Drugstore.com: A little false advertising and a lot of sales gimmicks
Written: Aug 25 '04
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I read all these great reviews on Drugstore.com but have to say I wasn't terribly impressed with my experience on the site for several reasons.
MERCHANDISE
The merchandise on this site is extremely broad. It includes almost anything you could find in your local drugstore plus vitamins, yoga equipment and lots of other odds and ends.
PRICE
This is the main reason I have stayed away from Drugstore.com. Sure, they have rebates and other gimmicks to save money but I usually find the sales are far better at my local drugstore. Additionally, the prices at discounters such as Target are usually comparable to drugstore.com on a day to day basis. Although I love to shop on the Internet, I usually don't want to pay more for the experience.
STEALS AND DEALS
This site has quite a few sales gimmicks. There are always sale and "freebie with purchase" sections on the site where they feature their sale merchandise. The sales are okay but not as good as my local drugstore. Occasionally, there are some great markdowns but they don't show up too often.
Drugstore.com also has "diamond deals" that are supposedly individualized for each shopper. These diamond deals offer a super discount on a few products each time you visit the site. To find your personal diamond deals, you have to set up an account with the site. None of my diamond deals have ever appealed to me.
If you sign up on their site, they offer a periodic 5% rebate that you can then use on their merchandise. I believe the rebate is paid out quarterly.
If you shop through Ebates you can get an additional 6% back in cash. Of course, things change, so you should get current information from the site.
The site typically offers free shipping on orders over $49.
Another thing to note: When my order arrived, it contained a free dental floss and a coupon to try Netflix for free. I remember hearing that Drugstore.com does throw freebies or samples in purchase orders and that was the case for me. I don't know how regularly this occurs.
PLACING AN ORDER
Placing an order was very frustrating on Drugstore.com. I couldn't remember ever using Drugstore.com but apparently I had visited the site a long time ago because when I went to check out, the site asked me for a password. Of course, I had no idea what the password was so I had to wait for them to email it to me. It took over an hour to get the email with my password.
When I went back and entered my password, it turned out I had an order from 1999 somehow clogging the system. The site told me I couldn't proceed with my current order until I canceled my old order. So, I canceled my 5 year old order. Again, I tried to place my order but was told I couldn't place my current order because my request to cancel my order from 1999 was still being processed. I had to wait another 45 minutes.
Finally, I could place my order. I had to update ancient credit card information but the rest of my personal information was stored. The rest was easy.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
I got an email when my order was received and another email when my order shipped.
SHIPPING
Shipping is free for orders over $49. The site advertises the free shipping is 3 day delivery. I placed my order on a Thursday and was told by my confirming email that it would be delivered on the following Wednesday. This sounds more like 6 day shipping to me.
Shipping seemed further delayed by the fact that my items didn't ship until the day after I placed my order - at least according to the confirming email.
My order finally arrived on a Tuesday - five days after I placed my order but one day before they promised it. Considering that it was 2 days after the amount of days advertised, I still consider it late.
PACKAGING
My items were very well packed with lots of cushioning and a tough cardboard box.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
My experience at Drugstore.com was disappointing. Overall, shopping there could be convenient but the prices are a bit higher than you would find elsewhere. My personal shopping experience was difficult, it took me almost 2 and a half hours to shop and place my order. I was also disappointed that they didn't deliver in the three days advertised. Overall, I would give this site 2 stars but still recommend it as an alternative, for those who can wait, to a trip to your local drug store or discounter.
DO YOU LIKE TO SHOP ON THE INTERNET? HERE ARE SOME MORE REVIEWS OF WEB STORES:
Clothing and Accessories: Talbots; The Gap; CWD Kids; Hanna Andersson; J. Jill; Tote Le Monde ; Blu Pyxie ; Miniboden; One Hanes Place; Nordstrom; Gymboree; Simple Shoes.
Clothing and Home Goods: Land’s End; Bluefly; Soft Surroundings; Garnet Hill; Sundance; L.L. Bean.
Home and Garden: Smith & Noble; Restoration Hardware; Gardener’s Supply Company; Unicahome; Homeclick; FaucetDirect; Gardens Alive; West Elm; Crate & Barrel; MyKnobs.
Books and Magazines: Amazon.com; ValueMags; Magazine Values; Dover Publications.
Office Supplies, Furniture and Services: Staples; Officemax; Topdeq; Efax.
Electronics: HP Shopping; Buy.com.
Travel: Amtrak; Hotwire; Orbitz; Hotels.com.
Discount: Overstock.com; Target.
Photo Developing: Shutterfly; Snapfish.
Miscellaneous: Babystyle; 1-800 contacts; Movie Tickets.com.
Rebate Sites: Upromise; Ebates.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? baby bottles, soap
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modernmarvel
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