Am.  Jour.  Pharin.  1 
August,  1913.  j 
The  New  Drugstore. 
367 
The  drugstore  of  to-day  has,  or  should  have,  an  advertising 
manager — a  promotion  'department  from  which  emanates  sales 
plans  and  publicity  campaigns.  The  druggist  uses  pages  in  the 
newspaper ;  he  uses  billboards,  street  cars — any  and  every  means 
by  which  modern  business  methods  may  be  promoted  to  increase 
and  hold  his  trade. 
The  New  Drugstore  must  satisfy  and  hold  its  customers;  a 
long-established  trade,  or  a  proud  name  will  not  suffice.  A  liberal 
policy,  broad  gauge  methods,  the  spirit  of  a  perfectly  satisfying 
service,  down  to  the  smallest  detail,  are  part  of  the  life  and  system 
of  the  New  Drugstore.  Clerks,  sales  people,  all  hands  in  fact,  must 
be  alive;  must  be  well  versed  in  the  goods  they  handle;  and  must 
be  accommodating  and  polite.  The  tenor  of  the  store's  life  de- 
pends on  the  good  will  of  the  public.  Herein  lies  the  strength  of 
the  department  store  and  the  chain  store,  and  here  is  revealed  their 
greatest  weakness. 
The  small  store  can,  if  it  will  get  in  closer  touch,  gain  a 
stronger  hold;  it  can  use  what  the  larger  store  cannot  use — indi- 
viduality and  personal  strength  that  will  win  and  hold  patronage. 
The  small  store  may  flourish  in  spite  of  all  the  big  fellows  can  do 
to  prevent. 
On  the  Side  of  the  Consumer 
The  New  Drugstore,  in  one  way  or  another,  gets  on  the  right 
side  of  the  consumer,  with  the  result  that  frequently  there  is  a 
shortage  of  standing  room  inside  its  walls.  The  new  druggist  has 
studied  the  consumer. 
It  is  related  of  one  astute  merchant,  who  owns  several  stores, 
that  when  selecting  a  location  he  stands  men  at  given  points  who 
count  the  passersby,  and  he  makes  his  selection  after  analyzing  the 
results.  He  is  after  possible  customers  in  quantity  and  quality,  and 
having  chosen  the  spot  has  been  known  to  pay  a  rental  for  six 
days  equal  to  that  paid  by  the  old-time  store  for  a  whole  year. 
The  customer,  the  ultimate  consumer  of  drugs,  has  changed  most 
strikingly  as  to  his  methods  of  thought,  habits  and  life.  Many 
things  have  helped  to  bring  about  this  change.  In  twenty  years  the 
population  of  the  United  States  has  doubled ;  in  the  same  time  the 
readers  of  newspapers  and  magazines  have  been  multipled  by  five. 
The  new  consumer  knows  more  than  he  did  a  few  years  back ; 
street  railways  have  multiplied  by  ten  and  the  users  of  the  tele- 
