Drugstore Superstore
Drugstore.com
Shoppers will find medicine and a zillion categories including cosmetics, health supplies, household supplies and cleaners, pet and baby supplies, sexual health products, diet foods and snacks. Drugstore.com also fills prescriptions and sells contact lenses. Sister site Beauty.com sells high end bath and cosmetics only a click away and allows shoppers to combine orders to save on shipping.
The best part is that like a good credit card, Drugstore.com rebates your purchases up to 5%! Unlike other companies, Drugstore.com sends regular reminders so that you don't forget about existing credit close to expiring.
Navigating Drugstore.com
Finding items is easy at Drugstore.com. Available searches include product name, brand, keyword or combinations of any of those. Clicking category links allow consumers to visit entire sections of the online superstore. Previous purchaase history is also a click away, allowing fast reordering.
The shopping cart and checkout work well, storing information and funcitoning properly. I have had one or two minor errors, but customer service quickly fixed the issue every time.
Two emails, confirming the order and shipping, are sent with each order. Drugstore.com also splits shipments to ensure that an entire large order does not remain backordered. There have been some minor packaging and fulfillment errors recently, but customer service took care of these too, making them mere minor annoyances. The packaging could be better, however, even if service folks fix the problem.
Shop Carefully, But Drugstore.com Will At Least Stock The Item
Drugstore.com usually has exactly what I need in stock, which saves time and gas money so that I don't have to search at shops and malls. Harder to find items may be more expensive, but taking time and the hassle of trying to find them in a physical store may make up for the cost difference. And don't forget that rebate, as well as any other rebates or points from eBates or MyPoints.
Not everything is pricier than other stores. Some things are right on par with offline stores and some are even cheaper. Drustore.com often has great gifts with better brand purchases (like Philosophy) that absolutely make them the place to shop.
Customer Service at Drugstore.com
The store has a 100% color guarantee on most cosmetics. That means they will pay shipping and other costs if the shade you pick is incorrect. That kind of guarantee is hard to come by online, making Drugstore.com a great place to buy beauty products.
I also turn to Drugstore.com for everyday needs and for purchases I am just too lazy to go out and get or that I can't find locally. Although I always get free shipping (All orders over $49.00 get free shipping), I'm careful to compare prices with local stores if they have the items and alos factor in the cost of driving out to get them.
The Bottom Line, Clicks and All
Shipping is free in the US for orders over $49.00 and expediting shipping is available. Orders under $49.00 have reasonable shippring rates and can also be expedited.
Unopened non-prescriptions can be returned for 30 days. Drugstore.com is like a drugstore superstore with a deep selection of stock.
Beauty.com, its higher end cosmetic sister site, is a terrible temptress and it's so easy to drop a pricey cosmetic into my Drugstore.com cart from Beauty.com and not really feel guilty because the order really is JUST a drugstore one, isn't it?
The 5% cash back program is a nice incentive, and the gifts with purchases are always fun to get.
Customer service to be excellent, and my orders generally come to me just fine. The free shipping is sometimes a little slow so be sure to pay a little more expediting your order if you need the item faster.
Despite the sometimes higher prices, I often shop at Drugstore.com I have saved countless hours shopping there instead of schlepping to the store to stock up on necessities and I have gotten some pretty nifty gifts and specials.
I also am quite impressed with their customer service. They cater to me, and shopping divas like myself appreciate that extra attention.
