There's a CVS within walking distance here. In fact, there are at least 3 within walking distance of here!
Once about 10 years ago, I was preparing to move, and felt like purchasing a pizza for my helpers, so I pulled out about $100 from a normal bank ATM. I went into CVS for change, and the pharmacy clerk calmly informed me that my $20 was counterfeit. I handed each other $20 bill to him in turn, and he rejected them all. (None of them were counterfeit.)
One of the quite unusual things about the store near me is its spotlessness. The restroom in particular was always in good working order, shelves were well-stocked, and there weren't a lot of crazy, smelly people roaming the aisles, and I often wondered how they did it. Well, it turns out that they're vertically integrated, and wholly owned by the statewide Medicaid (and behavioral health) insurance carrier. (That's why they sell candy, ultra-processed foods, lots of booze, [formerly cigarettes], and other very unhealthy products.)
During the pandemic, they were crazy busy with testing, and at some point they decided to completely renovate the store. They were normally 24/7 but they shut down sometimes for construction. When they had their grand re-opening, they had integrated a full-fledged "MinuteClinic" into the same space, and their retail offerings had expanded to include a lot of organic and natural remedies, which I saw as extremely odd for a Medicaid-adjacent drugstore.
It's still a spotless store, and I don't know about their loss prevention status, but they are locking up a few more shelves than before, and they've been crazy busy when I've walked in recently. The pharmacy tech was wearing significant amounts of bling, so wages must be pretty nice.
CVS has also become notorious for its unapologetic dispensing of mifepristone and misoprostol for "chemical at-home abortions". When my insurance changed last month, I actually telephoned a list of competing pharmacies to test and see whether they stocked or dispensed these drugs for that indication, and I found that some did not!
Once about 10 years ago, I was preparing to move, and felt like purchasing a pizza for my helpers, so I pulled out about $100 from a normal bank ATM. I went into CVS for change, and the pharmacy clerk calmly informed me that my $20 was counterfeit. I handed each other $20 bill to him in turn, and he rejected them all. (None of them were counterfeit.)
One of the quite unusual things about the store near me is its spotlessness. The restroom in particular was always in good working order, shelves were well-stocked, and there weren't a lot of crazy, smelly people roaming the aisles, and I often wondered how they did it. Well, it turns out that they're vertically integrated, and wholly owned by the statewide Medicaid (and behavioral health) insurance carrier. (That's why they sell candy, ultra-processed foods, lots of booze, [formerly cigarettes], and other very unhealthy products.)
During the pandemic, they were crazy busy with testing, and at some point they decided to completely renovate the store. They were normally 24/7 but they shut down sometimes for construction. When they had their grand re-opening, they had integrated a full-fledged "MinuteClinic" into the same space, and their retail offerings had expanded to include a lot of organic and natural remedies, which I saw as extremely odd for a Medicaid-adjacent drugstore.
It's still a spotless store, and I don't know about their loss prevention status, but they are locking up a few more shelves than before, and they've been crazy busy when I've walked in recently. The pharmacy tech was wearing significant amounts of bling, so wages must be pretty nice.
CVS has also become notorious for its unapologetic dispensing of mifepristone and misoprostol for "chemical at-home abortions". When my insurance changed last month, I actually telephoned a list of competing pharmacies to test and see whether they stocked or dispensed these drugs for that indication, and I found that some did not!