Ridgeland pharmacy, soda fountain adds smart car for free delivery

The newest addition to Saver Express Pharmacy & Soda Fountain in Ridgeland is an intelligent one, you might say.

It’s a smart car, wrapped in the pharmacy’s blue-and-white colors, that is used to make local deliveries.

“We deliver once a day in Madison, Ridgeland, north Jackson and parts of Brandon,” said Daniel Rowland of Madison, the pharmacist who manages the business located at 1051 Highland Colony Parkway, Suite C. 

“Delivery is a free service we offer. It’s typically used by people who don’t get out of their homes much or for some other reason can’t make it to the pharmacy to pick up their prescriptions.”

Open since September 2017, Saver Express Pharmacy is a full-service, independent retail pharmacy owned by businessmen Ford Mundy of Madison and Heath Wray of Madison. The pharmacy is located in The Township between TrustCare Express Medical Clinic and Mani’s & Pedi’s nail salon and near Pure Barre.

“We offer all of the medications and services of a modern pharmacy but with the friendly, personalized service of an independent business,” said Rowland, a graduate of Mississippi State University who received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Tennessee.

The interior of Saver Express brings to mind a pharmacy of yesteryear. It features handsome wooden floors and cabinetry stocked with over-the-counter products, toys and Mississippi-made candles, coffee and gifts galore. 

An old-time soda fountain turns out made-to-order fountain drinks, floats, milkshakes, malts and specialty drinks. Milkshakes made with Blue Bell ice cream are among the most popular items, said Morgan Mason of Madison, a student at Madison Central High School who works behind the fountain.

The National Community Pharmacists Association reports that one-third of retail prescriptions are filled at independent pharmacies and that first-rate customer service is a signature. 

Prices for prescriptions at Saver Express are competitive with those at major drugstore chains and any other pharmacy, Rowland said. 

“If you have insurance, your co-pay is going to be the same for the most part,” he said. “We’re also competitive for cash payments.”

The National Community Pharmacists Association asserts “independent pharmacies are consistently price competitive for prescription drugs,” according to surveys conducted by media outlets that include Consumer Reports and PBS "Newshour.”

The pharmacy strives to offer excellent service and to get to know every customer, Rowland said. “We want to get to know our patients and are interested in being part of their healthcare team – not just a place where you someone hands you your pills,” he said.

Numerous customers, who relied on Beemon Drugs in Jackson until its closure on June 25, have commented that Saver Express offers outstanding service like that Beemon Drugs was known for, he said. Tyler Jeter of Madison, a pharmacist who worked at Beemon Drugs, was recently hired to work at Saver Express, he said.

Varner Stewart of Ridgeland recently stopped by to have Rowland check her blood pressure.

“This is a friendly place,” said Stewart, who works at the Everyday Gardner in Jackson “They’ll bring your medicine to you if you need them to. Plus, there is a wonderful soda fountain, and they sell great gifts.”

Gayla Stone of Ridgeland popped in to learn more about the services Saver Express offers and left with a small bottled Coca-Cola to quench her thirst. “I’m interested in locally owned businesses,” she said, “and like to support them.”

Saver Express handles prescription refills and also does non-sterile compounding, which allows a pharmacist to produce medication in dosage or strength not commercially available.

“We compound a lot of creams for dermatological reasons and for hormone replacement therapy,” Rowland said.

Multi-dose medication packaging that bundles medications by date and time is also available, Rowland said, which simplifies matters for anyone who takes multiple medications. 

“If you take five or six medications a day, it can be confusing,” he said. “We can divide someone’s medication and put it in bubble packs for 28 or 30 days.”

Customers who take several medications and make several trips to the pharmacy throughout a month to pick up refills will appreciate medication synchronization, which means just one visit to the pharmacy instead of multiple ones, Rowland said.

Numerous immunizations, including those for flu, shingles, and Tdap (whooping cough), are also available. 

The pharmacy has a mobile App and a website that can be used to order refills of prescriptions. 

Saver Express is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. until noon.

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