Case Study: Bartell Drugs achieves cost savings and improved customer service with Magstar Inc.'s Total Warehouse

Warehouse Management for Drugstores

Bartell Drugs, a 55‑store regional drugstore chain in Washington, needed to move from direct supplier deliveries to a centralized 161,280 sq. ft. warehouse while maintaining high customer service levels. The company faced strict requirements — RF handhelds only with no paper, real‑time inventory and multi‑warehouse support (to separate prescriptions), support for multiple bin types and picking methods (pick‑to‑belt and put‑to‑store), EDI receiving, pallet quarantining, pick‑wave scheduling and audit‑friendly cycle counts — and sought a solution that would integrate with their existing systems. Magstar Inc’s Magstar Total Warehouse (integrated with Magstar Total Retail) was evaluated to meet these needs.

Magstar Inc implemented Magstar Total Warehouse largely out‑of‑the‑box with minimal customization, integrating it with Bartell’s existing Magstar Total Retail platform. The system delivered real‑time inventory updates, RF handheld operation with no paper, EDI receiving, multi‑warehouse/bin support, flexible picking and replenishment methods, quarantine controls and cycle‑count capability, was deployed in under a year, and cost less than competing standalone WMS options. As a result Bartell reduced receiving errors, eliminated full physical counts in favor of audit‑approved cycle counts, preserved service levels during expansion, lowered ongoing costs, and continues to work with Magstar Inc to add productivity features.

Bartell Drugs