drugstore.com Expands Product Selection with Launch of Drop Ship

drugstore.com, inc., (NASDAQ: DSCM) a leading online provider of health, beauty, vision, and pharmacy products, is launching a broader selection of products and new categories through the initiation of its drop ship program, a virtual inventory fulfillment system. The new e-commerce capability enables the rapid expansion of customer requested products that are more specialized, hard to find, larger in size or perishable. "We are delighted to give our customers access to a wider variety of products through the launch of drop ship,” said Dawn Lepore, CEO, drugstore.com. "This is a win for customers and for the company because we can significantly expand our OTC product selection without taking on new inventory risk.” The drugstore.com(TM) over-the-counter web store will grow from more than 30,000 products to more than 34,000 by the end of the year with drop ship. More than 400 of those new products are already available to customers this week. When an order is placed for a drop ship item, it will be shipped directly to the customer from the manufacturer or supplier. "We are adding products that our millions of customers have requested and that are natural extensions of our current selection,” said Julie Johnston, vice president, OTC merchandising, drugstore.com. "For instance, we are now able to expand our increasingly popular gift category by offering gourmet food, gift baskets and unique games.” Some of the thousands of new drop ship items customers will be able to buy as they become available this year include: Baby Gear – Strollers, car seats, joggers, cribs and furniture. Games – Wide selection of Board, electronic, Interactive CDs, strategy, and trivia games. Durable Medical Equipment – Wheelchairs, hearing aids, easy-lift chairs, walkers, scooters, hospital beds. Fitness Equipment – Exercise machines, tanning beds, massage tables. Kitchen Accessories, Small Appliances – Toasters, coffee makers, space heaters, fans. Specialty Electronics – Larger selection of air purifiers, weather stations. Gourmet Food and Gift Baskets – Hand-made Apple Pie delivered ready to bake, chocolate covered strawberries, specialty chocolates, special occasion selections and fresh fruit. Customers can shop on www.drugstore.com 24 hours a day, seven days a week from the comfort and privacy of their own homes and have the benefit of home delivery. They can take advantage of many convenient features such as Auto Delivery for automatic delivery of items every 30, 45, 60, 90 or 180 days; Your List, which reminds customers what items they have previously purchased; and the FSA Store (flexible spending account) with more than 3,000 eligible products, FSA specific receipts for easy reimbursement, or FSA debit cards for automatic reimbursement. The FSA store features shopping guides, product comparisons, informative articles, and additional product content. About drugstore.com, inc. drugstore.com, inc. (NASDAQ: DSCM) is a leading online provider of health, beauty, vision, and pharmacy products. The drugstore.com™ online store (www.drugstore.com) provides a convenient, private, and informative shopping experience that encourages consumers to purchase products essential to healthy, everyday living. The online store offers thousands of brand-name personal health care products at competitive prices; a full-service, licensed retail pharmacy; and a wealth of health-related information, buying guides, and other tools designed to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions. Consumers can personalize their shopping experiences with shopping lists, e-mail reminders for replenishing regularly used products, and private e-mail access to pharmacists for questions. drugstore.com, inc. has been awarded the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) certification by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) as a fully licensed facility exercising competent, safe pharmacy practices in compliance with federal and state laws and regulations.