A Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing... at Duane Reade

There are some things that certain New York City girls just have down pat. Things that come natural, things that are second nature, and things that define us a group. Of course, technically this applies to any female, but being an islander, I’m a little biased.

The ability to balance a birthday card on one knee, while crouching on the sidewalk in stilettos. A clutch in one hand, pen in the other while mastering the art of the quick, deeply felt card writeup before entering the door of the restaurant/lounge/club where her friend sits inches away, awaiting her, and all her other friend’s celebratory entrances.

The art of last minute outfit shopping for that date she has with that guy she met in, fill in the blank or more so these days on fill in the blank, dot com. She has a million things in her closet, more then she can even see, and yet, upon further inspection it’s been made abundantly clear to all those around her that nothing is suitable. So, in a last ditch effort a close friend is grabbed and trek is made to an apparel establishment of choice. Depending on who she is, and where she lives, this can be Forever 21, H&M, Club Monaco, Saks Fifth Avenue, Gap, etc. After that other shopping must take place, a one stop shop for all date night necessities, but I digress, as I’ve already spoken on this process before.

There is another mastering that you can find any NY city girl implementing on any given weekend. The pre-trip drugstore shopping excursion. She has a trip in less then 2,3,4 days. She has a list. She has a pen. She has her coupons. And the excursion begins. I myself, being both the former and the latter; a NY city girl AND a pre-trip drugstore shopper know this dance quite well, and I’m about to embark on an excellent adventure, not will Bill and Ted, but with Duane and Reade.

Join us….

So, I have a list. I have a pen. I have the Duane Reader, which I checked out online first, and used to add to my list, starring those which have coupon incentives.

I need Sunscreen. I find that Prevail, a line of jewelry, makeup and body has a moisturizing sunscreen on sale w/ my flex rewards for $10.99 for 2 bottles. This will be my first item to be crossed off.

I also need nail polish. Okay, technically I don’t need nail polish, but you know how the chlorine and sea water can KILL your nails, and for $4.50 I can buy a really cute Prevail nail polish. I pick a light green color, aptly named Rooftop bar. Perfect.

Next, I want to pick up some snacks for the plane and hotel. It’s all inclusive, but a girl can get hungry while getting ready for a big night out in Mexico, and seeing as men eat every 10 to 15 minutes, it couldn’t hurt to have some extra snacks in our room. I pass by veggie sticks, Yogurt bites, all nice, healthy snacks that I found in the reader, all on sale, but nothing really calls my name, until I see the NICE brand cheddar penguins. Perfect snack for pre gaming and then some.

I come upon one of the most important parts of a girls pre-trip drugstore shopping. Two words; Travel. Size. Some Duane Reades have better travel size sections then other, but luckily I’m in the Herald Square location, which with it’s double escalators, resembles more of a high end shop or restaurant, then a drugstore. I pick up bandaids, for any blisters my 4 inch wedges might cause, aspirin, because I’m thinking ahead, and face wipes, because lets face it, sometimes we get lazy, and we just can’t make it to the sink, and a makeup remover wipe is sufficient. You know what I’m talking about, so don’t pretend you don’t do it.

Lastly, I pick up the June Issue of People Style Watch with my favorite girl, Jenny Aniston on the cover, and with that, and 50 Shades Darker in my beach bag, I have enough reading material for the week. Depending on how hot it gets…. The weather, not the book…. maybe.

I’ve picked up everything I need, including stopping at the Pharmacy for my prescription. Leaving the store I am pretty impressed with myself for getting everything on my list, and not diverting too far from the plan, and making it out of Duane Reade in under 45 minutes, which is a feat unto itself, especially now with the Look Boutique. There are enough makeup, and nail lines to keep a girl busy for hours in there, but I am on a time line, so only necessity will do for this shopping trip.

Next up comes another ritual that strikes fear in the heart of many a female, no matter where you live. The packing. What to pack; how many shoes; how many tops; do you plan out your outfits ahead of time, or do you throw everything in a bag and figure it out later. This is an art form; some excel, and some are challenged. Even a #DReade VIP blogger like myself, am yet to master this art, and since Duane Reade can’t help me with this also, I must fend for myself… Maybe they should come out with a new newsletter, like the Reader, but with tips for packing and sorting. Seeing as you never know what’s going to appear in their stores next, maybe it’s not such a long shot….

Until then… Bon Voyage!!!

If you find yourself preparing for your next big trip away, or even just a staycation, check out Duane Reade on Twitter and Facebook , and to see more pictures on my pre-trip adventure, check out my story on Google Plus, right here.

“This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias

**all opinions and stories written and expressed here are entirely from my own #DReadeVIP blogger brain** 🙂