A'COSTCO'ed: Boosted With No Waiting...and Eyes Opened Wider

The joys of old age! 

One of my hearing aids was a bit wonky, so I popped into Costco to have someone tell me what I screwed up. The nice lady had someone ahead of me, and said it would be about  10 minutes before she could do a total reset on my hearing aids which would probably solve the problem. Well, I had only one thing I needed from Costco today, so off I went to find PreserVision Areds 2 vitamins. (More about that in a moment,) As I headed to the vitamin aisle, I was accosted by two ladies, one with a syringe and one with a clipboard who smiled as she said, "Free COVID samples today! 

Huh? It was a good tactic. I stopped.

"I've got your booster right here, no waiting," grinned the syringe lady. And then they both giggled. 

Like every other drugstore, Costco is doing boosters. I figured, what the heck? I was going over to Walgreens anyway. So, in ten seconds, I had my new COVID booster and I crossed that obsession off my list. I coulda gotten my flu shot, too, but I usually wait for October for that one. Shot done, vax card updated, I set off into that great labyrinth of retail to find my vitamin pills.

And speaking of old age, I have macular degeneration. This is a fine legacy from both sides of my family, and one I have been monitoring for years. Well, a couple of years ago, my eye doctor announced, "It's time," and I headed straight to the drug store for PreserVision Areds 2. I've been popping them twice a day ever since. The need was subsequently confirmed by my cataract guy AND my retina guy. Both of those ophthalmologists specified PreserVision Areds 2. I trust these guys with my eyes, and after seeing my dad and grandfather go nearly blind from macular degeneration, I am doing what they tell me to do.  Enough with the endorsement.

What I have discovered since I started taking them is 1) they are really expensive in comparison with other regular vitamins, 2) there's almost always a coupon in the box, and 3) prices vary wildly from place to place. So while I'm standing at Costco in front of the display, I note that 210 capsules is $36.79, or 17.5¢ per dose. I decide to check prices on my phone just for the heck of it. I quickly learn Sam's Club is a buck cheaper for the same pill count, but then it gets crazy. 

This screenshot is taken from Google Shopping. The prices are consistent with the prices on websites today. The top one is Bed, Bath, and Beyond. The middle is Walgreens, the bottom is CVS. The boxes on the left are all 120 capsules, the ones on the right are 130. Anyone wanna explain Bed, Bath, and Beyond's pricing? Unless that's a loss leader and folks, that made about as much sense as the 120 capsule price being almost identical to the 210 capsule price. I wish I knew what the wholesale costs were because people, we are totally getting gouged here. Keep in mind, this is an Over-The-Counter drug, not eligible for most insurance, and access controlled. Why do the prices swing so wildly from store to store?

I know drugs in general are a racket. People in other countries pay a fraction of what we pay for specific drugs. Insulin is the biggest racket of all. And people die because of this.

Yeah, sure, this is nothing new. But why do We, the People allow it to continue? Why aren't there riots in the streets protesting the general lack of health care? Why isn't access to meds as big a hot button issue abortion? Where are all those fine right-to-life people when it comes to right-to-life for diabetics? Are they worth less than blighted fetuses? 

This is supposed to be the Golden Land, the Land of Opportunity, yet We, the People don't think enough of ourselves to demand any sort of responsible/responsive health care system. Insurance is basically prohibitive, there is no social safety net for even the working poor, and a significant portion of kids don't have any access to reliable, regular healthcare. Still, an entire political party is devoted to adding more kids with absolutely no access to reliable healthcare into the ranks of uninsured Americans.

It's not just about social failures; there is a significant amount of infrastructure sagging its way to collapse. The 35W bridge collapse was a canary in this coalmine. Rolling blackouts strain the power grid during heatwaves in California putting millions of people at physical risk. Floods in a whole variety of places that never had floods before will require all sorts of changes to topography and physical plants of cities and towns. Jackson, the capital city of Mississippi hasn't had DRINKABLE water since July. Seriously....the GOP doesn't want to invest in infrastructure? What is wrong with those people?

What makes anyone think this is a one-off summer when we can see years of systemic degradation in the highways, rail lines, airports, water systems, and power grids tumbling into tragedy as we speak?

The only noise I hear from the GOP side is that Democrats spend money on this stuff. Why the hell aren't they? All those great behemoths can't do their good ol' bidness if there's no electricity, can they? They can't move all those Chinese shlock products to markets if bridges collapse under the weight of 18 wheelers rolling with no standards. They sure as hell won't have any low wage workers if the water supply is unsafe to drink. Never mind who's gonna take care of Grandma in the home or serve up their chicken sandwiches at Chick-Fil-A?

And they want tax cuts?????????

Maybe it's time for the political wonks to start hitting the electorate with the real cost of tax cuts. If anyone caught PBS Newshour tonight, there was a discussion about just this topic. Instead of fanning flames of terror tactics, the campaigns oughta try presenting unvarnished facts. Tell the people the truth about what is happening to the internal workings of this country without finger pointing and assigning blame. Tell your constituency what you actually support to make their lives easier...things like water and electricity. Use examples. Talk about Jackson, Mississippi and Flint, Michigan. Remind them about the 35W bridge collapse and the stress fractures in rail lines. Show them what their tax money is paying for in their district/state/country and let them decide if the investment is worth it. Yeah, yeah, pork barrel boondoggle from the other side. But just lay out the reality in terms that are close to home and personal.

Maybe when We, the People, start demanding answers as to why we cannot afford basic living conditions, the GOP et al will figure out we're getting to be mad as hell and with any sort of spine, we're not gonna take it any more. If they can't tell you what the government is going to do to improve the actual quality of life, then you don't want them in office because they're not there for YOU, they are there for themselves.

Actually, some of us may not have to take it much longer because a whole lotta people will be dead, and it won't be from some random pox. It will be from drinking local city water. 

Oh, yeah. The hearing aids were ready in ten minutes, and they are much less wonky now. Don't get me started on the price of hearing aids. There's an abusive market if ever there was one. But let's save that screed for another day.

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

If you want to know what made Elizabeth II a great queen,

look no further than what she didn't say.

Her job was to advise and warn, not to demand or enforce.

She did her job well.

Queen Elizabeth II with her eyes closed.
Photograph: Chris Levine