I think the difference is that pharmacies can hire techs for a lot less $ than pharmacists. It used to be that the person you would deal with was the pharmacist, so they could answer any questions without it being a big deal.

In my state, there is recently passed legislation that says that a pharmacist has to talk to you about any new meds-they even have to post the phone # for you to call if they don't take the time to explain any new meds to you.

From the pharmacy's standpoint it makes sense to use techs. It has, in my opinion, made it harder on the customer.