Family-owned Buehler's is taking the $4 generics program offered by Wal-Mart and others and is raising the price to $5. While on the face of this, the company's announcement of its plan might appear to be counterproductive to winning customers to its pharmacies, Buehler's believes that its full offer is superior and shoppers will soon catch on.
Glen Millikan, pharmacy operations manager at Jasper, Ind.-based Buehler's Foods, told the Evansville Courier & Press, that his company's plan has a number of advantages over the $4 competitors.
Buehler's Rx Rewards Program will expand its discounts to medications beyond the 300 on Wal-Mart's list and will include some brand name prescriptions as well. The company will also offer a free glucose meter for a first-time diabetic prescription along with free health screenings and access to health and wellness information.
"Being locally owned, we felt that it was absolutely essential for our customers to continue to get the best values throughout our stores, from groceries to pharmaceuticals," Mr. Millikan said.
Moving generics even at low price points is a win for Buehler's, according to Mr. Millikan. "Naturally you want to dispense the generics because you get a greater profit. The increase of generics is going to dramatically increase," he told the Courier & Press.
Discussion Questions: Has price comparison become a major factor in prescription medicine purchasing decisions? Has the $4 number become critical for pharmacies to match in the current environment or are consumers open to investigating the details of a program such as Buehler's to discover if it might actually be more beneficial to their needs?