My first for today was to visit a new store that opened recently in Joplin. We have several Walgreens in the Joplin area, and pharmacies in the many local Walmarts. New to town is CVS Pharmacy, located on the corner of 32nd and Main Street.
I had an opportunity, while I was out this afternoon, to stop by CVS. I drive by often, and I was happy to get a peek inside the store. CVS Pharmacy is the second largest pharmacy chain in the US, after Walgreens, with more than 7600 stores. They sell prescription drugs and a wide assortment of merchandise including over the counter drugs, beauty products and cosmetics, cards and gifts, film and photo processing and convenience foods. The company was founded in Lowell, MA, in 1963, under the name Consumer Value Store. The owners, Sid Goldstein, Stanley Goldstein and Ralph Hoagland, launched the store as a discount health and beauty aid franchise. Customers were originally required to bag their own purchases.
In 1996 the name was changed to CVS Health Corporation with the initials standing for Customer, Value, Service. Over the years this company has acquired, through acquisitions and mergers, many other pharmacy companies, growing the brand to the current status of second in the nation in both number of stores and number of prescriptions filled. This year CVS made the decision to stop selling tobacco products in their stores. And just today, the retail chain announced an in-store fundraising campaign to help raise funds for the fight against cancer. Called Stand Up to Cancer, customers have the opportunity at the cash register to make a $1 donation. The company has made a three year commitment to donate $10 million dollars to fund cancer research.
I had no idea that today started the campaign, yet it turned out to be a great day to visit. Trusting in my journey, things work out the way they are supposed to! I enjoyed browsing through the bright, clean store. The aisles are wide and there is an ample variety of product. CVS offers an in-store card that when used gives discounts and collects points that can be used later for purchases. I talked to Tim, the store manager, who happens to be a friend of mine, and learned about some of the company policies and procedures, all geared toward customer service.
CVS is located near my home. I am sure I’ll be a frequent visitor. My first experience was very pleasant. And as I checked out at the register, I was able to make a $1 donation toward fighting cancer. I appreciate that the company is not only making a huge donation to fight cancer, but has decided to remove tobacco products as well, as these contribute to the disease. Health, it would seem, is a priority indeed at CVS.
There was a funny moment, as the cashier rang up my small purchase and added the donation. She looked at me with a perplexed look on her face and finally said, “Your total comes to $6.66…..is that a problem?” I laughed. I know that number bothers some people. If it had bothered her too much, I would have added another dollar to my donation. I was fine with the amount, and paid it happily. She was relieved.
