Fred Harteis News Articles - THE NEXT TIME you head to the drugstore to pick up a prescription, bring your shopping list. From big chains to mom-and-pop pharmacies, drugstores now offer the convenience of one-stop shopping with plenty of great deals thrown in.
1. Milk
Supermarkets are typically not the best place to buy this fridge staple -- there are rarely coupons or in-store sales on milk. Drugstores, on the other hand, regularly price it to entice consumers who are en route to the checkout counter, says Mary Hunt, founder of money management site DebtProofLiving.com. Walgreens in San Francisco, for example, offers a half-gallon of skim milk for $2.49. At Safeway in San Francisco, it's $2.99.
2. Makeup
Some of magazine beauty editors' favorite products come from the drugstore. "There's so much innovation there," raves Kari Molvar, beauty director for Cosmopolitan. Not only are prices cheap for trendy shades you'll wear for just a month or two (black nail polish and aquamarine eyeliner, anyone?), but the quality of many products is comparable to pricier versions found at the department store and other beauty retailers.
3. Skin- and Hair-Care Products
Big beauty companies have plenty of cash for research, which results in some highly-advanced products that give pricier salon versions a run for their money. "You would be shocked at the identical ingredients used in all price ranges," says Paula Begoun, author of "Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter without Me." Her favorite drugstore hair care brands include Got2Be, L'Oreal, Garnier Fructis and Pantene.
4. Over-the-Counter Medications
"Store-brand over-the-counter medications with the same active ingredient have to be just as effective as the brand-name products," says Tod Marks, senior editor for Consumer Reports. Not only is the quality of such generics the same, but they're also typically 20% to 50% cheaper. A 60-tablet box of Claritin 24-Hour is $29.99, twice the price of the Rite Aid version at $14.99.
There's just one catch: "Read the label carefully to make sure it's the same percentage of active ingredient," says Marks. The 12-ounce bottle of store-brand cough syrup you need to take once every six hours won't be as good of a deal as a brand-name one needed every 12.
5. Seasonal Items
Truly savvy shoppers know to shop for holiday wrapping paper and gift bags on Dec. 26, and grab beach chairs and bug spray as soon as the kids go back to school. But while end-of-season sales tend to be good everywhere, space constrictions make them phenomenal at the drugstore, says Hunt. "They have to bring in a whole bunch of stuff and then have to get rid of it just as quickly," she says. Hunt's favorite buy: 50-cent bags of brand-name mini candy bars after Halloween, which she uses as party favors through the end of the year.
Source; Aol.com
About Fred Harteis: Fred Harteis leads Harteis International. Fred Harteis has a background in agriculture and has created many successful business ventures.