Cottage Pharmacy To Open Spa Treatment Room

Written by Karen Gellender: kgellender@antonnews.com Friday, 18 May 2012 00:00

Cottage Pharmacy in Woodbury is a rarity. Independently owned and operated for 37 years, its a pharmacy that lacks any chain affiliation, proudly going its own way in an era when a CVS seems to crop up on every other corner. Furthermore, Cottage is not only surviving but thriving; last fall, the business saw a move to a new location in Woodbury Common that is 50 percent larger than their old store on Jericho Turnpike, leading to the expansion of several departments and the opportunity to carry many new product lines. How has the business remained so vibrant, in light of all the competition?

Whether you fill your prescription of drug XYZ here or there, the price is going to be the same, says Matthew Carrus, general manager. Prescription drugs are what they are; its whatever your insurance is going to reimburse you for. Thats why we compete in other ways.

While there are many components to Cottage Pharmacy which includes the pharmacy itself, a surgical supply department, a cosmetic and gift boutique, and a separate division that provides personal care aids and companion services to seniors and those who have recently undergone surgery (under the banner of Cottage Home Care Services, with offices in Hicksville), the main way that Carrus says his business remains competitive can be summed up in one word: Service.

Our pharmacists will painstakingly spend 45 minutes on the phone with your insurance company trying to work out an issue, where CVS will say Sorry we cant fill this, explains Carrus, going on to say that his pharmacy is becoming more and more willing to deal with such issues as it becomes clear that what customers really need is someone to interface between them and their insurance companies, or even their doctors at times.

Its really important in todays worldyou know the patient is dealing with myriad insurance issues and issues with doctors. What were seeing is that pharmacists are really at the front end of providing care, said Carrus.

Furthermore, the staff at Cottage Pharmacy seeks to provide a holistic health experience, following industry trends. Instead of just selling a customer with a skin condition the medication prescribed by their dermatologist, vitamin specialists and dieticians are on hand to suggest vitamins and dietary changes that might help the customer.

According to Carrus, the goal of this approach is not to be intrusive and try to perform the hard sell, but to simply offer relevant, reliable information; to provide answers for customers who may be confused by the myriad of confusing health information available on the Internet. We aim to be a source of knowledge, says Carrus.

As Cottage Pharmacy tweaks its focus, customers are responding. While the pharmacy itself is still the main component of the business, sales in the vitamin department have picked up significantly since the move to the new location. Furthermore, the high-end cosmetic and gift boutique is growing in importance, to the point where it has become a shopping destination in and of itself.

Where people used to come in and fill a prescription, and maybe saw something in the boutique that they liked and decided to buy something, now were becoming a cosmetic and gift boutique destination. Thats been the fundamental change in the business since the move [in September], said Carrus.

The rest is here:
Cottage Pharmacy To Open Spa Treatment Room