SHELF OBSESSED

Style versus cost, like the age-old question of form versus function, seems to represent two ends of one spectrum. It need not necessarily be that way, though. Something, for example, can possess both pleasant form and good function, just as something with good style doesn't always have to cost a lot. This, however, is generally the exception rather than the rule.

In the competitive environment of today's retail pharmaceutical industry, anything and everything that can be done to improve your pharmacy workflow will serve well in keeping your independent community drugstore thriving. Applying a combination of proven strategies, proper planning and concerted effort can be effective in improving your dispensing process—the key to pharmacy workflow efficiency.

Whether it's time for a major remodel of your existing pharmacy or you're starting from the ground up on a brand new pharmacy build, the first steps involved in the planning stage will be critical in setting the tone for your pharmacy design. It's not unheard of for the planning phase of a pharmacy remodel/build to actually take as much time as the construction phase, and it's important to realize that getting things decided in detail at the beginning can end up saving you both time and money down the road.

Pharmacy shelving, though sometimes overlooked as being of secondary importance in a drug store setup, may be significantly more important to your operation than previously considered. Your shelves and fixtures provide the required support for your front end sales area as well as the necessary organization needed for an efficient back end workflow. And yet, despite all that your shelving and fixtures do to increase your level of business success, it's not uncommon for pharmacy owners to give little or no thought to these critical parts of their store's environment.

For smaller, independent pharmacy owners, enhancing the shopper experience is critical to staying ahead of the competition and attracting customers to make return visits to your drugstores regularly. Let's face it, customers likely have plenty of choices when it comes to shopping for their medicines and other drugstore-type items, and the way in which you craft your store environment can have a huge impact on where they decide to spend their hard-earned dollars. If being in your store makes them feel good or "at home," then they're likely to choose what you're offering instead of opting for the mega-store pharmacy down the road.

Buying a retail pharmacy is an expensive proposition any way you look at it, whether you're buying an existing pharmacy, building one from the ground up, or taking an existing building and remodeling it into a new drugstore. Deciding which route to take toward retail pharmacy ownership is one of the first steps you'll want to take. You'll then want to consider funding.

It's interesting to note that the "corner drug store" that was a prevalent sight decades ago as the small, independent pharmacy found in many parts of the country now describes the big chain stores like Walgreens and Rite Aid. You can find one of these well-known drug stores on just about every corner! In fact, there are nearly 8,000 Walgreens found nationwide, another 4,500 Rite Aid Pharmacies, and if the $17 billion buyout of Rite Aid by Walgreens goes through they'll be huge, far outweighing America's #2 pharmacy chain, CVS Corporation.

In the world of pharmacy, it can be really tough out there for the independents, but many who own independent pharmacies believe it's worth it, especially those who have a thing about being their own bosses. When starting a pharmacy as a prospective owner, you have basically two options: going independent or with a chain (franchise) operation. There are advantages to both.

Running a profitable independent pharmacy that recognizes the importance of remarkable customer service provided by a dedicated group of satisfied employees is an ever-engaging process. It may represent the only real means of staying competitive in a highly competitive business. Maintaining an efficient pharmacy workflow is a critical aspect of keeping your competitive edge when going up against national drug store chains, the one-stop-shop grocery store, and other big-box pharmacy outlets, as well as the ever-increasing number of internet and mail order drug providers.

For many professional pharmacists, the ultimate goal they aim for is starting a pharmacy of their own and becoming the owner of a flourishing, lucrative business. For others – even those without a pharmaceutical degree – the idea of starting a pharmacy and hiring a pharmacist to do the drug dispensing can also hold a great deal of promise, as a well-run drug store can be quite a profitable enterprise.