Walgreens

My first time inside a Walgreens was during the spring of 2007. Though it was located along the tony Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago, the store was decrepit, dingy and disheveled.

I was in search of Neutrogena's passionfruit lip balm at the time, and while making my way to the makeup wall at the back of the store, I found myself bumping into, squeezing past and literally stepping on the toes of other shoppers. Every aisle in the store was less than four feet across. And when it came time to check out, there was a line no longer than five people. Yet, I had no choice but to stand in the middle of the most heavily-trafficked area toward the front. Those of us waiting in line were blocking others from smoothly navigating one aisle to the next. And there was very little we could do about it.

I grew up on the East Coast, in a region where CVS is the most popular drug store. Since living Chicago, I've moved to San Francisco, where there's a Walgreens on every block and nary a CVS around. (Yes, we have Longs Drugs here -- which is operated by CVS -- but it's not the same.)

The greatest difference between the two drug store is aesthetics. While CVS is bright, airy and clean, Walgreens routinely feels stale, dank and haphazard. Though I can only editorialize on the two stores based on my own experience, I think I've observed enough to put together a decent opposition chart:

COLORS

CVS: The brand color is a vibrant primary red. All of the signage, employee uniforms and decor look polished, put-together and cheery. Employees look alert and are easy to find. You'll occasionally find them wearing a mixture of baby blue and red, which is also professional and clean-looking. 

Walgreens: The brand color is dark blue. The logo is red and white, but the interior signs and the employee uniforms are dark blue. It's not upbeat, it's not eye-catching and it contributes to the dumpy, soporific store aura. 

GROCERY

CVS: Wide selection of food and drinks. In other words, you get more than one option per item. It won't be as generous as shopping at a supermarket, but you could make a respectable meal from what's offered here. 

Walgreens: Mostly carries one brand per item. I had no choice but to go there once for jam. The only option? A big plastic jug of Welch's grape jelly. Unless your diet consists of nothing more than Wonderbread, Heinz ketchup and Funyons, don't even bother. Dairy foods are out of the question. 

LAYOUT

CVS: Wide aisles with low shelving. At the front of the store, there's almost always a good 10 feet of space between the cash registers and the shopping aisles. This means people can wait in line while others shop seamlessly behind them.

Walgreens: Narrow, cramped aisles with shelving that stretches toward the ceiling. Heaven forbid you need anything located on the top level -- you'll need an employee who, in turn, will need a step ladder. Almost no space between the registers and the other aisles, meaning you'll always be stepping in and out of place to make room for your fellow shoppers.

SECURITY

CVS: Your typical "high-end" ware (designer perfumes, electronics) are stored behind clear, locked cabinets. They are either sensibly located behind the counter or well-positioned along a spacious wall. Employees always have keys on them.

Walgreens: Instead of placing some of the more expensive items behind locked shelving, it often feels like Walgreens puts anything with a value greater than $5 behind lock and key. My local store has shower gel and body wash locked. Sixteen-ounce plastic bottles of, like, Olay Body Wash for $6.99 require employee assistance. Employees never have keys on them. And the plastic security shelving is always cracked, beaten-up and yellowing. 

SIGNAGE

CVS: Again, when promoting sales and special offers, you'll find bright red signs with white lettering. Simple, clear, basic. The signs always look like they were designed by, you know, an actual graphic designer somewhere at CVS Corporate. 

Walgreens: Here, you'll find deals promoted on flimsy yellow one-sheets with black type and unbelievably rudimentary design. They look like Joe Schmo rigged them up on his computer in the back room, using Microsoft Word. (Also, note the superior math skills displayed on this particular sign. Three for $2, or 59 cents each. Are we rounding up now? Walgreens can't even do sales correctly!) 

Photo credits: mr.checkout.net, phillips.blogs.com and jbaltz.com.