CVS vs Walgreens - Which has the best groceries?

Pharmacies and refreshments have gone hand-in-hand for a long time. Back in the day, when drugstores were synonymous with soda fountains, potions and tinctures were mixed in with sodas and milkshakes prepared at the counter. We know better now that despite the milkshake's health food origins, these were not necessarily a cure for ailments on their own. While the days of drug store counters may be over, stopping in for a drink and maybe a quick snack is still a feature at mainstream pharmacies today. The process simply involves the snack aisle or the refrigerated section.

Two of the biggest pharmacy chains, CVS and Walgreens, have incorporated so many food and refrigerated aisles in their stores that they function almost as supermarkets in themselves. Offering more food options to customers has been beneficial to these pharmacies for increasing customer traffic and sales. But grocery availability at neighborhood pharmacies has also made food more accessible in neighborhoods that otherwise don't have supermarkets nearby. 

With opening hours that often run later than typical grocery stores, CVS and Walgreens have become increasingly popular destinations for quick shopping trips for baseline grocery staples and late-night snack runs. Both have a different approach to the foods they offer. To help navigate these differences, here are our takeaways on why one might be a better overall choice for groceries than the other.

Read more: 6 Meats You Should And Shouldn't Buy From Walmart

Both offer delivery and same-day pick-up for groceries

Both CVS and Walgreens offer a delivery service for customer convenience, and this can be leveraged to have groceries brought door-to-door. Both pharmacies have their own system for food delivery, and considering independent delivery apps can augment grocery bills, CVS or Walgreens' services might be worth considering. With CVS, deliveries can be arranged for same-day with participating locations, and are generally promised within a three-hour window. This might change during holiday seasons or inclement weather — and also if orders are made after 8 p.m., in which case they will likely have to be made the following day. 

Coupons remain valid for grocery delivery items, but after all discounts, the total must come out to a minimum of $10. There is generally a delivery fee which applies to all orders, but the CVS ExtraCare Plus members do enjoy the benefit of free deliveries that total more than the $10 minimum purchase. There is also the option to simply pick up orders, a free service which is usually ready within an hour.

Walgreens has a slightly different system. Offering same-day deliveries generally from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., the pharmacy boasts an impressive one-hour grocery delivery estimation. These deliveries come with a standard $5.99 delivery fee, but this fee gets waived for orders more than $35, which is easy to reach. For customers opting to simply pick up pre-ordered groceries from Walgreens, these are advertised as being ready in as little as 30 minutes. 

Walgreens tends to have cheaper prices

Customers who've done the tour of pharmacy grocery aisles are in agreement that Walgreens is generally the more affordable option. CVS, as customers have lamented, tends to hike up prices. This can be neutralized with rewards points, smart coupon cutting, and timing around sales. But if just going in for some essentials on any given day, customers might be unpleasantly surprised to find that the same product at CVS could be at a higher mark-up than at the Walgreens down the street. One Reddit customer said, "The candy prices at CVS are absolutely outrageous." And another added, "[CVS is] way overpriced for everything in store."

While it's true that CVS has products that are known to be cheaper than those sold by competitors, this is largely true for hygiene, toiletries, or pharmaceutical items. There are a handful of grocery items that are reasonably priced — overall, however, grocery staples remain more affordable at Walgreens. For staples such as bottled water, jugs of milk, or eggs, the same products at CVS cost a dollar more than at Walgreens. This gap widens for boxes of cereal, where the difference stretches to $2 more at CVS. And for packaged snacks, the difference can be $3 or more for the same product at CVS. For olive oil, a 16-ounce bottle at CVS costs double the price, ringing up at more than $10 when at Walgreens it's only $5.

CVS has a more reliable coupon/rewards system

Though CVS has been noted as a pharmacy that tends to have higher prices than competitors, customers in the know acknowledge that it can, in fact, be the cheapest option for those who successfully navigate the rewards program. Known as ExtraCare, this is a free membership program that is mergeable with the pharmacy's generic rewards. Offering discounts, deals, and money back, ExtraCare often makes up the price difference, and then some, that might otherwise deter customers from shopping at CVS. ExtraCare Plus takes saving even further. Though this higher tier of the loyalty program does charge customers $5 per month (or $48 annually), it offers substantially higher discounts, as well as a $10 bonus at the end of every month, ensuring that the financial requirement more than pays for itself.

By leveraging these, customers can save on groceries when eligible discounts apply, and regulars resoundingly pick CVS over Walgreens when it comes to rewards. Comparatively, though Walgreens does have a rewards system, it offers 1% back compared to CVS's 2%. Furthermore, the Walgreens' loyalty program, the Prescription Savings Club, a $20 annual membership, does not offer universal discounts that apply to groceries, and what they do offer tends to be less reliable than CVS, thereby resulting in less deals guaranteed. As one Reddit customer explained, "CVS is much simpler with less ways for deals to not go as planned/expected." Another elaborated, "Walgreens theoretically could be good but their deals never work."

Walgreens has more food variety

Between Walgreens and CVS, the former is generally considered to have more food variety, with its store aisles looking more like grocery aisles. Though it's also well-stocked with candies and savory snacks, Walgreens has made a point of keeping its pantry and refrigerated aisles loaded with staples, including many fresh foods. In the refrigerated section, customers will find eggs and packaged meats, as well as an array of dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and butter. There is also an ample supply of heat-and-serve meals. Perhaps the most surprising is the inclusion of fresh produce — while inventory might vary according to location, Walgreens can have a good selection of fruits and vegetables. 

The variety might not be that of a typical grocery store, but even just a few produce options has transformed this pharmacy into a place customers consider for buying these types of foods. Intended to be for added convenience, and with the added benefit of increasing customer traffic, Walgreens' fresh grocery items have also been invaluable in neighborhoods without easy access to grocery stores. Even among the snack foods and pantry staples, Walgreen's is also generally agreed to have a greater variety of shelf stable foods over CVS options. 

CVS groceries function more like a convenience store

There are many foods worth buying at CVS, which does also have a substantial grocery section, considering it's first and foremost a pharmacy. But despite trying out more fresh food options in a handful of urban locations, the chain's food products are skewed toward snacks and convenience foods, making its selection distinctly more like a convenience store than Walgreens. As one Redditor said, "It isn't a store for groceries, it is a pharmacy with a few groceries for convenience." Though CVS has followed Walgreens' lead in augmenting its pantry shelves for increased customer traffic, it has not made the same widespread efforts to offer fresh foods that keeps Walgreens' distinct. 

In urban areas where locals do not have easy access to supermarkets, it's Walgreens pharmacies that have stepped in to fill this need with supplemental grocery choices. CVS, meanwhile, has some baseline essentials — milk, eggs, cereal, canned soups — but is most reputable, food-wise, as the place to go for brand-name snacks. After applying ExtraCare rewards, these snacks may even be cheaper at CVS than elsewhere, and further maintain CVS's reputation as a place for quick in-and-out trips. As another Redditor explained, convenience goes further than what's on the shelves, stating that compared to typical grocery stores, "CVS [is] quicker and easier (less crowded parking lot, shorter walk to the groceries, self check out, etc)." 

Walgreens has more store-brand foods

Both Walgreens and CVS have quite a few choices in their food aisles, but both distinctly differ in the kinds of brands and staples they offer. CVS has its reputation for a good selection of recognized name-brand snacks, and might be tempting because its rewards system can lower these foods to a price that's competitive with supermarkets. But Walgreens has its own strategies for keeping prices low. With a wide assortment of store-brand foods, the pharmacy chain can keep prices inherently lower and add further variety to its shelves.

Walgreens' brand, Nice!, is in every aisle, covering breakfast foods like cereal and fruit preserves, to packaged snacks, to refrigerated staples like eggs and butter. The majority of packaged Nice! items at Walgreens are not made with artificial flavors, sweeteners, or dyes, and some are even organic. Serving as part of a greater scheme to offer healthier and, when possible, freshly prepared foods, Walgreens store-brand items have attracted customers, with entire Reddit threads dedicated to favorite Nice! foods, such as, "I'm truly obsessed with the nice Walgreens brand. Are you?" These snacks have furthered the pharmacy's reputation as a reputable place to stop in for some grocery essentials while on a quick errand run.

Both offer SNAP/EBT benefits in store and with deliveries

Both Walgreens and CVS have enhanced their collaboration with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP) and Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards to give food stamp beneficiaries access to their grocery items. CVS accepts SNAP/EBT payments in all locations, and Walgreens in most locations. As with all SNAP/EBT purchases, these benefits are only valid for food items at CVS or Walgreens. For locations that are not accessible, there is the additional benefit of being able to have SNAP purchases delivered with same-day delivery. For a streamlined process, EBT cards can simply be saved to the pharmacies' respective apps for easy ordering time and again.

Not only are these benefits accepted in-store and with pharmacy delivery services, but both retailers have teamed up with different partners to ensure that SNAP payments are accepted for outside delivery methods as well. Between partnerships with Doordash, Uber Eats, and Instacart, both CVS and Walgreens have made it possible for these forms of grocery deliveries to be paid with SNAP benefits. Some food delivery services might be a better value, and it's true that some regions charge more for deliveries than others. But EBT funds can also be combined with rewards points to be used for in-store purchases, online orders, and deliveries, ensuring that customers are getting the most out of their grocery order. 

Walgreens is likely the better overall choice for groceries

In comparing these two well-known pharmacies, Walgreens comes out as a generally better option than CVS when it comes to groceries. In terms of pricing, CVS does have is own merits, and with the right rewards and coupons, could have lower prices if a grocery run there is well-timed. But Walgreens is a safer bet for groceries on the day-to-day, with most items naturally listed at a lower price, and the Nice! store brand food items offering affordable choices on any given day without needing to wait for a deal. If ordering groceries for delivery and time is of the essence, Walgreens is also the more reliable choice, promising quicker delivery times and free delivery over an easily reachable grocery minimum. 

Considering Walgreens once owned a restaurant chain, this pharmacy has a history of making food available to its customers, which it continues to do through providing accessible groceries. In terms of variety, Walgreens groceries also have CVS beat. Though both have a large assortment of snack foods available, Walgreens also has a wider array of pantry staples and fresh foods. From produce, to dairy products, to ready-to-eat meals, Walgreens functions as a small-scale grocery store within a pharmacy, making it easy for customers to add many staples to their grocery list or delivery order whenever they shop there.

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