# All drugstores have the entry on the corner **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 17, 2018, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802 "2018-08-17T18:48:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802/1 "2018-08-17T18:48:30Z")
Here in NE Ohio all the drugstores I can think of have the entryway on the corner of the store. Most have an actual clipped corner with the doors on the diagonal wall. Even an existing store in Lakewood that got remodeled moved the doorway to the corner, although in that case they did not clip the corner. Other stores do not do this. Dollar stores are just as ubiquitous and they leave the doorway wherever it was when they moved in. It’s like one architect is doing all of them. My grandson worked at a Rite Aid and he said it did make for a great view down each wall from the register. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802/2 "2018-08-17T19:43:06Z")
My grandparents owned a Rexall. It was right in the middle of the block, so no corner entry. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802/3 "2018-08-17T19:54:35Z")
The one (that was) closest to us had a forward facing door … in the corner. I think corners are awkward for retailers in regards to fitting and filling shelves with product. Drug stores, I think, are focused on really packing in as much product as possible. Stuff might sit on the shelves for a bit but the markup makes up for it. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802/4 "2018-08-17T19:56:57Z")
CVS and Walgreens where I live both have this method of doorway. Is it possible its just those drugstores that do it? I can’t speak for Rite Aid, I don’t see them often. But Walgreens and CVS are the 2 big ones and they both use this. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802/5 "2018-08-17T20:01:18Z")
Most (if not all) newer Walgreens do have the “entry on the corner” layout; I know that Walgreens does a ton of research on location, as well as store design. CVS is the other big drug chain in this area, and at least half of the CVS locations with which I’m familiar aren’t built in this way; some have corner entry, while others have the entrance in the middle of a wall. That said, at least one of the CVS stores with which I’m familiar inherited their building from Jewel-Osco (it had originally been a Jewel grocery store, then was converted to an Osco drug store, before CVS bought it). ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802/6 "2018-08-17T20:18:11Z")
One local Walgreen’s has a center door. The other has a corner door, but it’s the corner abutting their parking lot rather than a street intersection. Our Rite Aid has a central door, and they remodeled a few years ago. Our Trader Joe’s, Chico’s, and Natural Grocer’s have corner doors, so I’m not sure this is a drug store thing. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802/7 "2018-08-17T20:18:37Z")
Most of the CVS and Walgreens that are like this are free standing buildings which own the property surrounding the building. The corner entry seems to give best access to people parked along two sides of the building while freeing up another side for the drive-thru and the fourth side for shipping/receiving/maintenance doors. A pretty functional design. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802/8 "2018-08-17T20:42:06Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Most of the CVS and Walgreens that are like this are free standing buildings which own the property surrounding the building. The corner entry seems to give best access to people parked along two sides of the building while freeing up another side for the drive-thru and the fourth side for shipping/receiving/maintenance doors. A pretty functional design. Also the entrance door always seems to face the intersection as CVS and walgreens tend to build on the intersection of two streets. I don’t know if that makes it more inviting or not. But why wouldn’t a door in front, shipping in back and the drive through on one side be just as efficient? ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802/9 "2018-08-17T22:10:41Z")
Grocery stores never seem to have this configuration. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802/10 "2018-08-18T00:05:15Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > CVS and Walgreens where I live both have this method of doorway. > > Is it possible its just those drugstores that do it? I can’t speak for Rite Aid, I don’t see them often. But Walgreens and CVS are the 2 big ones and they both use this. The Rite Aid near me does not have a corner entrance and is nowhere near a corner. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802/11 "2018-08-18T03:20:16Z")
Off the top of my head, I can only think of one non-Walgreens like this, and I assume the door was on the corner, on an angle, because it was a corner lot. If you’re seeing this on new pharmacies, it’s very likely they’re copycatting Walgreens. I can’t find it now, but didn’t Kramer make a big deal about a door (not on the corner) of Elaine’s building being on an angle. IIRC, he said ‘it ruins the integrity of the building’. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802/12 "2018-08-18T03:34:56Z")
Walgreens often has a drive-up pill window. Putting the main entrance diagonally opposite the drive-up seems sensible. And, people afoot who are seeing the pharmacist have to cross the full store twice, during which time it might occur to them that they need some of those there things that they walked past. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802/13 "2018-08-18T04:06:29Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > CVS and Walgreens where I live both have this method of doorway. > > Is it possible its just those drugstores that do it? I can’t speak for Rite Aid, I don’t see them often. But Walgreens and CVS are the 2 big ones and they both use this. All the Rite Aids near me are corner entry. And Discount Drug Mart, a local chain with lots of stores. Some of the Drug Marts have a more grandiose entry with a false turret, but still on the corner. This Drug Mart was remodeled a few years ago and they moved the doors to the corner, but no clip. A new design has been approved but I can’t find a way to link to it. Clipped corner, of course. https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=%213m2%212sen%214v0%216m8%211m7%211sK1SjQSk3Ju6IuGtL9j0cRA%212m2%211d41.4850486%212d-81.8041741%213f3.91%214f9.304%215f0.75 Dennis ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802/14 "2018-08-18T04:27:33Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > Grocery stores never seem to have this configuration. I think grocery stores need bigger doors for the shopping carts. Those big sliding doors wouldn’t work on the corner. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802/15 "2018-08-18T04:44:52Z")
Gives credence to the term ‘the corner drug store’, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802/16 "2018-08-18T05:13:31Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I think grocery stores need bigger doors for the shopping carts. Those big sliding doors wouldn’t work on the corner. Walgreens typically has a big vestibular sliding door set and a handful of shopping carts. Not a separate door for in and for out, as with some stores, but the entry clip does not prevent a sliding-door entryway. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802/17 "2018-08-18T11:20:20Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > Grocery stores never seem to have this configuration. Grocery stores have a dozen lanes of checkout cashiers.CVS and Walgreens have one short line. I don’t know if this is relevant,but it’s a data point thatmight be usefull in resoving this vital question ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802/18 "2018-08-18T11:50:41Z")
I can think of at least two Harris Teeter supermarkets near here that have corner entrances. And yeah it seems like CVS prefers them around here for free standing or end unit stores. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802/19 "2018-08-18T13:50:47Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > But why wouldn’t a door in front, shipping in back and the drive through on one side be just as efficient? Of course you’d have the same amount of parking spaces either way, but with the corner enterance the furthest anyone would park from the door would be the length of one building side. With the front and center door if you got the worst parking spot you’d have to walk the length of the side of the bulding then half way across the front. It also allows the interior layout to put the pharmacy at the opposite corner of the square (the greatest distance between two points on a square) making patrons walk past more merchandise hopefully increasing more impulsive sales of high markup items. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802/20 "2018-08-18T13:53:21Z")
Our local Liberty Pharmacy is at the end of a strip mall with the only entrance on the front. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-drugstores-have-the-entry-on-the-corner/819802.md?page=2)