You can even order your prescription drugs online...CVS.com
Written: Feb 17 '03
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After shopping through Drugstore.com a few times and really enjoying their selection of products, I was not thinking at all about shopping anywhere else. But when I was browsing through a site on day a few months ago, I happened to run across and advertisement for CVS.com and clicked over to check it out.
~ THE WEBSITE ~
When we arrive at the homepage, we are confronted with numerous possibilities. When I ordered a few times about 2 months ago, around the holiday season, they were featuring a “free gifts for holiday shoppers” promotion. Currently, they are offering free shipping on nonprescription orders of $45 or more.
The homepage is relatively uncluttered and easy to understand. You can access a page for free gifts with purchase, other special offers, and new items with just one click. They also have a section there that includes what they call “Super Savers” which is basically items that have been reduced for a quick sell. Though sometimes, the items are still relatively high priced.
Your shopping cart is located at the top of the page, on every page. You can add and delete items by clicking on the “add to cart” icon located near each item for sale. Or if you just find yourself looking around and do not intend to purchase at the point, you can add any items you are interested in to your list just by clicking the “save to list” icon also located with the item.
If you are on a mission and know exactly what you are looking for, you can “shop by brand” instead of wasting so much time browsing through the site looking for an item. This can save you some time, if you are in a hurry.
Unlike Drugstore.com’s numerous shopping tabs at the top of their homepage, CVS.com features only four tabs to pick from. This is along with the search box that you have easy access to.
~ Shopping Aisles...Clicking on this button will take to another page that is loaded with more options. You have a choice of browsing through 10 categories which include: Allergy Care, Household Needs, Baby & More, Occasions & Gifts, Cosmetics, Personal Care, Health & Wellness, Photo Store, Home Health Care, and Vitamins & More. These categories mentioned also include subcategories with a more specific listing of what you can find in each.
For example...the Health & Wellness section has other subsections which include: Home Diagnostics, Diet & Nutrition, First Aid, Allergy, Sinus & Asthma, and Cough & Cold.
Also located on this page is the Our Favorites listing. This includes CVS.com’s picks for their customers.
~ Photo Center...This page gives you some options for those that are into photography. You can upload your pictures to the site, for viewing or enhancing. And of course you can buy film, batteries and other photo supplies straight through the site. We are given such topics as Camera Buying Guide, Develop Photos, FAQs, Kodak Picture Center, Photo Store, and a Photo Tracker.
CVS provides it’s customers with a Tips & Techniques section, where you can read over certain topics and learn how to take your pictures better. Frequently Asked Questions has also been developed to answer those popular questions that those photo seekers seem to have.
~ Pharmacy Counter...With this section you can fill new prescriptions, transfer your prescriptions to CVS, or refill prescriptions already registered for either mail delivery or a convenient pick-up at your local store. You simply have to complete the form including the Rx number, CVS store number, your phone number, and any other comments you wish to make. This service can only be done if you have previously ordered from your local CVS store. You locate your medication by the first letter and pick it from their extensive listing. If you are just in the shopping comparison mode, you can look up the price listing to find out how much CVS is charging for your medication. Some other helpful things within this page are: Refill Reminders, Pharmacy Boards, Ask The Phramacist, Q&A, Medication Details, and Herb & Supplement Information. Orders for new prescriptions are verified by CVS before they are filled and it takes a little longer to receive these prescriptions because of the verification and filling procedure.
~ Healthier Living...You can find some information on this category right on the homepage. They include a “Health Spotlight” that contains an article concerning some important new finding. They also have many more articles on health related issues that you can browse through along with a link to WebMD. On the actual page, you can basically get a lot of the same information as you can with browsing through the rest of the site. Some things include: Pharmacy Q&A, From the Pharmacist, WebMD news, Health Spotlight news, researching health plans, finding a doctor, and browsing the Home Health care aisle of products.
Also included on the homepage are five smaller icons, which are your basic little buttons found on every website that can help guide you through your shopping process.
~ Register...Signing in is simple. If you have previously registered with the site, all you have to do is enter your member name and password to access your account. If you are a new member, simply complete the registration form with your member name, e-mail address, chosen password, and a reminder question with answer in case you forget your password. You can also sign up for e-mail newsletters to get the latest offers and deals sent right to your mail.
~ Your Account...Accessing this page will give you all of your information. Review your account summary (payment information, shipping address), membership details (contact information, password), your prescription information (including health care provider, previous prescriptions orders, and medical health history), order status (shipment date), and your previous orders. You can also access your “shopping list” which is composed of 35 nonprescription items that you pick. This comes in handy if you find yourself ordering the same items time after time. You can store these frequently used items on your list and simply choose from the list next time, instead of browsing around the site. It’s fast and convenient shopping.
~ Site Map...This page comes in handy if you know exactly what you are looking for and where it is located on the site. This page includes all of the categories that you can order from and even all of the sub-categories. It is basically an overview of the whole site.
~ Store Finder…Need to know where a store is located near you? Easy. Use the simple store finder located here and enter in your zip code or city, state, and store preference. I know that there is no store in my city or any of the neighboring one’s. So if I wanted to see if there was one in Orlando, I can simply enter this information and CVS will provide me with a listing of the stores closest to me, which happens to be about a half hour away.
~ Help...Have a question about the site? Take a look at this section for a variety of questions and answers on basically everything on the site.
~ ORDERING ~
Ordering from this site is also simple to do. After browsing and searching for products, simply add them to your shopping cart. When you are ready to check-out, simply access your shopping cart, make sure all of the items and quantities are correct and hit “checkout.” After doing so, you will be taken to a page that will list your saved payment information (for previous shoppers), saved shipping information, your contact information, shipping preferences, and your present order. After viewing this information and making any corrections, you can then review your order before submitting it. Here you have one last chance to change anything and view your total order (shipping and tax included) before submitting it.
If you find yourself changing your mind at this point, you can choose to “cancel my order”. But if you select “place my order”, you are confirming that everything is correct and you cannot cancel after this point.
~ RECEIVING ~
I was really impressed with the shipping times when ordering with CVS. Even though they state that it takes 5-10 business days to receive a shipment by standard delivery, it has always taken a shorter time for me to receive my orders. When ordering the past few times, I was not in a hurry to receive my products, so I choose the standard shipping method. But was really impressed when I received my shipment two days later by priority mail. And I didn’t even pay anything extra...I paid the standard shipping price.
Prescriptions Items:
Standard 5-10 business days $1.95
Priority 5-7 business days $9.95
Express 3-6 business days $16.95
If your medication requires refrigeration, you have no option with shipping, it will be shipped to you via Express delivery.
Non-Prescription Items:
Standard 5-10 business days $4.95
Priority 5-7 business days $9.95
Express 3-6 business days $16.95
Standard shipping is now being offered for free on your total order of $45 or more. This offer does not apply to prescription orders.
~*~ MY EXPERIENCE ~*~
Overall I have enjoyed my visits to the CVS website. The site is easy to use and not as cluttered as Drugstore.com's website. So now I have two places to shop and compare those prices at, as I am a very big bargain shopper!
Ordering, shipping and receiving my orders with CVS always went off without a hitch. I would order and receive an e-mail confirmation the next day that my products were being processed. I received my orders, within 2-3 business days and they all came by priority mail at no extra charge to me. I loved the fact that I received my products so quickly. This is good if you found yourself running very low on something and needed to replenish quickly. And often times, I have received some kind of sample with my order and was impressed because I had no idea that they did this because most websites will tell you and add it to your cart.
I really liked the online pharmacy options available with this website. It would be a good site for elderly people who find themselves unable to make the trip to the drugstore to refill their prescriptions. They can easily order online and receive them through the mail. And for those not having the time to stand in line for prescriptions, they can easily do everything online and then just run into their local CVS store to pick up the prescription. It’s simple, easy to use, and so convenient.
CVS’s website also goes above and beyond just being a shopping experience. It is great to use for health related questions because they are partnered with WebMD. So you can kind of call it your one stop shop. Finding the information you need, shopping for products that you need, researching your conditions and getting prescriptions. What more can you ask for?
I cannot make a comment on their customer service department because I have never had to question them for anything. Nor have I received any damaged products or things that I just didn’t order. My products have always come intact and not damaged in any way.
I have to say that I was really impressed with this site each time that I chose to order from it. Not only are their prices competitive, their shipping is not outrageous, and their shipping time frames were awesome. I would definitely recommend anyone shopping on this site as an alternative to some other sites that might take a little longer to ship the products that you are in need of. While they definitely do not have all of the items that they carry in the brick & mortar store, I can always find what I am looking for and would rather order my products online then drive 45 minutes in the horrid Orlando traffic to get to the store.
~ Happy Shopping!
Kim
See my Drugstore.com review for another great online shopping experience!
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Location: Central Florida
Reviews written: 606
Trusted by: 297 members
About Me: Life has just taken over...
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