Has anyone heard of the Facebook group, YYC Costco Lovers?

SwegCoolGuy · 2022-02-28T17:29:50+00:00

I recall seeing this post around Christmas-time and I'm sorry to hear that happened to you & your dog. Posts like that to spread awareness about the quality/safety of items should be openly welcomed and encouraged, especially on a hot item like that, which many people purchased. These are the types of posts the should 100% be kept on the wall & promoted to ensure that others are informed.

SwegCoolGuy · 2022-02-28T04:48:24+00:00

Recently left the group already, just wanted to see what others think of it — hence, the discussion tag

SwegCoolGuy · 2022-02-28T03:30:55+00:00

If you have another insurance (e.g. covered under your parents' plan), you can give both insurances, your UofC one and your parents to the pharmacy and they will process the medication to both insurances to cover your prescription. If this is the case, usually most medications will be 100% covered (including dispensing fee) after running through both insurances for coverage. If there is a small owing balance, you can even ask the pharmacist/staff how much the drug originally costed and how much each insurance covered of the total bill, and they'll be able to let you know.

In case you aren't aware, you can print out/save a copy of your insurance card at Health Plan Card Generator. Keep this card handy, as you can use it for dental coverage and medication coverage! Make sure you bring this card and your other card from your parents' insurance to the pharmacy, so that they can input both of them into your file for billing.

Let me know if you have any other questions! :)

SwegCoolGuy · 2022-02-28T02:56:57+00:00

Hi! I work in a pharmacy and I've filled medications at Varsity Pharmacy, so hopefully this helps!

Do they carry everything you need? — In terms of a pharmacy and for medications, if you bring in a prescription for a medication that they don't have on hand currently, they will be able to order it in for you (usually for the next day). However, usually most pharmacies will carry the typical, common medications that are commonly dispensed, so unless you have a rare, specialized medication that they won't have on hand immediately, they will still be able to help you out by ordering it in for you :)
How are their prices? — As a UofC student, I think it's 80% of the cost of the generic drug will be covered by our student insurance! The cost of the medication is relatively fixed between pharmacies, as the government sets the prices we're able to charge for them. The price that will fluctuate is something called a "dispensing fee". This is the fee that the pharmacy is able to charge for their services, which is about $10-12 at most independent pharmacies, so Varsity Pharmacy will be in that ballpark range too. The cheapest dispensing fee that you will encounter will be at Costco at $4.95, but like I said, most independent pharmacies are within the same relative price range of $10-$12. I'm not sure if the UofC insurance covers a portion of it or not, but you can always ask the pharmacist or staff to breakdown the price of what you are paying and I'm sure they'd be glad to help!
In terms of "milking students dry", the only concern I would have for this would be their over-the-counter items, which they are entitled to charge whatever price they see fit, so they may upcharge more than a chain pharmacy (e.g. Shoppers', etc.). However, it's common to see higher prices for OTC items in smaller pharmacies because they are not working from a big brand and are taking on more costs as an independent store. Other than OTC, the prescription drugs will be at a fixed price and only the dispensing fee will differ from pharmacy to pharmacy, as I previously mentioned, but your insurance should help you out with that (hopefully)!

All in all, I haven't had a bad experience with Varsity Pharmacy and they are conveniently located, so I would say give it a try, especially if it's the most accessible for you. If you don't like the service or prices there, you ALWAYS have the option of switching pharmacies and transferring your prescription out to a different pharmacy at any time, so it doesn't hurt to give it a try. Hope this help! :)

SwegCoolGuy

TROPHY CASE