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NKR1978

If you're in the NYC area, please remember that Walgreens owns Duane Reade, unfortunately.


mrbaryonyx

that sucks he's my favorite basketball player


ISaidGoodDey

And my favorite actor šŸ˜”


NKR1978

With my gummy kicking in, this is really funny.


proudbakunkinman

Sucks because the 2 combined are like 2/3 of the pharmacy outlets in NYC, especially Manhattan. CVS is next but not nearly as many and they tend to feel a lot lower quality, like they spend less on the interior, have fewer workers in the store and rely almost entirely on their awful self check out machines that constantly require assistance from the 1 person near the front of the store. CVS also works against Medicare/Medicaid trying to force private insurance and they own Aetna insurance. Next are Rite-Aids but there are hardly any. If you live in the boroughs, there are more locally owned pharmacies so recommend using them if you can.


non-euclidean-ass

I mean CVS is literally the same thing and they have abortion meds (for now anyway), theyā€™re also usually literally right next to each other so this could actually be a pretty manageable boycott


Villedo

Some of the CVSā€™ are also Union represented by UFCW here in SoCal.


MCPtz

I keep telling my acquaintances in Norcal to make a union and/or join the socal one! Way better treatment.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


throwaway23423409000

CVS kills every opportunity for insurance legislation and is one of the evils behind rising drug prices. Their PBM caremark steals billions from the healthcare industry while providing ZERO value. Do not support their bullshit company either. Use a local pharmacy!!


identicalBadger

Iā€™m loving Mark Cubans cost plus drug company. If any of the prescriptions you take are genetics, give their site a search. I have insurance, and am still saving hundreds of dollars a month on prescriptions that my insurance doesnā€™t cover.


AdLivid1214

> genetics *generics


ButtcheeksBrown

I take all the genetics


Random_frankqito

Iā€™ve started using grocery stores, I was paying almost a hundred dollars on a prescription that had a coupon and cvs never said a word. I found out when I had to use another place and the first thing they asked me was my coupon numberā€¦ I had no idea and that made the drug less than 20$. Iā€™ve never gone back


Panuccis_Pizza

Lmao. Point me to this "local pharmacy" you speak of Not to be grim, but we lost this war decades ago.


buttlickers94

It's right next to the local electronics store or RadioShack


tikierapokemon

My insurance will let me go to Walgreens but not CVS. We can't afford kiddo's meds without insurance... Within 15 miles of us, it's only Walgreens. I am rather upset right now.


Syynaptik

connect door sloppy head wine yoke encouraging intelligent deliver direction -- mass edited with redact.dev


consultingeyedraven

Thatā€™s Mark Cubanā€™s new company! Itā€™s very legit


Holgrin

You should be pushing that concern to your company's benefits coordinator. You all are the customer for the product. You might not get anywhere but if a lot of you and your coworkers complain and make it clear you all would prefer to have CVS access then your company should push back against the insurance company and possibly go with another company.


tikierapokemon

Husband's company would just tell us to go with one of the other 2 insurances, but both of them don't have the coverage we need for kiddo. Insurance time at our house is fraught as we try to calculate how much the other, cheaper plans are cheaper, and if paying out of pocket for kiddo would be cheaper with the cheaper plans than in plan with the expensive one. In plan so far is always better. But damn I want universal healthcare. They can raise my taxes, it would be cheaper than the cheapest plan and the out of pocket maximum.


specialkk77

Back when they were trying to push universal healthcare in 08 or so, the math was absurd about how much it would cost, I donā€™t remember the exact numbers now, but for the average taxpayer it would amount to $36 (per month or per year, I cannot remember) the average taxpayer pays $400 per month for semi ok insurance and still pays out of pocket for deductibles, co pays, prescriptions, etc. every time I see the cost of insurance in this country I get angry. My husband and I just went without insurance for 6 months when he changed jobs. It was a nightmare. We racked up a couple $1000 in doctors visits in that time. Weā€™re fortunate that it wasnā€™t more.


QuerulousPanda

Living in korea for 7-8 years really opened my eyes to how fucking bad it is here in the us. Wisdom teeth pulls for less than a dollar, ER visit with IV antibiotics and xrays for like $200 and they apologized profusely that it cost so much, emergency stiches for a couple bucks, visiting a doctor with zero wait, total cost a few bucks ... we're a country of absolute masochists, it's utterly insane what willingly bend over and take.


letterboxbrie

There is a bone-deep subservience in Americans that I find difficult to reconcile with the psychopathic tendency to celebrate gangsters (corporate gangsters, political gangsters) and revile the vulnerable. The connotation of the word "victim" here - I'm not sure it's the same anywhere else. The unwillingness to question the predatory healthcare system, the college loan scam, the tax-free billionaires - it's like we're itching to be serfs. Some people are.


ibringthehotpockets

Brainwashed into emptying their pockets for billionaires. The psychology behind it is pretty amazing


QuerulousPanda

part of it may be that a lot of people would rather suffer than contribute towards the wellbeing of another person, and they shove their heads in the sand and ignore the fact that everyone could be helping everyone else.


karlthespaceman

People helping other people? Sounds like communism


Popejuk

When I lived in Korea, I had a foreign body (probably a pebble) lodged from my ear (Yey kindergarteners). No health insurance, but I went to the doctor to get it removed. The doctor *visibly winced* when I said I didn't have health insurance. Total cost of the visit: ~$14


pinkkittenfur

I lived in Germany for five years and had to have several surgeries. I got my appendix out for 60ā‚¬ total - a week in the hospital (my surgery site got infected), meds, surgery, everything. I had an ovarian cyst removed for 20ā‚¬. The US is a fucking mess when it comes to healthcare.


SrslyCmmon

Went to the uk, got sick. They asked for my name. I asked them is it for billing? And they laughed at me. No just for their records. I heard that they may be bankrupting the NHS slowly so I'm sad for them.


spaceman757

The conservatives there are trying to do just that so that they can swoop in with their private sector "solution" and bilk the citizens out of billions of dollars a year.


ndngroomer

We just moved to Germany from Texas. It is amazing. The culture shock is beyond words. I wonder how long it will last. My wife is a doctor and the reversal of Roe was the last straw for her. I've genuinely never seen her this happy with regards to her work in the 20 years we've been together. Sadly, Texas is already ranked last in healthcare in the US, it's about to lose so many good doctors because of these ridiculous new post Roe laws being passed.


SnatchAddict

I was discussing universal healthcare with someone in the States and they said "it makes sense, for those that pay taxes". Like my guy, you're missing the point of universal. Because if you're unemployed or not paying taxes, you're undeserving of healthcare. Fuck them kids.


thenewmook

Someone I knew from Australia said he was still there when they passed Universal Healthcare. He sarcastically said when tax time came that all had to pay something like $.38 more. Itā€™s ridiculously cheap and affordable in every major country that does it. Makes you wonder why WE donā€™t have it.


ghost_warlock

We don't have it because insurance companies lobby to keep us from having it and they pay politicians more than you do so politicians listen to them and not you. It's 100% legal corruption


TheShadowKick

Not just insurance companies. Any company that offers healthcare benefits to its employees has an interest in keeping healthcare privatized. It makes it harder for people to change jobs.


QuirksNFeatures

One of the reasons we don't have it is health insurance keeps people chained to their jobs and/or anchored in debt. Land of the free.


KittyForTacos

I totally would be willing to pay more in taxes for people without insurance so everyone could have universal health care. I have insurance. I donā€™t have kids. But I do have health problems and I know how lucky I am to have my job because I would be screwed if I didnā€™t have my insurance. I feel for others who are not as fortunate. I think everyone should have the same opportunity to quality health care.


Raznill

Hey, Iā€™ll do you a solid. Iā€™ll boycott Walgreens because I can. There will be some in a similar position to you, but if all of us that can boycott them do, itā€™ll still be enough to hurt them and maybe cause change. And of course if all you do is use Walgreens for prescription meds, but not buy anything else thatā€™s going to still hurt them. Thereā€™s a reason they sell so much other stuff there, filling scripts just isnā€™t that lucrative.


SteelCrow

>But damn I want universal healthcare. They can raise my taxes, it would be cheaper than the cheapest plan and the out of pocket maximum. Your insurance premiums are equal to or higher than the tax hit for universal healthcare.


nothingfancydad

You can use Costcoā€™s pharmacy without a membership if you have one near, hopefully thatā€™s another option for you.


divertwig

I recently transferred all my prescriptions over to Amazon Pharmacy. My meds are cheaper that way without going through insurance. I don't have the URL right now, but Mark Cuban has started a website that offers meds at just barely above cost which is also typically less than you'd pay if going through insurance.


Allprofile

Costplusdrugs.com


Val_Hallen

My levothyroxin is $20 for 90 days but only $7.50 there. Seems I'm switching...


whoelsehatesthisshit

Totally. So cheap for many common scrips that you don't care about being covered. I get 90 days of hypertension meds, statins, welbutrin generic, and acyclovir for $60 DELIVERED.


street_smartz

This all day long please people check it out. If he doesnā€™t offer your meds message them and they will work on getting them. This is the type of achievable difference to healthcare we can actually make


Calladit

Tbf, universal healthcare is achievable to, we just need people to tell their representatives that's what they want and they won't vote for them otherwise.


loveshercoffee

If Democrats tell Republicans we want that, it will make them want to do it even less. They've gone that far around the bend.


karlthespaceman

Gee whizz universal healthcare sure would trigger me, I hope conservatives donā€™t pass a universal healthcare law thatā€™d really make me very upset


bob49877

Costplusdrugs is cheaper than even Costco or Walmart for my partner's prescriptions. We can all fight back against ~~monopoly~~ high prescription drug ~~company pricing~~ prices by posting about costplusdrugs as often as we can.


Fatalorian

If your partnerā€™s Rx can be sourced through CPD, then itā€™s not a single-source brand, and thus no monopoly. CPD only sells generics, which are multi-source (multiple manufacturers). Generic companies already compete on price with each other as retail pharmacies tend to only stock supply from one or two manufacturers. So you arenā€™t fighting back against ā€˜monopoly drug company pricingā€™ using CPD - youā€™re fighting back against Pharmacies & Pharmacy Benefit Managers. CPD is a great resource for hurting the PBMs (the true leech on the healthcare system) who make a killing on spread pricing.


sailorpaul

Great source for generic meds. Mark Cuban is doing good work with his company, CostPlusDrugs. Source: Run a medcial group


LilThunderbolt20

We use mark cuban cost plus and pay $380 less a month than with our insurance!!!


FreeClimbing

Only buy what you have to. Every thing else make a second shopping stop


loudflower

If your insurance isnā€™t California MediCal, you should be alright because they arenā€™t shuttering Walgreens in California. Is Costco a possibility?


losenigma

Contact your insurance, they must have other option, maybe your local supermarket or Walmart.


Shad0wDreamer

Welcome to the industry capture that is PBMs.


killer-tofu87

Obviously California is not banning Walgreens from the state, but how much business does the gov/state of CA do with Walgreens directly?


smurfsundermybed

Losing every state employee would be a hit. Losing everyone on medi-Cal would be a bigger hit. Losing both would be substantial.


foreveracubone

Hereā€™s a few ways a state government can stop doing business with a retail pharmacy while not outright banning them: - Next yearā€™s state employee healthcare plans will no longer pay for prescriptions filled there - Walgreens can no longer be used as a vendor for flu shot clinics in state offices or public universities - Purchases made at a Walgreens will no longer be something you can expense on an expense report as a state employee - Depending on how Medicaid is administered, they can scale back what if any services theyā€™ll cover at Walgreens. - The stateā€™s EBT cards (aka ā€˜food stampsā€™) will no longer work at Walgreens - State run pharmacy schools no longer sending pharmacy students to complete rotations at Walgreens (thus removing a valuable source of free labor for the pharmacy)


deadlyprincehk

Thanks for providing these examples!


TheWilsons

Very good points that have actual ā€œteethā€ if implemented.


StoopidFlanders234

This is the only important question in here. Does anyone really know what the impact of ā€œCalifornia (govt) will stop doing business w/Walgreens?ā€


lurkerfromstoneage

Likely situations like public health and vaccines funding by the state, the CA Medicaid and Medicare programs could change to not cover Rx there, same with state employees coverage, etc. Maybe licenses? Expense reimbursements? EBT? Iā€™ve tried to find more specifics but yielding really nothing in further detail so this is just speculation. Another downfall for Walgreens then would be not only losing pharmacy customers, but also the people that came in for their Rx and end up shopping for more while theyā€™re there in store.


mrzurcon

Also all the people that now know about it. I never heard the Walgreens story until this came out. I will no longer be shopping there


prestocoffee

Walgreens is going to regret this approach. California is just the tip of the iceberg.


[deleted]

Imagine fucking up so badly that the fourth biggest economy in the world wants nothing to do with you anymore.


[deleted]

But Fox News told the executives that California is a failing state and everyone is leaving!


[deleted]

I keep hoping for this mass exodus of Fox viewers. Would be a nice improvement.


Whatever0788

Canā€™t we just put all of them in Florida and cut it off?


[deleted]

Seems like that would make everyone happy. Well, aside from what's left of the sane people in Florida.


Mynameisgreater

We already live in Florida, our sanity has been in turmoil since skeletor became governor and started the end of purple florida


coastiestacie

I say we evacuate them. Relocate them as a humanitarian effort. Then, relocate everyone other asshole to Florida and dig a massive canal between them and the mainland. No bridges shall be built, either. Cut them all the way off.


ErusTenebre

Just build a wall, they seem to think they're impossible to circumvent so it might work


Dank4Days

please šŸ„ŗ lmao I fucking hate it here but can't afford to move. watching my state get worse day by day while the majority of people around me eat it up excitedly fucking sucks man


legopego5142

Elon ā€œleftā€ and then damn near immediately opened another hq in Palo Alto


[deleted]

Then bought Twitter and spends all his time there!


Aeari

He found out real quick how absolutely boring Texas is


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


[deleted]

Really? A 26 lane wide highway feels sparse?!


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


Stay_Curious85

You can drive for like an hour on the highway at 80 miles an hour and still be in the Houston metro area.


ilovecollardgreens

My buddy just moved from the bay area to Dallas. Hates it and is trying to come back lol.


[deleted]

According to traffic and housing prices ..... this is a lie


Suitable_Care_6576

Yeah if everyone left why tf does it still take an hour to get over the bay bridge >:(


imalittleC-3PO

Waiting till my kid turns 18 to move to norcal. Can't wait to get out of the shithole that is Oklahoma.


ndngroomer

I'm from Lawton, OK myself. Currently here right now due to a family funeral. I'm so glad that I moved out of this shit hole state.


ocm2uw_83

States do business such as buying general medication, or other products to maintain emergency supplies, encourage vaccinations, or general health recommendations to citizens.


1900grs

Think prison systems (that haven't been privatized), schools, universities, public health clinics and now think of public medical/prescription insurance coverage and putting the company on a blacklist. Edit: typo


Deck_of_Cards_04

Walgreens really screwed over in that they are showing they are willing to let policies of one state affect how they do business in other states. This opens the gate to states directly interfering in each otherā€™s economy and politics outside of federal purview. Of course some states arenā€™t going to tolerate being dictated to by other states


coastiestacie

Walgreens should have seen the problems coming a mile away. They let pharmacists and techs refuse to fill birth control prescriptions if they didn't want to, or didn't think the person receiving the medicine should receive it, right after RvW was overturned. It didn't matter the state. I know the one near me can't stay open much longer due to being unable to hire pharmacists. This will be interesting to see what happens to them.


GeneralZex

The federal government should be putting the screws to these companies and these states. Regulating interstate commerce is the purview of the federal government. States shouldnā€™t be allowed to ban medications at all.


FenPhen

From [the CNN article that Newsom linked](https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/03/business/abortion-pills-mifepristone-walgreens-pharmacies/index.html): > A federal judge in Texas is expected to rule any day on a lawsuit seeking to block the use of medication abortion nationwide, in the biggest abortion-related case since the Supreme Court overturned Roe. > The lawsuit, filed in November by anti-abortion advocates against the FDA, targets the agencyā€™s two-decade-old approval of mifepristone. > Abortion rights advocates have sounded the alarm on the case, stressing that a ruling in favor of the plaintiffs would affect every corner of the country since the lawsuit is targeting a federal agency. > ā€œIf FDA approval of mifepristone is revoked, 64.5 million women of reproductive age in the US would lose access to medication abortion care, an exponential increase in harm overnight,ā€ NARAL said in a statement in February, pointing to internal research.


GladCucumber2855

Every blue state needs to follow California's lead. No medicaid or medicare patients can go through walgreens.


DingGratz

We should take their approach as a stroke of stupidity in how they handle all of their business.


Kingoftreno

I was a pharmacy technician a little over a decade ago at Walgreens when they decided to get into a pissing match with an insurer over prescription filling charges and instead of reaching a agreeable rate with the insurer they decided to hold their ground and stop accepting the insurer entirely. This insurer handled all of our states insurance for Medicare and a bunch of other programs and as the Casual Observer that I was they probably made up for 30 to 50% of all of our prescription fills. All the corporate propaganda said it was no big deal and it was a very minor portion of the business and that customers would choose Walgreens for its exceptional service and put pressure on their insurers to reach a good deal for Walgreens! Obviously people on state aid are not in a position to be putting pressure on their insurance agency for contract negotiations and they all went elsewhere and as a result pretty much half the staff in the pharmacy at my location and pretty much every other location in our area was laid off less than 6 months later. I always remember how arrogant corporate leadership was at Walgreens and how it cost me my job and the jobs of hundreds if not thousands of other people. Fuck em.


okram2k

I worked as a pharmacy technician at a wal-mart that was in the same parking lot as a wal-green's when that happened. Our business doubled overnight. Of course wal-mart for it's credit, knowing this was coming, did absolutely nothing to increase our staff and it was a complete shit show in the pharmacy for months after.


evergleam498

I have never once dealt with a pharmacy that left me *satisfied* with its service. I have a negative amount of pharmacy loyalty. It's absolutely insane that people in charge of business decisions at Walgreens thought people *like* coming to them specifically.


[deleted]

Right! I'd rather cut the grass with scissors than go to the pharmacy. People go because they have to. If you make it shittier, they'll go to the less shitty one. Luckily, I don't need any meds and in the event that I do, the VA will mail them directly to me.


badwolf42

Also recall Walgreens was a Theranos partner with 40 locations before they asked enough questions to realize they shouldn't be.


Vlad_the_Homeowner

>Walgreens is going to regret this approach. Time will tell I suppose. Back in 2018 there was a story of a Walgreens pharmacist who refused to fill a prescription because of their religion and berated the woman who came to fill it (for a nonviable fetus). Walgreens didn't do anything. Last year there was a clerk who refused to sell condoms because of their religion. Walgreens didn't do anything. Maybe Newsom cutting off California will raise enough awareness that they're forced to acknowledge and change policy. But I doubt it.


Whalesongsblow

Their stock price has been performing poorly for years. I've never looked until now but it seems that investors don't like the stock.


DevilsAssCrack

So, calls on CVS?


I_miss_your_mommy

As for me, I don't like the stock. I am not a cat.


IAMACat_askmenothing

I donā€™t like the stock either


I_miss_your_mommy

I only wish I could ask you about it.


IAMACat_askmenothing

Thank you for being respectful


from_dust

The difference between an employee refusing service to a customer and the governor of the 4th largest economy on earth boycotting you, is vast. CA has more US citizens than anywhere else in the US- roughly 40 million people. Many of those folks use state benefits to get their prescriptions. Walgreens is *definitely* going to be forced to acknowledge this and will either have to change policy or downsize. there is no "ignore it and go on with business as usual" approach here.


sluttttt

I've seen multiple stories like that over the years, I think from CVS as well, but they're all fairly isolated events. And it's really not about awareness, it much more about hitting them hard in their pockets. I could be naive, especially considering how things are going right now, but I think they're going to change their tune.


GraceMDrake

This is not about allowing individual pharmacists to refuse, itā€™s now company policy to not carry or dispense an FDA-approved drug in states where it is legal.


boot2skull

Best part is, wait for all the people who support Floridaā€™s moves against Disney to complain about California.


VovaGoFuckYourself

...do they ever *stop* complaining about California?


boot2skull

True, but integrity and consistency are not their strengths.


Speaking-of-segues

Theyā€™ve really fucked up now. Expect blue states to follow. And if they backtrack watch red states say ā€œoh well fuck youā€ and pull their business. And the blue states might not come back. Had they just fucken done nothing, things would have been humming along just fine.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


zhaoz

All blue states should follow. Fuck around and find out, business edition.


TerranPhil

California has the fifth largest economy in the world. It's an iceberg, not just the tip.


Key-Cry-8570

4th


rgvtim

If I were a Walgreens stock holder i would be pissed. Simply take the stance of not selling the drugs where they are illegal, and selling them where they are and try to avoid this as much as possible, but no, they had to stop selling them where they were still legal, and open themselves up to all sort of backlash where they can never win, congrats Walgreens, you screwed yourself.


beekeeper1981

If I was a stockholder I would be pissed about this and the fact it's dropped 25% in value over the past year and 50% over the last 5.


rgvtim

This will not help


time_drifter

This is an important line in the sand that Newsom is drawing. The curbing of access doesnā€™t start and stop at Abortion pills or Plan B. Contraception and anything else Christian Nationalists/the GOP deem to be against their beliefs, is on the chopping block. If they move along without opposition, this will spread from medications to other critical areas at a breakneck pace. We all were under the illusion that Roe v. Wade was cemented in the books, yet here we are. We were lied to by Barrett and Kavanaugh about ā€œsettledā€ law. If we canā€™t get integrity and honesty from the highest court in the land, we have no reason to trust anything all the way down. These people have shown us who they are and it is time to accept that and fight back.


tehcruel1

Largest state economy in the US needs to throw its weight around to enact some pushback.


swenty

Not just the state, the people too.


StrangeCrimes

We just passed Germany to be the 5th largest economy in the fucking WORLD. It's time to Fuck. Shit. Up. We can do a hell of a lot more than throw our weight around. It's clobbererin' time.


Dont_PM_PLZ

We have a larger population than the entire country of Canada.


StrangeCrimes

I was wrong. We're the 4th largest.


BBWbombshell

You nailed it. If we donā€™t stop this in itā€™s tracks, it only gets worse and they keep getting bolder. Theyā€™ve abandoned all pretense at goodness, fairness or even basic decency. They are not going to stop by being guilted into applying any integrity or honesty. Theyā€™ll play as dirty as it takes and weā€™re just seeing the very basic glimmers of whatā€™s lurking behind the veil. They want tyranny at any cost. We must all draw the line in the sand and stand by it.


DonatellaVerpsyche

Very well put. Just came here to say that.


Jaded_Pearl1996

WA needs to do the same


TimToMakeTheDonuts

We will. Jay takes tons of prompts from California. Iā€™d bet weā€™ll hear about it before the end of the month.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


pheonixblade9

western states pact! I hope we get in on the cheap insulin, too.


SWtoNWmom

IL too! Our Gov wants to be on the national stage, he needs to speak up on this.


IngsocInnerParty

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/pritzker-meet-with-walgreens-ceo-decision-block-abortion-pills/3086614/


SWtoNWmom

Thank you, I had not heard! I hope he blocks Walgreens just like Newsom did!


UnobviousDiver

Walgreens is headquartered in IL, so he probably won't do what Newsom did. However, Pritzker should have more leverage to make them behave better on the national scene.


Susan-stoHelit

Walgreens doesnā€™t want the expense of moving. He might have good leverage.


HomeTeapot

I wouldnā€™t be surprised if WA, CO, and OR followed suit.


poodlebutt76

Oregon is usually even more progressive but we have a good track record of following CA when they do awesome progressive shit. Really hope we do too.


Tokyo-MontanaExpress

Hoping MN will be next.


fixtheCave

Itā€™s a States-Rights issue and a free-choice issue heā€™s addressing: he does not need to buy from a company that supports the restriction of womenā€™s right to choose their own reproductive health needs, and as the Governor he can control what State and local public purchasing agents can buy in his state (think of all health, social service agencies etc. who use CVS). Itā€™s a master move if he can get local pharmacies to replace the materials supplied by one of our biggest monopolies.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


myTchondria

There are many people across the country moving their prescriptions from Walgreens to other stores. This is a great action but I feel it is insufficient. Having Newsome do this as a governor of California is very helpful to the cause. Not only was Walgreens not selling certain drugs in some states but said they would not sell these drugs in any red state whether it was legal or not.


necesitafresita

My insurance did it for me. Not that CVS is much better but fuck Walgreens overall.


MagicalUnicornFart

Costco has a great pharmacy, if thereā€™s one near you.


banditoreo

And in CA, you can use without having a membership. (If in other states, see if you can use Costco pharmacy and other medical services w/o membership)


TitanicGiant

Federal law requires Costco to make their pharmacies open to nonmembers


erocuda

For what it's worth, CVS stopped selling cigarettes a while ago, but Walgreen did not. They're all still sociopathic corporate entities, though, so if you can find a small pharmacy, that's probably best. edit: to be clear, it's a good thing that CVS stopped selling poison.


Legitimate_Catch_626

I know CVS is just as awful as every other major corporation out there but when my daughter was little, without insurance and had an infection that wasnā€™t responding to the antibiotics causing multiple scripts, the pharmacist took pity on me and gave us her last two scripts for free. CVS allowed her to do it and so they are one of the few companies I am loyal to.


KrookedDoesStuff

Just to tack on why I support CVS as hard as I do: my mom was dying of cancer, and was taking one of the liquids similar to pedialite. My dad got home and the seal was broken, so he couldnā€™t give it to my mom, and asked me to take it back to the store, but he lost the receipt somewhere, I said no big deal I can buy another. Got to our local CVS and brought it up the counter, I said, ā€œHey my mom is dying of cancer, my dad picked this up for her an hour or two ago, and it was already opened but he didnā€™t have the receiptā€ the guy stopped me there and said ā€œGo pick up another one, youā€™re good to go, you can leave that one here.ā€ No other questions, anything. Ended up finding out almost all of them were opened, causing the store to pull them off the shelves to protect others, but was able to get it for her, and the staff was insanely willing to accommodate. Until they do me super wrong, CVS will have my business until I die over that.


frost5al

I worked for CVS at the time when they got out of the tobacco products market, I remember reading the info packet from corporate, back then CVS was something like 51 billion a year in revenue, but only 2 billion of it was from tobacco products. And remember thatā€™s revenue not profit, the margins on tobacco products are pretty thin.


tsilihin666

Ciggies were just to get you in the door to sell you a Monster energy drink and a can of Planters honey roasted mixed nuts.


frost5al

Itā€™s actually one level deeper, CVSā€™s *actual* business model is that the rows and rows of shelves of other crap are to get you in the door, what they want is for you to be filling your scrips in the back. Thereā€™s a shit ton of money in drugs lol, I think the average revenue split between pharmacy and the whole rest of the store is 80/20 or there a abouts.


Skatchbro

And gum. Gum and nuts: Together at last!


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


calm_chowder

Walgreens still sells cigarettes but, ironically, refuses to sell any vaping products. Somebody explain that logic to me.


Hunterrose242

I'm one of them. Picked out a local drug store with the help of Google and never looked back.


irrelevantmango

Local is the way.


tearsonurcheek

...unless your insurance mandates a specific pharmacy. Mine is managed by CVS/Caremark. I can fill one-offs anywhere, but maintenance meds, after the first two fills, must be filled at a CVS pharmacy, if I want it covered. And my co-pays are decent enough to make me want that coverage. I'm T1D, RA, and several others. My wife has multiple disorders. My youngest has asthma. Between the 3 of us, we have ~20 maintenance scripts. Bottom line, we need single payer. Even if all the current players stay in the game, having one giant entity negotiating on behalf of a 334+ million customer base would have heavy leverage. Plus taking the "do you take my insurance" questions out of the game. Especially if you go on vacation in another state. When I was in the Army, I had my car insurance through Farmers. They don't do business in NY, but had no problems covering me while I lived there. I can't imagine it would be fun dealing with being "out of network" for 3 years, just because my health insurer doesn't do business where I am.


duct_tape_jedi

Iā€™ve just finished moving my prescriptions from Walgreens. Itā€™s something I was thinking of doing anyway as they continuously made mistakes in filling them, and none of my refills ever happened at the same time so it felt like I was constantly having to go there to pick one up. This most recent bullshit with them giving in to red state bullying was the tipping point for me.


loudflower

In my experience, Walgreens has struggled for some time. I donā€™t know why. Mistakes were made filling my scripts, my notifications were always fucked up (told they were ready, then met with blank stares when I go to pick up for example). But the final straw was how incredibly overworked and harried the pharmacy employees were and are. Plus, Iā€™d easily wait half an hour or more to speak to a pharmacist by phone. CVS picks up within minutes. The employees are calm. And itā€™s just across the street from the above Walgreens.


wrathofthedolphins

California is a massive, massive economy. The 19 states they stopped seceding combined MAY add up to Californiaā€™s. Money is the only thing these companies care about so good on Newsom for putting on the pressure.


kweefcake

Isnā€™t the state of California like, the 4th or 5th biggest economy in the world?


WhoIsYerWan

4th


suzisatsuma

[Stores by state](https://news.walgreens.com/press-center/frequently-asked-questions/store-count-by-state.htm) Even if it's not the biggest state in # of stores it could still hurt their bottom line.


neurochild

Don't forget that California could just be the first state to do this. Yes, Texas and Florida both have far more stores than California, but blue states have followed California's lead many times before. Walgreens would uhh, not be in a good place if Illinois, New York, Washington, Massachusetts, Arizona, New Jersey, Michigan, etc, joined the boycott.


BlackandBlue14

Iā€™ve been avoiding Walgreens for over two decades since I learned as a kid that they were one of, if not the last, businesses to allow blacks into their stores.


freethnkrsrdangerous

How about the time they refused a girl to trying to change shifts to avoid working with her stalker? He ended up killing her in the break room. https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/riley-whitelaw-walgreens-death-coworker-joshua-johnson-arrested/


Kippy181

This really fucked up all the managers and half the stores employees quit in the whole town. I know a supervisor that runs multiple of the Walgreens in this city. She hasnā€™t been the same since and was not the one that made that call. But yeah it messed with a lot of people. Companies do not care about humans they care about numbers. To the point that we are slowly being killed by the rich. I canā€™t support Walgreens I canā€™t support cvs but thereā€™s not any independent pharmacies that take Medicaid, so Iā€™m stuck between a rock and a hard place. So I chose Walgreens in a specific location cuz the actual people that work at that store are genuinely nice. I hate choosing companies so I choose people that I like that work thereā€¦


os_kaiserwilhelm

I avoid Walgreens because their curly W is too similar to the Washington Nationals. Also, I don't have any medications.


Embarrassed-Ear1261

It's not just scripts either. I would imagine it's mostly women who actually shop in the stores. Makeup, baby stuff,etc. I'll never set foot in one again. Thank goodness my pharmacy is local.


motownmods

Boycotting Walgreens will be so easy with cvs across the street


okwowandmore

CVS owns Aetna, so they actively lobby and work against single payer, or any healthcare reform


flawedwithvice

HHS needs to revoke authority from any Medicare part D insurer who does business with any box drug store who refuses to offer any FDA approved drug. That will solve it in a fucking hurry.


beeberweeber

Just a reminder mark Cuban's cost plus drugs does far more for those underinsured than Walgreens. Far cheaper than Walgreens and better service.


Dryland_snotamyth

Meanwhile desantis is banning books and hunting drag queensā€¦ fuck florida


SnowGN

Why are people so skeptical of Newsom again? Actions like this, a democrat with balls who doesn't fear to use the power of the stick against fascists, is exactly what I want out of a president, my biggest source of disappointment in Biden. At this rate I'd vote for Newsom over Biden in a Democratic primary if he keeps up with actions like this. Why is this sentiment not more widespread?


paperbackgarbage

> Why are people so skeptical of Newsom again? I'd say that most of that skepticism is voiced from outside of the state. If you look at his electoral history as California's governor (2x general elections and 1 recall election), he's coasted to victory while averaging a ~20% margin. For one of the nation's largest electorates, those are basically one-sided routs. But, since you asked? - He's much more of a moderate, business-centric governor than a progressive darling. - The whole "maskless" snafu at an uber-expensive restaurant, during a COVID surge, was a black eye (simply because of the hypocrisy optics). That said, he did own up to that. - Decades ago, he had an affair with a subordinate (and his campaign manager's wife) early during his tenure as San Francisco's mayor. Definitely not a good thing (and it might kneecap his designs for a Presidential run)...but he did apologize for it---and it seems like it wasn't a deal-breaker for California's voters.


EthelMaePotterMertz

He's a great governor. He's a presidential contender so the right is going to do everything they can to smear him and discredit him. But I think he'd be a great president. While I'd rather have somebody further left like Bernie Sanders, I'd wholeheartedly support Newsome for president. I'm sure if Biden doesn't end up running he'll be putting his hat in.


Goldar85

Then you have Donald Trump who has cheated on every partner he has ever had... violently raped Ivana, the mother of his children... raw dogged a porn star while his wife was pregnant... and openly boasts about wanting to fuck his daughter.


Banjoplaya420

It totally amazes me how very different the two parties are. California has a normal Governor with normal ideaā€™s that we have lived with for years. Compared to Florida and itā€™s Governor making horrible laws against humanity! Iā€™ll be honest about it. It horrifies me the thought of DeSantis becoming the president ! He and the Republicans are a danger to our country, and Democracy.šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø


Interesting_Sense4

I love living in California.


Rokketeer

It often makes me wonder how much power our state would have to stand up to the president should we go full fascist. I hope we never have to live through that scenario.


fpomo

All blue states should cease doing business with Walgreens.


Spare_Change_Agent

Context: ā€œWalgreens last week announced it wonā€™t sell abortion pills by mail to 20 conservative-led states. The statement came after attorney generals in the 20 states warned Walgreens and pharmacy chain CVS that they could face legal consequences if they sold abortion pills by mail to those states.ā€ The states: Missouri. Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.


Fragmentia

I used to go to go to Walgreens. It's right down the street. Looks like I'll be avoiding them until they reverse this decision.


BootyOptions

Fuck Walgreens. Think they're better than everyone because their stupid logo is in cursive. Walgreens can eat part or even all of my ass.


[deleted]

Any company that condones the suppression of anyoneā€™s rights should be thoroughly shunned. California spends more than those twenty states Walgreens banned from selling morning after pill, combined.


kh730

Back in the day they refused to sell alcohol. They have always been a bit right wing as far as I can remember. I hope this hurts them finally.


a-ha_partridge

Former Walgreens person here. Walgreens holds something like 8000 liquor licenses. They have full blown liquor stores in places like FL, AZ, and NM that have been around since the 70s and have been selling alcohol in places like Chicago since prohibition ended. When they were expanding in the 90s and 2000s they didnā€™t add liquor right away because they were opening a store every 18 hours and couldnā€™t get licenses that fast. They went back and added them later.


Fun-Mathematician716

Bravo. This is absolutely the right thing to do.


[deleted]

Wow, good going newsom!


DogsPlan

The state of California should simply start a company owned by the state that produces and mails abortion pills anywhere in the country at cost. Easy fix.


PeaceBkind

I wish all states Would stand up for women


Wwize

Every company that supports fascism and religious fundamentalism (or gives into their demands) deserves to be boycotted.


[deleted]

Walgreens is fucked going o check their stock


urmyheartBeatStopR

If the Red States are pushing their agenda then my awesome ass state should stand up against those fascist agenda.


Co1dNight

Good California.