Tag:shop=chemist

A shop typically selling a similar range of articles to a dispensing community pharmacy: over-the-counter drugs, personal hygiene (toothpastes, shampoos, soaps etc.), cosmetics (usually cheaper ones), and household cleaning products. The exact product mix will vary from country to country.

Historically, pharmacies were also known as chemists in the UK and Commonwealth. In the past one could buy many common chemicals from such shops, and the pharmacists could compound other chemicals and drugs themselves. For most of the 20th century this meant that these shops were also a common place to buy photographic products and services (film, film processing, processing chemicals, etc.), but this role ceased for several reasons: increased complexity of drugs; mail-order photo processing; restrictions on sale of many chemicals. This tag name is therefore a legacy of that phase in time.

For a shop that dispenses prescription drugs – that is, a pharmacy or a drugstore in American English – see amenity=pharmacy. For British English speakers, it is important to recognise that chemist and pharmacy are not synonyms on OSM (although, with a small number of exceptions (e.g., hospital pharmacies), amenity=pharmacy are likely to also be shop=chemist even if this is rarely tagged explicitly).

How to map

Set a node or draw as an area along the shop outline. Add the tag shop=chemist and name=*.

Tags to use in combination

• brand=*
• operator=*
• Address
• website=*
• opening_hours=*
• wheelchair=*
• medical_supply=*
• clothes=underwear – also sells underwear

Examples

In UK: Superdrug stores originally had no pharmacists, and sold no prescription drugs, so all would have been shop=chemist. However, today larger stores do sell such drugs. Smaller outlets of Boots (particularly in railway stations and airports) are often shop=chemist

See also

• amenity=pharmacy
• shop=medical_supply
• shop=cosmetics
• shop=perfumery
• shop=hairdresser_supply