A review by
dacker written on May 2, 2009
Full review
Selection is broad. They seem to stock some Rite-Aid house brand products in addition to mainstream brands, but I don't think they are owned by Rite-Aid. Instead, they use Rite-Aid to fulfill any prescriptions that you transfer to them from your existing pharmacy. The retail products must be a spillover from that relationship.
It was a little disconcerting when I went to purchase some American Crew products and the product details said that they couldn't guarantee that the product was authentic. Black-market shampoo? Who knew? Sounds like lawyer-required speak, and the products I have purchased have always seemed to be as marked and advertised, but forewarned, etc.
drugstore.com are always advertising numerous products, and you might find something you're looking for at a good discount that way. It's worth a look - check the "Coupons" tab at the top of the page. I'm a guy, and most of the coupons don't seem to fit my needs - but I always look anyway, just in case.
Delivery using standard shipping - after their "processing" and other handling - is one to two full weeks. Depending on your order, it might be worth paying the up-charge for something faster. That up-charge is actually pretty decent for heavier orders. $11.99 for two-day shipping, depending on what you purchased - could be good for both you and drugstore.com.
drugstore.com's customer service is offshored to save money - but that also means that their vendors don't have to abide by US privacy laws when it comes to your credit card information. It's no different than most US credit card companies, but worth noting.
Now, here's where it gets iffy.
drugstore.com sells the personally-identifiable information about what you search for and purchase in numerous ways, and then requires that you figure out who they’ve sold it to and then requires you to contact those companies to try and stop the further marketing of your shopping habits.
Think about this last part for a minute. They don't just market what you purchase - which is bad enough - but what you search for. Along with your name and email and ....
Let's face it, no one wants to get a email or letter in the mail saying anything like "we noticed that you searched for pregnancy kits at drugstore.com."
Note this is only the case for retail items - prescriptions aren't included in this program, because they can't be shared by law without your express consent.
When I shop with a vendor, I expect that my relationship with that vendor stays private between us. Even more so when it comes to personal care and health products.
And - if they are going to market that information - my vendor should plainly and clearly offer an online, one-click method for immediately ending that marketing of my personal information.
Ultimately, this last one limits what I will purchase from drugstore.com - and greatly limits what I will even look for at their site.
Changing their privacy practices and giving more accurate estimates for order processing time - before you place the order (as in live in-stock notice and shipping time estimate to your zip code) would elevate drugstore.com above many of their competitors and - dare I say it - even their former partner, amazon.com.