Karin Bøe Holst was in Apotek1 at Amfi Finnsnes in Senja, to pick up an ointment of the type Hydrocortisone Evolan. In advance, she had checked online that the price was NOK 32. When she came to the counter to pay, she got a chin drop.
The price was more than three times as high as the online price.
In the store, the ointment cost NOK 116, a full NOK 84 more than the online price.
– I was quite horrified and cursed, says Holst Northern Lights.
Noticeable
Holst showed the price difference to the employee behind the cash register, without there being much the employee could do.
Had Holst instead ordered the item with “click and collect”, she would have only paid NOK 32. Then the employee had to retrieve the item, pack it and make it ready for her to pick it up. As Karin came to the shop and found the ointment herself, the price was much higher.
Nettavisen has also written about the pharmacies’ price differences in store and online.
– One thing is the price difference, but they advertise that you should be able to ask for help. You can’t do that in the same way with “click and collect”, she says.
She believes that click and collect makes it more difficult for the customer to get the right product home.
– Let’s say it wasn’t the Hydrocortisone I was supposed to have, but with click and collect I must have decided on the product two hours before I collect it. The guidance goes straight to the woods, she says.
If Karin had known about the price difference in advance, she would have ordered online. She has written to Apotek1 to tell about her experience, and has given them a clear message:
– I have given them the smooth layer, she says.
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Cheaper online
Press manager at Apotek 1, Silje Ensrud says that the experience Holst had in the store has its explanation.
– We have lowered the price of certain items in our online pharmacy to meet the competition in the online market and be a relevant choice for those who shop online. That is the reason why you can experience different prices in the two channels, she says.
She also says that around 30 per cent of over-the-counter products have received lower prices in the online store. This is to be able to compete with the other pharmacies and online stores.
– Many people are getting used to the fact that there can be lower prices online, whether it’s books, electronics, kitchen equipment or medicines, she says.
Big differences
According to Ensrud, not many customers have reacted to the price differences.
– It is mostly the media that ask about this. It is more cost-effective to run an online pharmacy compared to a physical pharmacy, she says.
Nordlys has taken the trip to Apotek1 itself and can confirm that the prices were drastically different between the store and online.
– We are keen to give good advice on correct use, which is why we are constantly opening new pharmacies where people live. Those who shop online will also be able to speak to a pharmacist – whether via chat, on the phone or by e-mail. We also have thousands of specialist articles on our website which are used extensively and which provide good advice for minor and major health problems.
2023-05-05 03:25:00
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