But it will be like an elixir of hope for many long-suffering local shoppers.

Such are the two contrasting economic realities at play here.

The first is our obligation to protect locally owned small businesses – and jobs.

The second is the right of residents in NSW’s largest inland city to access affordable pharmaceuticals.

Sadly, those two realities are mutually exclusive.

Without a cut-price chemist in Wagga, the current players are either unable or unwilling to lower prices to anywhere near the level of Chemist Warehouse.

And when Chemist Warehouse opens in Estella next year, it will almost certainly make some chemists unviable.

Of course, a free market is a free market.

In 2015, chemists are operating in a global environment, where comparing prices is as easy as typing a few words on your smart phone.

Indeed, Chemist Warehouse claims Wagga is one of its biggest online regional markets.

But it’s hard not to be a little mournful that the institution of the local chemist could be under threat.

Already, corporate heavyweights (ie Woolies and Coles) have savaged the small business sector, taking a bite out of independent hardware stores, bottle shops, newsagents and more.

They are able to do this for one simple reason – most shoppers put price above all else.

We live in an age of rabid materialism, where so many of us shop without a conscience. But there’s a cost to that action, and it’s increasingly being worn by local “mum and dad” businesses.

While these businesses can’t always compete on price, they are the first to sponsor the local kids’ soccer team and donate to raffles of local charities. They are also the oxygen of local business, spending profits locally and circulating cash through the economy.

Whether that’s enough to pay a few extra dollars more on your prescription is a matter for you.