CVS Pharmacy to build new Toledo store

Yeah, but how's this: There's actually an INDEPENDENT pharmacy opening at Cricket West!

In a complete reverse of the trend toward gigantic chain drugstores on every corner, here comes a locally owned, old-fashioned drug store!!

(Or so the neighboring merchants at CW have told me. Hope I've got it right. If so, that's great news.)

Good grief. We need another mega chain pharmacy like we need another Mexican restaurant <shamelessly trying to hijack thread>

wtf, why don't they just move back into one of the ones they abandoned before???

I'm guessing they'll be knocking down the brick buildings that are at that corner. There are a few businesses in those buildings - a lawyers office and a karate center, I think. Wonder what will happen to those businesses?

It's the old adage what goes around comes around.

Back in the 50's my husband, who is a pharmacist, worked for Walgreen Drug downtown and then way out in the country at Miracle Mile. Then they cut ties and moved out. Back they came a few years ago with a vengeance.

Look for CVX to do the same. I would love to use a local pharmacy but our insurance dictates where we go and what we can buy. Bummer.

They have to make up for lost revenue somewhere. The DEA revoked the pharmacy controlled substances dispensing licenses of two south Florida CVS's (the oxycodone capitol of the world).

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/12/us-usa-drugstores-cvs-idUSBRE88B0KN20120912

There is sooo much money in legal drugs, let alone illegal drugs.

Things I could without, excess drug store real estate and excess gas station real estate. If its not one, its the other.

Things I could DO without.

" I would love to use a local pharmacy but our insurance dictates where we go and what we can buy. Bummer."

EXACTLY why we should all be in charge of our own health care insurance. Let YOU the consumer decide where your health care dollars will be spent in the free market system and watch how competitive providers can become.

When a 3rd party is paying the bills, what incentive is there for YOU the consumer to shop around?

As someone with a high deductible ($3,000/yr) plan, I do shop around to make sure I'm spending my $$ wisely.

That SE corner of Monroe/Douglas is not that big of a parcel. Especially when you consider that Bellevue cuts in behind it. Add traffic to an already busy intersection and it could be troublesome.

You can't swing a dead cat around Toledo without hitting a drugstore.
I wish our prescription drug plan would let us buy locally. I'd use Erie drug at Lewis & Eleanor in a heartbeat. Great people, on the rare occasions when I need a prescription that isn't a "maintenance" drug, they get me in and out in 5 minutes or less.

Whoa -- I just read the Blade article and the CVS folk really emphasized the "convenience store/grocery" aspect of their new stores. Also they will have medical assistance on site, a Doc-in-the-box clinic. I suspect that will be a profitable side to the business.

I guess I'm lucky, no restrictions on where I purchase my prescription drugs. My insurer does give a discount if I use their mail order service, however they seem to go out of their way to make it a pain in the neck to use it. I've had friends who do use a mail order drug service complain that sometimes their drugs dont arrive on time. Who needs that?!

CVS wants to promote a convenience store/grocery genre? I'll believe that when I see it.

Foodie - if we all had to buy our own insurance without the benefits of a group plan, we’d never be able to afford it. Also, pre-existing conditions wouldn’t be covered; many families wouldn’t be insurable on the open market.

Also they will have medical assistance on site, a Doc-in-the-box clinic.

Didn't Rite-Aid get rid of all of their doc in a box because they couldn't make any money doing it?

I agree with both Foodie and SensorG. The dictates of insurance companies can be a pain you know where. But no normal person could afford to buy decent medical insurance at the prices of today. I could not afford to have insurance with a $3,000/deductible.

We get all maintenance drugs through mail order and have for years. Not had a problem at all. But you have to be on your toes to get your RX's in early to allow fill and delivery time.

"Foodie - if we all had to buy our own insurance without the benefits of a group plan, we’d never be able to afford it. Also, pre-existing conditions wouldn’t be covered; many families wouldn’t be insurable on the open market."

Bovine scathology. Do most of us belong to a "group" to buy groceries? Auto and home insurance? Automobiles? Plumbing supplies? Pet food? Pencils and pens?

Pre-existing conditions could be dealt with in a number of different ways.

Health insurance costs are on the moon for a number of reasons - not the least of which is the fact that "someone else" pays for it thereby removing any incentive on the part of the consumer to shop around or negotiate. And, since "someone else" pays the tab, people have no qualms about going to the ER for the sniffles when waiting to see your PCP would suffice.

You'd be amazed at the difference in pricing from one pharmacy to another by shopping around.

And if you think health care costs a bundle now, just wait until it's "free".

Do most of us belong to a "group" to buy groceries? Auto and home insurance? Automobiles? Plumbing supplies? Pet food? Pencils and pens?

All of these things are cheaper however if you by them as group. What's the cost of 1 pen verses 1000 pens or 10,000 pens? A lot of us do belong to groups to buy groceries as well...Sams Club, Costco, a couple of friends and I split a whole cow or two per year.

Also insurance companies do a lot of the shopping around already. They limit your chose of doctors and prescriptions because they negotiate a better price. Just like they have their consumers use mail order for 3 months of a drug at a time instead of getting 30 days at a local pharmacy. It’s because they negotiate group prices. You may not lot having your choices limited, but don’t pretend things aren’t less expensive.

A number of years ago, I looked into starting my own consultation business. I simply couldn’t get insurance that would cover my family’s needs. It’s not it I couldn’t afford it (I problably couldn’t have), but I couldn’t even get them to cover us.

Shift the cost of health care premiums from the employer to the individual and you'll have the largest group you can imagine - each shopping for the best rates and prices they can get.

As it is now, when the employer receives their annual notification of a double digit increase in the cost of health care premiums, they mostly do a lot of grousing about it, perhaps have their broker shop the account, have the employees contribute something or something more towards the cost - God forbid! But, largely, they suck it up and pay the extra premium.

Most employees have no idea what their health care costs are. Trust me, they are steep. Therefore, they have no incentive to help keep those costs under control. If everyone was responsible for shopping around and obtaining their own coverage, the free market would work, most would figure out that a healthier lifestyle would get them better rates. If they didn't, then let them pay the high dollar.

No different than auto insurance. Yes, all of us have to bear some cost for jackpot jury awards, the uninsured drivers and those whose driving records are five pages long but, those of us who maintain clear records reap the benefits in the form of significantly lower rates.

How would the individual pay for those premiums? Numerous ways. Salary increase from the employer since that cost is no longer their responsibility; tax credits and or tax free medical savings accounts, etc.

IMHO, this issue isn't much different than taxes being with held from your paycheck. If we all received our full gross pay and then had to sit down and write checks to the various taxing authorities, you'd see government spending come under control in a New York minute via the pressure applied by we, the taxpayers.

People aren't cars...the funny thing is though, one of the factors reducing car insurance costs is the fact that everyone with a car is mandated to have insurance.

I think it all depends where it goes. It would be really great to see something like that go downtown especially since B's Market is no longer there (a personal destination when I needed a soda or a paper).

Drugstores are a dime a dozen everywhere (not just Toledo) and if a company finds them viable in our economy, I say go for it. More jobs lead to more people spending money.

It really depends on location of the upcoming store how successful it will be, in my opinion.

The article stated it's going in at the corner of Douglas & Monroe.

Big companies like CVS are not the problem. I would be more worried about the new store front independent. I am now in the Detroit area and these type of drugstores have opened up everywhere. A friend in the business told me that most of these new generation of pharmacies are not the traditional corner drug store of previous generations. The Detroit News has had multiple stories of insurance fraud, money laundering and drug diversion originating from these new independent pharmacies. Many of these operations are jointly owned and controlled by individuals that don't call the USA home. Some have local figurehead 'owners' to give a look of legitimacy but they are not the ones calling the shots in the business. Recently in August there was a group of Canton Michigan independent pharmacies convicted of fraud and drug diversion. The convicted owner controlled 20 "independent" pharmacies. Most publicly held companies like CVS would not allow these business practices.

http://www.fbi.gov/detroit/press-releases/2012/canton-resident-convicted-in-health-care-fraud-scheme