Walgreens.com Offers a Good Selection with Competitive Prices
Written: Dec 15 '05
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Shopping on- line has become a habit for me and I find myself turning to the internet more and more to make my daily, routine purchases. One area where I haven’t made many purchases is with drug stores, mainly because the types of things I buy can usually be picked up just as easily when I shop for groceries. Usually, I use drugstore.com for this purpose but for my last purchase I decided to try something new. The web site I chose was Walgreens.com, the on- line medium for the popular drug store.
What Does This Site Offer?:
Walgreens.com offers products for sale in areas like:
Pharmacy
Photo
Health
Beauty & Spa
Toys
Baby
Vitamins & Nutrition
Fitness and Diet
Personal Care
Electronics
Food
Household
Besides being used as a place to shop, Walgreens.com also offers consumer information. There is a section on medical nutrition, a health library, and a glossary on drug information that lets you know the facts about specific types of drugs.
Customer Service:
Questions about the web site or past orders can often be answered by going directly into the customer support section of the on- line site. If you need to speak directly with a rep, the number is 877-250-5823.
Final Thoughts:
Walgreens.com is a decent on- line store for the purchase of over the counter medicine, prescription drugs, personal care items, and other merchandise. Like the Walgreens stores themselves, the web site offers many different things for sale- a reflection of the physical stores themselves which are multi- purpose in nature and offer everything from shampoo to diapers to soups and snacks.
I have heard of people using this web site to order prescriptions and I have been told it helps cut down on the amount of wait time because you can place an order and then pick it up at your local Walgreens (delivery of prescription drugs carries an added charge). They even have a reminder service that reminds you when you need your prescription refilled. This is all nice, but for myself, I don’t need a service like this because I have taken only one prescription drug in the past 25 years. I came to Walgreens.com to shop for other items, like over the counter medicine and personal care. The reason I decided to try this site on for size was because I had received a link to it and I was curious to see if it could match the prices offered by Drugstore.com (the place I usually turn to for this type of shopping). And, since I’m always on the lookout for a new web site, it seemed like a good place to visit for a new on- line shopping experience.
I came to Walgreens.com looking for the type of merchandise I usually buy at the physical Walgreens locations. When I first used this site, I noticed that Walgreens.com is laid out like a typical on- line retail store with tabs across the top of the main screen that indicate the subcategories (like personal, pharmacy, electronics, etc.). But one thing I don’t like about the web site is the empty spaces on the sides of the screen. It looks like a piece of paper lying on top of a yellow background. These yellow spaces on the sides, top, and bottom of every screen are wasted space and it doesn’t look right to me. I think it is better to fill out the entire page- the way most on- line retailers do. Other than this design flaw, the rest of the site is good. The ordering process, the organization, the search, and other functions of the site are all satisfactory.
Product information in this site is pretty good. Besides the tabs within the site that educate customers on different drugs, medical terminology, and nutrition, it is also common to find links as you shop. For example, let’s say you search for Motrin pain reliever. The page you get will show you one tab that is labeled “Product Catalogue” that contains the different versions and sizes of Motrin. To the right of this is another tab labeled “Other Resources”. Here, you will find product information directly related to Motrin and indirect information (like general facts about Ibuprofen) about the different ingredients found in Motrin. Other products offer the same information. It is nice to have it right there, as you shop, eliminating the need for a separate search.
Prices at Walgreens.com are good- right in line with the actual stores and just as good (if not better than) other on- line drug stores. They have good deals on shipping, too, and it is possible to place an order free from shipping charges. Items that don’t carry any shipping charges are marked “Free Shipping Eligible” as you shop. However, don’t make the mistake of thinking that this label means your order will be free of shipping regardless of your total purchase. What this means is that your order will be free of shipping if you buy at least a minimum amount of merchandise. The last time I checked, the minimum required purchase was $39 to get the free shipping offer, but this is a holiday special- it is usually around $50 to qualify for free delivery. This amount changes from time to time. If you don’t buy enough, you will be charged a flat shipping rate for your order- typically in the $5 to $7 range. The exception to this is merchandise that is large and needs extra shipping. If you encounter an item like this, you will know because it will say “Flat Shipping Fee” followed by a price level.
Walgreens.com doesn’t require that you setup an account with them to place your order. You can, if you wish, bypass this option and proceed directly to the payment screen. The site accepts the usual payment methods like Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover.
Overall, I feel that Walgreens.com is a pretty good site but like many, it is only good if you make a large enough purchase to help offset the shipping charges. They are very prompt with sending your order and I received mine two days before the stated cutoff. Product information is good and the amount of merchandise for sale is also good. I still prefer Drugstore.com for my drug and personal shopping needs, but Walgreens.com is still a site I recommend. As long as you look for the bargains and avoid shipping charges, you can get some good deals with this on- line service.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Medicine
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