SILLY: Duane Reade has a new boss!

Oh, I am so happy! Duane Reade, the famous New York pharmacy/convenience/things-you-NEED store, is actually acknowledging that it has a problem. Bad service, slow service, uninformed staff, low stock, no stock, you name it, it's happened to every one of us looking for what we need at Duane Reade. But the company's got a new CEO -- Richard Dreiling -- and, after taking over in November, he has resolved to fix all the service problems that plague the chain.

With 251 outlets in the city, DR is the ubiquitous first stop for city residents desperate for liquid hand soap, licorice, prescriptions...but no longer. And with the company already losing money, as Walmart and CVS Pharmacy slowly move in on its territory, Dreiling's cleaning up the Duane Reade act. Crain's New York reports that the CEO's first move is to streamline the employee corps: slicker uniforms of black slacks and blue shirts (versus the smocks of yore), and a limited number of piercings (hmm...); "[In my first] couple of weeks on the job, I couldn't even tell the customers from the employees," he said. Yeah, we couldn't, either.

The chain first opened on the downtown intersection of Duane and Reade Streets (duh) in 1960, but in the last few years has been losing a lot of money. (Click here for the company's financial profile.) I think this man and his plan will do it some good!