More on modern pharmacies

I've written about the goofiness of adding a third national chain pharmacy to our fair town. The competition among these chains is fierce. It's even more intense because most health insurance plans strongly encourage clients to use mail-order pharmacies for prescriptions that treat chronic conditions. The cost of mail-order prescriptions is typically a third of the cost that you'd pay at the retail stores, even with insurance coverage. So, the pharmacies are having trouble making money on their primary business, selling prescription medications, and have to find new and different products and services to entice customers into their stores.
CVS, for example, has added Minute Clinics, allowing customer to come in and see a doctor or nurse practitioner about minor ailments - sore throat, rashes, and such.
Other chains, such as Rite Aid, offer new and different products at steep discounts: