Drugstore chains prepare for the cold and flu season
As summer wanes, consumers see the seasonal merchandise aisle in drugstores change from water wings and squirt guns to Dracula’s teeth and Halloween candy. The transition also marks the start of cold and flu season, along with the vaccines that accompany it. Drugstore chains like CVS, Rite Aid, and Sam’s Club Pharmacy are offering early incentives on flu shots to get the season started.
The CDC estimates that 135 to 139 million doses of vaccines, which immunize three strains of the virus, will be given this season to people aged 6 months and older. Limited supplies of the vaccine are available now, with more plentiful supplies being made ready for September and October to prepare for the peak season.
Recently, CVS released the results of a survey regarding the cold and flu season. According to CVS, 59 percent of adults feel that receiving a flu shot is a social responsibility. However, nearly half say that convenience of getting the shot is an obstacle, citing they should not have to schedule an appointment to receive a shot. CVS’s Minute Clinic gives relief to this inconvenience, offering flu shots on a walk-in basis. CVS also is offering additional rewards for receiving a flu shot at its clinic. Customers who choose CVS for their immunization will receive a coupon for 20 percent off, good on nonpharmacy purchases up to $100.
Rite Aid is taking the aspect of convenience a bit further by offering on-site immunizations. Rite Aid pharmacists will pack up their medical equipment, and visit the workplace of companies that have employed its vaccination services, giving flu shots to employees wanting the shot. Rite Aid also has developed a voucher program for employers looking to shield their workforce from the harmful effects of the flu. Sam’s Club pharmacy locations are also capitalizing on the flu season through means of consumer and patient awareness. Increased traffic to the pharmacy due to cold and flu shots presents Sam’s Club with the opportunity to offer other immunizations, protecting against ailments like shingles, whooping cough, and pneumonia.
Although flu season doesn’t peak until the winter months, last year it began four weeks earlier than expected, taking health officials by surprise. It typically takes two weeks for a vaccine to take effect, and the earlier in flu season that people are vaccinated, the fewer occurrences of the flu there will be. By offering consumers incentive to get vaccinated early in the season, drugstores like CVS, Rite Aid, and Sam’s Club Pharmacy are driving sales numbers through add-on purchases while being socially responsible, guarding the American workforce against the cold and flu.
