10 Most Expensive Vintage Toys Sold On eBay

Kids and adults have very different relationships with toys. Kids like to actually play with them, and adults tend to want to keep them pristine and unopened for all eternity. Oh, well. In many cases, but not all, it's those unopened toys that fetch the biggest prices on eBay. Some of these auctions make you look at the junk stored in your attic in a whole new way. Here are 10 of the most expensive toys sold so far on eBay.

10 Most Expensive Vintage Toys Sold On eBay

1. Antique Teddy Roosevelt Marble
That's right: a marble. Made around 1900, it is a clear marble enclosing a depiction of former president Teddy Roosevelt. Only three are known to exist, which explains the 00 it fetched at auction.

California Costumes Halloween

10 Most Expensive Vintage Toys Sold On eBay

2. Aquaman Comic from the 1960s
Aquaman has achieved iconic status since his creation in the 1960s by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, and vintage Aquaman comics can bring in a pretty penny. This one comic, meticulously kept, had a winning bid of ,000!

10 Most Expensive Vintage Toys Sold On eBay

10 Most Expensive Vintage Toys Sold On eBay

3. Yoshiya Super Sonic Space Rocket
This Japanese marvel featured technology like engine lights and something called bump and go action. This particular specimen was very well cared for, with the lithography in great condition. That would help explain the ,800 winning bid.

4. Star Wars POTF Tri Logo Ewok Combat Playpack from 1984
These are extremely rare, despite being less than 30 years old, so they get top dollar, and they sell fast. This particular one was never opened, making it extra collectible. Top bid? ,998.98.

5. 1970s Jumbo Machiner Tetsujin Robot
It resembles a Transformer and was actually made by the same company, Bandai. The ones marketed in Japan, like this one, were made out of the same kind of plastic as shampoo bottles. It went for ,500.

6. Dunhill Leather Backgammon Set
Made by Dunhill of Paris in 1970, this backgammon set has real leather triangles and a hand-stitched case made of leather. There aren't very many of them left, explaining the winning ,500 bid.

7. French Marionettes, ca. 1985
The specimen in question is a cat design made by an expert puppet maker from Atelier France. When it was auctioned in 2010 it was approximately 25 years old and fetched ,900.

8. Radicon Robot Japan 1957
This was the original RC robot toy, dating back to 1957. This was a seriously engineered toy for the times, and the company, Masudaya, also gained attention for the thick tinplating on the toy. This one was one of a set of 5 different models, and went for ,999.

9. Marklin Hand-Painted Beer Wagon
Toy beer wagons aren't made in large numbers, particularly not hand-painted ones. This one is 15 inches long and even though it was missing a few barrels, it still fetched ,000.

10. GI Joe 1994 Manimals Vortex MOC C-7
Sure, it looks like one of millions of blister-packed toys from the 1990s, but in fact there are only two known to even exist, and this one has never been opened. It went for a whopping ,100 (plus .50 shipping and handling).

10 Most Expensive Vintage Toys Sold On eBay

California Costumes Halloween

Blizzcon 2010 and World of Warcraft Costumes

I am sure you are aware that this year's Blizzcon 2010 convention will be the place to be this year. The convention will be held in Anaheim California on October 22 and 23rd. The lucky attendees will be able to participate in new games as well as existing games, discussion panels, and costume contests. Many people attending the convention will be Dressed up in their favorite World Of Warcraft Costumes. Most of the costumes are made out of latex and feature ferocious Orcs, prosthetic kits for the Night Elf and Blood Elf, faux fur on the Tauren, and many other detailed features on the Dranei, Forsaken, Troll, Illidan and other WOW characters. You will also need some makeup for some of the costumes to make them as realistic as the character. Set yourself up with some weapons and armour to prepare for battle and your ready to go.

Blizzcon 2010 and World of Warcraft Costumes

Blizzcon 2010 and World of Warcraft Costumes

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Blizzcon 2010 and World of Warcraft Costumes

Blizzcon 2010 and World of Warcraft Costumes

If you are not attending this years Blizzcon convention, it would still be great to Dress up in a World Of Warcraft costume for Halloween. You can even host a Party and Watch the convention on Directv. Join the millions of others who play this massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) and let your presence be known amongst the traditional ghosts and goblins. You will definitely stand out from the usual Halloween costumes.

Wouldn't it be great to make your online character more realistic and meet up with other gaming addicts who the love the game as much as you do. Even if it is for just one night you will love the attention you will attract with your amazing costume and for those who can identify with the characters. It would be so much fun to portray the role of an Orc or a sexy Night Elf.

Blizzcon 2010 and World of Warcraft Costumes

Family Feud - A Fun Game For Children Too

I was asked by Camp Med, a licensed day care program and summer camp sponsored by the City of South Pasadena, to give a presentation to our campers about the upcoming Summer Olympics, as I would be leaving for Beijing shortly to work on the Games. I thought if I just talk and the kids just listen, it could get kind of boring. So instead, I proposed an Olympic Family Feud.

Family Feud - A Fun Game For Children Too

Family Feud - A Fun Game For Children Too

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Family Feud - A Fun Game For Children Too

Family Feud - A Fun Game For Children Too

The campers were divided into 4 groups. The winning group would each receive a prize. The way it worked is that I would ask a question and give one specific group a chance to respond. Unlike television Family Feud where only one person can participate, here anyone from the group could chip in. The team leader would then try to write down the best answer. If the answer was wrong, the question would move to the next group. If one group was noticeably weaker, they would get the easier questions.

What struck me is how engaged the kids got. You could see the wheels turning. They started thinking. They wanted to give the right answer. They wanted to win. They were having fun and so were the other counselors.

The questions asked required different skills, memory, reasoning and also listening (to what I had talked about throughout the summer). Due to the internet, it was very easy to come up with questions as multiple trivia, kids and information sites exist.

When I returned from the Olympics, the kids were very interested about my experience. It was as if the Olympic Family Feud had opened the door for them to be aware and interested in the Olympics. The event was such a success that we are following it up with a Halloween Family Feud. For Halloween Family Feud, more jokes and questions with an eleMent of levity will be included. And there will be more questions that our younger kids can answer.

Attached are the questions (with answers) to both Family Feuds:

Olympic Family Feud

1. Where am I going tomorrow?

China

2. The J in Beijing, how is it pronounced?

As a z

3. How far away is Beijing from Los Angeles?

6300 miles

4. China is the 3rd largest country in the world. What is the largest country in the world?

Russia

5. What is the second largest country in the world?

Canada

6. Which country is expected to win the most medals at the Summer Olympics?

China

7. Where was the last Olympics?

Turin, Italy

8. Which country won the most medals at the Winter Olympics in Italy?

Germany (29)

9. The US won the second most medals. How many medals did the US win in Italy?

25

10. Who is shooting to win 8 Gold Medals and what sport is he in?

Michael Phelps, Swimming

11. Dara Torres is on the US Olympic Swimming team. How old is she?

41

12. Why have so many Swimming world records been recorded in the last couple of months?

The swimsuit: Speedo's LZR Racer.

13. What woMen's sport will no longer be in the Olympics after this year?

Softball

14. Why are some of the athletes not going to Opening Ceremonies?

To avoid the Air pollution

15. What kind of work do I do at the Olympics?

Ticketing

16. Name this famous person I gave Olympic tickets to in Korea in 1988? Clue 1; He lives in California and is over 50. Clue 2: He's been in science fiction movies. Clue 3: He received weightlifting tickets.

Arnold Schwarzennegger

17. Name this famous person I gave Olympic tickets to in Spain in 1992. Clue 1: He lives in California and is over 60. Clue 2: He was in 1 of the batman movies. Clue 3: He received basketball tickets.

Jack Nicholson

18. How many Olympics have I worked on?

11

19. Name a summer Olympic event that many find better to Watch on tv than see in person?

Gymnastics, diving, water polo

20. Where will the next Olympics be?

Vancouver Canada

21. What year?

2010

22. What country did the Olympic Games originate over 2700 years ago?

Greece

23. As a 12 year old boy, at the Mexico City Olympics, I was in attendance when Bob Beamon completely shattered a world record. He beat the previous world record by so much that Sports Illustrated named this 1 of the 5 greatest sports moments of the 20th century. What sport did he break the record in? Clue: It was in track & field.

Bob Beamon set a world record for the long jump with a jump of (29 ft. 2½ in.). It was one of the most astounding feats in the history of the Olympics. He shattered the record by more than 21 inches. It has since been called the perfect jump.

24. What Olympic moment did Sports Illustrated call the greatest sports moment of the 20th century? Clue: It happened at a Winter Olympics. Clue 2: It involved the United States

In 1980 at Lake Placid, a group of amateur & collegiate hockey players from the US defeated the best professional hockey team in the world, the Soviet Union, 4-3. This has since been named the Miracle on Ice.

Halloween Family Feud

1. What year did the first Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoon appear?

1924? 500BC? 2004? 500BC? 1945? (this one) The Middle Ages?

2. Boris Karloff played what famous movie character?

Frankenstein

3. What do you get when you cross Bambi with a ghost?

Bamboo

4. Bela Lugosi played what famous movie character?

Dracula

5. How much does the world's biggest pumpkin weigh? A: 245 pounds, B: 485 pounds, C: 685 pounds, D: 1,385 pounds (this one)

6.What famous movie character did Lon Chaney Jr. play. Clue: Michael J. Fox, also played this character.

The werewolf

7. According to those Silly, scary movies, when do werewolves come out?

At Full Moons

8 What do birds give out on Halloween night?

Tweets...

9. Bodies that are wrapped in Cloth and stored in tombs are known as what?

Mummies.

10. In folklore, a male witch is known as a?

Warlock

11. As a Halloween treat, what chocolate candy bar do kids like best of all?

Snickers

12. According to legend, which Halloween creature usually has all of the following: a unibrow, tattoos, and a long middle finger?

A: a werewolf (this one), B: a vampire, C: a witch, D: a golem

13. If you were to draw a witch, what specific item might you want to include on her face?

Warts

14. A number of famous Science-fiction and scary movies were filmed in South Pasadena, name 1:

o Back to the Future (1985)

o Back to the Future Part II (1989)

o Back to the Future Part III (1990)

o Halloween (1978)

o Halloween II (1981)

o Halloween: 25 Years of Terror (2006)

o Hell Night (1981)

o Jurassic Park III (2001)

o Prom Night (2008)

o Scream 2 (1997)

o Teen Wolf (1985)

o Terminator, The (1984)

15. What's a monsters favorite dessert?

I-Scream!!

16. Name 1 of the 5 most popular Halloween costumes for kids last year (2007)?

Princess (10.7%)

Spider-Man (4.8%)

Pirate (4.7%)

Witch (4.2%)

FAiry (2.8%)

Family Feud - A Fun Game For Children Too

What to Do on Mother's Day!

Mothers Day is coming up, and that means you need to start thinking of a way to celebrate. What do you plan on doing? BreakFast in bed, all the Cooking and cleaning for the whole day, waiting on her hand and Food ... ok, but you are still not off the hook. "These things are already expected, after all. You're going to need some new Mothers Day ideas.

What to Do on Mother's Day!

What to Do on Mother's Day!

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What to Do on Mother's Day!

What to Do on Mother's Day!

Start your Day off right with Mothers Mothers Day gifts and the whole thing in bed. Once that's over with, you better start cleaning the house if you didn't already do it at four a.m. that morning.

Remember, house cleaning includes all of the chores as well as cleaning every single room; you need to do the things that even your mother doesn't normally do. Groom all of your pets as well, if you have any; walk thedogs, change the litter box, polish the shell, clean the tank, and all those wonderful things that come with the animals.

By the time you have finished if will more than likely be time for lunch, and your mom may have decided that this is a suitable time for getting out of bed. If she is like most people, she will probably be checking her email first thing. This is usually when you remember that you and your siblings forgot to send greeting cards.

Fortunately you can send Mothers Day ecards from one of the many free online ecard websites out there. They are easy to use and she will receive it almost instantly after you press ' send, ' I know you can get it to her inbox before she notices that you forgot, as long as she doesn't check the date and time of arrival.

Now it's timefor you to take her out for lunch. Hopefully you remembered to make that reservation, and that you included your grandmother as well, because she is indeed a mother, and if it wasn't for her, your mother wouldn't be there. So it's like double appreciation.

Once you're finished with lunch, you need to think of some things to do before you take her out to dinner. You can mark greeting cards off the list because you sent Mothers Day cards to her email. Now think ... did you write any Mothers Day poems?

You should take her to the movies and all that jazz, where you will happily sit through whatever middle aged movie she wants to see. Then you can go around the mall and browse through the various Tupperware stores, but not to buy ... just to look. Don't worry, you will get throughthis, and before you know it, it will be time for the grand finale: Dinner.

You have, of course, saved the best for last. Everybody loves a good steak house once in awhile, and you're going for the Filet Mignon even if it breaks your wallet in half. It's only one day out of the year that you need to go all out like this, so you had better make it worth her while.

What to Do on Mother's Day!

How to Get Cheap Contacts For Your Halloween Costume

Are you searching for something special to make your Halloween costume unique? Even the best costume won't be complete without the eyes, and a pare of cheap Halloween contacts can add this final touch. But where would you get quality scary contact lenses that don't cost a fortune? Here are some ideas.

How to Get Cheap Contacts For Your Halloween Costume

How to Get Cheap Contacts For Your Halloween Costume

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How to Get Cheap Contacts For Your Halloween Costume

How to Get Cheap Contacts For Your Halloween Costume

Selection of cheap fancy Dress contact lenses for Halloween

There are hundreds different designs of costume Halloween contact lenses some are cheap while others quite expensive. The reason is simple-more elaborated designs are custom made and require more work.

There are many great cheap Halloween lens designs such as:

-Banshee

-Cat eye, which you can get in white, red, greenand yellow

-Hot red Vampire contact lens

-White out and black out lenses

-Black wolf

-Green reptile

-Manson

Glow in the dark lenses are always to favorites at Halloween time. Surprisingly, their price is affordable.

Two most popular brands of contacts are Halloween and Crazy Lenses Wild Eyes. Both are produced by respectable contact lens manufacturers. And offer high quality at reasonable price.

On the other hand, designs like crow, Dagon, goblin, underworld or necromancer would cost you more. Actually all custom made costume contacts are more expensive and also need to be ordered in advance.

And on the most expensive end there are costume sclera lenses-they cover not just your iris, but the enTireeye. The effect is great, so, unfortunately, is the price.

Yearly costume contacts vs. monthly ones at big price difference

People who wear corrective contacts know that not all contact lenses last the same amount of time. Some are only good for one day-they are called daily disposable contacts, some last two weeks to a month and others up to a year. The longer the lens is designed to last, the more expensive it is.

Costume contact lenses don't come as daily disposables, simply because daily lenses are too thin and can't hold that much color. However, for Halloween lenses you usually have a choice between the annual and monthly disposable lens. For example both Crazy Lenses Wild Eyes and are available as monthly lenses and they are muchcheaper than the ones that last you for a year. Monthly lenses are not at all inferior in quality, they just aren't made to last-but who would want the same costume contacts next Halloween anyway?

Where to buy inexpensive Halloween contacts?

One way to buy your costume lenses is to order them through your optometrist. This way you can be sure to get the high quality, safe for your eyes contacts. Unfortunately, they will be quite pricey as well. So the only thing you really need from your doctor is a prescription.

Then you can find theatrical lenses almost anywhere from local K Mart to a gas station. But I wouldn't trust the quality of the lenses sold there, and cheap contacts made with low quality dyes can create serious problemsfor your eyes. Your best options would be to buy your contact lenses online.

But buying through the Internet you should be careful as well. Many websites offer cheap costume Halloween contacts for sale, not all of them are decent. Go with a company that sells all kind of contact lenses, not just Halloween stuff. Also look fore reviews of a particular site, before you decide to buy from it.

How to Get Cheap Contacts For Your Halloween Costume

JC Penney Outlets

JC Penney is one of the most popular mid-range retailers in the United States. Providing quality apparel, shoes, heavy-duty work Clothes, children's Clothing, home furnishing and more, the company enjoys a strong position as a favorite place to shop for Americans. Adding to the attractiveness and value that can be enjoyed by shoppers are the JC Penney outlet stores and JC Penney's outlet online. Here, bargains can be found in abundance and the same great quality that shoppers have come to expect from JC Penney is also found at JC Penney outlets.

JC Penney Outlets

JC Penney Outlets

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JC Penney Outlets

JC Penney Outlets

In the U.S., there are twenty actual JC Penney outlets that shoppers can visit. These stores offer an incredible array of bargains, and reviews of these stores are very positive. People find Clothing from jeans to Party Dresses andsuits, and housewares and home furnishings from coffee makers to dining sets. Price reductions can be quite extreme. If you live near or are visiting a city with a JC Penney outlet store, you'd do well to stop for an afternoon of shopping. You never know what kinds of great deals you'll find.

If you prefer to shop from the comfort of your own home, it's easy to do by visiting the JC Penney online outlet via the JC Penney website at http://www.jcpenney.com. Here you will find that same excellent discounts on quality merchandise for your home and the enTire family. Shopping from the online version of JC Penney outlets is a relaxing way to spend some time and find just what you are looking for.

JC Penney Outlets

7 "Fun Things to Do During the Holidays

Almost everybody loves the thought of spending the holidays most especially if it happens over a long period of time. People who already have their own families also find this a pleasant gift to them and a well-deserved break from work which they would rather spend at home or treating the kids out as well as their other loved ones. In any case, kids to adults alike all enjoy spending some time out on a holiday. But if you're a bit clueless as to what to do during the holiday season to make it a very enjoyable time for you and the family, here are some ideas you may want to consider.

7 "Fun Things to Do During the Holidays

7 "Fun Things to Do During the Holidays

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7 "Fun Things to Do During the Holidays

7 "Fun Things to Do During the Holidays

1. Go out of town-Although holidays may be lazily spent at home, why would you let yourself get stuck at home for days doing nothing? That will eventually become boring so if you want, it wouldbe best if you just pack your bags, score some tickets, and plan your trip elsewhere. Take the kids somewhere nice like a family resort or go on a romantic trip with your loved one and spend your days away from worries and stress.

2. Redecorate-Have you been looking at repainting the walls? Are the kids telling you they want a new theme for their bedroom? In case you decide to stay at home during the holidays, make it fun and interesting by doing your home or even just a part of it a makeover with everyone else! It'll be exciting to plan decors and even buy them together as you create the new version of the home or its room that you want to reanimate.

3. Go to a spa-Since it's time to take away your stress and totally relax during the holidays, you might as well take thistime to hit the spa. This can also be a romantic event that you and your loved ones or special someone can share.

4. Fix the house-You might not notice it at first but trying to be your home's very own handyman can be a fun and interesting to do. This is of course extra special if done with the family. There are lots of DIY articles that you can read up online if there are specific things that you needed to repAirs on. Plus, online shops are peppered with hardware tools that you would find useful.

5. Go on a road trip-Whoever said that traveling should be expensive? Go on a camping trip or simply go out on a roadtrip across the state! The biggest investMent that you would only have here is for gas and some Supplies that you would need to bring with you during thetrip.

6. Go to the beach "– The holidays is also the perfect time to get a new tan or just enjoy the beach without any hassles. Pack your bags, fill it with beach Clothes and make sure you don't forget your sunblock.

7. Cook and bake at home-The holiday season may also be the perfect time for you to unleash your inner chef. Plan some recipes that you have always wanted to try and cap it off by daring yourself to bake even just a simple yet yummy chocolate cake.

These are just some of the fun things you can do during the holidays. Just remember that in the midst of all these things, what's most important is that you get to do it with the people who are dearest to you.

7 "Fun Things to Do During the Holidays

Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid - What RE Investors Should Know in 2011

Walgreens, CVS or Rite-Aid: Which Tenant Is Best in 2011?

Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid - What RE Investors Should Know in 2011

Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid - What RE Investors Should Know in 2011

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Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid - What RE Investors Should Know in 2011

Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid - What RE Investors Should Know in 2011

There are 3 major drugstore chains in the US: Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid. Below are some key statistics about the 3 major drugstore chains as of July 2010:

Walgreens ranks #1 with market cap of .33 Billion, .25 Billion in revenue, and S&P rating of A+. According to Walgreens, 75% US population lives within 3 miles from its stores. On Oct 1, 2009, Walgreens opened its 7000-th store in Brooklyn, New York. In April 2010, it acquired 258 Duane Reade drug stores in New York Metropolitan area. CVS ranks #2 with market cap of .09 Billion, .1 Billion in revenue (CVS revenue alone is less than Walgreens if revenue from its Caremark group is taken out), and S&P rating of BBB+. CVS opened its 7000-th store in Little Canada, Minnesota on October 5, 2009 and currently operates 7025 drug stores ... Rite Aid ranks # 3 with market cap of $ 25.53 Million, 9 Billion in revenue, 4780 drug stores and rating of B-S&P.

Investors purchase properties occupied by these drugstore chains for the following reasons:

The drugstore business is recession-insensitive. People need medicine when they are sick, regardless of the state of the economy. Both rich and poor people in the u.s. have access to medicine. Some even argue that low-income people use more medicine due to free or low-cost drugs offered by governMent-assisted programs. So the tenants should do well during tough time and have money to pay rent to landlords. The drugstore business has a goodprospect in the US: People are living longer and need more medicine to sustain longevity, e.g. Actonel for osteoporosis, Aricept for Alzheimer's symptoms. Older people tend to use more medicine than younger ones as they often have more medical problems. As the 78 million baby boomers are getting closer to retiring age starting from 2008, the drugstore chains anticipate the demand for medicine to increase in next 20 years. The drug market continues to expand as the US population will continue to grow. More and more Americans suffer from various diseases. The number of Americans suffers from seasonal allergies doubled in the last 15 years to 37 million people per Fortune magazine. They spent .4 Billion in 2009 for allergy drugs. As their waist lines balloon (75% of Americans are forecasted to be either overweight or obese by 2020), more Americans are diagnosed with diabetes, high cholesterol at younger and younger ages. In addition, doctors also recomMend treating various diseases sooner than later due to better understanding about the diseases. For example, doctors now prescribe anTiretroviral drugs for patients soon after infected with HIV virus instead of waiting for the infection to become AIDS. More doctors combine insulin with oral medicines to treat type-2 Diabetes instead of just oral medicines alone. All these factors increase the size of the drug market. Advance in genetic engineering has introduced various new genetic DNA testing kits which allow the genetic diagnosis of vulnerabilities to inherited diseases and disorders. Genetic testing is currently the highest growth segment in the diagnostics industry. Some of these genetic tests will probably transform into direct-to-consumer testing kits available in drug stores in the near future. Upon FDA approval, these new products will potentially bring in additional revenue for drug stores. The passage of Health Care Reform Bill on March 23, 2010 provides insurance coverage to an estimated 33 million more American. This is a major present to the drugstore industry. There are new drugs to treat previously untreatable illnesses, and new diseases, e.g. Viagra for men's unhappiness, Zoloft for depression, Avastin for colon cancer, Herceptin for breast cancer, Nicotine patches for smokers to kick the habit, Tamiflu for a potential bird flu pandemic, vaccine for swine (H1N1) flu pandemic, Tekturna/Rasilez for hypertension and various new drugs for AIDS and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). The new medicines are very expensive, e.g. a year's Supply of Avastin costs about ,000. Eli Lilly has sold about $ 4.8 billion of Zyprexa in 2007 for schizophrenia and yet most people have never heard of this medicine. There are existing drugs now approved to treat new illnesses and thus increase their sales revenue. For example, Lyrica was originally intended to treat pain caused by nerve damage in people with diabetes. It is now approved by FDA to treat Fibromyalgia which affects 5.8 million Americans to WebMD. Big advances in genetics, biology and stem cells research are expected to produce a new class of drugs to treat diabetes, Parkinson's and various rare genetic disorders.For example the new drug from Novartis Ilaris targets genetic causes of an inherited disorder that there are only 7000 known cases worldwide. However, Novartis hopes to gradually broaden its drugs to a blockbuster drug to more common disorders caused by similar genetics. Technology and modern life introduces and require new products, e.g. pregNancy test kits, Lamisil for toe nails stronger, clearer Latisse for longer thicker eyelashes & for menopausal symptoms, Premarin, diabetic monitors, electronic toothbrushes, contact lenses, lenses cleaners, diet pills, vitamins, birth-control pills, IUDs, nutrition supplements and Cholesterol-lowering pills (Americans spent nearly $ 26B in 2006 on Cholesterol medications alone for IMS Health, a Connecticut-based consulting company that monitorspharmaceutical sales.) There are also more surgeries: C-sections, Kidney transplants, open-heart triple by-pass, and breast augmentations. More surgeries mean more medicines are needed such as Vicodin for pain management and Warfarin to prevent blood clots in surgeries. Before the customers can get to the medicine aisles or pharmacy counters, they have to pass by chocolates, sodas, digital cameras, Watches, toys, Dolls, beers and wines, cosmetics, video games, flowers, fragrances, and greeting cards. Drug stores hope you use the one-hour photos services and exchange your liquid propane tanks there. The stores also carry seasonal items, e.g. Halloween costumes, and "As Seen on TV" merchandise, e.g. Shamwow. As a result, customers buy more than their prescriptions and medicine in these drugstores. Rite Aid sells more non-28.000 pharmacy items in its stores while Walgreens has 22.000 different items on store shelves. CVS reported that non-pharmacy sales represented 30% of the company's total sales in January of 2007. The figures for Walgreens is 34% and 37% for Rite Aid. Many pharmacy locations are in effect convenience stores especially ones that are in residential or rural areas. And I know Walgreens hopes that customers also pick up WD-44, and screw drivers at its stores instead of at Home Depot; Thai Jasmine rice, and Fish sauce to avoid a trip to Safeway or Kroger Supermarkets. During the recession, sales of these non-drug items are down as customers buy what they need and not what they want. Walgreens tries to reduce the number of items by 4000.It also introduces its own private label which has higher profit margins. There are more and more generic medications on the market as a number of enormously popular brand-name blockbusters will lose their 20-year long patents, e.g. Lipitor (best selling drug in the world to lower cholesterol) in 2010, Viagra (you know what it's for) in 2012. Drugstores prefer to sell generic drugs to customers due to higher profit margins than the brand-name medications. Some people are addicted to pain killers, e.g. Hydrocodone and consume a large amount of medicine, e.g. 30-day dosage in a day to get high. According to testimony from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, US retail pharmacies dispensed nearly 180 million prescriptions in 2007 for opiates ", e.g. Hydrocodone. A high percenTAGe of theseprescriptions are probably not used for any legitimate medical purposes. This author estimates that at least 10% of the dispensed prescription drugs are not used at all and sit idle in the medicine cabinets. They are eventually expired and thrown away. These companies sign very long-term, NNN leases, guaranteed by their corporate assets. This makes the investment in the underlying property fAirly low risk, especially for Walgreens with an A+ S&P rating. In fact, these properties are sometimes referred to as investment-grade properties. Once the drugstore chains sign the lease, they pay the rent promptly and timely. This author is not aware of any properties leased by one of these drugstore chains in which the tenants failed to pay rents. Even when the stores are closed due to weak sales (Walgreens closed 119 stores in 2007), these companies may sublease the properties to other companies and continue to pay rents on the master leases. A typical Walgreens lease consists of 20-25 year primary term plus 8-10 five-year options. During primary term and options, there will be no rent increases in most of the leases. This is the main disadvanTAGe of investing in Walgreens drugstores. A typical CVS lease consists of 20-25 year primary term plus 4-5 five-year options. The rent is normally flat during the primary term and then there is a 2.5%-10% rent increase in the in each 5-year option. A typical Rite Aid lease consists of 20-25 year primary term plus 4-8 five-year options. The lease often has a rent increase every 5-10 years.

Investment Risks: Although the pharmacy business in general is recession-insensitive, there are risks involved in your investment:

The main downside about investing in pharmacies is there is little or no rent bump for a long time, e.g. 20-50 years, especially for Walgreens. I know the rent is effectively reduced after inflation is factored in. This is one of the main reasons these properties do not appeal to younger investors. The 3 drugstore chains now have a new formidable competitors, Wal-mart. Wal-mart sells prescription drugs in more than 4000 Wal-mart, Sam's Club and Neighborhood Market stores in 49 states. The retail giant is known for launching in 2006 to highly-publicized $ 4 generic prescription drug program which now sells 350 generic medications for a 30-day Supply. The actual numberof medications is less as the medications with different strengths are counted as different medications. For example, Metformin 500 mg, 850 mg, and 1000 mg are counted as 3 medications. Wal-mart probably makes very little profits on these medications if any. However, the marketing campaign--created by Bill Simon, the President and CEO of Wal-mart GE, generates a lot of publicity for Wal-mart. Wal-mart hopes to draw customers to its stores with other prescriptions where it has higher profit margins. In an unscientific survey with just one brand-name prescription of Lyrica, this author finds the lowest price at Costco, the highest price at Walgreens and Wal-mart at the middle. Other drug chains try to counter Wal-mart in different ways. Target now offers the same 350 generic medicationsfor for a 30-day supply. Walgreens has a Prescription drugs club with membership fee which offers 1400 generic medications for as little as /week. CVS says it will match any offers from its competitors. Chief Business Correspondent Rick Newman from US World & News Report predicted that Rite Aid might not survive in 2009. While Rite Aid is still around in 2010, dire predictions continue. The study by Audit Integrity gave Rite Aid about a 10.5 percent chance of filing for bankruptcy in 2010. Drugs are also sold in thousands of supermarkets, Target stores, and Costco warehouses. However, there are no drive-through windows at these stores or Walmart to conveniently drop off the prescriptions and pick up medicines. Customers will not be able to pick up their prescriptions during lunch hour or after 7:0 pm at Target stores or supermarkets. They need to have membership to buy medicines at Costco. Others may not fill their prescriptions at Walmart because they don't want to mingle with typical Walmart customers who are in the lower income brackets. And some babyboomers don't want their prescriptions filled at Target or Walmart because there are no comfortable chAirs for them to sit down to wait for their medicines. Many leases in areas with hurricanes and tornados are NNN leases with the exception of roof and structure. So if the roof is damaged, you will have to pay for the expenses. The tenant may move to a new location down the road or across the street when the lease expires. This risk is high when the property is located in the small town where there is low barrier forentry, i.e. lots of vacant land you want &. The tenant may ask for rent concession to improve its bottom line. The possibility is higher if the tenant is Rite Aid and if the store has low sales revenue and/or higher than market rent. More Americans are walking away from their prescriptions, especially the most expensive brand-name medicines. This may have negative impact on the sales revenue and profits of drug stores and consequently may cause drug store closures. According to Wolters Kluwer Pharma Solutions, health-care data company, nearly 1 in 10 new prescriptions for brand-name drugs were abandoned by people with commercial health plans in 2010. This is up 88% compared to 4 years ago just before the recession began. This trend is driven in part by higher and higher co-paysfor brand name drugs as employers are shifting more insurance costs to their employees.

Among 3 drugstore chains, Walgreens and CVS pharmacies in general have the best locations-at major intersections while Rite Aid has less than premium locations. Walgreens tends to hire only the top graduates from pharmacy schools while Rite Aid settles with bottom graduates to save costs. When possible all drugstore chains try to fill the prescriptions with generic medications which have higher profit margins

Walgreens: the company was founded in 1901 by Charles Walgreen, Sr. in Chicago. While the company has existed for more than 100 years, most stores are only 5-10 years old. This is the best managed company among the three drugstore chains and also among the most admired public companies in the US. The company has been run by executives with proven track records and hires the top graduates from universities. Due to its superior financial strength--S&P A+ rating-- and premium irreplaceable locations, properties with leases from Walgreens get the highest price per square foot and/or the lowest cap rate among the 3 drugstore chains. In addition, Walgreens gets flat rent or very low rent increase for 20 to 60 years. The cap rate is often in the low 6% to 7.5% range in 2009. Investors who buy Walgreens tend to be more mature, i.e. closer to reTirement age. They are looking for a safe investment where it's more important to get the rent check than to get appreciation. They often compare the returns on their Walgreens investment with the lower returns from US treasury bonds or Certificate of Deposits from banks. Walgreens opened many new stores in 2008 and 2009 and thus you see many new Walgreens stores for sale. It will slow down this expansion in 2010 and focus on renovation of existing stores instead

CVS: CVS Corporation was founded in 1963 in Lowell, MA by Stanley Goldstein, Sidney Goldstein, and Ralph Hoagland. The name "CVS stands for Consumer Value Stores". As of 2009, CVS has about 6300 stores in the u.s., mostly through acquisitions. In 2004, CVS bought Eckerd Drugstores mostly 1.200 in Texas and Florida. In 2006, CVS bought 700 Savon Osco drugstores and mostly in Southern California. And in 2008 CVS acquired 521 Longs Drugs stores in California, Hawaii, Nevada and Arizona for $ 2.9 (B) Dollars. The acquisition of LongDrugs appears to be a good one as it CVS does not have any stores in Northern CA and Arizona. Besides, the price also included real estate. It is also bought Caremark, the largest pharmaceutical services company and changed the corporation name to CVS Caremark. When CVS bought 1,200 Eckerd stores, it formed a single-entity LLC (Limited Liability Company) to own each Eckerd store. Each LLC signs the lease with the property owner. In the event of a default, the owner can only legally go after the assets of the LLC and not from any other CVS-owned assets. Although the owner loses the guaranty security from CVS corporate assets, this author is not aware of any incident where CVS closes a store and does not pay rent.

Rite-Aid: Rite Aid was founded by Alex Grass (he just passed away on August 27, 2009 at the age of 82) and opened its first store in 1962 as "Thrif D Discount Center in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It officially incorporated as Rite Aid Corporation and went public in 1968. By the time Alex Grass stepped down as the company's chAirman and chief executive officer in 1995, Rite Aid was the nation's largest drugstore chain in terms of total stores and No. 2 in terms of revenue. His son, Martin Grass took over but was ousted in 1999 for overstatement of Rite Aid's earnings in the late 1990s. Rite Aid is now the weakest financially among the 3 drugstore chains. In 2007, Rite Aid acquired about Eckerd drugstores 1.850 Brooks and, mostly along the East coast to catch up with Walgreens and CVS. In the process, it added a huge long term debt (currently owes over.69 Billion) and is the most leveraged drugstore chain based on its market value. The integration of Brooks and Eckerd did not seem to go well. Revenue from some of these stores went down as much as 20% after they change the sign to Rite Aid. In 2009, Rite-Aid had over 4900 stores and over Billion in revenues. The figures went down in 2010 to 4780 stores and .53 billion in revenue. On January 21, 2009 Moody's Investor Services downgraded Rite Aid from "Caa1" to "Caa2", eight notches below investment grade. Both ratings are "junk" which indicate very high credit risk. Rite Aid contacted a number of its landlords in 2009 trying to get rent concession to improve the bottom line. In June 2009, Rite Aid successfully completed refinancing .9 Billion of its debts. However, it continues to struggle in 2010 as same store sales decreased 2.5% in June, 1.7% in May, 1% in April, 1% in March., 3.2% in February, and 2.1% in January.

Things to consider when invested in a pharmacy

If you are interested in investing in property leased by a drugstore chains, here are a few things you should consider:

Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid - What RE Investors Should Know in 2011