By Mary Hart  for our “99 Ways to Make a Positive Difference in Your Pharmacy” blog series

As a busy pharmacist, you may overlook your front-end. It’s easy enough to do when you generate over 90% of your business from your pharmacy counter. But it’s a mistake if you're not paying attention to it. Front-end items are more profitable than prescriptions and you are missing out on revenue if you don’t put the effort into maintaining your front-of-store.

First, make sure you have the right people in place. In an independent pharmacy, service is known to be a differentiator. Hire people with good communication skills who like helping people. A cheerful nature and strong work ethic are also good skills to look for.

Next, look at your product assortment. Are you carrying the products the demographic groups that shop your store are interested in? Are they priced appropriately for your customers?

Along the same lines, how does your inventory look? Do you have full shelves? Is there more than one of each product? Having only one of each item is a detractor to shoppers. Shelves that are full with no empty spaces are much more attractive and your customers will appreciate having a range of selections rather than having only a few or one to choose from.

Finally, consider the atmosphere of your store. When was the last time you painted your walls, cleaned your carpet, dusted your shelves, or had your windows cleaned? An inviting environment is important. It fosters positive feelings and prevents customers from wanting to quickly get in and out of your store.

You may have made the mistake of neglecting your front-end, but you can easily learn from this oversight. Begin by looking at the areas mentioned and be sure to engage your wholesaler to discover the tools you may have at your disposal to make managing your front-of-store easier.

Mary is Hamacher Resource Group's Data Assets Coordinator and is responsible for HRG’s Data Assets team. Her team supports the documentation and execution of content capture including descriptive and transcriptive information related to product attributes. Mary is also responsible for the company’s project management process.