drugstore.com Posts 1,000th Test Drive Product Review on Site; Innovative Customer-Authored Product Review Program Reveals How Customers Really Feel About drugstore.com Products

Business Wire, June 29, 2000

Business Editors

BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 29, 2000

drugstore.com(TM) (www.drugstore.com) (NASDAQ: DSCM), a leading Internet retailer of health, beauty and wellness products, announced today that the site has posted its 1,000th customer-written Test Drive(TM) product review (each review consists of input from 8-10 customers). drugstore.com is the only major online drugstore featuring customer-generated product reviews. More than 8,000 customers have participated in the Test Drive program. Plans for the upcoming year include doubling the number of reviewed products by adding another 1,000 product reviews.

"We're committed to delivering the best shopping experience on the web," said John Williams, vice president of merchandising for drugstore.com. "We think our customers are the best source of candid feedback about the products we offer. The Test Drive Program gives our customers the voice to share opinions directly with their peers."

The customer-written product reviews are submitted via drugstore.com's Test Drive program. Each week, drugstore.com recruits prospective reviewers while they are browsing for products. Interested customers sign up on the site, receive free samples to test at home for one-two weeks, and then complete a detailed evaluation. Verbatim opinions from these home assessments are posted on the site.

Reviewed products have included everything from toothpaste to home spa appliances and personal items such as feminine hygiene products and condoms. Product reviewers are asked to complete a thorough assessment and rate products on a scale of one (worst) to five (best) stars. The reviews are then posted on the drugstore.com web site and may be accessed by clicking on the "Customer Review" icon located next to specific products all across the site.

Reviewers are willing to share, in some cases, very personal anecdotes. "When we did our first review, of the Oral B cross-action toothbrush, the surprisingly passionate feedback we received from the 10 Test Drivers told us we were onto something valuable," said Williams. "All of our reviewers take the process as seriously as we do, whether the item costs $5 or $50, whether it's a general product or a very personal item. Other visitors read the reviews and act on them.

"The thoroughness our customer reviewers bring to this process shows they really care about making drugstore.com a better place to shop by providing honest feedback to their peers about the products we're offering," Williams continued.

La Fayette, Ga., resident April Collins, a drugstore.com customer and reviewer, said, "I love Test Drive not so much as a 'driver' but as a reader of other people's reviews. If a product has a review, I am much more attracted to it. And I read all the reviews before making a decision whether or not to buy the product. Product reviews make buying on the Internet a better experience for me than buying in a brick & mortar store. For me, it's like I have people like me who have already tried the product right there "in the store" where I can ask them 'How'd you like it?' "

drugstore.com offers access to more than 15,000 brand-name personal healthcare products at competitive prices and a full-service licensed pharmacy, along with a wealth of health-related information, buying guides and other tools designed to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions. Recognized in December 1999 by Gomez Advisors as the top Internet drugstore, the site has sold products to more than one million unique customers since opening in February 1999, the first online drugstore to earn this distinction.

About drugstore.com

drugstore.com(TM) (NASDAQ: DSCM) is a leading online drugstore and information site offering A Very Healthy Way to Shop(TM) for health, beauty, wellness, personal care, and pharmacy products. drugstore.com provides a convenient, private, and informative shopping experience that encourages consumers to purchase products essential to healthy, everyday living. drugstore.com offers thousands of brand-name personal health care products at competitive prices; a full-service, licensed mail pharmacy; and a wealth of health-related information, buying guides, and other tools designed to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions. The company recently acquired Beauty.com, a leading site offering prestige cosmetic products and, in addition to Amazon.com, also has strategic relationships with Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE, PSE: RAD) and General Nutrition Companies. Test Drive(TM) is a registered trademark of drugstore.com.

Customer Anecdotes

Parenting/Family

drugstore.com features product reviews in the categories of baby care, eye and ear care, first aid and more.

Peggy, from Fort Mills, S.C., said "When testing Kiss My Face Shower Gel and Foaming Bath, the scent was so enticing that my toddler jumped into the bath with me: clothes and all!"

Carla, of Twain Harte, Calif., has five children. She tested TheSoundSpa Acoustic Relaxation Machine and said, "My autistic child uses sound to help him sleep. He enjoys the ocean waves the most. I have also noticed fewer quarrels when the boys all sit down to a board game."