Being working in a community pharmacy is a tough work, and needs knowledge, skills and patience, so that every task will be accomplished. Working in this area of pharmacy profession is the most boring and causes the blunting the mind, but also a chance to have some privileges, rebates and treats given by salesmen and detailmen of pharmaceutical companies. Based on my own experience, I have already received a lot of things from them. Because their goal is to get you support in pushing and recommending their drug products to the customers, and most importantly is you affirmed to stock their products in your drugstore.
Usually detailmen and salesmen are offering great deals to choose from such as rebates, incentives, box-retrieval, sponsoring a seminar and etc. All of these can be yours only when you know how to handle their products well without compromising your drugstore's income and revenues.
Every time my birthday comes some salesmen and detailmen bring food in our drugstore (almost all kinds of food spaghetti, pancit, ice cream, pizza, cakes, and etc, but not on the same time), or treating me for dinner or a lunch which extends up to a month. So I am celebrating my birthday for a month. Additional is a gift is given to me. Some offer rebates that come from the products you procured to them. Sometimes up to 30% is the rebate that will be yours if you know how to push their products and increase its turn-over. So if the purchase is PhP 10000.00, your rebate will be PhP3000.00. But it depends on the budget of the company or the affirmed price of the drug products that will be the basis of the percentage of the rebate you will receive. Also a box-retrieval and ear-flap redemption is available. Each box or ear-flap has an amount corresponding. For example, a box of Mefenamic Acid 500mg cap is redeemed for Php30.00 and multiplied to the total boxes of Mefenamic Acid 500mg Cap, for instance is 10boxes, your gain is Php300.00 already. The same is applied to ear-flaps. However, there are times also that not cash is offered to you, but freebies such as umbrella, mugs, pizza and food. Some are offering lunch out, reimbursement of the money you incurred in your lunch. Most of the time pens are given but if you are lucky an umbrella, towel, hand-sanitizer, and etc are given away. The best treat that medical representatives and salesmen could provide is to sponsor you into a seminar or your convention such as pharmacists' convention. Airfare or hotel accommodation is free of charge. But all of these depend on the profit they gain from you in a year.
Also when Christmas comes, we are usually requesting them to sponsor us for our Christmas party, and as early as September, we are distributing letters, so that they will not forget to give us gifts which in the form of appliances, or things that useful in our drugstore and home. Every staff has its own wish item, could it be an appliances (which are not so expensive or the request might not be granted). And when December comes, all the wish in the wishlist is granted. That is how generous are the companies that we procuring our drugs, usually local companies.
But the bottomline here is that you much help the pharmaceutical companies to gain and profit in a year or at least 6 months, so that of all these will be given to you! At the same time your drugstore's income will not be compromised and to gain more, while you are experiencing all of these treats and deals.
