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SEATTLE — Bartell Drugs has begun delivering prescription medicines to three Seattle neighborhoods via a partnership with Nimble Pharmacy Inc., one of a growing number of companies offering delivery capabilities to independent brick-and-mortar pharmacies.
“We want our customers to have the choice of delivery or in-store pick-up,” notes Billy Chow, vice president of pharmacy at Bartell’s. “This access to prescriptions will drive better medication compliance resulting in improved overall health of our Northwest neighbors.”
Bartell’s charges a $6.99 delivery fee plus a 99-cent service fee on top of the standard copay and any taxes.
Redwood City, Calif.-based Nimble launched in 2014, offering to deliver prescription drugs from its six pharmacies in the San Francisco area. That model became untenable due to the high cost of operating pharmacies as well as Amazon.com’s entry into the online pharmacy marketplace via its 2018 purchase of PillPack. So Nimble set out to develop a service that could do for independent drug stores what Instacart offers to grocers.
Bartell’s plans to expand the delivery program to other locations following the three-store pilot in the city’s downtown, lower Queen Ann and Ballard neighborhoods.
