A couple of weeks ago, I visited a small, independently owned pharmacy. I know that’s quickly becoming a rarity. But I’m glad I did. I’ve been to the chain store pharmacies. I have to tell you I often leave feeling like less of a person than a dollar sign. In other words, my experience with the large chain is usually impersonal. Moreover, there’s room for improvement for the level of customer service.

What’s Better Small Shops?

When I go to the large pharmacies associated with t store, the big stores there’s usually one—maybe two—people working the floor. So, inevitably, I’m waiting on a line to drop off my prescription. Once I get to the counter, no matter what the medicine, I’m told that I have to return in at least an hour. Thus, something that should take a few minutes (and used to), becomes a multi-hour exercise. I don’t think that big pharmacies understand how vital quick-turnaround is to people.

When you return to one of the large pharmacies to pick up your prescription, you’re back online waiting to get to the single person at the counter. And, even if you arrive past the hour, you may get asked to wait some more. So hopefully, there’s a seat available for you. Otherwise, happy standing.

But, when you go to an independent pharmacy, the experience is different and better. When I picked up my prescription recently, I waited FIVE minutes. About five or six professionals worked in the pharmacy. They were personable and made it a point to get to know me and not as a dollar bill. The person who waited on me also asked me if I preferred to have my prescription delivered. As we know, that’s not typically a service available at the large stores in my area.

The Best Reasons to Patronize Small Business Owners

My experience is but one example of why I prefer to patronize and do business with small shops. One of the best reasons to go to a small business is because they provide people jobs. As I mentioned, the larger chains don’t care if you wait in line for twenty minutes or more because their priority is not you. It’s their bottom line. However, because small stores understand that they have to differentiate themselves. So, they hire personable workers to provide customer service. The Small Business Administration reported that small businesses add more net jobs than do large companies.

But, there are other reasons to do business with small stores and shops.

Small businesses are not bureaucratic. 

Typically, if you patronize a small business, you’re deal with the owners. The larger the company, the higher the chances your experience benefits the corporation—not you. Inevitably, there’s bureaucracy. So, when there’s a problem, good luck finding a manager to speak to you. But, with a small business, if you need special assistance or aren’t satisfied, you’ll speak with the decision-maker who could give you a solution.

Keeping it in the community. 

When you do business with a small store, more of your money remains in your community. For instance, a study done for Chicago found that for every $100 spent at a small business in that city, $68 remained. But when customers patronized chain stores, only $43 stayed in the community. Remember, larger companies have to pay immense amounts of overhead. And that means more of the revenue goes to the corporate office.

Looking for broader and unique products.

If you want to purchase more products that are not the usual, if you patronize a small business, the chances are higher you will get to see a broader array of product offerings. As an example, before record players and records came back in style, small shops were selling them. These businesses were even selling record players when everyone was predicting the death of the vinyl record. It was after some time that the big box stores got in on the act and realized that people wanted to listen to recordings. 

Personalized customer service.

As was mentioned earlier, when you do business with a small shop, you’re a person and not a number. That means that when you keep going back to the store, the more you build a relationship with the people who work at the shop, the higher the chances are that you’re going to get service that is personalized to you. For instance, let’s say you take the time to chat with the pharmacist who takes the time to get to know you. If he or she knows who you are and your medical needs, don’t get surprised when someday that pharmacist makes a recommendation for a better medicine you should address with your physician. In other words, you’re doing business with real people who want to get to know you and service your specific needs.

Next time you’re thinking about going into one of the national chains, take a few minutes to stop into one of the smaller shops in your neighborhood. I bet you’ll discover better service, more diverse products and you’ll be making a positive contribution to a small business owner who’s hiring more people than the large chain store.

 

Author of “Not Your Father’s Charity: Grip & Rip Leadership for Social Impact” (Free Digital Download)

© 2018 Wayne Elsey and Not Your Father’s Charity. All Rights Reserved.