CVS expands delivery system
CVS Health is expanding same-day prescription deliveries nationwide in the latest push by drugstores to keep customers who don’t want to wait and are doing more shopping online.
The drugstore chain says it can deliver medications and other products within a few hours to homes or offices from 6,000 locations. The company started this service, which comes with a fee, in late 2017 in New York and expanded it to several cities last year.
Rival Walgreens Boots Alliance also offers same-day deliveries in major cities and plans to expand this year. It has a partnership with FedEx to provide next-day deliveries as well.
Drugstores have been dealing with competition from online giant Amazon.com, which offers its Prime customers same-day delivery for detergent, toothpaste and 3 million other products nationwide. Amazon also bought last year the online pharmacy PillPack, which provides home deliveries. But the retailer has yet to detail what it plans to do with that business.
Woonsocket, R.I.-based CVS Health said Thursday that customers will be able to order the same-day service through the company’s app, or by sending a text or calling the pharmacy. Aside from prescriptions, customers also can have items like cold remedies, vitamins and baby products delivered.
CVS will provide the service through the delivery company Shipt in 36 states and Washington, D.C.
