Lisa Shuey is Rite Aid’s Point of Sale Communications Manager and her role involves planning, coordinating, and overseeing every facet of signage and on-site advertising for pharmacies across the US. The persistence of Stephen Gould Regional Sales Manager, Aaron Salko, merited her department’s willingness to try this new vendor on a simple, targeted job: Glam Camp, a teen makeup section shipping to 5000 stores.

Aaron’s team manufactured, kitted, and fulfilled all of the Glam Camp signage and aisle displays needed.

“Stephen Gould’s price was very competitive and they met the deadlines consistently,” remembers Lisa. That was over 14 years ago. “Now, Stephen Gould is one of our primary suppliers. When we’re under the gun, they’re our ‘go to’ partner.”

As Aaron gained more trust and the project requests grew, he noticed that Rite Aid had trouble tracking its many shipments to its numerous store locations. Deliverables would become lost, with as much as ten percent of all campaigns requiring the work be re-done — resulting in  additional time, material costs, and operational hassle.

Uncovering the root of Rite Aid’s challenges

Rather than profiting from the reprint orders, Aaron took the initiative to uncover the root of Rite Aid’s challenges. He asked Lisa about all the pain points she’d ever experienced in her role and offered to help improve their process. She was invited to make a wish list and spend some time with Stephen Gould’s team to come up with a long term solution. Aaron and his team returned with a proposal — a customized tracking and fulfillment system.

Aaron’s team developed software that accounts for signage programs in Rite Aid’s inventory. The platform is sophisticated enough to allow a store to only order signs meant for that specific location, with printed expiration dates on signage for retail staff to easily conclude campaigns on time.

“The online platform is built around Rite Aid and has the flexibility to adapt to us,” Lisa adds, “It’s a timesaver and we have so much more control. I can track it all immediately. It has saved a lot of headaches.”

The customized software not only provides management ease, but greatly reduces the number of re-orders, minimizing additional costs of materials, coordination, and shipping.

The partnership developed to a whole new level with the dedication of a Stephen Gould facility as Rite Aid’s national fulfillment center. Located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, it manufactures and warehouses in-store advertising a new store needs, from small signs to large-scale holiday and health campaigns. Stephen Gould organizes and ships a wide variety of signage for every category of product that Rite Aid carries. The team supplies on-site support to simplify and manage a myriad of complexities into integrated elegant solutions.

“Before Stephen Gould, my job was very chaotic,” explains Lisa, “Without them I would need a bigger team and more hands on deck, which would cost the company more money. With Stephen Gould, we are in capable hands. They are always there to come up with answers and continuously look for improvements.”

Stephen Gould is proud of how we support Rite Aid with our stability, consistency, and streamlining solutions. The commitment and investment of Aaron’s team exemplify Stephen Gould’s insightful approach to long-term partnerships.