The Big Chains
For those in Australia, we are familiar with large chain pharmacy companies such as National Pharmacies, Chemmart, Chemplus, Amcal and so on. Now we have (relatively) newer ones such as Chemist Warehouse, United Discount Chemists, and Priceline. There seems to be a heading in a discount marketed direction, however the originals are still keeping their same banners and general ‘non-discount’ image. Do you feel this is hurting or helping the industry by marketing pharmacies as drug warehouses. These pharmacies are still providing the same counselling and professional services, but on observer may say the outfit of the store may be diminishing the professional reputation of pharmacies.
We are in this akward catagory where we are trying to deliver the same professional service as a doctor or dentist, but we are pegged in the retail catagory where we still need to put up signs with bold red writing saying SALE and BARGIN…you get the picture.
How do you feel about working in a store which is clearly marketed as a discount variety store/pharmacy. Especially for those pharmacy students leaving university, after spending some years learning the trade with a focus on chemistry, counselling, professionalism (and wearing a lab coat for hours on end), how do you feel about being placed in a relatively non-medical looking pharmacy being asked how come you’re selling paracetamol for $3.00 when its $1.10 down the road?
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