ONLINE Rx: Local Pharmacies Compete with Web sites
To compete with popular online pharmacies, Birmingham-based American Pharmacy Cooperative Inc. is putting more that 100 Alabama pharmacies on the Web through www.HealthCareAmerica.co m. Tim Hamrick, president of APCI, said some store owners are wary of going online but that "they know that if you are not in e-commerce down the road, you will be out of business." Internet analyst Cameron Meierhoefer said, "Promotions and steep discounts have played their part in driving transactions, but the continued strength of this category strongly suggest that there is a lasting market for drugstore products on the Web." Still, many believe the Internet will never replace the local pharmacy. Pharmacy owner Don Haisten said: "There is such a need for personal interaction, particularly among older people, that customers will continue to feel the need for face-to-face interaction" (Stewart, Birmingham Business Journal, 8/14).
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