Walgreens opens new store on East Lake

A big little neighborhood drug store opens one block from its previous location

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN

Walgreens nationwide has a slogan: that their stores can be found at the corner of healthy and happy. The Longfellow Walgreens has moved to a new corner too, and now occupies the south side of E. Lake St. between 31st and 32nd avenues—just one block west of their original store.

The new store doesn’t sport a much bigger footprint, but it’s cheerful, well-organized and just feels better. The most noticeable change is the abundance of light pouring in, with significant windows on the north and west-facing walls. While there are fewer aisles of merchandise in the new store, those aisles are longer and spaced more widely apart. The new space also allowed for an expanded parking lot and a pharmacy drive-thru option.

Photo right: Jamie Forman, the store manager for the East Lake Walgreens, said, “We’re here to help people get well, stay well and be well.” She is seated in the new pharmacy waiting area. (Photo by Margie O’Loughlin)

The new store opened in late September. According to store manager Jamie Foreman, “The move took a full two weeks, with 15-20 employees from Twin Cities Walgreens stores pushing all our inventory across the street on hand carts. Everybody really pitched in.”

The 15,780 square foot building was finished on time; the staff was in place; the customers were there but, unfortunately, the computers failed opening morning. Employee Marshon McCans greeted people at the front door with his customary kindness and asked them to come back later when the computers would be up and running.

McCans works at Walgreens as a front-end cashier and a pharmacy tech. In both positions, he’s able to satisfy what he called, “My passion for putting a smile on people’s faces.” He said, “I think my joy rubs off on people, especially when they’re going through a tough time.” Consequently, if the store’s computers happen to fail on opening day, McCans is the likely choice to be the one up-front explaining it. He just seems to bring out the best in people.

When asked to describe what he thinks are the most important points of customer service, McCans said:

—Greet each person with a smile;

—Go the extra distance to make sure the customer gets what they came for; and

—Take good care of them for as long as they’re in the store.

Stand-out customer service is an asset to any store, and it’s something that isn’t that common anymore.

“I’ve worked hard to earn the trust of my customers,” said Pharmacy Manager Kefale Bogale, “which is necessary for building a healing connection between us. Pharmacy is a lot more than just writing out prescriptions.”

Photo left: Pharmacy Manager Kefale Bogale (Photo by Margie O'Loughlin)

Bogale is a native of Ethiopia. He came to America with a pharmacy degree and masters in toxicology but had to pass a series of rigorous equivalency exams before he could work in Minnesota as a pharmacist. He often jokes with his native English speaking coworkers, saying, “I passed my language proficiency exams, making me a ‘certified’ English speaker. Can you beat that?”

Bogale, who is as busy providing excellent customer service in the back of the store as McCans is in the front, explained his philosophy. “If you want to excel at customer service,” he said, “you have to understand your customer’s situation. That’s how you build customer loyalty and for me, because I love this neighborhood so much, it’s been easy.”

The new pharmacy area provides comfortable seating for a dozen or more waiting customers. Other perks include a private consultation room where the pharmacist can explain prescriptions, give immunizations and talk about health concerns. And, the drive-thru pharmacy makes for faster, easier prescription pick-up.