Walgreens seems to be on every corner these days but I remember a time as a child (or just a younger version of my adult self) Walgreens was a glorious place that contained EVERY gift I have or will ever receive from my grandma or aunt. After getting married (30 years ago this Month) I found that everything my wife, children or I got from her grandma and aunt ALSO came from Walgreens. My first trip,inside a Walgreens was at the request of my grandma who could no longer go there herself, she wanted me to buy “applets & cottlets” candies and a few assorted other items. The Applets & Cotleys were candies she only bought at Christmas time and the other items included a few colognes and such to be given as gifts …HEY, I think my mom got all my gifts from my teenage years at Walgreens too!
Aside from a stretch where I would go in to have various prescriptions filled (I think this is how the old ladies in my life found Walgreens) I rarely step foot in Walgreens anymore (or most stores for that matter) but when I do it is to explore the state of all things candy, aftershave/cologne and shaving. And it’s almost always in December. About 10 years ago I temporarily broke tradition to get some Florida Water and steel single edge blades I had ordered online to have delivered to the store. Sometime prior to the pandemic chaos I bought several cheaper colognes (Stetson, English leather, aspen, British sterling and grey flannel) as well as the “new” king Gillette double edge razor and some de blades to go with it. Since then I don’t believe I have purchased anything from Walgreens.
That brings us to my most recent pre-Christmas visit. It was a rather sad visit to say the least. First Was the candy isle, nothing exciting or traditionally Christmas (no life savers book like my grandma used to get me) and EVERYTHING was so over priced I could hardley stand it. The Christmas gift isle was pathetic with maybe a single ornament catching my eye and a stuff dog that showed some promise. I didn’t pay much attention to price but what I did see was excessive. The popcorn tin (everyone knows what I’m talking about) was much smaller in size and priced as if it contained ANYTHING other than popcorn. There were no cologne gift boxes to rifle through, just their normal assortment of whatever colognes have become popular since my last visit. Then the shaving isle…a nice assortment of duke cannon soaps and some cremo products, lots of empty spaces for products I didn’t care to identify by the shelf tag and some assorted Harry’s shave club and Dollar shave club soaps and razors. I guess the subscription model isn’t cutting it for these guys. I didn’t pay close attention to the prices but nothing seemed crazy, the shave club kits were about $12 and there were some mach3 kits in the same ball park. They had NO Gillette or king Gillette stuff (unless they were where the empty space now dominate) but they DID have a variety of barbasol cans. I almost grabbed the yellow one but remembered I have a lifetime supply of nearly every kind and scent of soap I may ever want, the can would serve no purpose.
So we left with an order of a few photo prints from the photo department, a few small bags of nuts (for a gift game my wife has planned) a box of fruit delights (not quite the applets and cottlets grandma would have wanted but ok none the less) and a pack of 5 assorted flavor life savers for old times sake. I’m bummed they didn’t have butter rum life savers (although I think those are no longer being made) or any ‘cheap’ colognes to rifle through.
Aside from a stretch where I would go in to have various prescriptions filled (I think this is how the old ladies in my life found Walgreens) I rarely step foot in Walgreens anymore (or most stores for that matter) but when I do it is to explore the state of all things candy, aftershave/cologne and shaving. And it’s almost always in December. About 10 years ago I temporarily broke tradition to get some Florida Water and steel single edge blades I had ordered online to have delivered to the store. Sometime prior to the pandemic chaos I bought several cheaper colognes (Stetson, English leather, aspen, British sterling and grey flannel) as well as the “new” king Gillette double edge razor and some de blades to go with it. Since then I don’t believe I have purchased anything from Walgreens.
That brings us to my most recent pre-Christmas visit. It was a rather sad visit to say the least. First Was the candy isle, nothing exciting or traditionally Christmas (no life savers book like my grandma used to get me) and EVERYTHING was so over priced I could hardley stand it. The Christmas gift isle was pathetic with maybe a single ornament catching my eye and a stuff dog that showed some promise. I didn’t pay much attention to price but what I did see was excessive. The popcorn tin (everyone knows what I’m talking about) was much smaller in size and priced as if it contained ANYTHING other than popcorn. There were no cologne gift boxes to rifle through, just their normal assortment of whatever colognes have become popular since my last visit. Then the shaving isle…a nice assortment of duke cannon soaps and some cremo products, lots of empty spaces for products I didn’t care to identify by the shelf tag and some assorted Harry’s shave club and Dollar shave club soaps and razors. I guess the subscription model isn’t cutting it for these guys. I didn’t pay close attention to the prices but nothing seemed crazy, the shave club kits were about $12 and there were some mach3 kits in the same ball park. They had NO Gillette or king Gillette stuff (unless they were where the empty space now dominate) but they DID have a variety of barbasol cans. I almost grabbed the yellow one but remembered I have a lifetime supply of nearly every kind and scent of soap I may ever want, the can would serve no purpose.
So we left with an order of a few photo prints from the photo department, a few small bags of nuts (for a gift game my wife has planned) a box of fruit delights (not quite the applets and cottlets grandma would have wanted but ok none the less) and a pack of 5 assorted flavor life savers for old times sake. I’m bummed they didn’t have butter rum life savers (although I think those are no longer being made) or any ‘cheap’ colognes to rifle through.
