CVS Pharmacy at C Street and 5th Avenue in Downtown San Diego, California

Just as the 'big bad' Fox's giant book store chain arrived into Kathleen Kelly's corner of New York to bust up all the smaller independent neighborhood book shops in the hit Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan film, You've Got Mail, CVS Pharmacy arrived in downtown San Diego a few months ago and promptly swallowed the two Longs' Pharmacies at Horton Plaza and in East Village (SE corner of Market and 6th Avenue) and what used to be a local favorite cheap diner at this NE corner of C Street and 5th Avenue (by the trolley track) just a block north of Broadway.

Believe me, I have no personal grudge against CVS. I even signed up for its discount card... Though I do wish that that little Rite Aid Pharmacy will survive this well endowed a competition if only to keep CVS from achieving a monopoly in this area and feeling free to start increasing its merchandise prices.

This location is really quite easy to get to. There is underground parking in this city block (and some metered spaces off 5th and 6th Avenues) and it is right by a trolley stop (blue and orange lines) and a bus stop on 5th Avenue. The Gaslamp Quarter, Civic Theater, Spreckels Theater, and Copley Symphony Halls are all just a short walk away.

This 5th at C store is quite spacious and offers a good grocery-convenient store (selling just about everything you need in the house and even some camping gears), 1-hr photo lab, and a well manned full service pharmacy. There are always something on sales (especially if you have the CVS card, which you can apply for free). Some of the deals here are even better than at the poor man's convenient store (Super Discount Food Convenient Store) a few blocks away. I was looking around for a small rice-cooker the other day and found one here for $13... That beats the other store's price by $4!

All the aisles are well organized and labeled, so it's pretty easy to find specific items there without having to ask a clerk for help (which is just as well since just about the only complaint I can offer about this place is that it doesn't appear to have enough cashiers working at any one time). Walking in from either entrance and you are already enticed by the 3 for $12 t-shirts stand and the rows of colorful candies and snacks. The two middle aisles are where the promotional 'sales' items are at along with a partially barred alcohol shelves. The left side (along 5th Avenue) of the store is where the food items like sodas and dry food are kept. Personal hygiene and cosmetic goods are on the right side of the store. Everything costs roughly the same as you'd find at the 2 real grocery stores in downtown area: Ralph's and Albertson's.

The full-service pharmacy at the back of the store (yep, they make you walk past all those rows of temptations in order to get to where the medicines are at) is always well manned. I've used it only once so far and have no complaint. The staff are professional and quite friendly. You can also find a blood pressure machine in this part of the store along with first aids and other health related items. The only weird thing I've seen here is how they put a stand of eye glasses by the pharmacy counter in the back, but store the eye glasses repair kits in the front of the store (near the cashiers) instead.

I've never used the 1-hr photo lab here (it's at the front of the store, to the left of the check out cashiers), but that's where the batteries and disposable cameras are.

Finding the check out line here can be a bit tricky since they had put islands of sweets in front of the cashiers which sort of confuse the patrons who don't know whether to form a straight line opposite of a check out counter or one that goes across them instead. Once you do get to a cashier, though, it's easy sailing from there. The staff I've dealt with have all been very friendly and efficient... Even the store guard smiles at you when you leave

CVS Pharmacy #4768: 510 C Street ( at 5th Ave Trolley Station), San Diego, CA 92101. Tel. (619) 615-0263.
Hrs: 6AM - 10PM daily
Web site: www.cvs.com