A pharmacy is the place where most pharmacists perform the profession of pharmacy. It is the community pharmacy where the dichotomy of the profession exists—health professionals who are also retailers.Community pharmacies generally consist of a retail storefront with a dispensary where medications are stored and dispensed.The dispensary is subject to pharmacy legislation; with requirements for storage conditions, compulsory texts, equipment, etc., specified in legislation. Where it was once the case that pharmacists stayed within the dispensary compounding/dispensing medications; there has been an increasing style towards the use of trained pharmacy technicians while the pharmacist spends more time communicating with patients.

All pharmacies are essential to have a pharmacist on-duty at all times when open. In many jurisdictions, it is also a necessity that the owner of a pharmacy must be a registered pharmacist (R.Ph.). This latter requirement has been revoked in many jurisdictions, such that many retailers (including supermarkets and mass merchandisers) now consist of a pharmacy as a department of their store.Likewise, many pharmacies are now rather grocery store-like in their design. In addition to medicines and prescriptions, many now sell a various arrangement of additional household items such as cosmetics, shampoo, bandages, office supplies, candy, and snack foods.