Two Aisles of "Touchables"
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In what was once a typical Walgreens, there are now just two short aisles of so-called “essentials” where “customers may shop for themselves.” If you want anything else—a bottle of booze, a deodorant brand deemed “non-essential”—you’ll need to order it at a kiosk and pick it up at the counter.
At the new Walgreens concept store at 2 East Roosevelt in downtown Chicago, this—plus a small bank of refrigerated items behind the camera—is the full selection of merchandise you are allowed to touch. | Provided
After undergoing a few weeks of construction, the store reopened on Tuesday.“This redesigned store will have the latest in e-commerce offerings to increase customer service, mitigate theft, and increase safety for our customers and employees,” the company said in a pre-opening statement.
And, boy, are there a lot of employees. Three greet you inside the front door, essentially asking why you’re there.
The pharmacy is in the back and to the left, equipped with a fancy new kiosk system of its own. An employee will teach you how to use it.
To the right, two rows of shelved offerings, gated by anti-shoplifting devices to protect the inventory, is a very limited selection of those so-called “essentials.”
Unlike the tall shelves you’re used to seeing in your neighborhood Walgreens, this store’s shelves are no more than five feet tall, giving everyone a clear look at what everyone else is up to.
