~~DRUGSTORE.COM~~PRESCRIPTIONS, DIAPERS, SHAMPOO, AND MUCH MORE!
Written: Mar 05 '02
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While I have shopped at drugstore.com a few times in the past with favorable results, only recently have I came back to this online merchant to purchase some hard-to-find personal care items that I have previously been unsuccessful in locating at many of my local discount stores. A few months ago, I began using the Aussie brand of hair care products, but their Color Mate Shampoo and Color Mate Conditioner designed for color treated hair are no longer available at my local Wal-Mart. So online I went to search for these items. Because of the good service I'd received in the past with prescription drugs and when stocking up on great diaper deals, drugstore.com was my first choice. And with just a few clicks of the mouse, I had made my selections and was ready to check out. Shopping for a variety of personal care items is simple, fast, and convenient when using this popular and reputable online merchant.
~~~Selection of Merchandise~~~
A large variety of personal care and pharmacy items may be conveniently purchased online at drugstore.com. If vitamins, diet aids, and sports nutrition products are what you are looking for, go to their Nutrition & Wellness section for a large selection of related items that are available. For your Beauty & Spa needs, check out the many make-up and skin care items that may be found here. During cough and cold season, many pain medications as well as many cough and cold remedies may be found under the Medicine Cabinet heading. To meet basic Personal Care needs such as shampoo and even diapers, don't forget to take a look at the many products that are located in this section. And once you are tired of standing in those long lines month after month at your local pharmacy, send your prescriptions to www.drugstore.com for fast, convenient delivery of needed medications by selecting the Pharmacy section. Most major insurance carriers are accepted, so this is certainly an alternative to consider for many basic drugs many Americans use on a daily basis. This method might not be practical for antibiotics though as waiting a few days to get started on them would not be recommended. I personally used the Pharmacy at drugstore.com for oral contraceptives in the past and was pleased with the fast, moderately priced service I received. They were even kind enough to email me when time to renew my prescription drew near as a friendly reminder. And finally, check out the Specialty Shops section of drugstore.com for many brand name cosmetics, healthy living products, and even needed pet care items.
~~~Prices~~~
Although I have found the prices of many items offered at drugstore.com to be a bit higher than if I made a trip to a local discount store, such as Wal-Mart, the convenience of having my otherwise hard-to-locate purchases shipped directly to my door was certainly worth the extra money charged in the end. I paid $3.99 for each bottle of Aussie Color Mate Shampoo and Conditioner at this online site whereas similar hair care products made by this company could be purchased at my local Wal-Mart for $3.49 each. But since I live in a state outside of this company's shipping address, no taxes were required to be paid on my order, which helps to offset the slightly higher cost. New customers can get free standard shipping on their first order for a limited time only, so the potential for some substantial savings on the products you use the most is quite high. Because I had ordered from drugstore.com in the past when stocking up on a hard to pass up diaper sale a year or so ago, I did not quality for this special offer and was charged $5.49 for shipping & handling. Do some comparison shopping first and calculate if purchasing basic personal care items here is worth your time.
~~~Shipping Charges~~~
If standard shipping is desired, all orders up to $250 made at drugstore.com will have a $5.49 shipping charge added to the total amount. Order processing takes anywhere from 1 to 2 days while it take another 3 to 5 days for orders to reach their destination. So the overall delivery time when using this standard delivery method (UPS Ground) is anywhere from 4 to 7 days. My order arrived in 3 days, so I was certainly impressed with the speed in which my package was delivered. I'm sure ordering on a weekend verses a weekday might slow down the process just a bit, so keep that in mind. For faster delivery, be prepared to pay substantially more. Three day shipping on orders less than $250 will be charged $8.95. Change that to two day shipping, and increase this to $14.95. For orders in this price range that simply cannot wait, choose overnight shipping and pay a whopping $29.95 extra. At the moment, I truly can't think of anything I'd pay almost $30 to have shipped to me overnight from drugstore.com that I couldn't drive to my local Wal-Mart to purchase, but at least that option is there for those that would benefit from such a service.
~~~Navigation & Checkout~~~
Navigating the drugstore.com site is simple and easy. Simply type in the name of the product you are searching for and your search is narrowed to the item you desire. Browse the site for available items by clicking on each of the different categories listed as above. Realistic and accurate descriptions of products available along with their size and price are clearly labeled so that no surprises will be found once your order arrives at your door. Once your final selections have been made, simply view your shopping cart and confirm that the items and quantities are correct. To check out, you must provide your name and shipping address along with a credit card number to finalize your order. All of this information may be securely saved to make any futures transactions much faster and more convenient. It is recommended that you print out the final order page including order number for your own records after submission is complete just in case an error occurs. Shortly after, expect an order confirmation to arrive via email, as well as a shipping note once your order is on its way. Fast, simple shopping for many of the personal care items we use most on a daily basis are just a click away when using drugstore.come.
~~~My Experience~~~
I submitted my order at drugstore.com for 4 bottles of Aussie Color Mate Shampoo, 4 bottles of the Aussie Color Mate Conditioner, and 1 bottle of Aussie Curing Muddy Revitalizer to try (thanks, Suzer!) on a Tuesday, all for $3.99 each, and immediately received a confirmation email. Just a few hours later, I was notified via email again that my order had been shipped. Wow, that was fast! And by Friday of that same week, my order was delivered directly to my door via UPS. Each bottle was shrinkwrapped to prevent any spillage accidents during the shipping process, and the quantities I had ordered were correct. My credit card was charged the proper amount, including the $35.91 subtotal as well as $5.49 for shipping & handling. No taxes were charged to my bill since I live out of state. So while other similar Aussie hair care products are available at my local Wal-Mart for $3.49 each, I'm only paying about 50 cents more for each at drugstore.com since I'm paying shipping charges instead of sales tax. The convenience of purchasing these otherwise hard-to-find items online here is definitely worth the extra expense in this case to me.
~~~Refunds~~~
A full refund will be given at drugstore.com within 30 days of the receipt of your order. In the three or more times that I've ordered merchandise from this online company over the past few years, I've not had to return anything so far. Simply use the enclosed Returns Label form and follow the directions found on the back of the invoice if a return should be necessary. Go to www.drugstore.com anytime to access the details of your order or to request a refund and make a return.
~~~Overall Recommendation~~~
Start shopping online today at drugstore.com and discover their large selection of personal care items available at a moderate price. Have prescriptions filled with delivery of necessary items straight to your door in a timely manner. And for a limited time only, new customers get free shipping on their first order, so giving them a try doesn't get much easier that this if you can save a few dollars in the process. While I will continue to do the majority of my personal care shopping at my local Wal-Mart store, I will certainly keep going back to this online merchant for those hard-to-find items I love that aren't readily available otherwise. And in this era of "here today, gone tomorrow" internet shopping sites, it's comforting to know that drugstore.com has been around over 3 years now, so it certainly seems like this company will remain in business well into the future too. Good customer service along with their relative longevity when compared to many other online sites that have recently gone "belly up" are just two of many key factors that make this online merchant a success.
To begin shopping online instantly, go to:
www.drugstore.com
customercare@drugstore.com
1-800-378-4786
Recommended:
Yes
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drugstore.com
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