Years ago, I heard a story about my great grandfather, Louis Oswald. It was told to me by an old-time Naperville resident. This Napervillian told me that he and his buddies used to come through the alley behind the store and sift through the ashes where the store burned trash.
Why? Because grandpa Oswald kept his cash box right next to the wastebasket inside the store. When he would throw change from a sale into the box, occasionally, he would miss, and the coin would roll into the trash.
Boys in the ‘20s and ‘30s might find a nickel or a dime in the trash, turn around and spend it at the soda fountain in the pharmacy. What the store needed back then was a good solid cash register, registers like the ones we had when I was a kid. You know the ones—huge mechanical behemoths that you could hand-crank to operate if the electricity went out! Or, better yet, a computer and a good program that tracks everything from sales to prescriptions and charge accounts.
An old register. Picture taken at Oswald’s in 1975.
A Brief History of Computers at Oswald’s Pharmacy
We’ve been using computers at the store since 1980. We computerized our prescription department well ahead of the chain stores and other pharmacies in town. I still remember how loud the dot matrix prescription label printer was. My Dad was happy to put up with the noise as it was so much easier than getting labels to cooperate with a typewriter!
Every five or ten years since we first computerized, we have moved to a new or improved system. It has been six years since we last updated our POS (cash register) system. At the time that system was an overall improvement with respect to our previous system, but one of the downsides was that it didn’t mesh with our pharmacy software as well.
This spring we decided it was time to upgrade our pharmacy software so we could provide a better experience for our customers. We chose a company that would be able to handle the diverse range of merchandise and services we offer. Pharmacy was our primary concern, with medical equipment, retail and post office following.
We went live with the new system on August 6th. If you dropped in the store that week you probably saw some of the chaos that a software change always produces. I thank you for your patience these last few weeks as we work out the kinks. Change is hard!
Oswald’s pharmacy register during the 1940s (left) and 1980s.
Service is Better Than Ever at Oswald’s Pharmacy
Now that we are getting used to our new computers, we want to let you all know about some improvements. Our new pharmacy system features RXLocal, a service that allows customers to refill prescriptions not only through our website but also on any smartphone. After signing up with RXLocal, you can set prescriptions reminders, see when medication refills are available, look at a list of your medications & allergies—even contact one of our pharmacists or a doctor’s office directly—all on your computer or phone!
Delivery capabilities on our new system will allow our drivers to plot out the most efficient routes, making delivery wait times shorter than ever. More delivery services will be coming soon, so don’t forget to check in from time to time.
Our new system allows seamless pharmacy checkout, allowing you to pick up a prescription and anything else you need quickly and efficiently.
Again, thank you for being a customer of Oswald’s Pharmacy. Be sure to jump on a computer or your smartphone and download a copy of the RXLocal app to see all our new services for yourself!
