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Similar in size to CVS, Walgreens operates just under 9,000 drugstores nationwide, including in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It fills about 287 million prescriptions per month
and has a store within 5 miles of about 78 percent of U.S. consumers. One of the oldest drugstore chains, it was founded in Chicago in 1901. In addition to selling medicine, toiletries, food
and other convenience items, it has a robust photo-finishing business that is a draw for many older adults including George Pitre, a 65-year-old retiree. He uses Walgreens’ app to print out
photos and finds they tend to be cheaper. As for everything else, Pitre says he’ll pick up items when they are on sale. _SHOPPING TIP: _Loyalty doesn’t pay, Pitre says. Outside of photos,
whichever drugstore has the best price for the item he’s coveting is where he’ll shop. “I know what I want and I just get it,” he says. (AARP members are eligible for additional savings at
Walgreens.) CLOSE THIRD PLACE: RITE AID LOCATIONS: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon,
Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia and Washington NUMBER OF STORES: 2,309 SHOPPING CART TOTAL: $272.80 The smallest of the three big drugstore chains, Rite Aid has been operating for 61
years. Today it has about 2,300 stores concentrated on the east and west coasts. While it's not always the cheapest, it has its loyal shoppers like 54-year-old Denise Mancuso, who
shops at Rite Aid for specific items. “I usually come for things more geared toward my 17-year-old daughter, like cosmetics and things of that nature,” Mancuso says. As for her medications,
she gets them filled at CVS. “I go to different places for different things.” _SHOPPING TIP:_ To save money, Mancuso tries to buy things from drugstores when they are on sale. She’s also a
member of the stores’ loyalty programs, which enables her to earn points she can use for money off her bill. “It really comes down to planning. Plan what you need. Don’t go in blindly.
You’ll find a bunch of different things you never expected you needed,” she says.