CVS ratio. Walgreens: What’s the difference? Which is better? cheaper? (find out!)
CVS and Walgreens always seem to be close. They are direct competitors and both have huge market shares.
However, if you’ve been exposed to both, you might agree that CVS and Walgreens are very similar. So what’s the difference between CVS and Walgreens? Which is better? Which is cheaper? We looked into it and here’s what we found…
CVS ratio.Walgreens
CVS (Consumer Value Stores) and Walgreens are both large health and pharmacy retail chains in the United States. Both companies offer health and wellness products, health support and information, photo services and prescription drugs. Both companies have their own line of brands. They are completely independent companies.
This article looks at CVS and Walgreens: differences, similarities, and conclusions.
What are the Similarities Between Walgreens and CVS?
Walgreens and CVS offer very similar services. These services are specific to pharmacy retail as well as providing and supporting a wide range of health needs.
Both CVS and Walgreens sell prescription and over-the-counter drugs and medicines. You’ll be able to shop for makeup and beauty products, seasonal merchandise, gift cards, greeting cards, stamps, sun protection products, healthy foods and treats, as well as a wide range of designer home care tools and products.
Both Walgreens and CVS have their own private labels. You can see these clearly marked on both websites.
Health services provided by CVS and Walgreens include:
- Pharmacy Services
- Photo development and retouching
- Vaccine Clinic
- prescription glasses
- diabetes equipment
- RX Override Support
- Virtual Nursing/Home Visits
- General Health Clinic
- prescription transfer
- Contact with suppliers
- counseling
- Pharmacy advice
- drug management
- Delivery
Do Walgreens and CVS have the same social responsibility?
Both companies claim (and advertise) a range of social responsibilities. These include:
- Provide quality care for all
- diversity
- Environmental friendly
- Sustainability
- Building healthy communities
- Virtual Nursing Solutions
- mental health
- CVS Health has emphasized its commitment to helping address prescription opioid abuse, which they say is “one of the biggest public health problems of this generation.”
- Frontier Health News
- Walgreens has an additional social responsibility they call valuing diverse talent. Walgreens believes that these values, based on a commitment to recruiting, developing and motivating a diverse team, will strengthen relationships with the increasingly multicultural consumers and patients they serve.
- equal employment
- product integrity
Do Walgreens and CVS have incentive programs?
Both CVS and Walgreens offer rewards programs to their customers. The CVS program is called ExtraCare and the Walgreen program is called myWalgreens. Both were developed to reward customer loyalty and consistency, and both programs are free to join.
CVS Extra Care:
- Join for free
- Exclusive, personalized offers, savings, and rewards (in the form of ExtraBucks) on virtually everything your customers buy
- Points accumulated by customers can be spent like cash on almost anything store-wide (with some limitations)
- Accumulated points cannot be used to purchase gift cards, including CVS gift cards, prescription drugs, alcohol, money orders and lottery tickets
- You can join online or in-store
- Members receive a plastic ExtraCare card with a unique number
- Stickers for pharmacy products show the “ExtraBucks” rewards customers receive with each purchase, which they can redeem on their next visit.
CVS CarePass:
- The plan is a subscription plan, and joining costs $5 per month (or $48 per year). This program is best suited for CVS regulars.
- Members get all ExtraCare benefits and more, including a $10 monthly ExtraBucks bonus.
- Free same-day delivery on prescriptions
- 20% of CVS Health branded merchandise (including health products)
- 24/7 online access to pharmacists at participating locations
My Walgreens:
- Join for free
- Join online or in-store
- Customers save money by ‘unlocking’ sale prices
- Earn Unlimited Rewards Storewide (1% Walgreens Cash Rewards per $1)
- Earn rewards on Walgreens branded products (5% per $1)
- Exclusive Deals and Offers
myWalgreens Credit Card:
- Join for free
- Join online or in-store
- Customer unlocks sale price
- Earn Rewards (5% Walgreens Cash Rewards per $1)
- Earn rewards on Walgreens branded products (10% per $1)
- Other Purchase Rewards
- Other shopping convenience
- Earn Walgreens Cash Rewards for Reaching Health Goals
What are the main differences between Walgreens and CVS?
The main difference between Walgreens and CVS is company size. CVS is the larger company, followed by Walgreens. Both companies are trying to maintain a unique position in the pharmaceutical market.
CVS Health was founded in 1963 (formerly Consumer Value Stores) and Walgreens (now Walgreens Boots Alliance) was founded in 1901 as Walgreen Drug Co. CVS has slightly more dispensaries than Walgreens, although both chains currently have more than 9,000 US retail locations across the US.
CVS operates in the United States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. However, Walgreens has 13,000 locations in the US, Europe and Latin America.
Walgreens has historically been a “corner store,” with its entrance on the most-trafficked street. Many of these stores have increased momentum through pharmacies. Newer buildings at Walgreens have a more modern layout and overall look. Walgreens stores in big cities now have multiple floors.
CVS starts with department in larger department stores. In 1978, they began opening small health and beauty aid stores in enclosed malls, then in 1985 launched Caremark, a prescription benefit management service. Most of the CVS Mall stores have now been relocated to separate locations.
CVS and Walgreens have slightly different store formats. Walgreens stores tend to be all the same, while CVS stores may vary by location. Many CVS stores feature MinuteClinics for nurse practitioner care and prescription refills.
Both Walgreens and CVS keep tobacco and alcohol products behind the counter. However, CVS made an administrative decision in 2014 to stop selling tobacco as part of their goal of pursuing better health for all. The company thus became the first major pharmacy to stop selling tobacco.
Is CVS more expensive than Walgreens?
Regulars at both retailers agree that your fees (at either store) will largely depend on what you buy and how often you shop there.
That’s because if you’re a regular at any of these and you haven’t taken advantage of the rewards program on offer, you’re going to lose money anyway.
Demand for protective health products has increased over the past few years, with all major pharmacies struggling to achieve record sales. However, consumer feedback is based on the following conclusions:
- CVS is the cheapest for most prescription drugs
- Walmart has the lowest prices on several common vaccines, including seasonal flu shots
- CVS is the cheapest over-the-counter drug and vitamins (although Rite Aid is usually cheaper again
- Walmart is better for personal care and beauty products
- Both Walmart and CVS offer their own “store brands” that are always cheaper than others
- Both companies offer rewards programs that offer deep discounts
- CVS seems to have the widest selection of brands
Which Pharmacy is Better: CVS or Walgreens?
As the concept of “retail pharmacy” has grown to the ultra-convenient, hyper-presence service it stands for today, it’s now hard to distinguish a super-chain pharmacy.
All CVS and Walgreen pharmacies offer conveniences such as automatic prescription refills, text/phone/email reminders, home delivery, and online or app prescription management. They also feature drive-thru or curbside prescription pickup and longer hours of operation.
Both companies have plenty of shady and shameful histories that they no doubt wish didn’t exist. Both companies now present a complex mix of “social responsibility” that is nearly identical.
Shoppers agree that your choice of pharmacy chain will depend on how your local store treats you; in other words, it’s all about customer service, convenience, and support. These qualities are not unique to any one retail chain, but are produced by individuals working in local pharmacies.
Want to learn more about CVS? Be sure to read these following posts to find out if you can print documents at CVS and if CVS takes passport photos.
generalize
Many consumers wonder where to best find support and knowledge for ongoing (or sudden) health needs and issues. Walgreens and CVS, two of the largest pharmaceutical and health companies in the United States, both offer similar products and services.
