This is a photo of London Drugs, taken from the city of Vancouver archives.
For those who are unaware, London Drugs is one of the largest retail pharmacy chains in Western Canada. It also happens to be where I am every Saturday evening, holding down the fort as I take care of the closing shift.
While it wasn’t the most memorable experience, one of the first memories that comes to mind from employee orientation was the history of London Drugs.
It started as a smaller corner drugstore, popular with customers for their low percentage markups. But as it and the community around it grew, it slowly became more and more, absorbing the neighbouring camera department, and hardware store too. Nowadays, London Drugs represents over 100 department stores stretching all the way from Victoria to Winnipeg. It’s not something that came from south of the border, but rather a product of Canadian immigrants Tong Louie, and the local people. Some of the coworkers around me have worked there before I was born, and some of the loyal shoppers reminisce about the TV they bought here before my 12 year old brother came into existence.
Outside of their “More for Less” and “Nobody Does it Better” mottos, I truly believe that London Drugs represents community. During COVID-19, more and more people came back to their local stores. And more and more people came with technology issues, whether they needed a computer fixed, or wanted recommendations on a good microphone to buy.
So every Saturday night, I stand behind the tech department counter, doing my part to help the community I’ve come to be a part of.
Works Cited:
London Drugs. “About London Drugs.” Londondrugs.com, 2021, www.londondrugs.com/about-london-drugs/about-us.html.
Vancouver (B.C.). Properties Division. “800–804 Main Street [at Union Street].” City of Vancouver Archives, 2021, searcharchives.vancouver.ca/800–804-main-street-at-union-street.
Wikipedia Contributors. “London Drugs.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Jan. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Drugs.
