Drug Topics - December 10, 2007 - (Page 17)

DECEMBER 10, 2007 DRUG TOPICS 17 150 Years of American Pharmacy By Reid Paul Stirring up interest in Christmas Editor’s note: Throughout 2007, this column has appeared in each issue as part of our sesquicentennial celebration, and tied with the column is a contest. Monthly questions based on this column have been posted on the Drug Topics anniversary microsite. Contestants are eligible to win a Visa gift card of $250. This is the last installment of this column. For details about the contest, which ends at the end of this month, go to www.drugtopics.com. t is an unfortunate reality for most pharmacists that Christmas comes but once a year. With holiday sales expected to go well over $450 billion nationwide this year, it is little wonder that pharmacies invest a lot of time and effort in putting out decorations and getting customers into a festive and buying mood. In recent years, Drug Topics has recognized the importance of the holiday season to the pharmacy business. Beginning in the 1990s, the magazine offered yearly updates on Christmas sales, showcasing interesting pharmacy sales strategies and offering assessments of the hot items for the Christmas season, from Beanie babies to other hit items du jour. These articles also discussed consumers’ confidence level in the economy. A 2003 article, In 1942, Drug Topics urged for example, reported that pharmacists were consumers to shop early nervous that a poor economy and the Iraq for gifts for soldiers. War would lead to poor sales. The importance of Christmas sales was not always so widely appreciated. Beginning in the 1920s, Drug Topics sought to convince its readers of the importance of Christmas as a selling season. In the December 1926 edition of Drug Topics, both advertisers and writers for the magazine urged readers to view Christmas as a time to clear inventory before the end of the year. “It’s last-minute business, why not go after it?” wrote one reporter. In another article, Allen Robertson, advertising manager for People’s Drug Stores, insisted that “making elaborate Christmas preparations pays in dollars and cents.” In 1942 at least, Christmas did come twice. The front page of the Oct. 5, 1942, Drug Topics, which was meant to be posted in pharmacy windows, urged customers: “Don’t let your boy down this Christmas.” As the war effort was moving into full gear, the poster reminded customers of the Army and Navy rules regarding shipments to soldiers serving overseas. In an editorial, the magazine urged pharmacists to “make a determined effort to stir up interest in Christmas mail to the boys in uniform wherever they might be.” DT I http://www.drugtopics.com http://www.drugtopics.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Drug Topics - December 10, 2007

Drug Topics - December 10, 2007 Latebreakers Latebreakers in Depth Letters Health-System Edition - Cover Story Clinical Practice Professional Practice Special Report Technology Community Practice Unraveling Medicare 150 Years of American Pharmacy Rx Care In the Pipeline Cover Story: Fair or foul? Self-Care Chains and Business Government and Law Continuing Education: Natural Medicines for Bone Health New Products Advertisers Index Classified Viewpoint

Drug Topics - December 10, 2007

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