Duane Reade NYC

For those of you who don't live in NYC you might not know Duane Reade, it is one of the larger local drug store chains in the city (akin to Rite Aide). There is nothing particularly unique about these big, bright, box stores, they are as ubiquitous as Starbucks. I went into one on 14th street because I had forgotten to pick up some toilet paper, I went to the large selection of paper products and looked and looked and there were no recycled paper products in the entire store, nor were there any environmentally friendly items on the cleaning shelf.

This shocked me.

If for no other reason then I can't believe a store interested in making money would want to not be part of the largest growing movement in the industry: organic/environmentally friendly items. So today I called the corporate offices at Duane Reade and was told indeed they do sell them, but they must have just been sold out. I'm not sure I buy this, I don't regularly shop there as I prefer stores like Wallgreens that although a corporate box store chain puts a big emphasis on organic and recycled products.

The woman on the phone was very insistent that they carry the items, but they were sold out. I was told by a cashier that they flat out didn't sell them, period. I didn't ask for the manger as it didn't seem like a big deal, instead I went to down the street to Commodities and bought what I needed.

How can you be sold out yet the shelves where they would go are filled? And if they sell out why not order more recycled products than the other stuff that is made from virgin forests? I mean global warming is a problem, right? Cutting down trees that have been on the planet for decades so you can have something soft to wipe your ass on seems a little, er, selfish, no? Oh and did I say that they cut down trees from old growth forests? Not sustainable in any way, no siree. Tear down that forest and flush it away! Yes, that's the way to make money! Who needs forests anyway? Pesky trees.

OK, so I'm curious, do you live near or shop regularly at Duane Reade? Let me know if you see recycled or other green items when you shop there and please report back here.

In the meantime if you do shop at Duane Reade please make sure to ask the manager ( I was chided for not speaking to the manager as I guess she/he is the only person at Duane Reade who has any influence) to be sure to carry MORE of the green products you can't find because they are sold out.

Good luck!