Dirty Lemon has a cult-like following, but would their customers pay for their bottles boasting health benefits if they didn’t have to? That’s the question the company seems to be asking with their recently opened Tribeca outpost, The Drug Store. While you’ll find rows and rows of each of their perfectly branded and bottled drinks here, you won’t find any cashiers.
Wait, what is Dirty Lemon?
Dirty Lemon makes and sells bottled elixirs infused with ingredients they claim boost different aspects of your health. The “Sleep” drink, for example, has magnesium mixed in. (To be fair, Metro tried magnesium for sleep and found it worked pretty well.) The others, like +collagen and +CBD, are self-explanatory. Perhaps the most notable quality of this company, however, is that its devoted customers order their drinks and pay via text message.
And that’s exactly what they’re asking customers who stop by The Drug Store in Tribeca to do. In an Instagram story announcing the opening, they explain that it’s as easy as “grab a bottle, send us a txt, move on w/ your life.” But they’re banking on you texting them not only an accurate account of what you grabbed from the cases but also that you took anything at all.
The company isn’t worried, though. “I do think a majority of people would feel very guilty for continuing to steal,” Dirty Lemon’s chief executive Zak Normandin said in a recent interview at the new location, as the New York Times reports. He was unwilling, however, to put a number on how much money the company is willing to lose in the process. Anything that’s taken without a follow-up text is considered sampling cost.
What can you expect at The Drug Store?
Walk into The Drug Store and you won’t find anyone there to help you, or ring you up. You will, however, find cases of perfectly chilled tonics. Turn, and you’ll find a full-length mirror reflecting the drinks back, encouragement for those doing it “for the ‘gram.” Yes, selfies are encouraged here.
The drinks sell through Dirty Lemon for $45 for a case of 6 16-ounce drinks. Well, if you’re a VIP. If you’re not, it’ll set you back $65. To get that $20 discount, you’ll need to order at least one case per month. Since The Drug Store doesn’t know if you’re a VIP, you can probably expect to pay over $10 per bottle, but Metro will update this story as soon as we know the exact cost.
UPDATE: Dirty Lemon confirmed to Metro that each bottle at The Drug Store will cost you slightly over $10 if you’re not a member. Members, however, get each of their bottles from this Tribeca outpost for the discounted rate of $7.50 per bottle.
Where to find The Drug Store by Dirty Lemon
You’ll find The Drug Store and all its Dirty Lemon tonics tucked away at 293 Church Street in Tribeca. We’ve embedded a map below if you want to scope the neighborhood or see how you can hit them up for a drink on your morning commute.
