De Blanc Drug Store

I have been using De Blanc for a few months – just enough time to begin to feel some affection for the small, personable neighborhood business – only to learn during my last visit that they are going out of business, and tomorrow!, apparently eaten by Walgreen’s, or at least that is what one of the employees told me, that the old man had been paid by the corporation to close up shop, and that he took the deal to supplement his eminent retirement. From the look of him, he earned it, working long past retirement age. I admit that I wish he would have sold the small business and kept it going in that way. De Blanc delivered drugs to the doorsteps of Bayou St. John for several decades and will be missed. New Orleans landscape would not be the same and its flavor would diminish significantly if we found only Walgreen’s on every corner. Veterans Blvd is great when you need it, but one can’t help but worry when a Mom n Pop like De Blanc gets gobbled up like one of those ghosts on Mrs. Pacman. Doo doo doo doo… blip! Guess I’ll be getting my drugs from some corporation now.

so recently my insurance decided to bat walgreens to the side like a gnat on a sweaty evening. this was, to say the least, ANNOYING. but i took it as a chance to override my convenience for doing business at a local establishment.
i feel completed validated in choosing de blanc over going to cvs or rite aid or any other one of those national chains.
ok… it’s a little inconvenient that they are only open from 9 — 5 on the weekdays, but they counteract that small problem with their willingness to be helpful, how nice and personable they are when you go in, and the fact that they *gasp* deliver.
I went in yesterday to bring over my prescriptions to switch and discussed with them that one of them has several generics and only one works for me. they don’t happen to carry that one on the regular, but they told me they would order it for me and try to work it out with my insurance. i had them fill 2 other prescriptions as well. they asked me if i wanted to wait but i decided to pick up today.
today when i went to pick up it was slight chaos behind the desk, but more in an entertaining watching a group of people that work together and are family be together. my order was taken care of swiftly and with humor. i checked the one prescription, and as i assumed it wasn’t the right manufacturer, but they got right on top of trying to order it and figure everything out. since i was out of my prescription they gave me a few extras to hold me over, which was really good of them, even though this brand doesn’t work as well it’s better than nothing.
they don’t operate as efficiently as a walgreens would, but their friendly manner and their willingness to help out a customer rate them right on top of my list. also, i paid less for my prescriptions there than i did at walgreens, so that was nice.
granted, this is day 2 of being their patron, but i have a good feeling about this.
and as always, they’re local, so i’d much rather give them my money.
AS WE ALL SHOULD. AHEM.

DeBlanc’s is a total throw-​back in the best sort of way. It is a family run, low-​tech (they can’t answer the phone and run a credit card at the same time) establishment that serves it’s patrons in a way that the big-​boys can’t.
They will deliver to your house if you need them to; they will fill your script while you wait; they are a great business to have around the corner from your home.

This used to be my neighborhood drug store when I lived up the street, but now that I know they exist I’ll drive all the way across town if I have to, because DeBlanc is SO much better, faster and cheaper than literally every other pharmacy I’ve ever been to. Walgreens and CVS typically take an hour to fill a simple prescription, whereas DeBlanc can do exactly the same in approximately ten minutes.
It’s clearly a local, family-​type establishment, and the same people have worked there since I first started going there years ago. Granted, this may not seem like a big deal, but I think it says a lot about what kind of business DeBlanc is – if you’re there for a few minutes, you can see the way staff members talk to customers like they’re old family friends.