If your goal is to carve out a niche for your business as a unique, responsive, community-minded independent pharmacy, distinctly different from the big box competition, a cookie-cutter layout and atmosphere definitely isn't the way to get there. You need something that is as distinctly different from the look and feel of those corporate chain stores as your business strives to be. So how can you go about achieving that goal? Isn't pharmacy shelving pretty much standard – a one size fits all sort of thing?
That's a rather popular misconception when it comes to commercial shelving and fixtures, but it isn't accurate at all. The fact is that there are all sorts of options available for your business if you know where to look. For starters, don't shop for your shelving and fixtures in the same places the big box competition does – look for suppliers who specialize in helping smaller businesses shine in comparison to that big, standardized, assembly-line big box business model and atmosphere, ones that can provide distinctive pharmacy shelving and fixtures that are customized to meet the needs of your business.
So how can consulting that sort of supplier help benefit your business? By helping you design a workspace that precisely meets your needs. Chances are, since you're not a big box store, you'll need pharmacy shelving, workstations and fixtures with a smaller footprint to keep your work area from looking and feeling cluttered and cramped. They'll also need to be designed for the most efficient use of your available space, and flexibility is important too, since you'll want to be able to upgrade your space quickly and conveniently as the need arises.
Then there is the question of the warm, welcoming, atmosphere your store needs to create a customer experience that sets you apart from the competition. The overall look of your retail space is, of course, an essential element in creating that atmosphere, which means that you'll want to do better than the typical stark, utilitarian rows of standard gondola shelving customers see in those corporate chain stores. By working with a design consultant you can create a retail space that is a refreshing change from that generic look, yet just as solid, durable and flexible as standard fixtures – typically even more so.
For instance, if you're not a fan of straight lines and sharp edges, you can do away with them by choosing serpentine gondola styles that feature the same workhorse performance and flexibility as standard gondola shelving with a more graceful, flowing look. Not big on stark, metallic shelving? With custom shelving, you can choose from warm wood tones, laminates, or melamine, among other materials, to create shelving and displays that suit your sense of style and show your products to their best advantage.
The bottom line is that there is no need to settle for a generic, one-size-fits-all look for your business. With custom pharmacy shelving and fixtures, the possibilities are endless. That means that you can, with the help of a skilled design consultant, take that image you have in your head of the perfect workspace and/or retail space and make it a reality, settling nicely into that niche you've been working to carve out for your business.
