In 1969 a young man came to this country from Iran and quickly recognized that pharmacies that just handled medications were in danger of not staying in business. His idea was to be a one-stop-shop for both medications and everything else you need for your home. Now over 50 years later, Discount Drug Mart has 4,700 employees, of which 250 are pharmacists, and 77 locations in 20 Ohio counties. Departments include Automotive, Beverages, Books, Cosmetics/Beauty Products, Dairy, Deli (Select Locations), Domestic/Soft Goods, Electronics, Greeting Cards, Grocery/Food, Hardware, Health Needs, Home Health Care, Household/Hard Goods, Meat (Select Locations), Pet Supplies, Pharmacy, Photo, Produce, and Video. In 2011 the company bought Hastings Durable Medical Equipment to be able to offer people medical equipment that can help with their health concerns. Walkers, braces, canes, and other devices help people manage their every day lives. 

Parviz Boodjeh came to this country to start a new life. He got his pharmacy license and worked in several pharmacies, providing people with their medications. But looking at why people came in, he realized that often people needed more than just their medications and were going to multiple stores. He decided to change that. He opened the first location in Elyria, Ohio in 1969 and ran the company until his son, Don, became CEO in 2009. In 2017 the management team decided the best way to preserve the culture and attitude of Discount Drug Mart was to turn the running of the company over to the employees and they became an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) which means every employee is a part owner in the business.

Most people pay for medication with health insurance. The health insurance companies agree to pay a certain amount for each drug. Then the rest has to be paid by the person who needs the medication. These rates have been changing over the years and it is difficult to manage how to balance what to sell, what people need, and how much insurance companies will pay. It is a constant battle.

We have 78 stores in 20 counties in Ohio. We just opened one in Parma and we have another scheduled to open this summer in Columbiana County. Our customers tend to be from the area near the store which is why we have so many locations. People want it to be convenient. 

In some of our locations we are looking to add solar panels to the roofs. We believe it can help us be more energy efficient. We also recycle all the pallets, which are wood structures boxes of products come into our stores on, and we bale all of our cardboard for recycling. We also help our customers recycle by collecting single-use plastic bags which cause a lot of problems if they are just thrown away. 

Our goal is to create and cultivate relationships with elected officials at all levels. We want to be seen as a partner and that they can call us for information and help when needed. We find that helps us accomplish our goals as our conversations aren’t starting from new, but as a trusted resource. 

We post our open positions on our website and others as well as get referrals from our team. You can also come into the store and apply onsite on a regular basis. 

Why do employees like to work here?

We are a large company with lots of employees, but we don’t act like it. We treat our people well, and they own the company so they know what we are doing and why. We’ve been in business over 50 years and we have some employees who have been with us up to 40 years!