Café W to be launched in pharmacies

What's Happening

• Customers waiting in the store for their prescription refills can now enjoy a refill of their favorite beverage. More than 100 Walgreens are launching Café W, a self-service counter offering fountain drinks and snacks (SmartBrief.com 8.2.07).
• Many Walgreens already have in-store clinics; Café W is designed to blend tradition with modern needs and bring a sense of community that soda fountains lent pharmacies of yore.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

• In-store clinics are the latest retail rage, popping up in stores like Wal-Mart, CVS and Target. They may offer one-stop shopping and convenience, but wait times are never fun. Lingering over a root beer float while chatting with a neighbor will ease away those waiting pains (and customers may remember that they need sunscreen and toothpaste as well.)
• In our fragmented lives, it's increasingly difficult to find that sense of community and tradition that made the old days the "good ole days."

Source: Iconoculture, 8/27/07