The Legacy of the Pharmacy Industry: Cleveland, Ohio

Thousands upon thousands of people shop daily in pharmacies throughout the United
States. Those stores provide a wide variety of prescription drugs and over-the-counter
medications plus a grand assortment of groceries, household products and personal grooming
aides. Their seemingly never ending supplies of affordably-priced drugs and useful items
particularly appeal to individuals whose busy schedules require that kind of all-inclusive, onestop shopping experience. Whether an independently-owned store or a part of a large national
chain, these pharmacies provide something for nearly everyone. Their unique approach towards
retailing, highlighted by friendly, personal customer service, is not something that has recently
surfaced as a response to growing competition pose by variety stores. Their special approach
towards business has been an integral part of this industry from its inception.
Possibly fierce rivalry among local pharmacists may have prompted this tradition of
business excellence. However, closer inspection suggests that perhaps more subtle economic
forces were at work here. The professionalism of the pharmacy industry, coupled with its everpressing need for repeat business, undoubtedly influenced its initial development and subsequent
evolution. The fact that pharmacists, from the very start, had specialized in processing very
complex prescription drugs may have been the primary motivating factor behind much of their
early success. Whatever those compelling economic and financial forces might have been, one
thing stands out above all else, shoppers have always relied on their local pharmacist. The
evolution of the pharmacy industry in the U.S. reflects numerous medical and scientific
discoveries pragmatically applied to a very well-tuned, locally-based retail setting. Of
particularly interest is how individual pharmacists successfully incorporated the very latest
advances in both medicine and science into their many stores, while still generating substantial
profits. Special emphasizes will be placed in this writing as to how major medical and scientific
breakthroughs have affected the business choices made by successful pharmacists over the years.
Changing viewpoints regarding what constituted effective retailing practices will also be
addressed here. This writing is not intended to be an exhaustive study of the U.S. pharmacy
business; but rather an overview of that industry’s experiences as highlighted by some of its
greatest achievements both locally and nationally. Adding the personal touch is essential in a
study of this nature. Therefore, much of it will deal with the changing retail character of the
pharmacy business as seen through the eyes of major pharmacists in Cleveland, Ohio during vital
periods in that city’s history.

Compartir: