Top Retailers

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid is making its pharmacists available free of charge to seniors and their caregivers for personalized Medicare Part D consultations. Seniors can also use Rite Aid's dedicated Medicare Advisor comparison tools online at RiteAid.com/medicareadvisor.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens will be offering free, personalized Part D plan comparison reports to help beneficiaries identify the plan that best meets their prescription drug needs, the retail pharmacy operator announced Monday. Plan reviews are available on a walk-in basis or by scheduling an appointment at Walgreens.com/medicare, Walgreens stated.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart and Humana have teamed up again to help Medicare beneficiaries afford their prescriptions. With annual enrollment open until Dec. 7, 2012, for 2013 Medicare plans, the Humana-Walmart Preferred Rx Plan announced that it offers one monthly plan premium of $18.50 a month for beneficiaries in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., regardless of where they live.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy is gearing up for Halloween with its second annual Family Halloween Party, a festive customer appreciation event hosted at all 7,400 stores nationwide.

On Oct. 21 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., families are invited to their local CVS/pharmacy to celebrate and get the entire family into the spirit of Halloween. Children are encouraged to come in costume, and those dressed up will receive one free Halloween gift with any purchase, along with a fun pack filled with $15 in Halloween coupons, including:

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart has launched a first-of-its-kind Centers of Excellence program that will offer its associates quality health care with no out-of-pocket cost for heart, spine and transplant surgeries at six of the leading hospital and health systems in the United States.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — One of the most common reasons that retailers give for pet-medication programs is that pets are part of the family.

As analyst Debbie Wang of investment firm Morningstar told Drug Store News in April 2012, more empty nesters and young couples putting off having children are driving increases in pet ownership, and with that comes a need for pet healthcare.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — DSN noted that 2012 would be the year more big-box retailers committed to “going small” and, while we may hate to toot our own horn, we are going to do it anyway.

(THE NEWS: Supercenters rule, but small formats to accelerate for Walmart. For the full story, click here)

NEW YORK — An article recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine examines the role that impulse marketing and customer psychology in supermarkets contributes to obesity and related health problems.