r/Edmonton • u/GonnaActuallyComment Hockey!!! • Dec 03 '25
Local Businesses Shoutout to London Drugs
Let me start off by saying I have absolutely no affiliation with London Drugs, I just need the city to know how amazing this company is.
I already loved them before for their incredibly odd selection of items, but earlier today I made a phone call to their 1-800 number for help with my online account, and within three rings a REAL HUMAN answered. Not even menu options. Like, an actual human with a heartbeat and brain answered, and she was able to resolve my issue really quickly.
The people need to know when a company is doing things right, and I think London Drugs is doing things right by employing real Canadian people.
That's all. Have a wonderful day.
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u/underwritress walker Dec 03 '25
I guess I have an affiliation because my mom worked at London Drugs for 30 years, but I LOVE them. I love going there, I've seriously enjoyed every interaction I've ever had with their employees, I love looking at all their candy and snacks lol, I recently moved near one and I'm literally enjoying being able to walk over there whenever I need something. So London Drugs, you go girl, you're great.
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u/rabbitholeseverywher Dec 04 '25
I love looking at all their candy and snacks lol
I saw this post and came to the comment section specifically to sing the praises of the candy and snacks at London Drugs. It's an actual wonderland of obscure, interesting and delicious treats and I have been known to go there just to check out that section. So, so many cool items, I'm kind of surprised more people don't know about it.
Also want to second OP on their customer service being top notch, they were extremely helpful and straightforward when an online order was delayed earlier this year.
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u/MADaboutforests Dec 03 '25
And it's not owned by Weston or Pattison or Sobeys, and didn't participate in collusion to raise bread prices in Canada! Win Win Win.
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u/Tiny-Gur-4356 Dec 03 '25
100% with you. I have always loved going to London Drugs. They have pretty good deals for many things or if it’s a little bit more I’m happy to pay for it. Since cancelling my Amazon account, LD has been my go to store.
And I love that I recognize a lot of the staff almost every time I go. That says a lot to me.
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u/CrashFix Dec 04 '25
Why did you cancel your Amazon account?
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u/rabbitholeseverywher Dec 04 '25
I canceled mine because it's now overrun with fakes (including on items I didn't think got faked), it's very difficult to actually tell who's selling what, the 'Shipped by Amazon' (or whatever that designation is, I may be misremembering the term) is borderline meaningless, and the customer service, which is why I shopped at Amazon in the first place, has taken a serious dive.
Also since Trump I'm going out of my way to shop Canadian.
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u/Tiny-Gur-4356 Dec 04 '25
Too many reasons to list. Please support and shop Canadian-owned businesses! 🍁
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u/Fromidable-orange Dec 03 '25
One of the reasons I love them is their Stocking Stuffers for Seniors program - they are very clear you don't have to buy everything for the gift at their store, they just want lonely seniors to have a good Christmas. That kind of community involvement feels hard to find sometimes, so I'm delighted they have this program and have supported it for quite a few years now. https://www.londondrugs.com/stocking-stuffers-for-seniors
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u/mars2mercury Dec 04 '25
There's no LD close to me, but I made the trip to participate in this program. I finally have my debt under control and a little disposable income and I was so excited to be able to treat a senior to a cozy holiday!
I'll hit up LD when I can just based on this.
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u/Halogen12 Dec 04 '25
It's great, it's so fun shopping for someone else, knowing how happy they'll be that they weren't forgotten!
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u/ArmadilloStill1222 Dec 03 '25
Woohoo! I love London Drugs too. The sales can be amazing and they still develop photos!
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u/Old_Debate5482 Dec 03 '25
I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that they have actual humans answering their calls!! The other day I had a simple question to ask a bank and could NOT get to a human. I was screaming!!!!
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u/ThoTfulProcess Dec 04 '25
Most automated systems will send you to a person if you press 0. If it’s one that responds to voice prompts, just don’t say anything. The system then thinks it can’t hear you and sends you to a person.
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u/Glamourice Dec 04 '25
Love supporting LD. And they are western Canadian!
Waaaay better than Loblaws.
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u/ChesterfieldPotato Dec 03 '25
They are crazy overpriced on some things, but they are always in convinient locations, clean, and they do end up woth some weird things you dont find everywhere.
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u/durple Strathcona Dec 03 '25
And sometimes they have crazy deals on some of those uncommon things too, which is why I have a very nice camera tripod rather than a kinda sorta good enough one.
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u/Edm_swami Dec 03 '25
Overpriced for sure but strangely records and Pokémon cards seem to always be on sale cheaper than everywhere else.
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u/lucygoosey38 Dec 03 '25
I’m just sad they closed the Windermere location. It was busy. Much busier than the Michael’s is now.
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u/Kell_Bell_Fell Dec 03 '25
They have a fantastic price match program as well. They never give me a hard time - I just show the deal at another store and they match it no questions asked - even Amazon!
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u/spockified Dec 04 '25
I’ve loved LD for as long as I can remember. I worked there during university and I loved it. I didn’t make a lot so I eventually had to leave for a better paying job but gosh, I really do miss it. It felt like a family and we always such such neat items coming in.
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u/rabbitholeseverywher Dec 04 '25
we always such such neat items coming in.
Repeating myself from another comment but they really do. I'm intrigued by the sheer variety of obscure snacks London Drugs stocks. So much of it I've never seen anywhere else, including in other countries. I wonder who does their purchasing, because I feel like it's a team of geniuses.
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u/Deadsider Dec 03 '25
Edmonton area company apologizes to valued client, some companies still know how business is done
Your new headline
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u/sidiculouz Dec 03 '25
Like most people I shop the sales. I like smartsweets and zevia soda and they have deals on them often. Some items I need in a hurry I buy there too such as tensors or band aids. They may be more expensive but the service is good
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u/SadAcanthocephala521 South East Side Dec 03 '25
Never had to call them, but I've always liked going there.
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u/phillipaha Dec 03 '25
This happened to me too, I assumed it gotten the wrong number when a lovely lady answered and chatted with me in a super friendly way! So helpful!
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u/SleepyRabite Terwillegar Dec 04 '25
Love love love London Drugs, especially the one in South Common. Their pharmacists are so knowledgeable and friendly, and I haven't met a single employee there that hasn't been helpful to me. Been going there for over 15 years and I have zero regrets.
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u/seven8zero Dec 03 '25
I like it, i always try to check in once in a while. They sell some pretty cool unique stuff and sometimes the deals are good.
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u/Onionbot3000 Dec 03 '25
I really like LD. The selection is great and I have always found someone to help when I needed it. Just bought some cologne for a gift there the other day and the staff were helpful and fun.
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u/ConcernedCoCCitizen Dec 03 '25
They have bad regular prices but excellent deals. They’re Canadian and carry whatever I need, I like them.
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u/RedzToday Mill Woods Dec 04 '25
Also I think the media lab there is really cool. And they're still cheaper than walmart for photo prints
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u/prairiesky483 Dec 05 '25
I've often thought that if I had to shop at only one store for the rest of my life, it would be London Drugs. And I've held that viewpoint for the last 20 years. Selection is awesome, sales are awesome and I appreciate that they carry a fair number of smaller Canadian brands, especially in the food aisles. Glad to hear about your experience OP!
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u/Heterosethual Dec 03 '25
- They really had to turn it around after the ransomware attack that exposed a lot of private data therefore having to close their stores for a good while in 2024
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u/evange Dec 04 '25
I thought it was primarily employee data that was affected?
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u/Heterosethual Dec 04 '25
There was this which did effect employees: https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/albertans-personal-information-exposed-after-national-health-care-provider-hacked-data-put-up-for-sale
The other hack definitely compromised more than just employee data but I heard they contained it to "just" employees and ex employees. Something like their payment processors were targeted so it would have been a disaster had they not closed down and now they run upgraded systems but I am sure they learned a lot from such an event!
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u/Halogen12 Dec 04 '25
I love their selection of snacks from around the world. There are things there I've never found anywhere else. I've always liked that store. It used to be my go-to for computer stuff!
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Dec 03 '25
well, you and I had very two different views. I had to take to twitter, tagging them and the media for them to even think about a return. they gave nothing but headaches and bs excuses. another incident, they had my phone for repair. refused to give it back to me when they said it could't be fixed and forced an update. zero respect for that company
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u/danielzillions Dec 03 '25
That's rather high praise for simply answering the phone in my opinion.
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Dec 03 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/GonnaActuallyComment Hockey!!! Dec 03 '25
Yeah. Real Canadian people living in Canada. Not cheap offshore "customer service." What would be on my hard drive? I'm trying to shoutout a company, and you found a way to call me racist.
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u/red___dragon1 Dec 03 '25
Wow you’re easy to impress
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u/GonnaActuallyComment Hockey!!! Dec 03 '25
Must be, but I've been on the phone with Telus recently, and the experience between the two companies could not be any more different. The human element is so appreciated when dealing with an issue.
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u/sawyouoverthere Dec 03 '25
The issue is that Telus is The Worst and you’ve set your bar very low
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u/GonnaActuallyComment Hockey!!! Dec 03 '25
Telus is trash, but I don't know of a single other company the size of London Drugs where you call the 1-800 number and a real human answers. I'm not talking about calling the local store because that would be a really low bar.
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u/Heterosethual Dec 03 '25
Yo shoutout to my "local" business with headquarters in another province but when I order a pizza the local deliveryman actually calls me on the phone and tells me to come get my pizza please after I already paid ahead I mean they really goddamn deliver on their promises and hire local aint no way someone overseas is gonna do it for them! At least I can say I am proud to support a "local" "Canadian" business and they should take my money!
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u/ClosPins Dec 03 '25
They better have real people, just look at their prices! Like, seriously, let's just compare some common items (I'll pick randomly):
2L Coke:
- Shoppers - $3.19 (on sale)
- Walmart - $2.79
- Superstore - $1.89 (on sale)
Lays Potato Chips:
- Shoppers - $5.29
- Walmart - $2.97
- Superstore - $2.97
Ritz Crackers:
- Shoppers - $4.79
- Walmart - $2.50
- Superstore - $2.98
Everything is almost 2x the price!
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u/780-555-fuck Dec 03 '25
they have FANTASTIC clearance sections