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In the US and many other countries (I can confirm this is true for Japan), pharmacies are also convenience stores, and sell many other things besides drugs. ht

by Zarel 8y ago

In the US and many other countries (I can confirm this is true for Japan), pharmacies are also convenience stores, and sell many other things besides drugs. https://www.cvs.com/ https://www.cvs.com/ For instance, here's a US pharmacy chain – notice it mentions photos on the home page.

eahman00 8y ago
"Sorry, our site is unavailable in your country right now." In any case I suppose it's a cultural thing. I've seen in the US they have ads for really invasive drugs on the telly, so I suppose Americans visit pharmacies all the time, that's why they became convenience stores? Or maybe the other way around, they are convenience stores so they can get Americans to buy drugs more often? Anyway, offtopic.
- bardworx 8y ago
  In search of continues growth, pharmacies in the US had to expand their offerings. Since someone will go there to get their prescription filled or pick up some Asprin, it makes sense to start selling vitamins, then some household essentials, and before you know it Walgreens is selling fruits and veggies. Pictures being printed in pharmacies have been around since 90s, at least.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
- dralley 8y ago
  The "invasive ads", while really shitty, are for prescription-only drugs, and it's the drug companies behind those, not the pharmacies. You can't just walk into a pharmacy to get those drugs. They're "convenience stores" in the sense that they also sell things like soap, laundry detergent, toothbrushes/toothpaste/floss/mouthwash, paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, etc. It has nothing to do with getting people to buy more drugs, it's just another thing to sell. Stores in the US tend to be bigger and stand alone, so if you've got a sizable building you want to fill it with something to sell.
- ajdlinux 8y ago
  In Australia, we don't have the same culture of pharmacies being convenience stores as in the US (and certainly not selling cigarettes!), or the same issues with prescription drugs (it's illegal to advertise them here like in most places), but pharmacies regularly dedicate half of their floor space on cosmetics, and it's not uncommon to have photo printing machines too - back in the days of film cameras, the pharmacy was where we would drop off film rolls for developing.

by Zarel 8y ago

eahman00 8y ago

"Sorry, our site is unavailable in your country right now." In any case I suppose it's a cultural thing. I've seen in the US they have ads for really invasive drugs on the telly, so I suppose Americans visit pharmacies all the time, that's why they became convenience stores? Or maybe the other way around, they are convenience stores so they can get Americans to buy drugs more often? Anyway, offtopic.

bardworx 8y ago
In search of continues growth, pharmacies in the US had to expand their offerings. Since someone will go there to get their prescription filled or pick up some Asprin, it makes sense to start selling vitamins, then some household essentials, and before you know it Walgreens is selling fruits and veggies. Pictures being printed in pharmacies have been around since 90s, at least.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
dralley 8y ago
The "invasive ads", while really shitty, are for prescription-only drugs, and it's the drug companies behind those, not the pharmacies. You can't just walk into a pharmacy to get those drugs. They're "convenience stores" in the sense that they also sell things like soap, laundry detergent, toothbrushes/toothpaste/floss/mouthwash, paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, etc. It has nothing to do with getting people to buy more drugs, it's just another thing to sell. Stores in the US tend to be bigger and stand alone, so if you've got a sizable building you want to fill it with something to sell.
ajdlinux 8y ago
In Australia, we don't have the same culture of pharmacies being convenience stores as in the US (and certainly not selling cigarettes!), or the same issues with prescription drugs (it's illegal to advertise them here like in most places), but pharmacies regularly dedicate half of their floor space on cosmetics, and it's not uncommon to have photo printing machines too - back in the days of film cameras, the pharmacy was where we would drop off film rolls for developing.