Metropol

That font looks a bit Wilko-ish, or is that just me?

Wow, yellow. Finally something will match the garish yellow and red aisle ends my local store still has.

Looks a bit Wilko though.

Wilko was my thought too.

The tagline "Another little help from Tesco Bank" is a bit clunky.

Dunelm seems to have very similar SELs to Wilkos, prompting me to research whether or not the two companies are linked. Alas not.

Now that Lloyds Pharmacy have taken over the Sainsbury's pharmacies, there was the unusual thing on New Year's Eve locally where after the main supermarket closed at 6pm, Lloyds continued to stay open with their employee until 10pm. This was achieved by putting typed up notices on the doors asking customers to ring a bell at the side entrance where security staff normally enter the building where the employee would ask the customer what they'd like, including prescriptions.

Martin Phillp wrote:Now that Lloyds Pharmacy have taken over the Sainsbury's pharmacies, there was the unusual thing on New Year's Eve locally where after the main supermarket closed at 6pm, Lloyds continued to stay open with their employee until 10pm. This was achieved by putting typed up notices on the doors asking customers to ring a bell at the side entrance where security staff normally enter the building where the employee would ask the customer what they'd like, including prescriptions.

How were items paid for? Was there a till by the entrance or were you taken inside?

WillPS wrote:

Martin Phillp wrote:Now that Lloyds Pharmacy have taken over the Sainsbury's pharmacies, there was the unusual thing on New Year's Eve locally where after the main supermarket closed at 6pm, Lloyds continued to stay open with their employee until 10pm. This was achieved by putting typed up notices on the doors asking customers to ring a bell at the side entrance where security staff normally enter the building where the employee would ask the customer what they'd like, including prescriptions.

How were items paid for? Was there a till by the entrance or were you taken inside?

I didn't go in, but there were notices outside the store. Would be interesting to see if anyone used the pharmacy last night and if other Sainsbury's with Lloyds Pharmacy also had a similar operation?

The only thing I can realistically think of is that Lloyds paid for the Sainsbury's sub-contracted security guard to stay on until 10pm, who'd open the side entrance (it's right by the security station) and they'd supervise the customer in-store.

The underlying reason for this is probably licencing. Pharmacies have to demonstrate a local need before they can open (the 'market entry' test) - but until relatively recently, there was an exemption for pharmacies that open more than 100 hours per week, leading to odd situations like this (and Boots 'Midnight Pharmacies' springing up all over the place).

As I understand it, they can seek permission (three months in advance!) to reduce their hours on statutory Bank Holidays, but not New Year's Eve (unless they can demonstrate that this is beneficial to patients).

I was in my local Tesco pharmacy on Boxing Day last year, and the pharmacist mentioned that he'd been open on Christmas Day - but had no customers. I'm not sure that it was advertised that they'd be open - perhaps 111 knew and could direct people?

I bumped into a Sainsbury's security guard after he finished work today. He told me the duty security guard escorted the customers to the counter from the staff entrance and were escorted back.

Ahhah. So it's similar in some ways to the case in the early pages of the Morrisons thread where a Safeway Pharmacy had to remain open while the store around it was torn apart.