Things are better in the frontshop, but not by much. As well, about one in eight pharmacies are still posting losses, a result consistent over five years of research. Of course, it depends on what type of pharmacy you operate. This is the case despite the fact that these pharmacies have average annual prescription volumes of 27,248, well below the national average of 34,264. At the other end of the scale, as mentioned earlier, managers of supermarket and department store pharmacies are definitely in the hiring mode.
Independent pharmacies have the most conservative hiring plans.
Banner-store pharmacies, meanwhile, are a bit more likely to have increased staffing levels in 1997. As for hiring plans in 1998, results for banner stores are consistent with national averages. As the chart on page 15 indicates, average hourly wages in drugstores can vary, depending on the type of drugstore.