Walgreens Has Solved a Key Inventory Problem (Parents Will Be Happy)

For parents stuck at home with a sick kiddo, this could make all the difference

Children are a beautiful blessing full of wonder, excitement, and a source of joy to the parents who take care of them. They're also perfect little breeding grounds for sickness, putting their hands on everything and sneezing, sniffling, and coughing in all directions. Once they reach daycare age, it gets more intense. Those sweet little bundles of delight aren't just sharing social queues and building blocks--they're also passing around colds, tummy bugs, and so much more. 

Cold and flu season is always rough for parents of young kids. Daycare and playdates can result in multiple rounds of a sick toddler. And more often than not, if the baby gets sick, so does the rest of the family. The only thing more difficult than coaxing an ill child is trying to do it while you also feel miserable. Smaller children are also still learning how to express feeling and sensation through words instead of, well, screaming. Even the most mature of adults can get a little childish when they don't feel well, so it's understandable when your pre-speech toddler screams to high heaven over an injury or a fever.

During this season of general yuck, higher demand for kids' fever-reduction medicine forced some stores to put a limit on how much medication parents could purchase.

Walgreens Lifts Purchasing Limits on Some Kids Medications

According to the CDC briefing last November, this cold-weather season has seen a spike in cold, flu, respiratory, and covid19 cases, particularly in young children. It makes sense when you think about the last few years--children who were toddlers or even born during the time spent in lockdown are finally getting out into the world.

Dr. Jose Romero, the Director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, points out in the briefing that these young children are being exposed to several respiratory viruses for the first time. Thanks to the high demand for children's fever-reducing medication, pharmacy chains like Walgreens Boots Alliance  (WBA) - Get Free Report, Rite-Aid  (RAD) - Get Free Report, and CVS Pharmacy  (CVS) - Get Free Report set purchase limits on medications to accommodate supply shortages.

Walgreens placed the purchase limit on their online-ordering carts only--customers shopping in-store weren't subject to the limit. But for parents also sick and home with the kids, the lift of the delivery limit will be very helpful.

CVS is Still Limiting Purchases as the Respiratory Season Continues

This news will certainly be a lifesaver for some parents who can't get to the store for the kids' meds they need. But Walgreens' biggest competitor, CVS, still has a 2-product per customer limit on the items both in its stores and online. Perhaps the company is erring on the side of caution--after all, the season of sniffles isn't over just because the holidays have wound down. Then again, differences in supply chains could account for the two companies' varying timelines.

Meanwhile, Rite-Aid's pharmacy doesn't appear to be listing any of the medications as available online. The items are, however, showing as available for in-store pickup. The site has no official notes about product limits, but stores in major cities like New York and Philidelphia appear to only have one available for in-store pickup.