Shoppers Drug Mart

If you ever shop for gluten free or organic foods and snacks, this is the best spot! I can’t believe the selection, it’s like a health food store within a Shoppers drug mart. This is the only Shoppers drug Mart with this big a selection of health foods! And the best part is, you get shoppers optimum points on all the food the have! I but my gluten free frozen foods here, as well as beverages, gluten free pastas and snacks. As well they have an amazing tea selection if you like teas! Although it’s a small store compared to most SDM’s, the health food section is plenty! And the staff is ways friendly.

A little expensive but seriously, everything you need and then some. Amazing pharmacists, decent candy selection but really, go for the cosmetics collection. Clinique, Lancôme, yves, it’s all here as well as a wonderful brush selection and nice ladies to help you. Free parking lots and hundreds of locations.

I went into this store at around 4 PM on a week day. I would have expected it to be busy, but I did not expect the frustrating experience I had. There were two cashiers on duty with relatively long lines. The cashier in the line I chose spent fifteen minutes trying to void one single item for a cashier. Twice the other cashier from another line had to leave her long line to assist the cashier in my line. The other cashier left to help her colleague without any apologies to customers in line. At one point the confused cashier left my line, got something from the back of the store, only to ask her colleague again for help in voiding the item. Several attempts were made to get extra cashiers, to no avail. At first customers tried to be patient and two customers actually tried to help the cashier that was having challenges. Eventually, customers went to the back of the store to ask the pharmacist to cash them out. One customer said «What is going on here?» and another said «Can’t you find another casher?» to which the cashier said «we’ve called someone but she hasn’t come». Eventually the cashier in my line figured out how to void the customer’s item and the customer went on her way. She was the only customer to have been given an apology. Every other customer who spent 15 to 20 minutes in line should have received an apology, but none was offered. The only shoppers drugmart worse than this one, was a store on the Danforth that followed my mother around as if they expected her to steal. That store closed and this Shoppers should close too. I have never seen a more rude, impolite and clueless bunch of staff in my life. I will never ever, return. I know mistakes happen, but my time is just too precious.

This particular Shoppers Drug Mart location is unique and I’ve been told the only one like it in Toronto. I have always loved having a neighbourhood Shoppers and having one close to home is usually on my list of apartment hunting criteria. When I moved into the Upper Avenue neighbourhood I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is the ‘organic Shoppers’ of Toronto. It’s like having a combination of the Big Carrot, Whole Foods and a Shoppers all in one store…
They carry mainly organic/​health food & natural cosmetics, other unique items and including a pharmacy. I can find stuff here, such as non-​GMO Morinaga smoothie-​grade soft tofu, that is hard to find elsewhere in the area (I only like this brand for making chocolate pudding!) I also found a favourite Burts Bees product here that I haven’t been able to find at other Shoppers locations. Plus they have a great essential oils collection that seems to get a little bigger each time I check for new oils.
UPDATE — Sept 2014: This Shoppers is currently completing a major renovation and product offering change. I am still evaluating whether or not it will retain the uniqueness that I loved about it before. So far what I can say is that they are loading their shelves with more food, mostly PC & Blue Menu products, and less independent organic product lines… To be continued.

Wow, from the outside you would have no idea that this Shoppers houses also an organic supermarket! No kidding — they have all the organic and gluten free/​food alternatives you could find in a Whole Foods or Big Carrot.
When walking in, you notice that it’s a different décor than the others. They sell Crabtree and Evelyn products along with this huge organic and gluten free section in back. There’s also regular Shoppers items in here too.
The problem is, that it looks seedy and dusty and not that appealing. If they put brighter lights, I think the look of the store would appeal more.
Free parking on site.