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Timothy Murphy '78

UPDATE! On Sept. 12, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors honored Elsie Tonelli with a commemorative street sign on Mission Street between Excelsior Avenue and Santa Rosa Avenue. Many of her family members, friends and members of the community were there to celebrate her legacy.

There are more than 25,000 pharmacies in the United States. Some are better than others, considering that not all pharmacies carry the same amount of products.

One may have better customer service, or be more affordable. A pharmacy should assist and suit customers’ needs regardless of what chain they are a part of.

Regardless of the competition between family-owned pharmacies and chain pharmacies, family- owned pharmacies will have a place somewhere because in some states they make up about 50 percent of pharmacy markets. They thrive due to the benefitscustomers receive that chain- owned pharmacies cannot give.

Regarding customer service, family-owned pharmacies have a much better attitude and energy when it comes to conversations. About 50 percent of family-owned pharmacy customers state that they have a better relationship with them than chain pharmacies because family-owned pharmacies make time to create a relationship with customers and remember their names.

Although there may be more chain-owned pharmacies like Walgreens in neighborhoods, they may be on a different level or time of convenience. With family- owned pharmacies, many have the flexibility to work around timing, considering they are on corners of many streets or less than a mile away. There can be fewer difficulties with safety at times with privately owned pharmacies that are less likely targeted by groups of thieves.

“Due to the lack of enforcement policies of the city government, the crime statistics for all pharmacies in San Francisco and around the United States have led to many pharmacies closing their shops,” Gochooco- Tsuyuki added. “This makes life difficult for citizens who may be older with limited mobility to buy their pharmaceutical needs from outside their neighborhoods.”