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0Erinome: Hello dear friends, and welcome back to our show! I'm Erinome.
Enceladus: And I'm Enceladus. Today we are going to talk about a topic that many of us have probably experienced: buying medicine.
Erinome: You know that feeling when you buy something and then find it much cheaper somewhere else?
Enceladus: Oh no, that's the worst! And it seems to be happening a lot with medicine recently. I saw some hot topics online like "a cold costs 2000 yuan" and "medicine in drugstores is three times more expensive than online".
Erinome: Exactly! Let's start with a story from Beijing. A woman went to a drugstore to buy some oral liquid for a cold.
Enceladus: Okay, a very common situation.
Erinome: The staff there recommended a medicine that they said was "very effective". It cost 168 yuan.
Enceladus: Wow, that's quite expensive for a cold medicine.
Erinome: And that's not all. They also recommended another medicine to use with it. The total price was 226 yuan.
Enceladus: So what happened?
Erinome: After she paid and left the store, she checked the price on her phone. Guess what? The 168 yuan medicine was only 59 yuan on an online platform.
Enceladus: What? That's almost three times cheaper! That's a huge difference.
Erinome: I know! She went back to the store to argue, and in the end, they gave her a refund.
Enceladus: Good for her. But this isn't just a single case, right?
Erinome: Not at all. The news reported another case in Shanghai. A citizen found a Shuang Huang Lian oral liquid for 82 yuan in a medical insurance drugstore.
Enceladus: And online?
Erinome: On an app, the same brand and same size was only 27 to 34 yuan.
Enceladus: That's a big difference again! It really makes you wonder.
Erinome: Many people have shared similar stories. Blood pressure medicine, Gan Cao Pian... the price in physical stores is just so much higher.
Enceladus: So the big question is, why? Why are the prices so different? Is it legal for them to set such high prices?
Erinome: Well, according to the law, most medicine prices are set by the businesses themselves. It's called market regulation.
Enceladus: So they can decide the price based on their costs and the market situation?
Erinome: Yes, except for a few special drugs. So, technically, they have the right to set their own prices.
Enceladus: But a price that is three times higher seems unreasonable.
Erinome: I agree. The law also says that if prices are too high, it's not allowed. Businesses who do this can be fined or even lose their business license.
Enceladus: So what makes the physical stores so expensive?
Erinome: A manager from a pharmacy chain explained it. First, the operating costs are different. Physical stores have to pay for rent and staff.
Enceladus: That makes sense. Rent can be very expensive, especially in busy areas.
Erinome: Second, the competition online is very strong. Many online stores sell the same medicine, so they offer discounts and coupons to attract customers.
Enceladus: Ah, the online price wars.
Erinome: And third, online stores often get their medicine directly from the makers. They sell a lot with a small profit on each item. This model pushes the price down.
Enceladus: So it's about business models. But I heard there's another problem: pharmacists are acting like salespeople.
Erinome: Yes, this is a serious issue. The news mentioned that pharmacists sometimes bundle medicines. You go in for one thing, and they try to sell you a bunch of other things.
Enceladus: Oh, I've had that happen to me! Why do they do that?
Erinome: A pharmacist with 10 years of experience explained it. Their salary is made of a basic salary plus bonuses based on sales and profit.
Enceladus: So they get more money if they sell more expensive drugs?
Erinome: Exactly. When a customer comes, their first thought might not be "which medicine is best for the patient?", but "which medicine will give me a higher commission?". Sad.
Enceladus: That is really sad. The pharmacist should be a health expert, not just a salesperson.
Erinome: Some news also mentioned that some stores even sell prescription drugs that they are not qualified to sell, just to make more money.
Enceladus: Oh no, that's dangerous. So, what is being done to fix these problems?
Erinome: The government and industry experts say we need stronger rules and better enforcement.
Enceladus: I saw that a new "Pharmacist Law" is being planned.
Erinome: Yes, that's right. The idea is that this law will make the responsibilities and rights of pharmacists very clear. This should help them focus on being professionals.
Enceladus: That sounds like a good step. What about the government's response to the price difference?
Erinome: One regulatory department said the price difference is "normal" because of online promotions.
Enceladus: "Normal"? I'm not sure customers would agree, haha.
