Even More Tesco Bargains

coffeepls wrote: »

Big time for prescription drugs. My mum got her warfarin prescription for something like €80 as compared to €120 or so that it's usually cost her.
if you have high cost prescription charges it is noticeably cheaper. Not sure about the over the counter stuff.

I'm on Warfarin- I get 1s/3s and 5s- from a local independent pharmacy- for less than 60 per month. Tesco use Teva generic warfarin- which is an option in most independent pharmacies. The lower price on Warfarin in Tesco is purely because they dispense a generic- any local pharmacy using the same generic- charges a similar amount. The example given for Warfarin- is not valid.

I spend at very least the 144 DPS level each month- alongside another 150-160 on OTC medications (we've an interesting medley of conditions in this house). I can not save anything on prescription costs in Tesco- where I do save money- is on some OTC medications/treatments (only some- not across the board). An example of a saving- Compeed cold sore patches- Tesco 8.99. Boots generic 9.99. Local pharmacy 12.50. However- certain things- like Bepanthem- 8.99 in Tesco, 3-for-2 at 8.99 in Boots, 8.99 in local pharmacy. Gaviscon- is cheaper- anywhere other than Tesco- local pharmacy has larger boxes and is cheaper. Generic paracetamol/aspirin/ibuprofen- Boots is cheaper than anywhere- followed by local pharmacies- followed by Tesco (I have no idea why these cost so much here- I can get them for pennies over the border).

Certain products- are significantly cheaper in Tesco pharmacies- others are comparable with elsewhere- and some- for strange reasons- aren't competitive at all. I don't think they benchmark their pharmacy sections against competitors- in the same way they do their grocery sections.

If you get OTC clearances in Tesco Pharmacy sections (which regularly happens on OTC medications)- you can really pick up a saving- but its not something you can plan ahead for- its random- great if you see something on special that you want- but very random.

It can be worthwhile using the pharmacy in Tesco- but its not consistent- and the main reason for using it would be to collect your medications while you're shopping- as a convenience- rather than imagining that you're going to save a significant sum of money by using it. It is convenient- yes. Its not remarkably cheap though. Personally- all-in-all, I'd rather support an Irish owned independent- if its not going to cost me to do so. What I tend to do- is look for specials- and aside from my 144 DPS spend- which has to be in the same pharmacy every month- plan the rest of our chemist purchases on a price basis where possible.

masculinist wrote: »

I understand the sentiment but the Irish pharmacist sector has needed competition for a long time too. The prices for Tesco in the North are ridiculously cheap compared to the price in the Republic.

Don't I know it. For OTC stuff- if you pop up the M1- I'd suggest to Sprucefield rather than Newry- you have Boots, Sainsburys and others- and can get many things for a tenth what they cost here. (I tend to avoid Newry- the traffic and parking is nuts).

The advent of pharmacy clubs here- where you pay membership fees to join and then get generics at cost- and the fact that they delivery nationally- is definitely going to be a gamechanger- once a sufficient portion of the population discover them.

Back to Tesco- yesterday at Maynooth- when I asked them to split our shopping into batches of 50- to use Aldi vouchers- they advised they've been told to put it through in a single transaction and to take a commensurate number of coupons from customers- which is faster for them- and of course for customers.

Some gardening stuff is still there- mostly on the 'seasonal' aisle- backing onto the clothes section- not in the gardening section itself.

Bic briteliners etc- which are apparently on special in some other branches- are not reduced (I scanned several different pack sizes to be sure).

Not a bargain- but they've refreshed the meal deal options- with selections that are probably a bit more acceptable to Irish tastes.

To be honest- no compelling bargains in Tesco at the moment- nada. The only reason for shopping there- is to get 20% off using competitor coupons- but even then- the likes of Lidl with their wines of the world display- are a far more tempting proposition- though both Aldi and Lidl have definitely increased their prices lately- probably to pay for the use of coupons in their stores......

Tesco Maynooth- have a few 40" Display models (mostly Sony) on offer- might be worth a look in if someone needs a new panel.