups and the National Community Pharmacists Association,
which represents independent pharmacies, have called
it a publicity stunt that covers only a fraction of
the 8,700 generic drugs approved by the Federal Drug
Administration. Target's list of generics, called
a formulary, comprises about 300 drugs.
Silver said it costs a pharmacy $9 per prescription,
on top of the cost of the drug itself, given labor,
overhead, insurance and other costs.
"Somewhere along the line, they've got to come
up with that same figure to make it work," he
said of the big discounters. Either they raise prices
on other items or count on customers to buy other
things in order to justify the low price, Silver said.
Silver's does offer $3 prescriptions through the
Hospital of Saint Raphael's Project MotherCare, a
clinic in a traveling 18-wheeler, which serves low-income
pregnant women. But that wouldn't work for his business
as a whole, he said.
Other pharmacists said they weren't worried Target
would take away much of their business. "A majority
of our clientele are covered with prescription benefit
plans, so I don't see this as a problem at this point,"
said Frank Cocchiaro, who owns Howes Drug Store in
downtown Milford.
Gerard Acampora, owner of North Haven Pharmacy on
Maple Avenue, called low-cost generics a gimmick,
and said, "We take pride that we've treated our
patients fairly over the years."
Acampora, who has recently set up a consultation
area, and Cocchiaro, who offers free delivery, said
their business has been growing in the last year.
Customers at Silver's, which was bustling late Tuesday
afternoon, backed up the faith their pharmacists have
in them.
"I wouldn't change because I got all my records
here and (there's) good service," said Alex Stewart
of West Haven.
Stacey Ellis, also of West Haven, said she doesn't
trust generic drugs, although her insurance sometimes
makes her get them instead of the name brands. "I'd
rather my kids have the real thing," she said.
Wal-Mart isn't worried about the competition from
Target, according to a spokesman. "We said all
along since we rolled out the $4 generic program that
we welcome other retailers joining us in bringing
affordable prescriptions to the customers who need
them," said Kevin Gardner. "Wal-Mart's glad
to be the leader in providing a wide range of generic
prescriptions to those who need it the most, including
working families and senior citizens."
Target did not return a call Tuesday seeking comment.
Target, based in Minneapolis, is the nation's No.
2 retailer behind Wal-Mart. It operates 1,494 stores
in 47 states, though not every store has a pharmacy.
Wal-Mart's program is now in 3,009 in-store pharmacies
in 38 states.
