Opinions regarding Costco Pharmacy and Dispensing Fee

[tokugawa]

I’ve read that Costco’s dispensing fee is $4.49 compared to say $9.60 at London Drugs or $10.00 at Walmart or $11.00 at Safeway.

I haven’t been a Costco member in over 10 years. For those that use the Costco pharmacy is it worth it? How are the line ups at the Pharmacy compared to London Drugs?

Reasons I left Costco was (1) I hated parking there. (2) I hated the line ups when I only had a few items. (3) I bought too much and ended up eating more than I should have. (4) I hated the stress of shopping in there with how busy it was

But recently I’ve encountered a situation where I need a prescription to be refilled on a consistent basis so looking to save a few bucks.

 

[Forum mod]

You can save more than a few bucks, depending on what drugs you need. The main thing with Costco is to avoid the hours everyone else goes. Never on the weekends, always weekdays, mid morning, mid afternoon. If you cannot find a place to park fairly quickly, it's stupid busy inside. Stay flexible, if the parking lot is in good shape, the lines inside aren't bad either.

You go in and drop your paperwork off and unless they can turn it around fast, come back another time to pick it up, again when the lines aren't long. Use their online tool to manage and order refills. I have several meds I need for some chronic conditions and Costco is not only half the dispensing fee or less than Shoppers near my place, but the drug cost is cheaper as well. At least $100-200 per month savings in my case.

 

[GeeBeeP]

A buddy of mine is on a significant number of meds for a couple chronic diseases, and insured through his employers plan. The drug plan admin contacted him and asked if he would be willing to switch to Costco from his regular pharmacy, in exchange they would waive his all deductibles. Costco is that much cheaper for both the drugs themselves and the dispensing fees.

For him it’s a no brainer and worth the hassle parking etc… and he’s now an expert at the slowest times of the week to get into a Costco.

 

[Langleydude]

It's definitely worth the effort especially if you can time your visits to of hours. My mother was on several medications and it was anywhere from 120 to 150 in savings for each of 3 or 4 rounds a year.

 

[tokugawa]

The prescriptions in question are actually for my dog. I did a bit more reading and supposedly some of the pet prescriptions can be a lot cheaper than at regular pharmacies.

Do any of you use Costco for getting pet prescriptions?

 

[Forum mod]

The prescriptions in question are actually for my dog. I did a bit more reading and supposedly some of the pet prescriptions can be a lot cheaper than at regular pharmacies.

Do any of you use Costco for getting pet prescriptions?

For pets, the cheapest are usually online pharmacies, at least from my limited experience.

 

[Crookedmember]

I use Costco online pharmacy...and get my stuff in the mail from Richmond a few days later. Of course, if I need something Right Now, I use a local pharmacy, but for blue pills and whatnot, Costco works for me.

I don't know about pet 'scripts, but they do answer their phones, so you could ask

 

[Noob888]

Would you consider purchasing medications for yourself through a generic online pharmacy? I personally wouldn't, unless it was through Costco. Moreover, I would never buy any "meds" for my pets from such unregulated online pharmacies.

It wouldn't surprise me if Costco decides to increase their dispensing fees soon. One thing I appreciate about both Costco and London Drugs is that they can mail you the prescription. London Drugs uses a courier for this service. However, the downside is that they require the original prescription or your MD to call/fax it in. Lately, wherever you go, the line-ups to drop off a new prescription tend to be quite long.

If you're in BC, the wait time could be even longer now, as pharmacists have the authority to prescribe certain medications. However, you still need to schedule an appointment with the pharmacists.
.

 

[westwoody]

We have a tiny neighbourhood pharmacy. The pharmacist knows me. No lineups. I like that more than Costco.

 

[StillChillinYWG]

FYI, membership is not required to get your prescriptions filled at Costco Pharmacy. When greeted at the door and asked to show your membership card, just say "I'm going to the Pharmacy" and they let you in.

Odd - they've always asked for mine when picking up prescriptions 🤔

 

[Longtime Lurker]

Odd - they've always asked for mine when picking up prescriptions 🤔

Maybe it's to credit back 2% back to executive members.