For most people, that means one thing. It means driving out to the monolithic mega pharmacy, the one on the corner of soulless and labyrinthine. It means navigating aisles of seasonal candy, potato chips, toys no child would ever enjoy and greeting cards just to get to the medicine you need. And it means that, once you finally do find the drug store portion of this megamall, you’re dealing with a pharmacist who doesn’t know you from Adam.
That’s endurable for most people, but here in Bluffton we do things a little differently. We don’t just want to get the medicine we need; we want to get it from someone who knows us. Someone who asks after our family and remembers our birthday.
This is a hometown, and we demand a pharmacy that follows suit. Which is why most people can have their behemoth corporate drug stores. We’ll take Bluffton Pharmacy any day.
“We know everyone by name. You’re meeting with a pharmacist who knows you,” Bluffton Pharmacy owner Rob Vaughn said. “When you call, you’re not waiting on hold. It’s one of us who answers the phone. We build those relationships all day long.”
And it’s not just the personal service that sets Bluffton Pharmacy apart from the giant chains. There’s a flexibility that comes with being independent. “With big box retail, it’s sort of formulaic in that they can only purchase medications from specific manufacturers,” Vaughn said. “We can tailor medication to exactly what the patient wants.”
Also, being independent gives Bluffton Pharmacy much greater leeway in not only filling prescriptions but compounding medications to suit your specific needs.
“Big box stores can’t do compounding,” Vaughn said. “If you have certain medications, like a hormone replacement cream for example, you just can’t get it there.”
You might think that kind of personalized medication, flexibility and capability would come at a premium price tag. We can happily let you know that you are wrong.
“Most people don’t realize oftentimes it’s cheaper to go independent because we can control our pricing,” Vaughn said. Not only does the lack of corporate and retail overlords give them greater ability to price medications fairly, but it also gives them the flexibility to work with customers. “At times, we’ll fill a prescription for a cash price that’s cheaper than the insurance co-pay. And there are a lot of medications where we can compound it into a topical ointment, for example, that will bring down the price.”
And for what it’s worth, you’ll be doing your doctor a favor.
“Most prescribers don’t like sitting on hold with a CVS or a Walgreens,” Vaughan said.
And most patients don’t need to navigate aisles upon aisles of pool noodles, eyeliner and Jiffy Pop just to pick up their medications from someone who is going to treat them like a number. Vaughn, to his credit, has nothing but sympathy for his fellow pharmacists who are latched to the corporate chain.
“They have retail breathing down their neck and all kinds of corporate rules. It inhibits their ability to treat each person the way they need to be treated,” he said. “It really makes them miserable.”
Given the mass walkout one of the big chains experienced this past summer, it’s clear that the environment isn’t great for their pharmacists. It’s little different for their customers. “I feel like it’s a shame that so many people have been convinced by the big box retailer that they only have one option,” Vaughn said.
But then, most people aren’t as fortunate as we are to live in a place like Bluffton, a place that has its very own hometown pharmacy with a history stretching back more than 30 years and ties to the community that run deep. It’s something that defines Bluffton, and it’s something that the thousands of new residents we’ve welcomed over the last year are discovering.
“So many people moving down here don’t realize there are independent pharmacies,” Vaughn said. “But it’s such a better environment. I’ve had so many people who have moved to the area come in and tell me, ‘If I’d have known what you can do, I would have left the big box chain long ago.”
If you are one of those new residents trying to immerse yourself in the community, or if you just have a prescription you need filled by someone who knows exactly what you want and need, you know where to go.
Bluffton Pharmacy is located at 167 Bluffton Road, Suite B. Give them a call at (843) 757-4999 or visit blufftonpharmacy.com.
