Topics: Business, Money, News, US News, Travel, Film and TV, Social Media, History
When it comes to making millions, a single pharmacy is not the first thing you would imagine to start raking it in.
But one man in South Dakota managed to do just that after pulling a fascinating trick for his single pharmacy business.
A roadside pharmacy is not the first thing you might think of when it comes to a major tourist attraction.
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Perhaps if it was the location for a famous movie, or someone well-known stopped there, but in this case it was something else entirely.
The location will be well known to anyone from South Dakota, or even anyone who has visited the state.
It is the iconic Wall Drug, a pharmacy which has made a name for its highly unusual approach to advertising.
In an age where advertising is increasingly based on how to maximise social media traffic and engagement, Wall Drug stands out as something from another age entirely.
This is down to the collection of highly unusual decorative items at the store, and we're not just talking a few odds and ends here either.
That's because Wall Drug has everything from taxidermies 'Jackalopes', a mythical animal, to an 80ft dinosaur standing outside.
There's also another dinosaur 'contained' behind a strong concrete fence.
Not only that but the pharmacy is also advertised by thousands of billboards located across the United States.
At its peak, there were as many as 3,000 billboards advertising the place, located in every single state.
That's pretty impressive, but how did it all get started?
It all began with Ted Hustead, who purchased the land in 1931, but it wasn't until years later when the iconic tourist destination began to emerge.
And the first trick to draw people in? Offering free iced water.
Ted, who died in 1999, recalled his wife telling Guideposts magazine in the early 80s: "‘Well, now what is it that those travelers really want after driving across that hot prairie? They're thirsty. They want water. Ice cold water! Now we've got plenty of ice and water.
“‘Why don't we put up signs on the highway telling people to come here for free ice water?’"
The ploy work as Wall Drug has boasted some of the highest tourist numbers in the state.
Though the numbers change, the drug store sees around 2.2 million visitors a year.
For perspective, in 2019 Mount Rushmore welcomed around 1.96 million visitors.
South Dakota State University professor Roxanne Lucchesi told AdAge: “It’s kind of one of those places that, if you’re going across the state, people ask, ‘Did you stop at Wall Drug?’ If you say no, they’re a little bit disappointed.”
