Injecting Talent

Much like the meat and produce sections, a supermarket’s pharmacy can be a tremendous asset. Unlike these fresh sections, which generate sales predominantly based on product quality, the value of a pharmacy is measured by the people behind the counter.

Pharmacists have come along way from simply filling prescriptions. To consumers, the pharmacist is viewed as a trusted source for healthcare. For retailers, the pharmacist is a conduit to increased ancillary revenue. 

“Just having a pharmacist on staff means their expertise can guide people to the health and beauty aisles, cough and cold section, natural and organics products—all of these sections get a sales boost,” says Mike McKinley, director of pharmacy for Bashas’, a grocery store chain based in Chandler, Ariz.

Another benefit is customer loyalty. Oftentimes the pharmacist/customer relationship is quite personal. According to industry observers, this relationship helps generate not only loyalty to the pharmacy, but the supermarket as a whole. 

“A good pharmacist in a grocery store requires more than just professional competency,” says McKinley. “It is easy to be a hero when everything goes smoothly, but that’s not where you build loyalty. Where you build loyalty is when there is a problem.”

Problems can include insurance issues, drug that are not covered or prescriptions that are filled too soon, among others. “When you go that extra step, spend that extra effort to overcome an obstacle for the patient so they don’t have to, that’s where loyalty is really built,” he says. “A good grocery pharmacist understands this.”   

Each year the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) conducts opinion research on various aspects of the industry and profession, in part to determine what exactly makes for a good pharmacist. Respondents say they rate pharmacists and other pharmacy staff highly because they are helpful, good resources of information, informative, knowledgeable, courteous and easy to talk to. 

“That speaks to the professional and interpersonal qualities that make a good pharmacist from the ultimate perspective—that of the patient,” says Chris Krese, spokesman for the Arlington, Va.-based NACDS.

A closer look reveals that some of the more important qualities have very little to do with the profession of being a pharmacist and more to do with providing attention to and treating people with respect. That is no accident. “From the curriculum in pharmacy school schools to the practice setting, the evolution continues to an ever-more patient-centered focus,” says Krese. 

That patient-centric focus is creating increased dialogue between pharmacist and patient. Within the NACDS opinion research, more than half of respondents say they had spoken to a pharmacist regarding a question about prescription medication. Nearly as many say they had spoken to a pharmacist about an over-the-counter medication. Three in 10 say they had spoken to a pharmacist about a personal health question.   

“This all goes to the need to interact well with patients and customers,” says Krese. “There is also a keen focus today on the pharmacists’ ability to provide nutritional counseling, which certainly open up possibilities throughout the community pharmacy setting.”

Officials at Harps Food Stores, an 80-unit Springdale, Ark.-based chain with stores in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, are specifically looking for pharmacists that will focus on customer service and build relationships. “A good pharmacist is a person that enjoys building relationships with people and likes to help people. Someone that can be focused on that part of the business more than someone that can fill 600 prescriptions in a day,” says Robert Acord, RPh, director of pharmacy for Harps.

When pharmacists are able to connect with patents, it fosters trust, which may encourage them to confide information that could be beneficial to ensuring positive outcomes. 

“We encourage our pharmacists to learn their customers’ names and learn about their families,” says McKinley. “That’s not just good business, it can also be helpful in a professional aspect. We really push our pharmacist to develop these relationships, and the results are just amazing. We get cards from customers that reinforce the importance of those relationships.”

A Market Correction

As a pharmacists’ role continues to evolve, it has never been easier to for supermarkets to fill this valuable position—a stark contrast from a decade ago. In May 2005, The U.S. Department of Labor estimated that there were 229,740 pharmacists in the U.S. In May 2015, the Department of Labor estimated that number to be 295,620.  

“The market for pharmacists is quite a bit different than it was 10, or even five years ago,” says David Kreling, a professor at the School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison. “There has been a relatively large expansion in the number of schools producing pharmacists. What was a pretty severe shortage, those days, have subsided quite a bit.” 

Along with the increase of pharmacy schools, the rapid expansion of the retail pharmacy industry has slowed. The change has obvious benefits for retailers.

“I can remember 10 years ago giving signing bonuses,” says McKinley. “The major national footprint chains seemed to building on every corner. Bashas’ was expanding, and with the shortage of pharmacists, it was extremely difficult. Now there are more pharmacists available in the market. Today, every time I post a position for a pharmacist, I have numerous applicants.” 

What these applicants are looking for is changing as well. Ten years ago, observers say salary was the driving force for pharmacists looking for a job. While salary is still an important factor, working conditions and environment, availability of clinical programs and their ability to have flexibility in making professional decisions within the corporate structure are growing in importance. 

These are some of the advantages that supermarkets pharmacies may be able to offer that others may not. Kreling adds that according to the 2014 Pharmacist Workforce Survey, prepared by the Midwest Pharmacy Workforce Research Consortium, supermarket pharmacists report a lighter workload than do pharmacists at mass retailers and chain pharmacies. 

“There also tends to be a bit of cache for supermarket pharmacies and pharmacists,” says Kreling. “They tend to report a little more satisfaction with their employers. That is related sometimes to having a little bit of a lighter prescription load.”    

Thanks for the Support

In team sports, it is the superstars that usually get all the press and accolades. However, without strong support from their teammates that team will never be successful. In that regard, a supermarket pharmacy is much like a hockey or football team—making a strong support staff invaluable.

Industry observers say that as insurance reimbursements continue to shrink, it is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve a positive bottom line. This can present pharmacies with difficulties when it comes to providing proper staffing. 

“Even in pharmacies with a moderate workload, there are times during the day that the pharmacy will experience a high volume of business,” says Mike McKinley, director of pharmacy for Bashas’, Chandler, Ariz.-based grocery chain. “If support is lacking during those times, serious customer service issues can occur. Bashas’ goal is to provide an adequate support staff, well trained on our QS/1 pharmacy system, which provides the tools needed to fill prescriptions promptly and accurately.”

Pharmacy support staff can be filled in a variety of ways. Bashas’ looks for people with the same traits as its pharmacists. “People who like people, who will interact with people and who show that they care about people,” says McKinley. 

Since there seems be ample amounts of candidates available in the industry now, Bashas’ normally posts support staff positions on it website. Another good source is pharmacy interns. “It is a good way to recruit technician and pharmacists,” adds McKinley.

Oft times support staff is culled from technical colleges and are provided on-the-job training. 

“There is no credentialing, per se, to become a pharmacy technician,” says David Kreling, a professor at the School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison. “So high school graduates or college students who aren’t pharmacy students kind of morph to that area.”     

Officials at Harps Food Stores, a Springdale, Ark.-based 80-unit chain with stores in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, say it is difficult to explain just how important and valuable the support staff is. They say a great staff that is well trained makes a huge difference in the pharmacist’s ability to spend the necessary time with customers.

“As for finding great support staff, I always tell our pharmacists that whenever they are out shopping, eating, etc., to keep their eye out for friendly outgoing people with smiles,” says Robert Acord, RPh, director of pharmacy for Harps. “That is what we need. I can teach anybody the technical part of being a great support staff, but it is hard, if not impossible, to teach the people the caring side of the job.”