I've never been a big one for the neighborhood pharmacy-style stores. Most have just a bit of this and that, but not enough variety to justify me paying the extra convenience cost. That being said, I went to the doctor's office for a check-up and my blood pressure was a bit higher then he liked. He decided I needed to record my blood pressure 2x daily and keep a log for him to evaluate. Instead of buying an over-priced monitoring device he suggested that I stop into Rite Aid and use the Higi station. "A hickey station?" I asked. "A Higi Station," he replied "H-I-G-I: Higi." I had never heard of a Higi Station. Sounded a little invasive to me but I told him I'd check it out.
I went online to research this Higi Station, and this is what I learned. A Higi station is a quick and easy way to get updated on your basic health stats. The higi Station is designed to easily measure Weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), Pulse and Blood Pressure. Tracking these four stats together is key to early detection of hypertension, diabetes and other treatable health conditions. Moreover, you can create an account and the results of each test are uploaded and saved. You can view trends, etc., on an App as well.
So, after determining that a Higi Station wasn't some sort of communicable disease, I bit the bullet and headed over to the Rite Aid in Fort Mill. When I entered the sliding doors, I was immediately taken aback. This Rite Aid looks nothing like the white sterile pharmacy's we've all come to expect. It is nicely lit; has faux-wood floors; the sections aren't just big aisle-ways; and the actual pharmacy is a nice-inviting area.
The Higi Station is located just inside the waiting area off to your left. Except for the pretty monitors and modern sleek look and feel, It's setup is just like the old-fashioned blood pressure stations my mom used to let me play with when she was shopping. When you sit-down, you have the option of setting up and account / logging in so that you can upload your results to the cloud. The sign-up process was easy. Then after entering a few personal details like gender, weight, and height, you get to choose to take one or several tests. I of course wanted my money's-worth (Free), and opted to take them all.
The first test is the one where you put your arm into the socket and let it squeeze it like a grape. When you're ready to begin you press "Begin" and you're off. I wasn't anticipating a female computer voice to "calmly" guide me through the process. "Relax....Clear your Mind....that's it...almost done...there..." A little creepy actually. Like a cybernated Yoga instructor. Regardless, after Skynet told me my blood pressure could launch a rocket, it proceeded to take my weight. I disagreed with it's conclusions: seemed a little high, but there you have it.
As far as the rest of the store is concerned it's all very nicely done. A notable bonus is the extensive selection of General Nutrition Companies (GNC) products they have available. Apparently GNC and Rite Aid formed a partnership way back in 1999. They call it a "stores within stores" concept. I guess I missed the memo, but the good news is I no longer have to visit a free-standing GNC at a mall. I can get all my vitamins, mineral supplements, sports nutrition, and herbal products when I check my blood-pressure. I can also mozy on over to their decent selection of adult beverages (wine and beer) if I want to try to forget how bad that blood pressure score is.
They also have a very large As-Seen-On-TV section. Those are the products that allow us to chop more, cook more, flip more, keep out the bugs, and squeeze a garden hose into your pockets just like they do on TV. Everything there just seemed to good to be true and probably was. I was tempted to buy the amazing bacon bowl maker--Who doesn't like bacon? I held my own and refrained from the purchase: likely not good for my blood pressure anyway.
The Frozen Foods, Beauty and Cosmetics, and Grocery areas were pretty impressive as well. They have a much better selection than you'd expect. In fact, I was impressed by the variety of their Salsa's of all things. They carry Mrs. Renfro's Peach Salsa as well as Jardine's Brand Salsas. Good choices.
I did not get a chance to use the actual pharmacy at the store since I have no prescriptions to fill, but everybody there seemed pretty happy when I was at the Higi Station. One of the team members even said Hi. I will likely get the opportunity to fill a prescription one day soon: especially if my blood pressure scores stay the way they are. And when I do, this Rite Aid will be my first choice.
Kudos