online shopping for drugstore needs - are prices really cheaper?

[TwoBees]

Do you find that items are more or less expensive at places like soap.com and drugstore.com (not subscription services through Amazon)? Do you find it worthwhile to shop at those places?

[AnnieW625]

I have bought vitamins through Vitacost, so not quite the same thing, and on Amazon (both S&S, and non S&S). I get my large gallon of Bac Out laundry spray from Soap.com because that is about the only place I can find it on line that will ship it quickly.

For the most part no I think unless you live in the middle of nowhere I think their prices aren't all that great and it is really more for convenience than anything. I have access to Target (there are 5 of them in a 5 mile NEWS wide radius of my house), Wal Mart (2 of them with in 5 miles), and Costco (4 of them, 2 are 5 miles or less, and the other 2 are between 5 and 10 miles away), plus a bunch of different grocery stores, and the big major pharmacies (Rite Aid, Walgreens, and CVS) so most of the time I can find something I need from one of those places that are close to my house and it is usually cheaper. I tend to shop at Target or Costco for most of that stuff though, except the specific vitamin that I take which is cheaper online than at Whole Foods, Sprouts, or the local health food store by about at least 30%.

[brittone2]

I buy a lot of our personal hygiene items through a Frontier co-op. For that includes things like Giovanni hair products, certain vitamins or supplements, soap, handsoap, sunscreen, chapstick, jojoba oil, coconut oil, etc. I also order some spices, tea, sea salt, essential oils, etc.. The spices are the same ones places like WFs typically sell for more (Frontier brand).

It is a savings for us. I used to run Frontier and order with a few friends; now I have a friend who runs it and we order together (shipping is free over $250, which is easy to hit with a few families).

I mention that only because the natural products we buy from Frontier are similarly priced to drugstore products.

Frontier carries a lot of the big natural product names: Aubrey, Abba, Badger, Burt's Bees, Giovanni, Desert Essences, Nutiva, Rainbow vitamins, Aura Cacia, etc.

[PunkyBoo]

I live near Annie so I have the same plentitude of stores close by. But I have discovered that I just don't have time to hunt for stuff anymore. If Target doesn't have what I need when I need it, I don't have time to go check everywhere else so I've been ordering online a lot. I just try to get FS and FR plus ebates to make the cost comparable.

[chottumommy]

I buy a lot of our personal hygiene items through a Frontier co-op. For that includes things like Giovanni hair products, certain vitamins or supplements, soap, handsoap, sunscreen, chapstick, jojoba oil, coconut oil, etc. I also order some spices, tea, sea salt, essential oils, etc.. The spices are the same ones places like WFs typically sell for more (Frontier brand).

It is a savings for us. I used to run Frontier and order with a few friends; now I have a friend who runs it and we order together (shipping is free over $250, which is easy to hit with a few families).

I mention that only because the natural products we buy from Frontier are similarly priced to drugstore products.

Frontier carries a lot of the big natural product names: Aubrey, Abba, Badger, Burt's Bees, Giovanni, Desert Essences, Nutiva, Rainbow vitamins, Aura Cacia, etc.

I didn't know Frontier carried Aubrey. That is the only thing I order from vitacost/amazon. Off to check.

[MMMommy]

I buy most drugstore items at Target and the like. But certain things like Fairy Tales haircare products tend to be cheaper at Drugstore.com, so I order that from them regularly

[abh5e8]

Azure Standard is another great option, if you leave in a delivery area. Bac Out is 7.99 for 32 oz, vs 6.99 for 16 oz on soap.com. they also have much better prices on vitamins (and bulk food, garden supplies and paper products)

[brittone2]

I didn't know Frontier carried Aubrey. That is the only thing I order from vitacost/amazon. Off to check.
Gah! I think I inadvertently lied to you. Just checked and I don't see it on there. For some reason I thought it was one of the 100 A-branded companies they carry. Sorry about that!

[abh5e8]

oh, and another good option if you work for a hospital or medical facility, is to check with their pharmacy. ours has a good employee discount even on generic OTC meds and its the cheapest option i've found. disposable diapers, too.

[AnnieW625]

I live near Annie so I have the same plentitude of stores close by. But I have discovered that I just don't have time to hunt for stuff anymore. If Target doesn't have what I need when I need it, I don't have time to go check everywhere else so I've been ordering online a lot. I just try to get FS and FR plus ebates to make the cost comparable.

and it is pretty sad that in my case I cringe if I think about having to drive to Whole Foods to get something (plus I hate the narrow parking stalls in that parking lot) and it is only 6 or so miles from my house because there are so many options closer to us unless I am specifically in that area (getting my hair cut, picking or dropping of DD1 at a friends, or at the dentist, all of which are close to there). Sprouts is walking distance and or on the way home and it's usually in an out pretty easy with the kids. I started getting vitamins at Vita Cost or Amazon a few years back when the Whole Foods near my work closed and Sprouts hadn't opened yet, but now I try to either order online or keep it as local as possible.

I would totally do a co-op though if I knew enough other people who were interested.