Walgreens is one of the oldest pharmacy chains in Chicago, which is successfully operating until now. Everything began with a small store in Chicago in 1901. According to ichicago.net, in ten years, the network had expanded to five stores.
The story of the founder Charles Walgreen
If not for Charles Walgreen Sr. and his contribution, we would not read the story of one of America’s most successful pharmaceutical companies. The future entrepreneur was born near Galesburg, Illinois.
Later, the family moved to Dixon, as Charles’ father was a farmer and planned to develop his business in the Rock River Valley.
Charles started working at 16. He made his first money at a local footwear factory. However, while performing his duties, he cut off his middle finger, so he was forced to look for another job. By chance, the young man decided to try his hand at pharmaceutics, that is how he got employed at Horton’s Drugstore.
If it were not for an accident, the boy would never have thought about the pharmaceutical business and would not have become an entrepreneur. In Charles’s opinion, the first job was a rather bad experience. He worked there only a year and a half.
Young Walgreen decided to move to Chicago in 1893 because he understood clearly that he had no future in a small town like Dixon. At that time, the pharmacy industry was already very developed in Chicago. 1,500 drug stores competed with each other to attract more buyers. Such rivalry made it difficult for a young venturer to fight his way through and successfully develop a business.
A path to success
C. Walgreen chose to succeed on his own without relying on the funds of his family. After moving to Chicago, the young man was on the ropes, but it did not stop him from achieving his goals. In fact, Charles devoted his entire life to his profession and hard work.
The future entrepreneur had the chance to work with the city’s leading pharmacists, such as Samuel Rosenfeld and Max Grieben. Gaining solid practical experience, Walgreen realized that the existing methods of managing drugstores are old-fashioned. They did not provide excellent customer service and a wide selection of goods for all segments of the population.
Charles Walgreen decided to open a new pharmacy where customers would be served by the highest standards. Only in 1901 did he manage to raise money for the initial installment. The businessman intended to purchase the store he worked in. But the price was so high that it took many years for the pharmacist to pay off the debt.
The man was steadfast in his purpose to create one of the most profitable enterprices in the United States.
The first drugstore in the Walgreens chain
Walgreens started as a small grocery store at the intersection of Bowen and Cottage Grove Avenues in Chicago. Although the district was prosperous, the store was located in a darkened place, thus affecting sales.
The entrepreneur faced new challenges with the new drugstore, namely, he wondered how to make it attractive to customers. First, Walgreen bought new bright lamps for the store to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The aisles were also expanded to make the premises look more spacious.
The owners greeted each customer personally. In addition, the range of assortment was also increased. Apart from drugs, buyers could purchase common household items such as pots and pans. Commodity prices were reasonable and fair.
Walgreens’ level of service and individual attention to each client was the best in Chicago. Soon, the fame of the young entrepreneur’s drugstore and incomparable treatment spread throughout the city. By changing the approach to customers, Charles staggered the entire pharmacy business.
The second store was opened in 1909 in southern Chicago. The owner of a pharmacy business was looking for new ways to meet the ever-increasing demands of buyers and outperform his competitors.
Soda fountain
Each pharmacy of that time had a soda fountain. In the nineteenth century, the drink was considered effective for maintaining health. Gradually, fruit syrups and ice cream began to be added to fizzy water.
Drugstore owners tried to decorate soda fountains, which were made of silver and bronze, by adding ornamentation and creating a beautiful appearance.
Walgreens also decided to introduce this latest trend. Each pharmacy of the company installed soda fountains, which were recognized as the most beautiful in Chicago. However, cold soda and ice cream were in demand only in hot weather. In the fall season, fountains usually did not operate.
Then Charles Walgreen came up with another original idea that made his establishments even more popular. In the cold season, the entrepreneur decided to serve his customers a warm meal. Throughout the fall and winter, Walgreens’ visitors could enjoy homemade and nutritious food.
All the dishes, from pies to cakes, were prepared by Charles Walgreen’s wife, Myrtle. The woman got up early in the morning and by 11 o’clock she managed to cook all the dishes that were delivered to two stores of the Walgreens chain. From then until the early 1980s, catering service was an integral feature of the company’s history.
Thus, people could have breakfast, lunch and dinner and after that buy other things in the store. Thanks to a unique approach to customers and reasonable prices, the popularity of the chain continued to grow.
In 1913, the Walgreens chain already had four stores, which were mainly located on the South Side. The business developed exponentially and by 1920, Charles Walgreen owned 20 pharmacies.
Well-chosen staff also was a part of Walgreens’ success. Charles Walgreen had an uncanny ability to find talented employees whose mental endowments exceeded his own. The Walgreens chain moved to a new level due to the skilled management team.
During the next decade, the pharmacy chain reached an unprecedented level. In 1929, Charles owned 525 stores. Walgreens offices worked in the largest cities of the USA, including New York, Florida and others.
The drugstore chain in the war and post-war period
Walgreens company was the first that started making a traditional milkshake. The drink recipe was created in 1922. Until then, the cocktail was prepared by combining chocolate syrup, milk and malt powder.
In addition to the stores, the company also had its own ice cream factory. Thus, on one summer evening, a decent portion of vanilla ice cream was added to the basic milkshake formula.
The new cocktail recipe caused a real sensation among visitors. The company sold the drink along with free vanilla cookies from its own bakery.
During World War II, Walgreens opened a nonprofit drugstore in the Pentagon. The facility had a big turnover of military bonds.
It is worth adding that Walgreens became the first American company that tried to provide pension protection to its employees. Charles Walgreen introduced income distribution and designed pension plans to ensure security for workers.
After the war, Walgreens was the first among US pharmacies to adopt a self-service system. It was implemented in all the company’s stores.
In 2010, the offspring of drugstore owner Charles Walgreen III left the company’s Board of Directors after more than 40 years of dedicated service.