SHELF OBSESSED

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.

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.

Good housekeeping in your pharmacy isn't just a matter of cleanliness; it also involves keeping both front and back areas neat, tidy, and free from trip-and-fall hazards. Moreover, keeping an orderly store benefits everyone – customers and staff members alike. Adequate and functional pharmacy shelving is an essential ingredient for reducing storage clutter in your shop and, in some cases, having the proper pharmacy shelving can save big money by reducing the amount of lost inventory that remains the bane of many would-be-profitable enterprises. Reducing clutter makes it easier to keep track of your store's inventory, provides a safer workplace, and improves overall aesthetics. Adherence to some common sense rules can make a big difference in clutter control.

When patients and customers enter your pharmacy, are they suddenly confronted with a relatively sterile and unwelcoming environment – or one that's homey, welcoming, even elegant? If it's a bit too institutional, some customized shelving can fix that problem and significantly enhance your image.

You can make the most of your front-end merchandise space as part of your pharmacy design without stuffing merchandise into displays haphazardly or making your customers squeeze through tight spaces. How? Read on.

Whether you are remodeling or building new, there are three things you need to know before you plan your pharmacy shelving purchases.

The right pharmacy shelving does more than to just help you organize your products. They can also allow you to showcase products so that customers are drawn to them and enticed to buy. You can use them to display products throughout your store and at the checkout, both for customer convenience and so that you can benefit from customers' propensity to impulse buy.

What is the first impression your customers get when they come into your pharmacy? Is your pharmacy welcoming? Or is it plain, functional, and in need of some warmth and style?

As an independent pharmacist, the shelving you select should do more than just house and display merchandise; it should also support the success of your business by serving specific needs in each of the following areas:

• Customer service
• Pharmacy workflow
• Privacy regulations