SHELF OBSESSED

Whether you're having problems in the implementation of an efficient pharmacy workflow system or already have a fairly smooth running system but would like to further improve it, here are some ideas that may prove helpful. Maintaining an efficient pharmacy workflow provides numerous benefits, each of which directly or indirectly has a positive effect on what should be the number-one mission of your pharmacy: increased customer satisfaction.

When starting a pharmacy, you face a huge number of choices from the very beginning. You may feel strongly about your independence as a business owner and be willing to take on the wide-ranging risks involved in building an independent pharmacy that basically stands on its own (and on your shoulders). Another option is to contract with a franchise chain-store company, pay their franchise fees and let them assist you with starting a pharmacy utilizing their proven business model.

Starting a pharmacy is a mission that can benefit both you and your community in numerous ways, but it's not something that can be entered into lightly or without the needed dedication and commitment to succeed. There are a variety of ways to get started, such as:

1. Building a brand-new pharmacy from the ground up
2. Starting a pharmacy in an existing occupancy that's been remodeled to fit your needs
3. Taking over ownership of a pharmacy that's already operational and merely needs some of your own touches to make it your own

With all the choices currently available for the purchase of pharmacy shelving, it may be worth your time and trouble to do some serious consideration in this area before making any final purchase decisions. Although Grandpa often could be heard saying, "Good things ain't cheap and cheap things ain't good," there's still something to be said for the value expressed by good basic shelves if that's all the budget will allow. Buying low-budget shelves, however, may also be a mistake you'll regret having made for years to come. This is especially true if you're tempted to buy someone else's castoffs—used shelving that someone else has outgrown and traded in for something better. Although used shelves can be a great money saver, finding ones that are still in good shape isn't easy, and your choices of available styles may be seriously diminished.

Just about every kind of retail establishment utilizes one or more types of retail shelving, from the most basic to the more elaborate custom-designed units, and each has its own specific place out there in the marketplace. When considering the purchase of retail shelving there are several questions that will be helpful in guiding you toward making the best buying decisions.

Often, when a pharmacy is being built or remodeled, the pharmacy design doesn't take into account the importance of shelving and other fixtures at the beginning stages of the project. Shelves are a major part of your pharmacy design configuration, and by leaving them as an afterthought to be fit in at the end of a build, you end up short-changing yourself as to their total functionality potential.

The importance of having an efficient pharmacy workflow cannot be overstated and, although yours may be a long-established drug dispensing business in operation for years, it's improbable that there aren't improvements that could be made to increase both the efficiency and accuracy of your back-end processes.

Medicines in your retail pharmacy will generally be sectioned off into two areas—prescription medications in the rear end behind the dispensing counter and OTC medicines out in front where customers can access them directly. Drugs in the back end are stored with an eye toward security and ease of access for technicians and pharmacists making up various prescriptions. Over-the-counter drugs, however, are usually displayed out front in such a way that customers will be easily able to locate them without assistance.

While the name "pharmacy" denotes a place involved in the activity of distributing pharmaceuticals, which is typically the main income source for businesses of this type, there are lots of other things your particular pharmacy may do besides drug dispensing. This includes the sale of various types of retail items, from perfumes and cosmetics to food products, greeting cards, magazines, baseball caps, reading and sunglasses or, really, anything else that would likely sell off a store shelf.

Lighting is an important factor in the creation of any pleasing retail shopping environment, and your pharmacy design will definitely benefit from learning how to properly use lighting to attract customers into your store and help to provide them with a pleasant shopping experience while they're there. A customer who has a warm, friendly feeling while visiting your pharmacy will naturally want to stay longer, meaning they'll probably spend more money and will be likely to come back again.