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We shopped at a Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid to see which was the best drugstore, and there was a clear winner
We shopped at a Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid to see which was the best drugstore, and there was a clear winner
Jessica Tyler,Jessica TylerJul 10, 2018, 18:43 IST
Business Insider/Jessica Tyler
Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid are drugstore chains that sell everything from groceries to greeting cards.
All three stores have pharmacies that offer services like flu shots.
They each offer rewards programs that can earn shoppers major discounts.
When we visited neighboring locations of Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid in Westchester, New York, we found that the atmospheres were drastically different at the three stores.
Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid are everywhere you go. Some towns have just one of the drugstores, others have two, and some - like where we visited in Westchester, New York - have all three stores less than five minutes apart from each other.
Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid carry everything from groceries and cosmetics to household supplies and greeting cards. Each of the stores has a pharmacy, and they all have rewards cards that offer serious savings.
Both Walgreens and CVS operate between 8,000 and 10,000 stores in the United States, and Rite Aid operates around 2,500.
But the stores' atmospheres couldn't be more different. When we visited a Walgreens store in Westchester, New York, it was bright, clean, and well-organized. Upbeat music was playing, and there were plenty of people shopping around. When we visited a CVS store just five minutes away, it was dark and messy. There were dark gray carpeted floors, empty soda cans, old shopping lists, and no shortage of empty shelves. Security TVs loomed over every aisle, and it was eerily quiet.
Rite Aid fell in the middle - it was mostly clean, but there were bins and shopping carts everywhere and a lot of empty shelves. It was also very quiet.
Same-store sales were down 1.2% at Walgreens in the second quarter, while at CVS, which is in the midst of a merger with Aetna, same-store sales were up 1.6% in the most recent quarter. Rite Aid saw same-store sales decrease 0.7% in its most recent quarter.
In the entryway were a shelf of toys and a Rite Aid weekly ad.
Cosmetics was the first department, selling brands like Maybelline, L'Oreal, and CoverGirl for between $6 and $20 a product. Most products in this section and throughout the store had a yellow tag with a special promotion for Wellness+ Rewards members.
Rite Aid's Wellness+ Rewards program offers almost identical perks as Walgreens' program, allowing shoppers to earn points on every purchase. At each store, almost every product had a rewards-member-only lower price.
The shelves themselves were well stocked and organized, but there were carts and blue bins everywhere, blocking the aisle.
This continued throughout the store — there were big blue bins everywhere.
Near the cosmetics section was a small jewelry display selling necklaces, bracelets, and earrings for $10 or less.
There were two aisles filled with greeting cards and gift-wrapping supplies ...
... office supplies ...
... books and magazines ...
... and an "as seen on TV" section.
Rite Aid also carried toys, but the selection was underwhelming.
Groceries were on the other end of the store, next to a small photo-printing station. There were gallons of milk for $2.99, but the store definitely seemed to be running low.
There were hardly any water bottles left on the shelves ...
... but there were a ton of groceries.
At the end of a long aisle was a pharmacy that offers flu shots, blood pressure tests, and other services. There were multiple aisles of cold medicines and supplements, as well as a small waiting area near the pharmacy.
Walking towards the exit, I went through an aisle filled with outdoor furniture, beach chairs, pool floats, and other seasonal products. The store was relatively clean, but blue bins were left everywhere, and a significant amount of products were out of stock. It offered a lot of deals for rewards members.
Next I went to CVS, just two minutes down the road.
The cosmetics section was immediately to the left of the entrance. It also carried typical drugstore brands including Maybelline, L'Oreal, and CoverGirl. Prices typically ranged from $8 to $20 for a product.
The section didn't give the best first impression of the store. Many shelves were half empty or falling apart.
Further down the aisle, I found the hair accessories section. It was a mess — hairbands were tangled up, products were falling off the shelves, and there was even an empty soda can left behind.
At the end of the aisle were a few shelves of jewelry selling products similar to those at Rite Aid. Most pieces cost under $10.
There were also greeting cards and candles ...
... office supplies ...
... and tons of random products throughout the store. In one aisle there were "as seen on TV" products, picture frames, toys, and candy.
One aisle over carried every vitamin, cold medicine, and supplement imaginable. It looked as though every single product carried a deal for members. It was hard to see the regular price because of how many bright yellow tags there were offering special member-only deals, a trend that continued through the whole store.
The CVS ExtraCare program offers shoppers perks like members-only pricing and 2% back in ExtraBucks Rewards points, which add up to additional perks and discounts each time you shop.
The pharmacy in the back of the store was visible from the aisle of groceries. There was no waiting area, and people were wandering around, waiting for a pharmacist to be ready to help them.
Near the groceries was a refrigerated-foods aisle carrying drinks like milk, orange juice, and soda. The prices were on par with any other gas station or convenience store — for example, water bottles cost $1 to $3. Chocolate syrup was on display in front of the milk ...
... and beach chairs sat atop the refrigerators. Cleaning supplies, pet food, sodas, and home-repair tools were all squeezed into one corner of the store. All in all, it felt pretty disorganized.
Back towards the front of the store was the photo department. It was silent.
By the register were candy and gum packages, most of which cost under $2. Even here, there were empty shelves and special deals for rewards members.
No one was at the register, and there were no employees in sight. Overall, the store was dark and had a lot of empty shelves. There were a lot of great deals offered to ExtraCare cardholders, but it wasn't a nice place to shop overall.
My final stop was Walgreens, five minutes from CVS and Rite Aid.
The layout was similar to the other stores, with cosmetics immediately at the front of the store. Walgreens carried the same brands as the other stores, and the prices were about the same as well.
The store was much brighter and much more organized than CVS. Empty shelves were few and far between, and all prices were clearly labeled.
The store felt spacious compared with CVS and Rite Aid, though they're roughly the same size. Everything was more spread out, and instead of gray and red or dark blue, signage was light blue and white, which made it feel cheery.
Most products carried at the three stores overlapped, like greeting cards ...
... cleaning, kitchen, and home supplies ...
... and groceries. The grocery selection here was nearly identical to CVS', but at Walgreens it was a lot less cluttered and easier to see each product. Rite Aid had the biggest selection of groceries, taking up two aisles instead of one.
Walgreens sold sodas and other refrigerated drinks. The prices were about the same as CVS and Rite Aid, but Walgreens had the greatest variety.
There was an aisle filled with cold medicines and supplements, each of which had a special members-only price.
Walgreens' Balance Rewards program allows shoppers to earn points for every dollar spent, which can add up to discounts on future purchases.
The pharmacy at Walgreens was similar to that of Rite Aid, and both were much nicer and bigger than at CVS. At CVS, it was shoved in the back of the store, hidden behind aisles with no designated waiting area. Walgreens' pharmacy was spacious and easier to find, with a waiting area and a much bigger counter with more staff members working.
Unlike at CVS and Rite Aid, the photo department at Walgreens had a line of people waiting to print photos, and an employee was there, ready to help. There were three people at the registers as opposed to zero at CVS and one at Rite Aid. Overall, Walgreens was the cleanest of the stores, offered the widest selection, and was generally the nicest place to shop.
