In all my years (okay, so it hasn't been *that* many) of Yelping, I never thought I'd review a Walgreen's, let alone give it four stars.
By now you've heard all about this new, upscale, flagship Walgreen's, located in the heart of the Loop. It's kind of funny actually because on this very spot once sat the grossest, most depressing Walgreen's in the history of the world. It was a real urban blight, but I'll digress.
All traces of that nasty Walgreen's are but a distant memory. Indeed, if the sign outside didn't say "Walgreen's," I'd have a hard time believing it.
This Walgreen's is bright, modern, cheery, and some of the employees are even wearing suits. They even, *gasp*, greet you in a very friendly matter. Methinks I'm not in Kansas, er, Walgreen's anymore.
The first floor of this two-story behemoth is reserved for all things food and drink related (but take note of the fresh flowers and Redbox vending machine). A made-to-order sushi station, smoothie/juice bar, self-serve frozen-yogurt bar (with at least six flavors!), a baked goods section, an espresso bar, and tons of ready-made sandwiches, salads, wraps, and the like. I daresay the food looked edible; great even. Who knew I would actually entertain the thought of eating food from Walgreen's? It just may happen.
The liquor section was pretty stellar, featuring rows of wine, champagne, beer, and spirits, and even a virtual bartender. And to go with it were fancy cheeses and other accoutrements. Wow, color me impressed.
The second floor is devoted to greeting cards (I was so happy to see paper goods from my favorite purveyor, Papyrus) and your typical drugstore items like toothpaste, eye drops, condoms, etc. But...there is also the beauty section, which carried many upscale brands like Nuxe, Talika, and Becca. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's on the level of Sephora as I didn't see other luxe brands like NARS or Benefit represented here, but it sure beats Cover Girl and Maybelline (which they also naturally have). Virtually every shade of Essie and OPI nail polish can be found here too. It's staggering really.
The manicure area is tucked in the back off to the side of the beauty section, and it was crowded, so I didn't get a good look at it, but I'm still just astonished that one could get a manicure at a Walgreen's in the first place. Whodathunkit?
As expected, prices are somewhat high, but it's Walgreen's, so that's not surprising. I've never been a frequent patron of Walgreen's for that very reason, but out of convenience, I still find it necessary to go from time to time.
It's nice to see that the Walgreen's Corporation has decided to go downright "posh." I may just find myself in here more often than I thought, picking up some nail polish, wine, or, *shudders*, even sushi. read more