Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Bigelows Drugstore--Greenwich Village Landmark

I am just including Bigelow Drug on Sixth Avenue near Eighth Street because it is peacefully sitting there as if the last forty years never happened.

I wonder if anyone has ever bothered to post reviews about a drugstore that also used to have a lunch counter...

Well, they sure have. Yelp has a LOT of reviews of this place, but I am just running some of them

CO Bigelow Pharmacy

4.0 star rating
120 reviews Rating Details
Category: Drugstores  [Edit]
414 6th Ave
New York, NY 10011
(212) 533-2700
Nearest Transit Station:
W 4 St (A, B, C, D, E, F, M)
Christopher St - Sheridan Sq (1, 2)
6 Av (L)
Hours:
Mon-Fri 7:30 am - 9 pm
Sat 8:30 am - 7 pm
Sun 8:30 am - 5:30 pm
Price Range:
$$$
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Parking:
Street
Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes

Review Highlights   What's this?

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  • A Yelpy Insight: 30-somethings give this spot the nod. See more places they like.
Sort by: Yelp Sort | Date | Rating | Useful | Funny | Cool | Total Votes | Friends' | Elites'

120 reviews in English

  • Review from

    5.0 star rating
    2/12/2013 3 check-ins here
    This is America's oldest apothecary. They have super hard to find items as well as there own brand of products that are very good and pretty cheap.

    I came here for some toothpaste form Italia (Marvis) they have all the flavors and in the small sizes so you can try all of them without buying a large tube.

    I will be back for there creams and some of the cologne that I really liked.

    If you like spending money on yourself this is a great place to do it.
  • Review from

    3.0 star rating
    5/14/2013
    By which I mean, this is a good thing to do if you're lounging around downtown,  or visiting from somewhere else, not if you're actually buying toothpaste and lens solution on a budget.

    Although some of the toothpaste is pretty amazing.

    Fancy toothpaste, fancy make up, fancy reading glasses.  Lots of European personal care stuff.  Employees take the cranky New York thing very seriously, trying, apparently, to deliberately scare tourists.  And it's Olde, this place.

    Do not attempt to pat the cat.
  • Review from

    4.0 star rating
    4/16/2013 1 check-in here
    My experience visiting this place was just limited to getting some pharmacy. The store itself carries a lot of other stuff apart from pharmacy.

    The staff was helpful and was wait wasn't long to get my prescription. I will come back here to get some stuff apart from medicines!
  • Review from

    5.0 star rating
    6/8/2013
    Unbelievable customer service. Every single staff member, especially at the pharmacy, goes the extra mile before you know to ask.
    Great selection of high end toiletries.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 7 reviews
    1.0 star rating
    6/10/2013
    Not friendly -- go to CVS they seem to care much more.
  • Review from

    • 21 friends
    • 124 reviews
    5.0 star rating
    10/23/2012
    *Review for Ralph in Surgical*

    I had heard about this place and all of it's awesomeness for a few years now but have never had a chance to visit.  I happened to find them online while searching for a specific radiation blister soothing lotion for a friend with cancer and am so glad that Ralph answered the phone.  What an amazing human being!  He was patient, informative and went above and beyond to make sure that the product was ordered and in fact delivered to the store for us to pick up tonight.

    I hope to meet him in person one day but for now, this review was the least that I could do for all of his help today.  Judging by the many negative reviews this place got, I was skeptical when I went to call but thank heavens for this gem of a man, he's a very special and compassionate person.  CO Bigelow, you're very lucky to have him.
  • Review from

    1.0 star rating
    6/28/2012
    I am forced to shop at Bigelow's once a month because they are the only pharmacy in the area that provides the prescription I need for my cat. I have been going there for about a year now, and 10 out of the 12 times I have been there, my prescription is never ready, even though I am showing up several hours after the appointed pick up time.  Each time I let them know that it was supposed to be ready hours ago, and I live in Brooklyn, so I can't just swing by later. Half a dozen times the pharmacist decided to make it right then, and I had it 10-15 minutes later, but each time they were rude and acted like it was my problem it wasn't ready. Several times they insisted it would not be ready for at least 45 minutes, causing me to have to make 2 trips. Today they offered to deliver it to my office (after it was already 2 hours late for pickup), and I am waiting patiently for it to arrive.

    This may be a decent place to pick up some overpriced lotion, but this is the worst place to pick up a prescription.
  • Review from

    5.0 star rating
    3/3/2013
    I love coming to this old fashioned apothecary in the village which is a far cry from the boring chains with their bad service and poorly stocked shelves. It is one of the best things about living in the village.  The pharmacy in particular is extremely well organized and their staff is very knowledgable and helpful. They also have the most wonderful products, from candle to lotions to body washes. It's really nice to have a mom and pop type place like this still around.
  • Review from

    4.0 star rating
    10/1/2012 1 check-in here
    Throwback to my childhood: Back before it became part of the Brooks / Rite Aid family in the early 2000s, I remember my hometown's old apothecary / pharmacy, The Canaan Pharmacy in Canaan, CT. The kind and friendly pharmaceutical staff were in the rear, and the gifts, home items, and cosmetics were in the front. I still remember lusting after that bottle of cKOne in the perfume section in the rear, overjoyed in June of 1998 when I finally received it as an 8th grade graduation present. I used to buy sterling silver peace sign stud earrings and innumerable tubes of strawberry-flavored Lip Smackers. I helped keep them in business for a LONG time, methinks.

    Present Day: C.O. Bigelow is my new Canaan Pharmacy. Pharmaceuticals in the rear, coupled with C.O. Bigelow products and a vast array of cosmetics in the front. A trifle expensive (...yeah, to say the very least!), so it's more of a fantasy browsing place than a place I'd go to buy products en masse. Regardless, it has what I need when I need it (namely, my favorite Kneipp Herbal Lavender Massage Oil and many kinds of C.O. Bigelow hand creams), and who doesn't love poking around beauty products? (Well...maybe some people. Heh. To each their own.)

    This is a fine apothecary and a nice little place to tuck into when aimlessly wandering around the West Village on a quiet Sunday afternoon, indeed.
  

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