Drugstore.com...where even sex sells.
Written: Oct 16 '02
| Selection: |
 |
|
| On-Time Delivery: |
|
|
|
| Full Review |
I had never even heard of Drugstore.com until the beginning of this year when I started to actually participate more in the Epinions site. I then began to hear rave reviews about this site, so I decided to check it out. I thought it was a great idea to have all of this available to you. Though it has made me a little lazy! But it is great when you are on the run and do not have the time to get to the store, which has been happening to me a lot lately.
THE WEBSITE
Drugstore.com’s homepage is very easy to navigate although it has a cluttered looking appearance. Right smack in the middle of the page at the top, this website usually features some kind of special. When I ordered a few months ago, it was free standard shipping with your first $10 non-prescription order. Now, the site offers a free Burt’s Bees Natural Remedy Kit with your first $15 non-prescription purchase.
Arriving at the homepage, we find 8 tabs at the top of the screen:
~ Home...this will take you to the main homepage for Drugstore.com. This is usually the page that first loads in the screen when you go to the site.
~ Medicine Cabinet...stock up and save, up to 50% off deals currently available available on this page. Also included sections to make shopping easier are allergy & sinus, cough & cold, diabetes care, digestion, eye & ear care, family planning & contraceptives, first aid, foot care, healthy appliances, incontinence, pain & headache, sleep & snoring, smoking cessation, support & braces, value sized products, vitamins, minerals, and herbs.
~ Beauty & Spa...the main focus on this page is Skin Care Solutions. When I ordered about a month ago, this page featured Beauty’s Summer Freebies. The Philosophy brand is also currently featured products. Some sections to choose from here are new products, skin care, clinical skin care, men’s skin care, natural skin care, bath & body, home spa, manicure & pedicure, gift sets, accessories, perfume & cologne, eye makeup, face makeup, and lip makeup.
~ Nutrition & Wellness...save up to 50% on favorite vitamins and preventive cough & cold supplements. They also feature 50% off Rite Aid brand products at this time. For those of you interested in health supplements, Drugstore.com is now offering $2 off Zone Perfect or Powerbar Harvest Bars, and 20% off TwinLab products. Some sections on this page include hot, new products, private label brands, bars & drinks, diet & weight loss, the GNC Live Well Store, massage & relaxation, sexual well-being, sports nutrition, supplements, targeted health formulas, value size products, vitamins & minerals, herbs, pilates & exercise and yoga.
~ Personal Care...brush up on oral care or see what’s hot in haircare & salon products. A few featured sections here are: hot, new products, baby store, deodorants, feminine care, shampoo, hair care, household items, lotions, toothpaste & oral care, personal appliances, shaving & hair removal, soap & body wash, sun care products, travel items, and a clearance section.
~ Pharmacy...this page is where you can go to place your prescription orders online. You have the ability to refill, transfer, or order a new prescription filled. Drugstore.com features their pharmacists prominently on the top of the page and rotate them every so often. On this page, you can learn how the system actually works before you place an order through them. You can also verify your insurance plan and check your drug prices.
~ Specialty Shops...this page includes many different other pages that your can visit that will lead to other gift ideas. You can browse the gift store, pet store, baby store, home spa section, natural & organic store, sexual well-being section, or even connect to beauty.com. The specialty store now features a Halloween store where you can things such as candy or decorations.
~ Your Store...this section is personalized to your needs, but you have to be signed in to the site to personalize it. Here you can see a list of your previous purchases, just for the ease of reordering if you enjoyed the product. This page also features your favorite brands and departments...includes those that you have bought previously. Recommendations are given relating to your previous purchases.
Each of these pages offers two sections that offer you their “top sellers” and “great deals” within that section. These pages offer you the sites best selling products, new products, freebies with purchase, and best deals in each category.
If you decide to search for a specific item needed, you have four options:
~ Store Directory...this method of searching pulls up seven methods: shopping ideas, medicine cabinet, beauty & spa, nutrition & wellness, personal care, pharmacy, and specialty shops. These search options in turn have sub-categories to choose from to find the product that you are looking for.
~ Shop By Brand...with this search method you have two options. You can either enter the brand you are looking for, or click on the first letter of the brand to pull up an alphabetical listing of brands with that first letter. This method is helpful if you know what brand you want, but perhaps do not know how to spell it correctly.
~ Your List...this search method refers to the category already explained above where you have to sign in to get your previous purchases and recommended items.
~ Gift Wizard...this link leads you to choose from seven other stores if you are in search of a gift but do not have any idea what to get. The seven categories are: for him, for her, for kids, for baby, for teens, for pets, or by occasion.
There is also a pharmacy directory:
~ Drug Prices
~ Your Prescriptions
~ How To Use Our Pharmacy
~ Insurance Plans
The homepage also gives you a few other options. You can browse the Everyday Savings section that claims “We can save you money every time you shop with us”, or the Hot, New Products section that “brings you the latest products & trends.” On the page, that wasn’t there a month ago when I last ordered month is a special section called Freebies with Purchase that lists some free items you can receive if you purchase another specific item. There is also a link available so that you can view all of these offers.
ORDERING
Ordering with this site is very easy. After searching for your product, all you have to do is add it to your shopping cart. When you are done searching, just hit the purple “checkout” button to go to your cart. After this, you can either delete the item if you decide not to buy it, update the quantity, or checkout by clicking on the purple “checkout” button again. At this point you can enter your e-mail address and password if you are a returning customer. If not, you will have to set up your account. After this, you are taken to the screen where you must enter your credit card information and billing address. After this, you review your order and then process it. Drugstore.com will send a confirmation e-mail when they have received your order requested and have processed it.
Drugstore.com has a privacy policy that guarantees that your information will be kept confidential and only be used for their purposes. When placing your first order, you will be asked to set up an account of your own, similar to any other website. The site will ask you pertinent information such as your name, mailing address, credit card number and expiration date, and e-mail address. If you are ordering prescriptions, there are a few more questions that will be asked of you, such as your date of birth, allergies, illness information, gender, and current medications you are taking.
RECEIVING
Drugstore.com currently ships to US addresses only. PO Boxes with the US are accepted also. If you really need that shampoo pronto, non-prescription orders can be sent standard delivery, 3-day delivery, 2-day delivery, or overnight delivery. You can choose which order method you prefer.
Standard Shipping: $0-249.99 = $5.49
$250-499.99 = $19.95
$500 or more = $99.95
Overall order processing and shipping time is 5-9 days.
3-Day Shipping: $0-249.99 = $8.95
$250-499.99 = $29.95
$500 or more = $129.95
Overall order processing and shipping time is 3 days.
2-Day Shipping: $0-249.99 = $14.95
$250-499.99 = $49.95
$500 or more = $149.95
Overall order processing and shipping time is 2 days.
Overnight Shipping: $0-249.99 = $29.95
$250-499.99 = $89.95
$500 or more = $199.95
Overall order processing and shipping time is 1 day.
Drugstore.com has no problems with refunding your money for a product that you did not want if your item is in good (new) condition with all of the packaging, make-up color is not what you expected, item was received damaged, or if the incorrect item was shipped to you. You must make a claim within thirty days of the day you received your order. The return shipping is your responsibility unless the company shipped you the wrong item. Once the company has received your returned item, you will be credited within 21 days and will receive an e-mail stating so. Prescription orders cannot be returned because of FDA regulations, but Drugstore.com does provide a 1-800 number on their site that you can call in case in received the wrong prescription or your order was damaged.
MY EXPERIENCE
I really enjoy buying through Drugstore.com because it offers me convenience, availability, and good buys on products that I use. Most of the time I don’t mind paying the shipping because the site saves me time (1/2 hour to Target one way) and the hassle of traveling with the wacky drivers out on the road. And I receive my packages in a decent time frame. Drugstore.com states that their standard shipping takes from 5-9 days, and I have found this to be true. My last ordered was received within 6 days of ordering it. Everything was in perfect condition. I received all of the products that I had ordered plus the free gift, with nothing damaged or defective. Drugstore.com packages their products so that none could be damaged upon delivery. With items that could leak, like shampoo or hair gel, they wrap shrink-wrap around them. This prevents any of your other items from being slimed if your shampoo or gel leaks.
Something that I liked most about this site was the section at the bottom that shows you the items that you viewed most recently. This is a good feature for me because I often check around at different sites to price an item. If I decide to purchase the item at Drugstore.com, I can easily find the item that I had viewed, without re-searching for it. It just makes the task of ordering products easier to accomplish. This site also allows you to get all the information you need on your desired product. Once you click on the product you want after using the searching method, Drugstore.com takes you to the product information. The product size, price, ingredients, and directions are all shown to you to help you make your buying decision.
I have found it easy to buy products from special name brands like Philosophy and Burt’s Bee’s, things that you cannot buy in the drug stores or Target. Traveling 45 minutes to the mall just to buy some shampoo or lotion does not make me a happy camper. I eagerly await my e-mail notices from Drugstore.com telling me about their specials and top sellers. I’m always game to try something new.
The site pages do tend to be somewhat cluttered but that does not interfere with the overall presentation. I think they have just enough on the pages and do not go too overboard on them.
I have never had a problem ordering from this site or with any of the items that I have received so I cannot comment on their customer service department. I am actually glad for that because I hate having to go through the hassle of returning a product. But the site does offer you a list of FAQ’s and customer service numbers if you do have a problem.
So overall I love Drugstore.com and will continue or buy my beauty and health care items from them because of their reliability, immense product selection, and freebies offered.
~ Happy Buying!
Kim
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
kld718
|
 in Wellness & Beauty, Books |
 - Top 200 |
|
Location: Central Florida
Reviews written: 606
Trusted by: 313 members
About Me:
Preparing for a return to writing!
|
|
|
drugstore.com
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.