Want to save some cash? Then try out your local discount chemist…
It’s nice to go to your local community chemist where you know the pharmacist and you can have a bit of a chat. Here in Australia, we value our pharmacists and rank them second only to doctors for their ethics and honesty, according to Roy Morgan’s research.
But things are changing on the chemist scene and it’s largely because of the rise of the discount chemist. If you’re interested in cheaper prices – and we are talking up to 50 per cent cheaper – then your local chemist discounter has it all sewn up.
If you haven’t gone to a discount chemist before you’ll find it’s very different shopping there. When you walk into a large discount chemist, the shelves are stocked high with a huge array of products – everything from gifts to vitamins. You name it – they’ve got it.
Get in the queue…
You may have to queue up to go to the checkout, you may not have had a chat with the pharmacist – but when you come to pay the bill you could be be shocked at how much cheaper it is.
The chemist discounters offer cheaper prices on scripts but they combine this with discounting other products such as vitamins and cosmetics. With a few extra dollars in your pocket from your script, you may end up buying some extra vitamins or a present for someone. And that’s all part of the plan when it comes to chemist discounters.
Will this mean the end of the local community pharmacy?
The rise of the chemist discounters is putting a lot of pressure on the local community pharmacies but does it mean they will disappear? Well, the news isn’t great. Chemist Warehouse is the fastest growing discount chemist in Australia with almost 300 stores around the country now. They have a slogan – “We beat everyone’s prices” and they seem to be living up to their promise.
So far, they are doing extremely well with the latest Roy Morgan Research showing that in the five years to March 2013, far more of us have been shopping at a Chemist Warehouse than before. The same research showed the number of people going to Amcal pharmacies in the same time frame has decreased.
As well, it’s not just the Chemist Warehouse that’s expanding. There are other discount chemists around including Discount Drug Stores, Good Price Pharmacy Warehouse and Your Discount Chemist. Priceline is also a growing presence in the discount chemist market with over 360 stores in Australia and about half of these contain a pharmacy.
Community chemists compete on service
But the view from within the industry is there will still be room for the community pharmacy. Your local community pharmacy provides other services such as in-store flu vaccinations and clinic on asthma and diabetes. These services appeal to the customers and keep their relationship going with the pharmacy. If people walk into a community pharmacy and they find they can get something more for their money, they’ll come back.
There’s no doubt the discount chemists have done some good research and they’ve applied it well, but the community pharmacy is still around for those who want the added services.
More on the best deals from discount chemists…
Next week, we’ll go through the types of savings you can make at your local discount chemist. Stay tuned and we’ll give you the full run down.
