Even Robots Speak Chinese in Starside's Flushing Pharmacies
By Christopher Kean
Retail Management News
January/February 2003
New York -- For Peter Koo, owner of three thriving pharmacies
in a largely Chinese neighborhood in Flushing, Queens, success
hasn't come simply by stocking his stores with pearl milk tea
and other Taiwanese delicacies.
All three of his Starside Pharmacy stores, for example, feature
robotic drug dispensing machines that can print out Chinese language
labels for his non-English-speaking customers. The machines, coupled
with a complement of full-time pharmacy technicians, have enabled
Mr. Koo to deliver the type of one-on-one personal service that
his ethnic Chinese customer base requires.
Mr. Koo is the son of immigrants who fled mainland China in 1952
for Hong Kong, where the family focused their attention on two
basic values -- education and savings. When he was 17, Mr. Koo
was sent to the United States to attend the University of New
Mexico, Albuquerque. The family had saved enough to afford the
first year of college tuition; Mr. Koo had to pay for the rest
of his six years at Albuquerque.
In 1991, after working many years in a hospital pharmacy, Mr.
Koo seized upon a chance to get into retail pharmacy. When Mr.
Koo bought Starside Pharmacy in the New York City borough of Queens,
the clientele was predominantly Hispanic. But a wave of immigration
from Taiwan quickly changed the neighborhood's demographics; the
number of Chinese doubled in Flushing during the 1990s.
Focused on building a client base within the Chinese immigrant
community, Mr. Koo saw his business volume increase steadily.
In 1998, he opened his second store, and early in 2002, Mr. Koo
opened his third pharmacy.
Customizing to Customer Needs
Mr. Koo employs staff with strong linguistic skills. Staff members
need to speak Mandarin, as well as Cantonese or Taiwanese. "Language
is a key part of the service that we provide," Mr. Koo said.
To deal with pharmacy volumes of 300 to 400 scripts a day, on
average, Mr. Koo has invested in ScriptPro SP 200 robotic dispensing
machines for all three stores. "If our staff is just counting
pills at the volume of scripts that we are filling, there are
too many opportunities for mistakes or burnout after a long day,"
Mr. Koo said.
The ScriptPro machines are quipped with Chinese language software,
which can be used to print labeling information in Chinese characters.
The front ends of Mr. Koo's pharmacies contain most common over-the-counter
products as well as an extensive inventory of traditional Chinese
remedies. These are common household items in China and Taiwan.
Mr. Koo also stocks popular Asian health and beauty products --
again, so that customers can have the option to buy familiar items
from home.
Mr. Koo is considering a fourth store. "The community can
support at least one more pharmacy," he said. "And if
I don't hurry up and open another one, someone else will."
