Tag Archives: CVS

The Daily Feed
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Area Stores Help You Avoid the Bag Tax

Photo courtesy of
‘If Poop Grew On Trees’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

The bag tax is going into effect on Friday, and you’ll be paying 5 cents for every disposable bag you use. But to take the sting out of the tax while still getting shoppers to use reusable bags (which is the point of all this anyway), several stores are partnering with the city government to make reusable bags freely available for a limited time to their customers.

At DC Giant locations, baggers will be putting customers’ purchases into reusable bags for free this Friday for a week starting this Friday, up to a quarter million bags (thanks for the correction from Giant’s PR people!). Harris Teeter locations will be giving away bags to VIC card users who spend at least $20. Safeway will be giving away reusable bags through local non-profits, while CVS will be giving them away at their locations (though Wells’ office doesn’t specify for how long). Target, on the other hand, will be providing a 5 cent discount (in addition to the 5 cent bag tax you avoid paying) for every reusable bag you provide.

Personally, I’m not a great rememberer-of-reusable-bags, but when I use them, I always ask myself why I haven’t developed better habits about it. Aside from any environmental or cost concerns, I can fit a lot more groceries in my one Kiva foldable bag (hell yeah that’s an affiliate link), and the sturdy straps on a reusable bag make it a lot easier to carry a heavy order home.

Adventures, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed
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Last Minute DC Gifts

Photo courtesy of
‘Zipcar ad’
courtesy of ‘Karon’

So like me you’ve waited until the last second and now you’ve got to hazard the crowded shops and DC streets to finish up your Christmas shopping. You’re fairly limited with online shopping opportunities, you have no time for brainstorming, and you’ve got a gazillion other things to do, so you’ve got to put your nose to the grind stone and pound these last little (or big) tidbits out. Lucky for you, and me, there are plenty of cool DC-related gifties out there waiting to be scooped up.

Many of us will be heading through Union Station today and the shops there offer some fantastic last minute gift pick up opportunities.  You can find historic memorabilia and inauguration items at America!’s Spirit, or small paintings, pottery and jewelry at Echo Gallery Mezzanine Kiosk, or perhaps Lids, where you can pick up a Redskins or Capitals branded baseball cap. There’s also a solid wine and spirits shop that can provide that much needed Jameson for eggnog or bottle of bubbly for Christmas morning drinkypoos.  These shops are a hurried travelers delight and are definitely worth checking out, if you’re still gift hunting or needing to fill up those stockings. Continue reading →

Business and Money, Entertainment, Fun & Games, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Ripping Off Childhood Favorites

hungryhipposripoff

Recently I’ve been spending a little too much time at my local CVS. Whether I’m filling an Rx, stocking up on 2 for 1 cans of chicken noodle soup or buying toilet paper, I could spend hours roaming the aisles looking at all the “As Seen On TV” offerings and discounted holiday supplies.

However, like the way too early holiday displays, I saw an item there that really busted my buttons. A ripoff of the dearly beloved, totally skillless, Hasbro children’s game Hungry, Hungry Hippos.

WTF! Is nothing sacred anymore? In the ripoff, titled Hungry Dog, the pups don’t have that marble crazy look in their eyes like the hippos.  And the very name of the game with only one “hungry” gives their sub-par dedication to manic marble chomping away.

So my advice to parents is don’t deprive your kids of the real-deal when it comes to classic kids games.  Spend the extra $2 bucks and buy the original.

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Reload Your SmarTrip Card at CVS or Giant

Photo courtesy of
‘First subway ride’
courtesy of ‘ktylerconk (Tennessee)’

Great news from Metro today: you can now load value onto your SmarTrip card at over 100  CVS and Giant Food stores.  This is the latest step in making it easier to use and reload SmarTrip cards since Metro eliminated paper transfers back in January.  You can load value using cash or credit cards on portable SmarTrip devices at these stores, a welcome improvement over the cash-only reloading capabilities of Metrobuses.

The list of stores with SmarTrip reloading machines can be found here; the list includes 106 CVS locations and eight Giant Food locations.  Participating retailers will have a decal or sign on the door announcing the SmarTrip capability.

Thanks Metro, for making it a bit easier to avoid the swarms of tourists at the farecard machines in Metro stations this summer.

And oddly enough, here’s another way that CVS is making it a little bit easier to get around: apparently the CVS Samaritan Van has been rescuing stranded motorists for thirty years!  Who knew CVS cared so much about transportation?  Thanks David for the link.