Walgreens offers vendors from all backgrounds equal opportunities to become their supplies, but limits contracts to companies owned by U.S. citizens that are based and operating in the U.S. Walgreens strongly supports gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender business owner applications as well as those from minority, women, veteran and small business enterprises.

Application and Explanation

You can apply to Walgreens by registering at vendor.walgreens.com and printing the supplier questionnaire, which acts as an application. Mail the application, along with three product samples. Specify which product category the sample belongs in. Include a copy of your product liability insurance certificate. No live or perishable goods should be shipped. Samples, which must weigh under 25 pounds, will not be returned. Samples that are more than 25 pounds or three square feet should be photographed rather than shipped.

Legal Documents

All vendors applying to distribute products or services with the company must sign the Walgreens nondisclosure agreement along with the Walgreens general trade agreement before their application will be considered. Vendor applications are reviewed by the manager of the category specified for the product and they notify applicants whether they're approved or denied. The review process can take as long as 90 days.

Getting Acquainted

Approved vendors must read and accept Wallgreens' Vendor Compliance Manual, which provides vendor rules, recommendations and expectations. The manual is posted on the Walgreens vendor web portal.The manual covers vendor agreements and insurance requirements, item and catalog management, vendor profile management and responsibility standards, electronic trading, accounting requirements, material data safety sheets, and vendor shipping compliance.

Register and Setup

Approved vendors are issued a marketing vendor number and given instructions on how to share data with the company. After establishing your account, Walgreens will email you an explanation of the system and a how-to guide containing step-by-step instructions for altering or modifying your account.