Target Canada

[ookpik]

To underscore my comments and further contrast how Target and Wal-Mart differed in their pharmacy strategy: Canadian pharmacists fighting Target Canada

Target was promising plenty of foot traffic and strong financial results for the pharmacy franchisees operating within its stores – as much as $300,000 in annual income after five years.

Franchisees were told to be ready to hit the ground running as the first weeks were the most critical in building up a client base, said Gavrilidis.

Instead they were hampered by fax machines that didn’t work on the first day, making it impossible to fax doctor’s offices for prescriptions. The computer software they had to use was relatively untested and difficult to operate, said Gavrilidis.

The stores were empty and the shelves were bare. “They basically set up hurdles in front of us instead of giving us open lanes to run,” he said.

Now pharmacy franchisees have been told they have to leave by February 27, a deadline they say they can’t possibly meet.

Competitors who are aware of their situation are offering them a fraction of what their client files are worth – as little as $1-$2 a file instead of the market value of $17, said Gavrilidis. “It’s like a fire sale,” he said...

Target Corp. set aside $90 million to pay the 17,600 people who will be left jobless when stores close, but pharmacy franchisees say they are being left high and dry.