On Monday I was reminded of one great advantage independent stores have over mammoth chains.
The dermatology dept. at SMDC has been very adamant about my using Vanicream and only Vanicream for my allergy prone skin. I have bought the 1-lb. jars to use at home and the tubes for the cabin and travel. When we went to the Twin Cities this past weekend I didn't want to carry the big jar and thought I'd pick up a tube at Walgreens.
Surprise! The Superior St. Walgreens didn't even have a slot for it on their shelves. I tried again at the Roseville Walgreens, same story. I tried a Walgreens on W. 7th Blvd. in St. Paul; I even asked about it. A supervisor said that a dollar difference could pull an item; I assume she meant that a change in margin would determine if an item would be stocked or not. I tried a CVS; they didn't even carry it. I tried an independent pharmacy; they had a space for it but were out of stock.
As we headed for the Target in Roseville, we saw Arden Pharmacy on our left. We would try that on our way back. Target had no tubes of Vanicream, but it took lots of walking and looking in two different places to determine that.
OK, last try at Arden Pharmacy! Bingo! They had four tubes on the shelf! I was tempted to buy all four but settled for one. After all, I can buy it at Falk's in Duluth. Unfortunately, all the Falk's on our itinerary are closed on Sunday's and so I didn't buy it before we left.
If you need a huge selection of popular items, chains can be a boon. But if you want to have your favorite items year after year, be sure to frequent the independent, local stores who will do their best to meet your needs.
