Local family owned drugstore thriving after Walgreens’ closing announcement
Andrews – Walgreens recently announced that they would be closing around 1,200 “underperforming” stores across the United States, which includes the Main Street location in the Valley.
The closure is related to financial pressures such as declining profits, low drug reimbursement rates, and minimal retail sales. Some of this can be attributed to increased competition from online retailers, but locally family owned pharmacies continue to thrive against large corporations and online options.
The closing of Walgreens leaves Turner’s Family Pharmacy as the only drugstore in Andrews. Turner’s Family Pharmacy was originally opened in 1983 by the parents of the pharmacist/owner Rob Turner, who has been running the pharmacy since 1999.
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For more than 40 years, despite challenges and changes, Turner’s Family Pharmacy has relied on staying consistent for their customers to remain in business. Turner’s parents had lifelong employees, something that continued as ownership transferred to him.
“The tech who has been with us the longest has been here for 20-plus years and our newest tech for 10-plus years. There isn’t a lot of turnover here. We’re like a family,” Turner said.
When asked how they’ve thrived for over 40 years, he said, “We just stay the course. We treat our employees and our customers like family. In a way, they are family.
“This is a small town, and I’ve grown up with a lot of these people. I’ve watched their kids grow up. I care about them, so we’re family.”
Rewarding relationships
Turner said the most rewarding part of owning the business is the relationships he has formed with his customers, and customer service is the most important aspect of running his business. Turner’s Family Pharmacy strives to go above and beyond to meet their customers’ needs.
Turner shared a story about a customer who didn’t receive a medication before the weekend. When he called to let them know they had it, they told him they could probably wait until Monday. Turner didn’t want his customers to have to wait and drive all the way back and insisted he drive them the medication to their home in Hanging Dog – a 40-mile roundtrip.
“It’s personal care, we know you, everything is confidential, but we know our customers and do what we can to give them the best care possible,” Turner said.
Turner mentioned similar challenges that led to the closure of Walgreens, especially low reimbursement rates from insurance companies. This hasn’t led to an increase in cost from Turner’s though.
“I’ve always tried to stay competitive,” he said. “We have a fair number of customers who don’t have insurance, and I always try my best to meet or beat other’s costs.”
No judgment here
A unique challenge of owning a pharmacy in a small town is some people fear there will be judgment placed on them due to the medications they need. Turner wants the community to know there is no judgment or stigma at his business.
“Almost everyone needs to take some kind of medication,” he said. “We all need help and need to take care of ourselves. There’s nothing to judge about that.”
Turner encourages those who are looking for a new pharmacy due to the closure of Walgreens in Andrews to remember they’re there, ready to help and welcome you to join their family.
“We’ll take everyone and love the people of this town,” he said.
Turner said the drugstore is already busy, but associates are preparing to take on new customers affected by the closure of Walgreens. Turner prides himself on having quick fill times and hopes to hire more staff in the near future, but at the same time said the increase in customers could lead to some delays in the near future.
When asked about goals for the future Turner said, “We plan to stay afloat and stay here to keep doing this for as long as we can. This is my career, my life and Andrews is my hometown. We’ve been here, and we’re not going anywhere.”
Details: Turner’s Family Pharmacy, 451 Main St. in Andrews, is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call 828-321-3327.