Smells like Profit Makers | Front-End Overhaul | July 5, 2025

One to use, one to (not) lose

Customer: "Do you have something to remind my son—heading off to college—that he needs to wear deodorant every day?"

Pharmacist: "Definitely. Buy him three: one to lose, one to lend, and one to actually use."

Customer: "Perfect. Now, do you know any store that stocks more than one at a time?"

It's not too early to prep for students leaving their nests. Run your point-of-sale report on deodorant. Stock a minimum of three of each of your top sellers—one to sell, one to restock, and one to keep from losing the sale.

Freshen up your merchandising

Let's get that bigger ring at the register. Drop four to five slow-selling deodorants, then cross-merchandise the best sellers with their matching body wash. Remember this is not a companion sale, which, in most cases, is an impulse sale. Cross-merchandising means having the same product in no less than two locations in the store.

Ace the impulse sales test

Double down on impulse sales! Back-to-school in a pharmacy isn't notebooks and pencils; it's preparedness and prevention. Design a well-stocked and signed endcap with popular brands of immune boosting supplements, multivitamins, B-complex, pain relievers, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, facial tissue, throat lozenges, first aid kits, and flashlights plus batteries.

Endcap reality check

Speaking of endcaps, today, use your phone to take a photo of each endcap in your store. No prepping the endcap. You want it to look just like the customer would have seen it before you thought of taking a photo. Now take a hard look at each photo. Give them a 1 to 10 score—10 being "my friend Gabe would be thrilled with it" and a 1 being "what happened here?" Let's agree: anything scored 6 or under gets a makeover. No excuses, just improvement. Need some inspiration? Check out ideas from our Front-end Overhaul gallery.

Early bird rate ends this month

Registration for NCPA's 2025 Annual Convention is now open. Sign up by July 19 for a $100 discount. We'll see you Oct. 18-21 in New Orleans!

Monthly Retailer Category Tip—Family Planning and Feminine Care

Take advantage of the swell of interest in women's health as well as new product introductions of the past year to refresh your feminine care and family planning departments to boost sales. Read more.

Fiona Suggests: Design Is Your Silent Business Partner

Great pharmacy design isn't about decoration—it's a strategic tool that drives profitability, trust, and customer experience. The way you shape your space influences how people move, what they buy, and how they feel. Smart layout choices turn foot traffic into engagement, and engagement into loyalty. Design speaks—even when you don't.

👉 See how a new pharmacy in Plano, TX, used design to drive engagement.