Would you miss Walgreens?

Continuing my “Would you Miss” series ...

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Does Walgreens provide such a unique product and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does Walgreens treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does Walgreens forge such unfailing emotional connections with its customers that they would fail to find another retailer that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

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Comments

[Boring Market]

Walgreens is not a purple cow. They don't do something that is so different that they make it better, they don't innovate the playing field. They are a brown cow, they serve a purpose and nothing more. They are not a lifestyle brand, they are just a brand that we use with our lifestyle.

[Dan Schawbel]

What's Walgreens?

JK - Well I think it depends where you live actually. If there is only Walgreen where you live and no CVS, then yes I would miss it.

[linkerjpatrick]

I think they put more thought into the style of their buildings and that adds to the quality of life in the communities where they are located. All the CVS stores which are their local competitors all look rather boring. If a Walgreen's and a CVS were wanting to build on a spot in my neighborhood and I had a say so and they only difference was how the building looked I would chose Walgreen's. That being said we have shopped at CVS more because they are closer and we have a pharmacy account/CVS card.

[The Masked Millionaire]

Truth be told I would not miss any store that all of a sudden vanished. Walgreen's is no exception.

In today's world there are 100 business' to take the place of every business that goes away.

Loyalty to a business no longer exists. Loyalty for the most part is reserved for "price".

People will argue that customer service, quality, and all sorts of other "used to be" relevant things matter. But they don't. If they did we would not have Wal-Mart.

The Masked Millionaire
www.TheMaskedMillionaire

[Stephen Macklin]

We had a Walgreen's. Then they changed it to a Rite-Aide. It didn't make much difference.

[Spacemonkey]

I'd have to completely disagree with the Masked Millionaire (sorry Mask, I hate to disagree with incognito rich people).

We use a small family pharmacy because they order what we want, help us when we are in a bind, and generally care.

I'm sure there are some kind and generally helpful folks working at the pharmacy at all the major-but-generic chains, but the bottom line is that the small family run business gives us a lot more service, and dare I say, more unique customer experience. Maybe make that "more personalized experience".

For me, there's a Duane Reade, CVS, Walgreens, and RiteAid all within walking distance. If every one of them disappeared tomorrow, I'd just need to find toilet paper and razors somewhere else. Not much else would matter.

However if our little family pharmacy disappeared tomorrow, we'd be in a deep pile of fecal matter, as I got no idea where I'm going to find my picky-whiny-wimpy-face-but-wiry-beard shaving cream, first aid ointment for the kids (homeopathic AND organic, boo-yah!) and all those other eccentric comforts that I've grown accustomed to finding in one place. Walgreens ain't on my short list of places to search for a replacement either, as I'm comfortably certain about 80% of my list won't be available at the nearest mega-chain.

[James Lamb]

No, not really. They are pretty interchangeable with Rite-Aid. There's one near us. I'd rather see a Starbucks on that corner. Or a small grocery store.

[Brian Oates]

I wondered the same thing. Then in talking to some older folks, they like the smaller size. Target/Walmart are too big. Yes, they may pay a few extra dollars, but the convenience is worth it to them. (Yet again showing it's not always about price)

[Jennifer Yorke]

Shoppers Drugmart is a Canadian chain that has really made incredible efforts to prop up their brand and create a consumer experience. Having recently moved from Toronto to the States, I really miss the knowledge of Shoppers' employees, product selection and the cleanliness of the stores. Generally, products are a few cents more, but its worth it to not feel like you're shopping in a dirt hole.

[Kelly K.]

Unfortunately, CVS and Walgreens are the only two options in the city where I live, so I go to whichever is closest to my house. Right now I do believe that's a Walgreens. I purposely never go in those terrible places in favor of the drive through and I don't buy anything other the the necessary prescriptions. I sincerely miss the days of hometown pharmacies and personal service. If Walgreens went away tomorrow, I suppose I would make the painful trek across the street to CVS.

[Paul Chaney]

We don't live in a perfect world you know... :-)

Seriously, yea, I think I would miss it (for a while), though I'd probably just as easily transition to CVS or Rite-Aid.

Considering the tenor of the comments here, I hope someone at Walgreen's is paying attention. Perhaps they should consider an online community. Sounds like they need to energize their base of customer evangelists.

[Tracey]

IMO, there seems to be some inconsistency with Walgreen's stores (and therefore, the brand as a whole). I've gone to some that are pleasantly organized and clean, and the staff friendly. Some are as bad as CVS (which I hate) - stuff all over the place, clueless staff, etc. Usually, I'd rather go to Target -- they sell the same stuff, but it's consistently easy to find and I know what to expect. If my neighborhood Walgreens was one of the good ones, yeah, I'd miss it.

[Joel D Canfield]

I would not; never go there. My adult daughter will go out of her way to buy makeup and toiletries at Walgreens; when we moved from SoCal to NorCal, first thing she did was look them up. And it is quite a bit about the people.

So I guess we're 1 and 1 in our household.

[Jon]

Can't say that I would mind. For the most part, we don't even call Walgreens by name. I say something to the effect of "Can we run to the drug store?"

Regardless if the building is a CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, or something else, it makes no difference on my purchasing choices. All the stores offer near identical experiences. Their efforts to create loyalty with frequent shopper cards is antiquated.

[Fern R]

I've used a small, independent pharmacy before, and quite frankly, they were awful. They often didn't have the prescribed drugs I needed in stock and I had to wait a day or two while they ordered them. Also, they had limited hours of operation. Walgreen's, on the other hand, is open 24 hours, has a drive through, and has yet to tell me that they don't have my prescription in stock.

[Persia]

I would, mostly because in my community they're the only pharmacy with decent hours and an actual pharmacist on hand 24/7, which means I can show up at my convenience. All our mom and pop pharmacies sold out years ago, so it's really a battle of the chains.

[Elizabeth M]

Boring Market is right, Walgreen's isn't a purple cow. Still, I would miss my Walgreen's very much -- it is all about convenience.
Walgreen's is my favorite place to run in to purchase all kinds of items. It has a very convenient location and is well-organized (much better than the Rite Aid across the street or CVS.) I love being able to park right at the door and not having to walk a mile to get milk then another mile to pick up poster board for the forgotten school project.
It is so much more managable than Wal-Mart or Publix.
The weakness of my neighborhood Walgreen's -- the pharmacy staff has no customer service skills. We stick with Rite Aid for prescriptions - they are friendlier and much more helpful.
Our family makes a choice to use Walgreen's but truthfully, if it went away I'd learn to live with Rite Aid - but I won't like it as much.
(For years my younger daughter declared Walgreen's her favorite store. She was convienced you could buy everything there. Alas, she has graduated to the mall and more upscale stores!)

[KD]

Unlike CVS, Walgreens allows customers access to their prescriptions from any Walgreens location across the country, 24 hrs a day, 365 days a year. As someone who both moves and travels often, I find this service invaluable, and it is important to me to have a Walgreens nearby. Other than that key differentiator, all pharmacies -- CVS, Walgreens, Duane Reade, Rite Aid, Sav-on -- are the same. In fact, they even all use the same color scheme in their branding (red or red/blue). Sad category.

[Steven Hoober]

I actually worked at a drugstore in high school. There used to be a difference, but now I seriously cannot tell one from another without looking (carefully) at the branding. At least in this area, every drug store looks the same. And all have mediocre to terrible service, even from the pharmacy.

My favorite is the "Open 24-hours" neon, which means to every store within 20 miles (but one) the /store/ is open, but not the pharmacy. Misleading?

[Nikki]

Honestly, no. In fact, I only got to Walgreen's once every 3 months, or if I need a prescription.. and then only because I have an account there and don't want to bother with moving accounts again. I honestly don't know why I just don't move my account to my local grocery store, which provides the same service, only I don't have to sit and wait for 15+ minutes... I could just do my shopping.

[Brian Meehan]

Every time I enter a Walgreens, I feel like I’m entering a clinical setting like a hospital. The store has no life…no vibe. The shelves are crammed with products that are merchandised poorly. And in many cases, the employees are disengaged and cold. So why do I shop there? Convenience. Despite the negative vibe of the store, I find myself there often picking up various items on the go. It just goes to show that not every brand has to appeal to your deepest emotions and senses. Sometimes, fast and easy sells. What’s the secret at Walgreen’s….we’re on every corner and we’re open all night. As soon as CVS or another pharmacy catches up, I'll have no reason to shop there. There's no connection.

[starpower]

Your question is well-timed.

In a recent newspaper article, it was said that, eventhough price reductions are generating sales for Walgreens, they are cutting into profit margins for Walgreens and its competitors.

Apparently, Walgreens is not attracting paying customers based on any fundamental differences that may exist between it and comparable stores. Buyers are coming and going based on prices.

The customer experience at Walgreens evidently does not transcend price.

[Stephanie]

Reasons to love Walgreens:
-drive-through prescriptions
-a store on every corner in America means I can refill my scrips at home, on vacation, or halfway in between

Don't give me "they're just like CVS" - there aren't any CVSs here, and Rite Aid only has one store on the far side of town compared to Walgreens' five convenient locations around town. Yes, my locally-owned pharmacy gives better service... that is, as long as I remember to pick up my scrips before five, and God forbid I need something on Sunday.

For all it's many flaws (including, but not limited to, higher prices, lower quality, and crappy service), I'd miss what Walgreens has to offer in convenience because they are still the only ones offering it in my neck of the woods.

[Steve]

I have a CVS and Walgreens less than a quarter mile from each other, and I much prefer the Walgreens for the snack selection over CVS. Yes it is a drug store, but that's what drives me there.

Walgreens > CVS

[Susan]

Where I live, we have only Walgreens, RiteAid and Longs (no CVS). RiteAid has really slid in quality and they have those horrid diagonal aisles. Unshoppable! Longs is nicer, possibly pricier, but doesn't have any products that are interesting or compelling in any way. Unimaginitive! Walgreens is like a Longs, in that it's nicer, but, in my opinion, they have more interesting stuff. They exclusively carry a line of organic soaps and moisturizers, shampoos, etc. called "Yes to Carrots" that is excellent, plus they have a whole Burt's Bees display, and other products clearly marketed to my Bobo self. Upshot: I would miss it dearly!!

[Whitney Rosenbalm]

Nope. We don't get our RX's there because it's a total beating (they're SLLLLOOOOW). I would miss the crazy lady behind the cosmetics counter who, for whatever reason, keeps cosmetic coupons organized alphabetically in an index card box and gives them to you for free if you're buying something she has a coupon for (even tho that's pretty wierd). But, I still don't buy make-up there.

But, they do have AWESOME Walgreen's brand birthday cake-flavored ice cream. And even tho I know that, I still never go in there and it's 2 minutes away. Go figure. Maybe they could become an ice cream franchise?

[Helen]

haha i care i work there :]

and its def. a better store than cvs and rite aid. thats why i applied there. i really didnt like the atmosphere of rite aid or cvs.

[Amanda]

Uh Duh! I would miss Walgreen's. That's my JOB!

[Allison]

I have worked at Walgreens for nearly four years. During that time, I transferred schools, and attempted to transfer jobs. I continued to go back to Walgreens, and currently work at a new location conveniently located just across the street. The two stores I've worked at have both received customer service awards. I have personally received customer service awards as well. My store in my hometown is, admittedly, cleaner and more efficient than the new one, which is still trying to get over its new store bumps. However, I love working for Walgreens, and ran across this question while searching for a Walgreens logo so that I can make some signs for my store.

Not all Walgreens are the same. I have been to some that I think are absolutely horrible. But the same can go for any store, you just have to find the right fit for you.

Walgreens has great photo services--they still process 35 mm film, which is something that Walmart is going to stop doing. They partake in three annual photo shoots a year for the community, and most stores give participants a free photo. They often try to help you save money. Someone mentioned above that they thought it was weird that the cosmetics person gave them coupons. The senior beauty advisor at my old store also kept coupons at her register for customers. It's a sweet gesture--why is it weird? Walgreens also hold "Saturdates" in which they let customers try new cosmetic products and show them how to use them.

The pharmacies may not always be open 24 hours, even if the store is, but that is based on demand. If the pharmacy has enough demand to stay open 24 hours, it will be, but it costs a lot to keep all those pharmacists staffed for your one emergency prescription in the middle of the night, and keeping employees staffed without profit means that prices go up.

And don't think that Walgreens aren't accommodating. My new store just changed their hours from 7-10 to 7-11 because 10 was too early to close for campus students. My manager also carried a list around with him during the first two months the store was open and let customers make requests for items that they would like to see in the store, and if he could get them, he did.

There are plenty of other wonderful things about Walgreens, but I think I would rather you find it out for yourself!

[JR]

I would REALLY miss Walgreens. I live in St. Louis MO and ever since Phar-Mor closed its 3 stores in the St. Louis area in the mid 1990's all we have had is Walgreens. We have NO Rite Aid and NO CVS here. Walgreens stores are so plenfiful here that there is once case where you can stand in the parking lot of one Walgreens and see another Walgreens on a hilltop across the highway. The fact that we need some competition to shake things up here should be incentive for somebody else (CVS or Rite Aid) to come to town.

[Lauren]

I get my prescriptions from Target pharmacy...so no. It serves no purpose for me.

[T]

I would miss it only because I work there. Some of you have mentioned impersonal service, but all of the employees at my store ask if the customers are finding everything alright (we don't do it because we simply want to, its part of the job). Not to mention you realize just how stupid the general public is, with the inability to reason and figure out the simplest tasks. You will get different service from different stores depending on which one you shop. I have gone to some other local stores and found terrible service, others had great service.

[Team Walgreens]

Walgreens employees would definitely miss them. Go Team Walgreens! It is a great company to work for, awesome management, great benefits, amazing profit sharing. We will miss Walgreens if your unthinkable scenario happened. We have the greatest market VPs, greatest DMs and pharmacy supervisors. Proud to be a Walgreens employee.

[eugenee]

I also work there--worst decision I have made in a long time.....this is a new store and most of the employees were promised more pay than what we are receiving. When we got our first pay checks, we saw the hourly wage was short--the manager said to wait a month, then said wait another month--four months later, still way below what they promised in the interview.....also we were promised decent hours, but now are required to work far more evenings and weekends than we were told. They said they can't afford to hire enough staff to cover off=hours, so we have to cover them, too. I am really sad at how this thing has turned out.....They also purposely don't use Lysol wipes to clean where customers touch, like at registers and on the basket handles. They figure, the more people who get sick ,the more meds they will sell.....I hate this lack of integrity. The kids at the mini-mart where I buy my gas get paid more than we do, they also wipe down their store surfaces.