Week 4: Jams at CVS by Mister M
My previous trip was at Dean & DeLuca the pinnacle of “haute cuisine” in Georgetown. This week I decided to keep it more impromptu and spontaneous and shopped at the CVS store on Pennsylvania Avenue at the center of the Foggy Bottom area.
The CVS Pharmacy is a subsidiary of the American retail and health care company CVS Health. Currently, CVS Pharmacy is the largest pharmacy chain in the United States with over 10,000 stores. CVS sells prescription drugs and a wide assortment of general merchandise, including over-the-counter medications, beauty products, cosmetics, seasonal merchandise, home health care products, food, and healthcare services in its medical mini-clinics. Products at CVS are usually more expensive compared to other supermarkets as the prices reflect and incorporate the expenses for the convenience of the CVS location and the 24-hour availability.
This was my first time searching for jams at this specific CVS store as I usually buy them at either Whole Foods or Trader Joes. I went to the CVS store on Penn Avenue for jam-hunting on Wednesday at around 5pm after finishing all my schoolwork. Honestly, I found it hard to find the jam section at CVS. Instinctively, I knew they would be located on the first floor, but it took me more time than I expected to find them. As I entered the store from 21st street I immediately turned to the right and after spending at least 10 minutes walking around the store, I finally found them. They were located on aisle 15 at the “Cereal, Coffee, Groceries” section.
Like at many other stores, jams are located together with peanut butter and honey. This time, however, jams occupy only half a shelf. Obviously, jams here are not organic or GMO free and are only made from grapes, strawberries, and oranges compared to the more exotic jams at Whole Foods and Dean & DeLuca.
All the jams at CVS are in plain see-through big and bulky plastic or glass jars with very simple labels on them. Prices are also very average ranging from $3.39-$4.69 pre-tax. After I made my small research on the costs, tags, and labels I tried to walk around the store and pay attention to the people who would stop and buy any. To my surprise, not even one person stopped to buy any jams or jellies within almost thirty minutes.
So, this week’s conclusion from a jam connoisseur: CVS needs to promote the jams more effectively and better label them if it really wants to profit from them.
