Stop & Shop, Giant Food pharmacies to offer Spanish labeling and instructions

QUINCY, Mass. Regional grocery chains Stop & Shop and Giant Food last week announced that their pharmacies now offer Spanish prescription labels and information to ensure that their customers receive proper instructions for their medications.

Stop & Shop and Giant Food also partnered with Language Line Services to test a new program that provides interpreters for customers via a telephone conference call. Through the program, which will be tested in 45 Stop & Shop and 20 Giant Food pharmacies, pharmacists can give instructions at the counter through an interpreter in more than 175 languages.

“We serve a diverse customer based, and this will enable us to better serve our Spanish-speaking customers,” said John Fegen, senior vice president of pharmacy operations for Stop & Shop's parent company, Ahold. “This program is designed to provide pharmacy customers immediate access to professional interpreters, in an average of 15 seconds, who can explain instructions, side effects and precautions for medications in their preferred language, while reducing potential medication usage errors. For years, our customers have counted on us to give them excellent service, and this program gives us the opportunity to make it even better.”

Stop & Shop operates 389 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, New York and New Jersey. Giant Food will be offering the Spanish language program in 166 of its pharmacies, located mostly in the Mid-Atlantic states.