Happy Marketing

The AG (Attorney General) in our city made a study on drug prices. Now, we all know that seniors take a lot of drugs, probably more than is necessary. Yet we often beg the doctor to let us try a new drug cleverly hyped in the media. Some of us are fortunate that we survived the narrow window where we were able to choose how we wanted to handle Medicare drug choices (remember those numerous, confusing options in 2006?).

Anyway, we all need at least an occasional aspirin and some of us want quite a bit more to make our joints happy, the heart tick more conscientiously, and the blood flow easier. Our senior moment at this point is rather complicated. We ask which drug, how much, when? Then we get a long, rectangular box with 7 or 14 or 30 compartments in which to put our pills so we can keep track. Fair enough.

But alas, the AG study revealed a widespread difference in prices in our town. We can assume this would be true elsewhere. Here in part is what the study found:

So, it pays to shop around, doesn't it? But sometimes our system won't let us do that but most of the time we probably can shop around if we have the time, energy, and means to do so (a vehicle, bicycle, bus, or a drug store within walking distance or via telephone or the Internet).

I was in a nursing home the other day and in the course of our conversation, we talked about senior moments, a common ailment within and outside nursing homes. When I mentioned that I write some Senior Moments and put them on the web, I was asked, “What's a web?” I tried then to explain what a web page is and how it is both written and read via a computer. Tough stuff for some to grasp. I also know a few who know all about computers, the Internet, web pages and email but want nothing to do with it.

To reinforce the necessity today to go marketing like little Piggy did, it is mind boggling at times. Look what is happening at the gas pump. Prices are changing almost daily, and seemingly no gas wars going on as the mainline stations and the little independents charge almost the same and change their prices virtually simultaneously. Yet not quite like the drug stores where the prices on drugs range all over the terrain. Tough choices.

So, my dear seniors, it looks like we can't sit forever in our rocking chairs but we gotta get up and go marketing. I recently went to our Farmer's Market (where only local items are supposed to be sold) and bought a nice bag of shiny, red apples for only one dollar (this was May in Michigan). I was pleased with myself until I got home and my wife gave me that look only wives can give. She sliced one open and yep, it was mealy, really mealy (too long in storage). But not all was lost. Now we've got lots of applesauce (she mixed in some fresh, imported tart apples she had on hand). Happy marketing.