Julie: I’ve been noticing a trend in chain pharmacies trying to bring business into their stores. They are enticing potential customers by offering gift cards that are valued at $10 to $25.

I will admit I have been tempted by their offers, most recently when I received a grand opening notice for the new CVS on Sixth Street, which offered a $25 gift card for transferred prescriptions.

My family has now lived in Lawrence for four years. I have been to several pharmacies here in town. And the convenience of having my neighborhood Walgreens offer a 24-hour pharmacy has been a life-saver on several occasions. But my loyalty stays with Jeff Sigler and Sigler Pharmacy. His vast knowledge has been so helpful through the years.

He and his staff offer personal service that is welcoming. When you walk in the door, Jeff is quick with a smile and acknowledges his regulars by name. He takes the time to answer your questions and offers advice. He’s got a great rapport with the doctors my family uses, so there are no issues if the need arises to contact a doctor. I appreciate the fact that he is familiar with our prescription history. You won't get that service if you bounce around to different pharmacies.

So I pose the question, is there value in service? In this case, definitely. Quality customer service/care is hard to come by, and I won’t be selling out any time soon.

Keep up the good work, Jeff.

Jenn: If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m always on the lookout for a deal. A way to save money for my family. One of the things I’ve found useful is the prescription transfer offers that are available at many chain pharmacies. From Walgreens to CVS to Dillon’s, Hy-Vee and Target, you can generally find SOME type of gift card offer to bring new business their way.

My family uses a lot of prescriptions, me in particular. I recently transferred all of my prescriptions to Dillon’s Pharmacy to take advantage of such an offer and was able to “make” more than $100. Dillon’s, like CVS, will honor coupons from other pharmacies in order to get your business. The incentive cash is loaded onto your Dillons Plus Card, and you may use it at your leisure.

That being said, it is important to remember that a medical home is an important thing to have. If you use lots of medications, it is important to have a pharmacist who is familiar with all of them, who knows what your history is. Switching pharmacies month to month just to take advantage of cash incentive programs is not to be recommended. It is irresponsible and could be dangerous as well.

If you have only one prescription you fill that doesn’t need close monitoring, then why not take advantage of the offers? Or you can transfer everything you have, like I did, over to a pharmacy on a rare occasion. When I transferred to Dillon’s Pharmacy, I was pleasantly surprised by the service I received, especially as a new customer. The pharmacists on staff spent some extra time and attention to make sure that I got everything I needed and that nothing was overlooked. I greatly appreciate that kind of service. While I also appreciate monetary incentives just as much as the next person, I think I’ll be sticking with this pharmacy for a while.

— Jenn Hethcoat, a mother of three and coupon expert, and Julie Anderson, a mother of two who is learning the ropes of shopping frugally, write the Shop Talk blog at LJWorld.com/blogs.