5 Easy Tasks You Can Complete Right Now

• Police the community bulletin board for outdated announcements or fliers. Set a reminder to check it weekly.

• Hang signs around the store reminding customers about Valentine's Day on Feb. 14.

• Create a display of hand sanitizers (or travel-size sanitizers) at your registers and pick-up counter.

• Post a flu shot reminder on your website and social media accounts.

• Clean all glass, pottery, and shelves in your gift department. Ensure there are no products on the floor.

January is National Bath Safety Month

If you carry bath safety products, this month is a good opportunity to draw attention to your product selection. Remember, people need to know you carry bath safety products before they can buy them from you. Create an end-cap near the pharmacy featuring your product selection and be sure to include a sign with your display. (Here's an interesting fact for a sign: "There are nearly 200,000 bathroom accidents every year, many of which are preventable if the bathroom was equipped with safety features.") For more tips on selling your durable medical equipment, revisit my Bath Safety One-Pager Tip.

If You Sell Vitamins, Then You Sell the Best Valentine's Gifts

Not all stores offer greeting cards, boxed chocolates, and Valentine's-related gifts. But nearly all pharmacies carry vitamins and nutritional products. The right supplements can be the best gift for the heart. Choose supplements that you feel comfortable recommending to patients and prepare a "Valentine's Gift to the Heart" display. Some possibilities include your favorite multivitamin, a CoQ10, fish oil with Omega-3, vitamin D, or even some green tea or red yeast rice extract and/or low-dose aspirin. Reading material to go along with the supplements and a sign encouraging healthy eating habits and exercise would be a nice addition to your display. With a red ribbon, tie three bottles of the same supplement together (roughly 90 days' worth). Promote the items as "90 Days of Heart Health." Unlike chocolates in heart-shaped boxes and little goofy stuffed bears with red ribbon, your gifts will not have to be marked down to 50 percent off the day after Valentine's Day. The only thing that comes off is the ribbon.

**FLASH SALE**—Better Plan Your Profits This Year With the 2017 Daily Pharmacy Planning Guide

Make it a goal to do something profitable for your front end every day in 2017. Get tips and ideas in the 2017 Daily Pharmacy Planning Guide, now on sale for ONLY $19.95 for NCPA members (price includes shipping)! The guide includes 365+ tips on timely front-end department advice, merchandising, and much more. Plus, Guide owners can participate in FREE quarterly webinars on how to use the Guide effectively, as well as seasonal merchandising and marketing ideas. Order now before copies sell out at www.ncpanet.org/bookstore or 1-800-544-7447.

Need More In-Depth Front-End Learning? We've Got You Covered

Have you wished for a school that is focused on merchandising, marketing, and selling? One that was independently run and based on real life experience? Join NCPA for an intense, full-day course on how to attract new customers, keep them, and sell them more at the Front-End Profit Building Seminar, sponsored by Good Neighbor Pharmacy, Feb. 17 in Orange, Calif. or March 25 in Dallas. Discover how to build better end-caps, create your own floor plan with minimal expense, explore new trends and niches, improve your curbside appeal, sell more private label, and become a better buyer and a superior seller. Find inspiration from more than 500 photos showing how stores like yours have made more money. You will leave feeling motivated! Spots are limited—register now. The program is designed for store owners, managers, and anyone who works in the front end. Special rates available for team members.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommends Mothers Take Folic Acid Supplements

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force published a final recommendation statement on folic acid, suggesting all women who are planning or able to become pregnant take a daily supplement containing 400 micrograms to 800 micrograms of folic acid. Folic acid is found naturally in many fruits and vegetables, such as leafy greens, broccoli and orange juice. Additionally, in the United States, many foods such as flour, cereals and breads are fortified with folic acid. However, even with food fortification, most women do not get the recommended dose of folic acid per day through diet alone. Read more...

HRG Monthly Retailer Category Tips—Vitamins & Dietary Supplements

Vitamins & Dietary Supplements continues to be a stable category for independent pharmacies, ranking as the number three category based on dollar sales. There is typically an uptick in sales in January as customers try to fulfill their New Year's resolutions to become healthier. Monitor your inventory to maintain in-stock levels. Read more...