The story of: John Pals of Smerdiek drugstore in Sint-Maartensdijk

John Pals is the owner of Smerdiek drugstore in the heart of Sint-Maartensdijk. Together with 3 permanent and 2 weekend assistants, he runs a large store with a very wide range. He shows his involvement with Sint-Maartensdijk as a voluntary board member of the business association Smerdiek. John talks about his motivations.

I've had the shop for almost 17 years, at that time we took over from Peter Potter. You might not see it from the outside, but we have quite a large area of ​​about 550 square meters. Our customers are first and foremost residents of Sint-Maartensdijk, Scherpenisse, Stavenisse, Poortvliet and Sint-Annaland. Especially after a brochure has been published, customers from all over the island come to the store. In addition, for me the tourists are the raisins in the porridge, they also ensure that you can continue to exist. Because of them you have something of bacon on the bones to be able to absorb setbacks.

We take our time

The personal approach, we know our feelings, our reliability and the wide range are our added value. We really take the time to explain something to the customer. In addition to a very wide drugstore range, we also sell toys, haberdashery, tobacco, camping equipment and we have a large choice of Brabantia and Leifheit items. If we have a certain line in house, it is also completely complete, for example the natural medicines from A. Vogel and the cleaning range from HG.

Hard work

My future looked very different before. I have my papers for sailing, but then you are away from home a lot. In addition, I always wanted to be an entrepreneur. From always working hard for someone else, now working hard for my own company. At first I wanted to start a fish store, but this store came my way and I took it over and I started a drugstore and gradually expanded the range.

Contribute to quality of life

One-on-one contact with the customer is what drives me, so the work remains fun and varied. People have supported me in all these years with their confidence. I feel that people are happy with my company and with my services. That is why I also like to give something back for that loyalty, in the form of a board member of the entrepreneurs' association. I've been doing that for about ten years now. By organizing activities – such as a fair or Christmas market – you also contribute to the quality of life in our core.

Not off the island

It's really important that locals, visitors and tourists visit my shop otherwise I can't survive. Hopefully my customers will realize that thanks to my business they don't have to leave the island at all for a lot of items to get their product quickly. We need the customer, but the customer also needs us. Everything stands or falls with the availability of facilities and the fact that we support each other. In addition, the shopkeepers often support activities and events of associations and foundations. You have nothing to do with large online companies for that!