AMERICAN "big-box" membership-based retailer Costco Wholesale has opened a new facility in Auckland's Westgate, featuring an in-store pharmacy along with optical and hearing aid departments.
It is the first Costco in New Zealand and the 829th worldwide, and the pharmacy operation is a contrast to the brand's 13 Australian stores which do not offer pharmacy services due to location rules.
Costco regional chief Patrick Noone told the NZ Herald "it's easier here to operate a pharmacy".
"We have pharmacies in North America, Sweden, Canada and other countries but not Australia."
Costco members are not charged dispensing fees for prescriptions at the new NZ in-store pharmacy, which employs two pharmacists alongside about 330 other staff working at the warehouse.
The Costco NZ website urges customers to "stop by the pharmacy to fill your scripts and get helpful advice from our qualified pharmacists...get amazing value on a range of prescription medicines as well as over-the-counter staples".
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