FAQs

If you’re in the early stages of gathering general information, attend one of the conferences where Mindy Thompson-Banko speaks. Read our articles and past issues of our newsletter, review this website, request a brochure, and pass materials to colleagues.

If you’re ready to meet, call or email us for a Meet & Teach presentation. We’ll speak with you via phone conference or in person, providing more specific details.

If you’re ready to act, contact us for a proposal. We’ll discuss services provided and client engagement steps.

2. We already have some stores up and running. Do we need to start with the Retail Discovery, or can we hire you to just “clean up” our stores?
Start with the Retail Discovery. Retail Discovery gives us the ability to review your current retail operations and knowledge. We assess what you’re doing well and where there’s room for improvement. Simply Retail’s primary intent is to introduce hospitals and clinics to new retail opportunities serving specific patient needs, such as a Health & Care store, an Oncology Shop, a Mom & Baby Shop, a General Store or a Cardiac Shop. However, if you want Simply Retail to enhance or remodel existing stores, we can do that too, but within the process of the Retail Discovery.

3. What are the first steps of the Retail Trek?
As soon as a client agrees to proceed with Retail Trek, the process of building a Retail System begins. The Simply Retail team meets with the designated client retail group (i.e. representatives from HR, IT, facility management, business development, financial, marketing, medical division, the Auxiliary) to get everyone up-to-speed and on the same page. Schedules are established defining what needs to be done, when and by whom.

4. Do some clients pursue retail without moving into Retail Trek?
Yes, but we don’t recommend it. If you choose not to have us help you implement the retail concepts, we cannot assist you in meeting projected sales or achieving ROI within a fast timeframe. Also, by choosing Retail Trek, clients gain access to our full resources and partners, such as design and construction, installation and training of the Point-of-Sale (POS) system, fixture design and installation, interviewing of Retail Director, advice on structuring the Retail System (tax-wise, legally) and merchandise plan development. Retail is not a hospital’s core expertise. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you can end up making poor investments and not meeting your retail mission.

5. We don’t have a lot of extra space for stores. Will we need to expand, physically?
Adding retail is not a space issue. In most cases we have found that hospitals and clinics are underutilizing their space. Our job is to show exactly where to place retail stores within your current facilities and generating higher revenue per square foot, while offering improved customer service. If, however, you are already planning new construction and creating new blueprints, now is the prefect time to discuss and include retail.

6. Will this require hiring new people?
Yes. Retail is a business. It’s not run by volunteers, though an Auxiliary (if you have one) can play an important role. Within the Retail Discovery, we will indicate what roles and positions you’ll need. Through Retail Trek, we will assist with the job descriptions, interviewing and hiring.