Walgreens Amps Up Drive-Thru Grocery Program

In March, Walgreens expanded its drive-thru offering beyond prescriptions into other store items to give shoppers an alternative during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now Walgreens is going one step further with a click-and-collect solution, a new digital add-on in which customers can order select household essentials and health-and-wellness products for drive-thru pickup.

Customers choose from a curated assortment of more than 100 household items online, including cleaning supplies; select over-the-counter products such as cough/cold, pain/fever and immunity support; select grocery items; infant formula/adult nutrition, medical supplies; first aid; and paper goods. They then pay for the items at pickup.

“During this current COVID-19 pandemic, we recognized the need for safe, alternative shopping options that helped promote social distancing,” said Richard Ashworth, president of Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreens. “As a result, we quickly developed and launched this newest digital service – ordering online and picking up at drive-thru – in a manner of just a few short weeks. Walgreens customers and patients now can shop from the convenience of their own homes and pick up their purchases on their terms. This is another example of our ongoing commitment to adapt to and meet changing consumer behaviors during these challenging times.”

The new service is available from the company's more than 7,300 participating pharmacy drive-thrus in the United States. When drive-thru order and in-store pricing varies, the final order total will be adjusted at pickup to reflect the lowest price. The service isn't available in Connecticut and Puerto Rico.

Walgreens operates 9,277 drug stores, with a presence in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, along with its omnichannel business, Walgreens.com.