I could have sworn this was answered before, but my searches turned up nothing. Maybe I’m thinking of Feldman.
So, why are they higher? Is there a good reason, or are pharamacists just pretentious?
I assume you mean the counter, not the actual pharmacy.
To prevent the customers from LUNGING for those good drugs!
In most if not all Eckerds I’ve been in, it’s whole pharmacy area that’s raised, not just the counter.
I would think that the pharmacist:
- Has a different floor from the rest of the store
and - Needs to see the whole store
This was a Feldman question.
Well, I didn’t think he was freakin’ levitating! 
Now we’re onto something. Did Feldman say why? Is it because traditionally the pharmacist used to be the owner of the store, and would want to see what was going on everywhere?
My dad and granddad were both pharmacists and owned their own stores. Both had raised pharmacy areas.
I think there are a couple of reasons for it.
First, before the advent of huge multi-stores that happen to have a pharmacy, the pharmacy was the main point of the store. Elevating it a bit ensured that the customer spotted it right away. (One of my dad’s pet peeves is going into a drugstore where you can’t find the druggist right away, because of all the camera supplies, cards, newspaper racks, and what have you.)
Second, before the era of video cameras and globular mirrors, the raised floor was an anti-shoplifting device. Having the pharamacist raised up gave the pharmacist and assistants a better view of the customers. I know from having worked in the pharmacy that the extra height made it easier to see any funny stuff.
Back in days of old when I was working my way through college at QuikTrip (convenience store), we had some of our stores that were raised behind the counter/register. They were in the ‘bad’ part of Tulsa, OK. We received extra pay for working in those stores… called ‘combat pay’. I was told the raised floor was to give the image that you’re bigger/taller. Of course we were also allowed to keep a bat behind the counter. You know it’s a bad store, when there’s a convex mirror for every aisle in a small convenience store, so you can watch for shoplifters. We’re talking about 3 or 4 aisles here, folks!
It’s an old tradition that has new benefits (like being able to see the entire store area), but basically amounts to psychological one-upsmanship. They’re higher, and therefore have more “power”. You’ll see it other places too; the sales manager’s “tower” at an automobile dealership, the judges bench in a courtroom, etc. Have you ever wondered why the pharmacists were those white smocks? There’s no practical reason for it, just a uniform to signify their medical background.
Gary
“Basses do it lower”
Homepage: http://members.aol.com/Toymkr47/Index.htm
Companion question:
Why do pharmacists have to use a special device just to count out pills? Does the counter really help them count??
So handicapped people can’t buy drugs?
More fun, dance studios are almost always not on the first floor.
II’d imagine the counter is better than hand counting fifty pills when you have a line. Plus, if it keeps any sort of records, it’d be useful for showing inventory and making sure the guy on duty wasn’t palming two of your 25 codine pills.
“I guess it is possible for one person to make a difference, although most of the time they probably shouldn’t.”
I have been intrigued by this question and searched a few forums to get the best answer. I doubt it has to do with better surveillance, since it is quite specific to prescription drugs.
The most plausible reason I found has to do with moisture. Maintaining an elevation differential with the main floor likely favors a lower relative humidity. Drugs, like a large range of chemicals, are hygroscopic to various degrees. Working in a drier environment provides a simple barrier, however limited, against ambient moisture. Of course, ambient moisture can be influenced by circulation patterns specific for building/rooms, but the higher you stand in a room, everything else being equal, the drier the air. That type of moisture barrier could have provided a simple, economical way to protect expensive chemicals from water infiltration after spills, flooding, etc.
I worked as a pharmacist’s assistant. Aside from what’s mentioned to being able to see over the whole store, and the psychological domination factor, my ex-boss told me it’s a lot easier to see out the windows if the delivery trucks have arrived. His pharmacy had posters on the windows to advertise whatever, but the standard size that got printed was < total height - so what couldn’t be seen at ground level was seeable 6" higher. By the same token, he could see if someone was hanging around outside, looking like he’s fixing to rob the place. Also, he pointed out, if the rain came in from the street the aisles could get soaked - but not his work area. Mike, who was brilliant, also realized this: if there was some kind of chemical spill that wasn’t noxious but was slippery, his work area was safe enough to keep counting the pills, taking orders, etc. - he kept his computer there back when every store having one wasn’t a standard, along with electronics like radios, Walkmans etc. because aside from being advertised but not in plain view for easy swiping, it made them safer from liquids as well. Finally, his wife made decorative (inexpensive) jewelry, which he put on a rotating display right on his counter at which was eye-level for any1 > 62" (5’2") - good for female impulse buying. A salud Mike.
I have a question - who is “system” and why have they stopped posting?
Look at the dates, @Alessan . Those posts are from the very early days of the SDMB, like 24 years ago. Likely, those posters are long gone, one-shots, never kept up their posting privileges, or whatever. But their posts remain. So the system does the best it can with what it has.
At any rate, in my 23 years of being a member here (24 if you count the year I lurked), this has got to be the oldest zombie that I’ve ever seen resurrected.
What’s that sound passing over your head?
Whoosh!
If Spoons was a pharmacist he would have gotten that.
They posted just 3 months ago !
Ah the good old days. Good question I’ve wondered about that too.