MANASQUAN — A new, expanded CVS drug store is now open for business at Main Street and Route 71 in Manasquan.
The pharmacy, which previously operated in a smaller store at 233 East Main St. just east of the railroad tracks, opened its doors at the renovated former ACME supermarket building in a soft opening on Sunday.
A grand opening is slated for the weekend after Thanksgiving, said store manager Joan Lerner, but the exact date has yet to be determined.
However, she said, the soft opening was “amazing,” bringing in a large number of customers.
Situated on Main Street across from Borough Hall, the new location has afforded the store many benefits, including a drive-thru. Ms. Lerner said that with more space, the store can now carry more products in terms of both amount and variety.
Most importantly, she said, there is now more parking available, something that has been a concern to the borough.
Ms. Lerner said the new location offers benefits provided by most CVS locations, such as the availability of vaccines through the store’s pharmacy.
In that regard, she said, “nothing’s changed.”
The CVS store is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day of the week. The pharmacy is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The pharmacy will be closed 1:30 to 2 p.m. each day for lunch.
Some Manasquan residents took to social media this week to again lament the absence of a local supermarket on Main Street and express concern about the need for a place to buy grocery items.
In the new CVS, shoppers can find such food items as milk, eggs, canned soups, frozen meals, packages of bottled water, boxes of pasta and other packaged goods.
Ms. Lerner also pointed out a display, close to the cash registers, that stocks ready-to-go snacks. However, she emphasized that the CVS cannot satisfy residents’ wishes for another Main Street supermarket.
“We’re not a grocery store,” said Ms. Lerner. “We’re not ACME.”
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