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While strolling past the prescription pick-up desk to interview Cook's Pharmacy owner Jim Gaudino in his office, I was greeted by an employee who happened to be an old friend of mine from high school.
Oh, she knows you, too?, Jim asked."She knows everybody."
This service-oriented philosophy is perhaps just one of the reasons why Cook's Pharmacy has avoided being crushed by a mortar and pestle to big-box chains such as CVS, Walgreen, Rite-Aid, and The Medicine Shoppe, all of which are located within a short driving distance from the 100-and-some-year-old pharmacy.
People are loyal to small business in this area, Jim said. "It's the little things. We know most of our customers by their first names, and as the owner, I can do things CVS can't. If the customer has a problem, he can come to me."
Jim acquired Cook's in 2002 and has continued the legacy of unmatched and personalizedcustomer attention.
"It's all about the patient," Jim said.
Cook's is also about convenience and going the extra mile. With a large population of older citizens in Kingston and its surrounding towns, Cook's takes their needs into account. There is ample parking out front, the aisles are wider, and the shelves aren't outrageously high.
Plus, and probably its most desirable perk, Cook's delivers prescriptions on the west side via its trademark silver Chevrolet Cobalt. Who said no one makes house calls anymore? Cook's also provides special packaging to nursing and group homes.
With Thanksgiving just around the corner and the December holidays not too far off, Cook's offers 50% off all of its greeting cards- quality, designer greetings that, according to Jim, "continue to improve."
Cook's Pharmacy is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. A Medicare-approved provider and with more than 100 different insurance plans accepted, Cook's upholds its slogan that its owner and employees have "always cared." |
