Walgreens employees were hustling Wednesday afternoon to fill shelves and test photo processing equipment, cash registers and computers, all in preparation for the store’s open house for health-care professionals tonight. The store opens to the public at 8 a.m. Friday.
Plans for the 14,800-square-feet store were announced Nov. 20, 2006, with building permits showing total construction costs as $2,022,192.
The new store holds row after row of merchandise, from shirts appliqued with “Kansas” to an adjustable height table with water and food bowls for dogs, like Rottweilers, that need their food raised above floor level. In between the front door and the pharmacy in the northwest corner are toys, perfumes, makeup, game CDs and DVDs, light bulbs, fleece throws, diapers, toys, books, school supplies, tealight candles, camp chairs in bags and a foods department with refrigeration and freezers. Everything a customer could want from a drug store.
“Honestly, we’re a national pharmacy chain,” said manager Chris Negrete. “That’s what we do. You see everything out there, but we are a pharmacy first...”
Negrete, a Topeka native, has been with the company almost 13 years and came to Emporia from a Wichita Walgreens.
Walgreens pharmacies are known for being user-friendly, he said. Among its innovations are auto-refills for prescriptions and tax information that is on-line at walgreens.com.
“Everything is very automated,” he said. “I would almost say we’re the top of the industry with that.”
Janet Ackerman, who formerly worked at Newman Regional Health, will manage the pharmacy.
Delivery service will not be available initially, Negrete said, but may be something that will be added later.
A drive-through area has been installed at the pharmacy, to allow customers to drive through to drop off or pick up prescriptions, Ackerman said.
“It’s not a drive-through like fast food,” she emphasized. “You drop off your prescription, and come back and pick it up.”
Negrete said the store is predicated on convenience, including parking and check-out.
“You park in the front stall and go in, get your gallon of milk and go back to your car,” he said. “We want to be as convenient as possible. We want to have a big breadth of items. We’re going to get you in and out.”
Initially, the new store will employ about 20 people.
“I would think it would go up, the busier we get,” Negrete said.
Walgreens will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
“We’re open 365 days of the year,” Negrete said. “People don’t stop getting sick because it’s Christmas Day.”
gazette_reader (anonymous) says...
Bummer on it not being a 24-hour store like so many other Walgreens out there. I was really hoping to have a late-night alternative to Wal-Mart.
June 21, 2007 at 6:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sciguy (anonymous) says...
People don't stop getting sick because it's 9pm on a Saturday either, Negrete.
At least they're going to be open until 10pm during the week, but 24-hours would be /greatly/ preferred.
June 21, 2007 at 6:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
daveedailey (anonymous) says...
I think the majority of people here are so glad to have something other tha wmart that the store will turn a good profit. If everyone continues to give Walgreen their undivided attention, possibly in the near future they will be open 24.
June 22, 2007 at 8 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mylife (anonymous) says...
Yup. I too was so hoping for a 24 hour store. Maybe in the future.
June 22, 2007 at 9:11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )