Non-branded products

Press, 19 August 1982, Page 20

Non-branded products

Sir.—On attempting to purchase non-brand name soluble aspirin from the Urgent Pharmacy last Monday evening, I was given a packet of Disprin for $2.17, and told that the pharmacy did not supply

the other product. In the past I have found the non-branded product to be cheaper despite an additional packing fee. On further inquiry, I was told I would have been supplied with the non-branded product if I had had a prescription. Furthermore, “the board” had a policy not to supply an unpackaged product when a packaged equivalent was on the shelf. This was to reduce the workload when the pharmacy was busy. Surely the “ruling” could be more flexible for non-busy times,' as on Monday night and also, the packing charge should cover the extra time taken.— Yours, etc., PAUL SIMMONS. July 27, 1982.

[Mr H. W. Gibson, manager, Urgent Pharmacy (Chch) Ltd, replies: “The Urgent Pharmacy has been designed to allow maximum seating and standing room for customers to wait and hear when their prescriptions are completed. This unfortunately has been to the detriment of available shelf space and the policy is to keep the greatest range of medicinals without duplication of comparative or equivalent products and multiple sizes. “Packing” of products cannot be done immediately but must take its place, with ‘ prescriptions which obviously would cause delays in subsequent dispensing. The correspondent is unfortunately incorrect in that Monday is indeed now one of the busiest times of the week and as the priority is to dispense prescriptions as promptly as possible, “packing” is not encouraged when an equivalent product is already on the shelf.”]