By Jessica Oates
Carlo Benedetti became a pharmacist to merge his passion for science with his desire to care for people. Following in his father’s footsteps, Benedetti is able to do just that at his business, Olden Pharmacy.
Olden Pharmacy, located at 930 S. Olden Avenue in Hamilton was established in 1959.
Benedetti’s father, Carlo Senior, attended Temple University School of Pharmacy. He graduated and took a position at Olden Pharmacy in 1959, shortly after the pharmacy opened. Two years later, he decided to purchase the business and make it his own.
Benedetti started working for his father when he was just 15 years old.
“I grew up working in the store and decided to follow the same career path my father did,” he said.
Benedetti graduated from Rutgers University School of Pharmacy in 1984 and went to work as a pharmacist in his father’s store.
“In 1995, my father was ready to change roles. He didn’t want to retire, but he was ready to get out of ownership, so I bought the business from him, and he continued to stay on as a pharmacist.”
Olden Pharmacy is a full-service shop that carries a wide selection of over the counter items, including cough and cold remedies, as well as personal care products such as toothpaste and shampoo, gift items, greeting cards and lottery tickets. But there are a few key things that set it apart from the popular franchises like CVS and Walgreens.
“One thing that I have refused to implement are automated phone systems,” Benedetti said. “We are an independent pharmacy, and we answer our own phones, so you can always get a hold of someone when you need to. I think customers find it frustrating to navigate automated phone menus when they have a question. When you call Olden Pharmacy, a person will answer every single time.”
The pharmacy prides itself on the ability to deliver individualized service to customers. Benedetti is confident independent pharmacies like Olden will continue to thrive—though they may be fewer in number—because of their service-oriented, personalized approach.
“I really run it as a family business,” Benedetti said, “and I mean that as much about staff as I do about customers. We work in close quarters—our shop isn’t very big—so staff members really get to know one another and work as a team. We get to know our customers over time, and it makes us better able to serve them and answer any questions they may have.
“We greet you, we get to know what you’re coming in for. The stability of the staff members is important. People know my pharmacy techs and my clerks, and it gives them a good feeling.”
The biggest challenge to the business, Benedetti said, isn’t competition among big pharmacy names, but rather insurance policies and mail order services.
“Between insurance and mail order pharmacies, we have lost some really wonderful clients,” Benedetti said. “People are forced sometimes, either for financial reasons or by their benefits managers, to use mail order services. It’s no fault of ours, and it’s often out of the customer’s hands. We work around it the best we can, but the fact is that the client is the one who loses out on personalized service.”
Despite the challenges, Benedetti is glad to be a part of his client’s healthcare.
“Over the years, I have seen more and more lives saved by new and innovative medications,” he said. “Cholesterol can now be controlled by prescription, which prevents heart attacks and fatalities. That’s just one example of how people are living longer and better lives, thanks to modern medicine.”
Being a part of this phenomenon was part of the draw for Benedetti, who wanted to use his scientific knowledge to benefit patients.
“That should be the goal of every healthcare professional,” he said.
Olden Pharmacy is located at 930 S. Olden Avenue in Hamilton. Phone: (609) 586-6661. Web: oldenrx.com
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