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Pill Poppers Give Boost to Walgreen

Jeanine Poggi

Our pill-popping nation is paying off handsomely for Walgreen(WAG Quote).

The drugstore posted a 3.4% jump in June same-store sales helped by pharmacy sales.

Pharmacy sales grew 5.8% during the month, despite the negative impact of new generic drugs. But front-end same sales, which include discretionary items like cosmetics, fell .9%.

The company also saw weakness in season items. According to Thestreet.com's most recent store checks, Walgreen's limited selection of these items didn't help.

Total Walgreen sales increased 9% to $5.24 billion.