Remember the Willner’s paper cat-
alog? Gitomer says his customers, by
and large, are not digital fanatics.
“These are people who are very
happy to have something in hand to
look at,” he states. So rather than
pushing them into a sales tool that
would be more modern (and cheap-
er for the store to disseminate),
Willner’s is sticking with what works
for its clients: a paper catalog.
He also states that Willner Chemists
has sponsored seminars, too. Though
the radio program has a large reach,
Willner’s shoppers still enjoy in-per-
son discussions with guest experts.
For instance, Gitomer notes that the
store recently held a luncheon lec-
ture with supplements manufacturer
Solgar Vitamin and Herb for his
shoppers.
“In addition to doing all these nice
things and helping people, we also
offer very good prices. We try to do
everything on a day-to-day 20% off
discount and also have special sales,”
Gitomer adds. This, he says, drives
store and mail order traffic.
Getting into Willner’s
Willner Chemists offers 15,000+
SKUs packed on well-organized
shelves. Despite the sophisticated,
open feel of its Park Avenue store,
there’s not a lot of extra room to
play with. After all, real estate, espe-
cially in this pricey part of town,
comes at a premium. Therefore,
Gitomer and Goldberg must be
choosey about which brands it
sells—especially when new lines are
pitched. This may be quite different
from other stores that “go off on
every little hot thing,” Gitomer
states.
Adds Gitomer, “We do not tout
every new supplement fad that
comes along. We try to provide fac-
tual information about supplements,
even if it means we miss out on the
opportunity to sell tons of the latest
miracle cure. I may make less
money, but I sleep better at night.”
To impress Gitomer and Goldberg,
supplements must be labeled proper-
ly and the formula must make sense
in terms of safety, quality and effica-
cy. Visits to product manufacturing
sites are regular practice, too. “My
background is in quality control.
Arnie and I both know what ques-
tions to ask and what to look for
when we inspect a facility…we try to
confirm that they are following good
manufacturing practices, and pro-
ducing a quality product,” says
Goldberg.
There’s also an in-depth label
inspection to recognize any potentia
problems with the product. Says
Goldberg, “If the label is inaccurate
or misleading, that is an indication
problems with what is inside the bot
tle. We ask about expiration dates
and stability testing. We try to look
past the marketing fluff.”
Beyond that, Gitomer states,
“Manufacturers need to promote
their products to shoppers. If you
aren’t promoting it, I can put a few
products on the shelf, you could
come back in a month and they
would still be there.” It’s important
to get the word out to shoppers
about what makes a supplement
worth buying, he feels.
His rationale for being so selective
is that selling a new item means tak-
ing something else off the shelf.
Gitomer says he’d bring on some-
thing new if several clients requeste
it, but not as easily if just one suppl
ment marketer did so.
In the end, what has made Willner
Chemists a success is having a deep
understanding of its unique New
York City clientele, and giving shop-
pers exactly what they want: “We
just try and offer people good prod-
ucts and good prices and give them
New and Improved!
The Willner Chemists Web Site
The Willner Chemists Web Site
now. . . more functional, more features, and easier to use!
www.willner.com
• full product listings
• better shopping cart design and functionality
• secure and safe
• search by category, condition or product name
• extensive library of information and reference articles
• radio show excerpts
• links to HealthNotes™ and other reference sources
Information. Ordering. Product Listings. . . . as good as it gets! Try it. You’ll like it.
Autumn 2011 - Willner Chemists Reference Catalog
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