Competitive Priorities

QUALITY

Quality is a big factor at Rite Aid. Customer satisfaction is our highest priority actually. Our attitude is reflected in our logo, “With us, it’s personal”. We want to make sure that we are always doing a good job and to make sure we are, we like to hand out access codes which are printed on the customers receipts. These access codes allow the customers to then go online and rate their

experience at our store and their satisfaction with our store. Another factor that assists us in making sure the store is in top shape is the managers bonus. The store managers bonus is actually tied into the customer service survey scores.

 We also have a good quality control procedures. Inventory is very well managed. We reduce waste and expired items by using a First-In First-Out inventory method. We allow for discounted sales on products nearing max inventory level, expiration date, or change of seasons. By doing all this, we have a reputation of providing and selling quality products which all enhance the customers experience.

TIME

"If it's not on the shelf, you can't sell it."

On-time procedure:

The first on time procedure is to make sure that the inventory is well managed. We need to know how everything is and have everything accounted for. We need to make sure that nothing is missing or unaccounted for.

The next one is to make sure that all the inventory is ordered in advance for when a specified inventory level of depletion is reached. We need to have someone qualified or trained to work this

area of the inventory. Preferably someone with experience because you need to have some knowledge of the products and environment when it comes to dealing with the orders. We need to know the busy days and delivery days and what is going in and out so that you can put an order in, with enough time for delivery meanwhile, not having anything going out of date due to overstock.
We must also make sure that someone is keeping tab on the rest of the store and not only the pharmacy. Rite Aid does sell other items amongst the medical items. There must be a standard put into line. The shelves must be stocked and presentable every day that the store opens before it opens. If something is out or we are not able to order it, we will need to make sure that we fill that area with something else as not to have an empty display with a bad image.

The final procedure has to do with corporate pushing items onto us due to season or over ordering. Be it a holiday coming up, or maybe the warehouse over ordered a certain item, there are times when we get something sent in that we did not order. We must account for that item and make space for it and make sure that we sell as much of it as possible. There is one more final thing to make note of. There are always products sitting there and going out of date, and when it comes to the pharmacy items, like the medicines, there is also a timely procedure for those. We must keep track of all the items that are going out of date or are out of date, and send them back to the provider for somewhat of a refund instead of just throwing it out and losing all profit.

COST

Rite Aid strives to maintain low costs for its customers in every store throughout the country. Having one of the lowest prices in the pharmacy industry is a main selling point for current and potential customers. To ensure that costs remain low not only for the company but for the customer as well, Rite Aid ensures its low cost by maintaining a well-managed inventory, high volume or bulk orders to reduce costs, and implementing consignment which in return increases sales while limiting cost. Competition with other national pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens as well as local stores will always be a priority for Rite Aid.

To ensure low costs to customers and have the upper hand on the competition, Rite Aid has implemented the Rite Aid RX Savings Program for the most loyal customers.

By enrolling in the Rite Aid RX Savings Program, customers will receive 15% or more on thousands of brand name and generic prescription drugs. Special discounts are also available through the program as well as a monthly or three month plan for generic medication which ranges from a flat rate of $8.99 and $15.99 respectively.

FLEXIBILITY

Flexibility for Rite Aid is very standardized throughout the corporate blueprint. Throughout the company, each individual store is a generic outline of how products must be displayed. This makes each customer feel as if they are entering the same Rite Aid even though they may be going to different locations. Rite Aid wants each customer to feel welcome and by achieving that, each Rite Aid must be on the same page when it comes to store layout. When it comes to providing products to each customer, Rite Aid can be quite flexible with the different products it offers. In a sense, a pharmacy has to be flexible because each customer who is prescribed medications needs a certain prescription. The pharmacy's strategy can be titled as "mass customization." It is catering to millions of customers who need specific drugs, therefore it will be labeled as mass customization because each store has the same drugs as the one across the country. The Rite Aid store in Whiting, NJ caters to the elderly and trains it staff to service a specific age group. As a whole, Rite Aid is very flexible with the customers it has throughout its national blueprint.