1. A Crash Course in Creativity
Assignment #2
By Betsy Replogle

2. For most of the past 30 years, the form of arthritis I have (diffuse systemic
sclerosis) has limited my use of my hands and required me to use a cane or
wheelchair to get around.
I also have problems with fatigue (which is why I can’t visit 6+ stores.. I am also
hard of hearing, so I did not notice the sounds.
These problems will also affect many people as they grow older, so I feel my
experience is valuable for the future.
Most US disability laws do not do enough to help people who are frail but still need
to get around on their own.
Therefore, I am basing my observations for this assignment on my personal
experiences.
Considering the challenges…

3. …LET THE GAME
BEGIN!

4. The door is closed, and requires
assistance if shopper is disabled—but
no one is there to help.
The lights are fluorescent and glaring.
(no spotlights)
Halloween items are already on sale 10-
30-2012.
There is a hand sanitizer outside.
Window displays are minimal.
This shop is primarily a pharmacy, but you will see there is no place for shoppers
to sit while they have to wait for prescriptions to be filled. That encourages them
to move around the store and shop on impulse.

5. Children’s books and toys are right across from lotions and laxatives. (Laxatives
make you want to go--in more ways than one.) Not much chance for children to
linger and shop.
I got my prescriptions here for many years because, as a hospital volunteer, I got
big discounts. While my Nexium normally costs well over $1,000 for three
months, thanks to a deal the hospital had with the drug company I was able to
get mine for under $60. (That should tell you something about drug cost v.
price!)

6. This does not give shoppers a warm, happy feeling.
The door here is decorated with laws and
regulations. No one was at the window.

7. As in most pharmacies, the only register is in the back of the
store. People who just want to buy snacks or candy may have
to wait a long time, but long lines will put you near these
“impulse purchase items.”

8. The floors may be hardwood, but don’t try to get a wide wheelchair down
this aisle! There’s barely enough room for two people.

9. This gift shop is the first thing people see when
entering the hospital. Many people notice it
before the Information Desk.

10. If the store is open, both doors are open. There are signs by the door saying
the hours the store is open and explaining that it is run by the Volunteer
Auxiliary with all profits going to charity.

11. This store gives hospital visitors and employees a place to get away
from their worries. It is a fun, happy place.

12. The aisles are extra-wide.
The floors are real wood and attractive, as in a high-dollar store, but not
slippery, making it safe easy for crutches and wheels.
The lighting is a festive blend of string lights, spotlights, and a few fluorescent
lights near windows.

13. Cash registers, snacks, impulse items are all just inside the door. People
who buy these things are usually taking a quick break and in a hurry to
return to their stations.
The office behind the door is open so volunteer staff (employees) can be
sure everything is going well; they can dash out to help almost immediately
if needed.

14. The central display always has seasonal items.
It is about midway in the shop (luring customers in) but easily seen from the
entrance and all parts of the store.
Items on different levels make customers spend more time looking at the
display, but volunteers are always available to help customers reach the
merchandise.

15. The main area of the store is L-shaped. Here it is viewed from the right side of
the central display. Merchandise is organized by type and vendor. If you look
to the back, you can see that windows allow views of the store from the main
hallway of the hospital.

16. (Pardon my bias.) I have worked thousands of hours in this shop. My job is to
work on the inventory records, but here is one thing I hadn’t noticed
before. It is not in the inventory.

17. Besides have hospital security directly outside the shop’s front
door, everyone working in the store is trained to be alert for
problems. Also, there are hidden cameras and detectors to help
protect the $500,000 inventory .

18. Here is the shop’s manager and buyer Paula Jones. She also
designed the layout, lighting, displays, etc. She is self-taught,
and in the time she has run the store sales have increased from
$100K to $1.5 million annually.

19. The walls outside the store have posters showing how
some of the profits have been used.

20. I get my prescriptions here now. Nichols Hills is an upscale town of approximately
4,000 people.

21. This is a small, neighborhood drug store that has been in business since the early
20th century. Photos from its history hang on the wall.
Until the local (and hated) Chesapeake Energy bought the plaza and forced the
drug store to move to a remote corner, this store also included merchandise
and a lunch counter. For nearly 50 years it was the town’s focal point.
(Chesapeake has recently told the store it has to move again; Chesapeake
wants its own drug store.)

22. Since being downsized in space, the store has not had impulse
items near the counter—just reliques from the past.

23. For a tiny space, the aisles are as wide as possible. Since it is
a temporary location, the floors have not been redone but are
original linoleum tiles.

24. Customers get good service from the two
pharmacists—as many as many large pharmacies
have on duty—and rarely have to wait, but
seating is available.
This view is from the counter, so you can see how
conveniently close it is to the door.

25. Minimal inventory near the door. The store does not
have enough security, but it does have cameras and a
police station next door.

26. View from the front door.

27. BEFORE Chesapeake bought the
shopping plaza, customers could drive
almost to the door of the pharmacy, as
you can see in this still un-remodeled
section.
NOW the customer has to stop
about twenty feet from the
entrances, unless he is disabled.
Chesapeake is more concerned
about “pretty” than “practical”, even
though most customers are elderly.

28. Handicap parking has been relocated to the two spaces where the red
car is parked. The store in front of it is a clothing store for high-fashion
20 and 30 somethings. The other car is parked in front of the drug store,
so disabled people have to go all the way around the outside sidewalk to
the far end. If you qualify for handicap parking in this state, you aren’t
able to get that far.

29. Access is the most important issue for disabled people, and not all
people are disabled the same way. Just following the law is not
enough.
The two hospital stores are both near main entrances which can
provide free valet parking and wheel-chairs if needed.
There are different ways to lure customers into stores, but if you
create a happy, fun atmosphere with happy employees, customers
will stay longer and buy more.
You do not need an MBA to make a business a success.