WALDBAUM'S PHARMACY CALENDAR SEIZES THE DAY

CAROL ANGRISANI

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. -- Demand for a free pharmacy coupon calendar program at Waldbaum's here has been so great that supplies ran out at several units, according to the retailer's pharmacy director. Each of Waldbaum's 26 in-store pharmacies received 5,000 calendars, up from 2,500 given out in 1995, Doug Berry, Waldbaum's pharmacy director, told SN. At press time, three pharmacies located in college towns, including Oceanside and College Point, N.Y., had given out their entire shipments just several weeks after they arrived.

This is the second year that the 92-store chain, a division of A&P, Montvale, N.J., has offered the calendars, according to Berry. Featuring a "Discovering America" theme, they offer up to $1 off coupons on a variety of health care products, such as vitamins, nasal spray and insulin syringes.

Brand names include Vagisil, Motrin, Ensure, Banana Boat Suncare, Cortizone 10 and Tagamet HB. Health Pride, Waldbaum's private-label health care line, is also spotlighted. Manufacturers paid to have their products featured.

"People look for a calendar every year, so we thought they were a good idea," Berry said. The program is part of an ongoing effort to strengthen Waldbaum's pharmacy's services. The retailer also runs a diabetic club and senior citizen community programs. Additionally, a new diabetes coupon booklet is slated to be launched next month.

"We're trying to establish that we're not just a supermarket pharmacy; we're a full-service pharmacy," Berry said. "We can offer the same value as any other full-service pharmacy can."

A total of 100,000 free diabetes coupon books will be distributed next month. Featuring about 20 coupons, the booklets will be mailed to members of the American Diabetes Association who live in the Long Island and metro New York area. They also will be available at pharmacy departments.

"[Diabetics] are a class of the population that we felt needs the services of a pharmacy more than other segments," said Berry. In other news, Waldbaum's recently ran an ad in its weekly circular stating, "Confused Lately by All the Name Changes in Pharmacies? Waldbaum's Is a Name You've Grown to Trust Over the Years. We Are Your Local Full-Service Pharmacy."

Berry said the purpose of the ad was to assure customers that, although many independent pharmacies have been taken over by big drug chains, Waldbaum's pharmacy services are stable.

"We were trying to say that we're a name they can trust," Berry said. "We're still the same full-service pharmacy that we used to be."