For your immediate attention

If you have a gift department, then you need to give it a completely new look now! In nearly every case, the gifts in your department are at least six months old. Shoppers are going to be looking for something fresh and new. You can't afford to toss the old gifts, so it's the merchandiser's task to bring new life to a stale department. Start by moving some of the larger displays/fixtures to another spot in the store. Add lighting to the department. The brighter, the better. Resist the temptation of putting everything on sale! Discounting is an expert merchandiser's last resort.

From the mailbox

Hey Gabe, I'm looking into a digital sign to place in the window of my store. What should I look for?

Answer: A used one. Stay away from a sign that scrolls! Scrolling messages are hard to read if you are moving. Look for a sign that has the largest size font. The bigger the letters, the better. Look for dark background and light or bright-colored text. Lastly, find a sign that allows you to change the message easily!

Digestive Boom

September is the month that merchandisers update the digestive health section. To increase sales of your probiotics, merchandise the product in a counter refrigerator that has a glass door. Consider cross-merchandising mushroom, ginger, peppermint, and turmeric based supplements in the digestive department. Natural digestive aids are seeing a boom in popularity.

New Lingo

There are a lot of new terms that have come with this pandemic. Here are just a few: social distancing, flattening the curve, personal protective equipment, and clean commitment. Clean commitment must be every retailer's goal. It's simple. If you want more people to come in your store, then make it shine. Post your clean commitment for everyone to see, use social media to reassure your customers that you are committed today and forever to keep the store clean and safe. Everyone's staff members need to be on board!

Unmask your Halloween products

The one thing I know about this year's Halloween is that everyone will be wearing a mask. If you are in the Halloween candy and costume business, I suggest you get everything out on the shelf today. Don't put it on sale, people are looking for it, they are going to think twice before going out to look for the best price in town. Those of you who are not in the Halloween seasonal business and thinking about getting into it, give it a year a so before you do.

Dietary Supplement Usage Up Dramatically During Pandemic

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) issued results of a COVID-19-focused consumer survey today that discovered more than two in five (43 percent) of dietary supplement users have changed their supplement routines since the start of the pandemic. Among those who altered their regimens due to COVID-19, 91 percent report increasing their supplement intake which includes adding new supplements to their existing routines (46 percent); taking the same supplements more regularly (25 percent); or increasing dose(s) (22 percent). Read more...

See you online in October

Stay safe, be well, and thank you for being a member of NCPA! See you in our Virtual convention; it's going to be a blast!!!

Join us for a new webinar series

On Tuesday, NCPA will begin a new weekly webinar series, sponsored by NCPA corporate members. The first webinar is "How Amazon is Changing Pharmacy," brought to you by RxSafe. The webinar will focus on the economics and marketing of compliance packaging, and how community pharmacies can tap into this growing market. You'll get data on adherence trends and patient demand, and you'll see real-world examples of independents who are using video and social media to go head-to-head with PillPack, CVS, and others. The webinar is Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET. Register here.

Preparing for the upcoming cold & allergy season

It's time to update your cold & allergy department in preparation for the fall season. Read more...