I have enthused before about the flagship Walgreens in D.C., but in Chicago—the chain’s home market—I recently found that things are even more amazing.
The downtown flagship at the corner of State Street and Randolph Street, for example, has everything I saw in D.C. but also sells hard liquor:
And offers wine tastings:
Plus a computer that gives you cocktail recipes:
But it’s also just a really well-executed establishment. Good design of the aisles and great lighting even manages to make gas relief seem glamorous:
Well, OK, it’s still kind of gross. But a well-done aisle! What’s more, Walgreens correctly notes that pharmacists prefer generic OTC remedies:
And then at the Wicker Park location things get really snazzy:
That’s the “Vitamin Vault,” located in an honest-to-god vault because the store is inside what used to be a bank.