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Walgreens offers delivery in less than two hours

New same-day service brings another fulfillment option for front-end products

Russell Redman

May 4, 2021

2 Min Read
Walgreens_storefront-curbside_pickup-2020.jpg
For the under-two-hour service, Walgreens store associates pick ordered items, which are delivered by logistics partners DoorDash, Uber, Act Fast and Medline.Walgreens

Walgreens has expanded its on-demand delivery options to include less-than-two-hour service for retail products.

The drugstore giant said Tuesday that customers nationwide can now shop from more than 24,000 items online directly from Walgreens.com or via the Walgreens mobile app and receive same-day home delivery. Only non-prescription items — spanning food and beverages, grocery, beauty and personal care, over-the-counter medicines and health products, vitamins and supplements, household goods, baby and child care, toys and seasonal offerings — are eligible for the contactless service.

To use the two-hour service, Walgreens customers shop via the website or app as usual and at checkout select “Same Day Delivery.” No minimum order is required, Walgreens said. Members of the myWalgreens loyalty program also can earn and use Walgreens Cash rewards with same-day delivery orders plus redeem digital promotions and savings offers.

Walgreens associates pick products ordered from store shelves, and a third-party logistics partner serves as the courier to make the delivery, according to the Deerfield, Ill.-based retailer. Logistics partners for the two-hour service include DoorDash, Uber, Act Fast and Medline.

More than 8,000 of the over 9,000 Walgreens and Duane Reade drugstores now offer under-two-hour delivery, with availability based on the service area of carrier partners, Walgreens said. Eligible products, delivery hours and fees vary by location. Age-restricted items and gift cards are excluded.

Related:Walgreens goes national with Instacart delivery

“As the country gets ready to emerge from the pandemic, Walgreens continues its focus on enhancing our customer experience through integrated and simplified shopping solutions,” Stefanie Kruse, vice president of digital commerce at Walgreens, said in a statement. “Since the launch of myWalgreens in November 2020, we are constantly innovating to provide convenient delivery options to our customers that make their lives easier. We are confident that customers will enjoy our new same-day delivery functionality for those last-minute needs.”

The new service builds on existing on-demand delivery options. In February, Walgreens launched same-day delivery via Instacart in Illinois, with plans to roll out the service chainwide by this spring, as well as offer a wider selection of eligible products.

Instacart marked Walgreens’ third on-demand delivery partner for non-prescription items. The drug chain kicked off last-mile delivery with DoorDash at over 2,300 stores in July 2020 and with Postmates (now part of Uber) at more than 7,000 stores in March 2020. Also, last November, Walgreens launched 30-minute click-and-collect service, with customers able to choose in-store, curbside and drive-thru pickup for front-of-store products and prescriptions.

Related:Walgreens kicks off last-mile delivery with DoorDash

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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