Suggestions on how to increase rx count/sales

[lltpharmd]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I'm looking for any suggestions on how you would go about increasing sales or rx count at a warehouse club such as Costco or sam's club. Rx volume is about 600/week. I'd like to see an increase to make the day go by faster.

With this area/type of pharmacy, you're very limited. People come here maybe once/twice a month for their shopping needs. It's not the most convenient like say a walmart or Walgreens, so any suggestions would be wonderful.

I Know I've got it easy and shouldn't be asking for more stress 🙂 but this deals with the bonuses at year end too. 🙂

What would you do? I've thought about going out onto the floor to talk to customers more often, mailing coupons of some sort, having the greeter hand out flyers,...

 

[Unchained]

I stayed at the JW Marriott in Las Vegas in february and their grounds were beautiful. They had many outdoor gardens and fountains. I would highly recommend staying there. It's 10 minutes away from the strip but the advantage is you can actually sleep and there are fewer drunken idiots roaming around.

 

[rph3664]

I stayed at the JW Marriott in Las Vegas in february and their grounds were beautiful. They had many outdoor gardens and fountains. I would highly recommend staying there. It's 10 minutes away from the strip but the advantage is you can actually sleep and there are fewer drunken idiots roaming around.

LLT, be careful what you wish for - you might actually get it.

 

[Old Timer]

All you can do in this situation is make sure you do not have out of stocks and you provide good, friendly service. There is nothing else you can do....

 

[owlegrad]

What would you do? I've thought about going out onto the floor to talk to customers more often, mailing coupons of some sort, having the greeter hand out flyers,...

At the grocery store I used to work at we would do bag stuffers from time to time. Sometimes the pharmacist would go on the PA and make a little sales pitch about talking to the pharmacist today to transfer your meds and personal service, etc. We also hung huge signs in the front windows, had ceiling hangers with signs in the store, banners, etc. Coupons, flyers, spots in the weekly ads, etc.

Nothing we did ever worked. Our script count was pathetic for as long as I worked there.

 

[LazyMooch]

Well, it looks like your only option is to blackmail the other local pharmacys into shutting down...

 

[Muse600]

disclaimer: I haven't worked in retail long enough, and I can not confirm if any of this works:

but I'll throw out what I can guess, hoping that some serious answers also come out of this, or at least some feedback on these responses:

1.) refills - follow up on every one of those faxes/calls/authorization requests and hunt down the MD's to get a new script...every script counts and this is something you can do internally
2.) advertising - as mentioned above...people that don't fill at the pharmacy need to know it's there - so use coupons, fun facts about the pharmacy, etc. and put them in their bags
- find out the motivators for people in your area to fill - if it's cost, advertise ways for them to save money if they shop at your pharmacy
3.) getting new people - people that fill at *other* pharmacies need to be brought to costco - maybe start in your store and have the employees bring their scripts to you, then use every opportunity that someone asks about an OTC product if they would like to transfer the Rx's to your pharmacy if they're already at CVS/Walgreens/etc., and remind everyone that they can even bring their pet prescriptions
4.) flu shots - when your local hospitals and doctor's offices are running low, give them a friendly call and tell them they can refer their customers to Costco because there's plenty

 

[StewardshipDude]

disclaimer: I haven't worked in retail long enough, and I can not confirm if any of this works:

but I'll throw out what I can guess, hoping that some serious answers also come out of this, or at least some feedback on these responses:

1.) refills - follow up on every one of those faxes/calls/authorization requests and hunt down the MD's to get a new script...every script counts and this is something you can do internally
2.) advertising - as mentioned above...people that don't fill at the pharmacy need to know it's there - so use coupons, fun facts about the pharmacy, etc. and put them in their bags
- find out the motivators for people in your area to fill - if it's cost, advertise ways for them to save money if they shop at your pharmacy
3.) getting new people - people that fill at *other* pharmacies need to be brought to costco - maybe start in your store and have the employees bring their scripts to you, then use every opportunity that someone asks about an OTC product if they would like to transfer the Rx's to your pharmacy if they're already at CVS/Walgreens/etc., and remind everyone that they can even bring their pet prescriptions
4.) flu shots - when your local hospitals and doctor's offices are running low, give them a friendly call and tell them they can refer their customers to Costco because there's plenty

sounds dangerously close to being commercial, something I think we hate in pharma company behavior...

 

[MountainPharmD]

I'm looking for any suggestions on how you would go about increasing sales or rx count at a warehouse club such as Costco or sam's club. Rx volume is about 600/week. I'd like to see an increase to make the day go by faster.

With this area/type of pharmacy, you're very limited. People come here maybe once/twice a month for their shopping needs. It's not the most convenient like say a walmart or Walgreens, so any suggestions would be wonderful.

I Know I've got it easy and shouldn't be asking for more stress 🙂 but this deals with the bonuses at year end too. 🙂

What would you do? I've thought about going out onto the floor to talk to customers more often, mailing coupons of some sort, having the greeter hand out flyers,...

You work at Costco...it is what it is. It is neither convenient nor quick. You have shorter hours than every other retail pharmacy as well. When it comes down to it most people chose a pharmacy because it is convenient. A $15 dollar co-pay at the Walgreens on the corner 2 minutes from their house with a double drive through lane beats driving 15 minutes or more to Costco then parking 5 miles back in the packed parking lot and walking all they way in to get the same $15 co-pay rx filled. This basically leaves you trolling for the cash paying customers looking for the best deal. At Costco’s margins you fill 1500 cash prescriptions a week at your 2% to 3% margin and so what you aren’t make chit.

I say enjoy what you have and be glad you do not work for CVS or Walgreens. Treat you current customers like Kings and Queens and enjoy the free ride as long as you can.

 

[Ackj]

You work at Costco...it is what it is..

What about other pharmacies? You always hear "customer service" but how can you provide that service if you're not getting the traffic? What are ways to get scripts to your pharmacy?

 

[MountainPharmD]

What about other pharmacies? You always hear "customer service" but how can you provide that service if you're not getting the traffic? What are ways to get scripts to your pharmacy?

Read my post again. You can't. In the world of Pharmacy convenience and speed matter 1000 times more than anything else. Costco and Sam’s club are neither. They figure their cheap prices are enough to overcome their lack of convenience but it is not. People are lazy.

I meant treat the customers you have like Kings and Queens so you keep them.

 

[LazyMooch]

What about other pharmacies? You always hear "customer service" but how can you provide that service if you're not getting the traffic? What are ways to get scripts to your pharmacy?

Why do people care about their script volume so much? Beyond basic job security, how much of a bonus do you pull in for more scripts?

Is the bonus even worth the hassle?

 

[MountainPharmD]

Why do people care about their script volume so much? Beyond basic job security, how much of a bonus do you pull in for more scripts?

Is the bonus even worth the hassle?

No, the bonus is not worth the hassle. However, more script volume means more profit hence job security. With shrinking reimbursement a pharmacy that solely dispenses medications will have a hard time turning a good profit under 1000 scripts a week. How long is a company going to mess with the hassles and liability of having a pharmacy when they are barely making anything off of it?

 

[Ackj]

Why do people care about their script volume so much? Beyond basic job security, how much of a bonus do you pull in for more scripts?

Is the bonus even worth the hassle?

If your script count goes down, so do your tech hours. Sure you're doing less work, but if you've only got 1 tech (or none, in slow enough stores) it's super easy to become swamped. Also, if you've got no scripts to do, it's hard to entertain yourself and justify your position at all.

 

[LazyMooch]

If your script count goes down, so do your tech hours. Sure you're doing less work, but if you've only got 1 tech (or none, in slow enough stores) it's super easy to become swamped. Also, if you've got no scripts to do, it's hard to entertain yourself and justify your position at all.

That sounds exactly like my store. It's always 1 or 2 techs and no drive through (CVS). They tell me that they prefer it that way.