October 4, 2008 
Just finished reading the most recent Drug Store News (Sept 2008). A few things caught my eye that I thought I would share:
- NACDS calls this the “make-or-break time” for retail pharmacy.
- Giant Foods launched a new pharmacy program giving customers 5% off their next grocery order whenever they purchase five prescriptions using their Giant BonusCard.
- HealthExtras acquired Discount Drug Mart’s PBM – Immediate Pharmaceutical Services.
- Rite Aid introduced their Fill Up and Fuel Up program in June which offers a $30 gift card and a chance to win a year’s worth of free gasoline.
- Rite Aid also is piloting a program to deliver prescriptions to the house of patients being discharged from the hospital.
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In early 2007, there were 3,904 open pharmacy positions which continues to push up pharmacist salaries which according to Mercer are:
- $118,000 for a pharmacy team manager
- $108,700 for a staff pharmacist at retail
- $105,200 for a staff pharmacist at a hospital
- $105,000 for a clinical pharmacist
- $23,000 for a pharmacy technician
- $118,000 for a pharmacy team manager
(Think about the fact that the person you interface with at the pharmacy – the technician – makes $23,000 a year compared with a person who works in the tool booth in MA that makes $70,000 a year. Does that seem right?)
Enabling Healthy Decisions 
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