SHELF OBSESSED

For every pharmacy out there—whether old or new, large or small, independent, franchise or chain-store operation—pharmacy shelving plays an integral role in both the back-end prescription filling and stock storage areas as well as the front-end retail merchandising space. The types of shelving you choose to use to outfit your store will depend on the style of store you're looking to create and where in the store each piece will be located.

While sales of prescription medications are likely the mainstay of your drugstore business, the sale of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines is just as important, and the way these items are displayed and merchandised can have a real impact on how well they sell. Much of this comes down to your particular pharmacy shelving design and placement. Today's options for pharmacy shelving are vast, with choices ranging from the least expensive basic units to the most expensive custom-made shelving built to order and designed to exactly fit your specific needs.

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.

Whether you're building a new pharmacy, remodeling an existing one, remodeling a vacant commercial space into a pharmacy or simply upgrading your current pharmacy shelving with something newer or better, you can learn a great deal by studying the results of those who have gone before you in a similar venture. As a pharmacy owner or manager, it may come as somewhat of a surprise to you that when pharmacy builds or remodels are getting put into motion, the planning stages often require as much or more time to complete than the actual construction phase. Here's where the old "measure twice, cut once" comes into play.

The psychology of selling is nothing new. Salespeople have used different types of tactics to help make sales for as long as buying and selling have been around. And, although face-to-face sales is somewhat different from selling in a retail store environment, customer behavior follows certain reactions to sales techniques, both subliminal and overt, and pharmacy customers are much the same as any other shoppers.

If you're looking for ways to increase your profitability and improve the customer experience in your pharmacy, take a good look at your retail fixtures and shelving. Nearly everything in view inside your pharmacy retail section is being displayed on retail fixtures that can't help but speak volumes about not only the quality of products being offered, but also the quality of care and service you provide. Think about it. What are your retail fixtures telling customers about your store?

When remodeling an existing pharmacy or building a new one, planning ahead with your shelving design and placement to make things as convenient and as accessible as possible for customers is important. When customers are spending time in the front-end merchandising area of your store, you want the shelving design to guide them through the aisles in a natural way so that they have the opportunity to view all the different sections of your retailing space. This can be done by precise placement of the shelves used for the display of products in the center of the store. Usually, modern-style gondolas are best for doing this.

With everything your pharmacy shelving does to enhance your drugstore operations, from organizing work flow in the back-end area to showcasing everything you have to offer in the front-end retailing section, it only makes sense to pay particular attention to its design and placement. Some store owners make the mistake of thinking of their pharmacy shelving as merely incidental to the business. They may not fully realize what an important part shelving plays in influencing the way customers perceive not only their store, but also the level of care and service typically provided there.

Whether your inclination regarding your business is toward using the very best high-quality or custom-made pharmacy shelving or you'd rather save money by going for shelves and fixtures at the lower end of the price range (or even purchase used equipment), you can bet that your decision will affect the tone and style of your drugstore for years to come.

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.