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As somebody that discovered the USA not so long ago, this was one of the weirdest parts. Pharmacies carry a lot of stuff that have nothing to do with health an

As somebody that discovered the USA not so long ago, this was one of the weirdest parts. Pharmacies carry a lot of stuff that have nothing to do with health and that includes junk food.

x0054 7y ago
It’s business 101, you have to make your customers need you :)
briandear 7y ago
CVS isn’t just a pharmacy. It’s more of a variety store that also has a pharmacy.
- bbanyc 7y ago
  CVS started as a variety store (it stood for Consumer Value Stores) and there are still a few older locations that don't have pharmacies, but pharmacy counter revenue has greatly outpaced "front store" revenue for a long time now. Today the parent company is called CVS Health and in addition to the retail chain it owns health insurer Aetna and pharmacy benefits manager Caremark. (As well as the pharmacy counters inside Target stores.) So CVS is primarily a pharmacy, unlike Walmart and Kroger, which are stores that have pharmacies.
  - plorkyeran 7y ago
    The pharmacy may be what makes most of the money, but I've never seen a CVS where the pharmacy was more than a tiny thing at the back of a large store.
    - Scoundreller 7y ago
      The turnover in dollars per volume is a lot higher for the meds in the back than the rest of the store. And the pharmacy creates a captive market of people that buy other items while they’re there. There’s a reason pharmacies keep getting bigger even though the dispensing area isn’t.
catalogia 7y ago
The "pharmacy" is the window/counter in the back of the store. A typical CVS will contain a pharmacy, but generally the fridge full of cola is not considered part of that pharmacy. You find similar "pharmacy within a more general store" arrangements in places like Walmart, many grocery stores, etc. In other words, Walmart is not a pharmacy but Walmart has a pharmacy.
- soneca 7y ago
  That's true. When searching Google maps, the hours of the "CVS Pharmacy" are for the actual pharmacy inside the CVS store; which might close early than the general CVS store (under the term "CVS" only)
dghughes 7y ago
Soda pop was often sold in drug stores from soda fountains. The drink started off as medicine it was put in a form that was pleasant to consume sweet carbonated water. A YouTube channel Loft Pursuits has a video part of which explains soda pop. The video is about the NY Egg Cream but it starts off with the history of carbonated water and soda pop. In New York city in the early 1800s St. Patrick's cathedral was being constructed. Someone figured out the marble dust from the construction when mixed with acid created a cheap supply of carbon dioxide. Carbonated water was rare and expensive back then so this was a great opportunity. Candy stores in the area made syrups and sold it by mixing it was the carbonated water. https://youtu.be/YMGiOumwljY?t=209 https://youtu.be/YMGiOumwljY?t=209

As somebody that discovered the USA not so long ago, this was one of the weirdest parts. Pharmacies carry a lot of stuff that have nothing to do with health and that includes junk food.

x0054 7y ago

It’s business 101, you have to make your customers need you :)

briandear 7y ago

CVS isn’t just a pharmacy. It’s more of a variety store that also has a pharmacy.

bbanyc 7y ago
CVS started as a variety store (it stood for Consumer Value Stores) and there are still a few older locations that don't have pharmacies, but pharmacy counter revenue has greatly outpaced "front store" revenue for a long time now. Today the parent company is called CVS Health and in addition to the retail chain it owns health insurer Aetna and pharmacy benefits manager Caremark. (As well as the pharmacy counters inside Target stores.) So CVS is primarily a pharmacy, unlike Walmart and Kroger, which are stores that have pharmacies.
- plorkyeran 7y ago
  The pharmacy may be what makes most of the money, but I've never seen a CVS where the pharmacy was more than a tiny thing at the back of a large store.
  - Scoundreller 7y ago
    The turnover in dollars per volume is a lot higher for the meds in the back than the rest of the store. And the pharmacy creates a captive market of people that buy other items while they’re there. There’s a reason pharmacies keep getting bigger even though the dispensing area isn’t.

catalogia 7y ago

The "pharmacy" is the window/counter in the back of the store. A typical CVS will contain a pharmacy, but generally the fridge full of cola is not considered part of that pharmacy. You find similar "pharmacy within a more general store" arrangements in places like Walmart, many grocery stores, etc. In other words, Walmart is not a pharmacy but Walmart has a pharmacy.

soneca 7y ago
That's true. When searching Google maps, the hours of the "CVS Pharmacy" are for the actual pharmacy inside the CVS store; which might close early than the general CVS store (under the term "CVS" only)

dghughes 7y ago

Soda pop was often sold in drug stores from soda fountains. The drink started off as medicine it was put in a form that was pleasant to consume sweet carbonated water. A YouTube channel Loft Pursuits has a video part of which explains soda pop. The video is about the NY Egg Cream but it starts off with the history of carbonated water and soda pop. In New York city in the early 1800s St. Patrick's cathedral was being constructed. Someone figured out the marble dust from the construction when mixed with acid created a cheap supply of carbon dioxide. Carbonated water was rare and expensive back then so this was a great opportunity. Candy stores in the area made syrups and sold it by mixing it was the carbonated water. https://youtu.be/YMGiOumwljY?t=209 https://youtu.be/YMGiOumwljY?t=209