Safeway: Flu shots during food trip more convenient

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway on Tuesday announced its offering of flu shots in its grocery stores — positioning its flu season inoculation as more convenient to drug stores.



"Safeway makes getting a flu shot more convenient than most other retailers offering immunizations, because consumers visit grocery stores on a regular basis," the supermarket chain stated. "In an average month, 49% of those surveyed said they visit grocery stores most often, compared [with] 8% who said they visit drug stores most often."



As previously reported by Drug Store News, as an added incentive to consumers, each Safeway flu shot comes with a 10% off coupon for groceries.



According to the company, Safeway pharmacists have administered more than 5 million shots over the past decade to shoppers during their routine trips to the grocery store. Safeway’s immunization services include influenza, whooping cough, shingles, pneumococcal disease, meningitis, hepatitis A/B and human papillomavirus.



“As a pharmacist and a busy mom, I know that it’s not always easy to put your health first. Sometimes, an ounce of prevention is difficult to achieve with full schedules of family activities and holiday events,” said Risa Vatanka, pharmacist and immunization specialist at Safeway. “By offering flu shots in our pharmacies, Safeway can help people get more done in one trip to the grocery store.”