As far as the soil that the plant is in, it is usually high in peat. This allows the grower and distributor to water heavily before placing the plants in stores. If you think about it, some stores get in hundreds or thousands (think seasonals such as poinsettias) at a time. The store staff doesn't have time to water everything regularly, and they don't care. Sadly, both the growers, distributors and stores really don't care. If the plant has to be tossed, they write off the full value, so they lose nothing.
The first thing you should do is remove the 'pretty' foil/plastic' wrapper. They don't allow the soil mix to drain properly, which can easily kill the plant. That said, the best way to water these is from the bottom up. Set them in the sink and fill the sink with tepid water. Let the pots sit a while, then drain the sink. Any excessive water in the pots will drain and you can put your pots where ever. If this isn't practical, place the pots in a saucer or other suitable dish with a rim that makes it at least 1/2" deep. Gently water the top of the soil. If water runs out immediately, the soil is either very porous, or so dry that it can't take up water readily. If this happens, you need to use the water bath method above.
Something else to consider is whether or not the plant is root bound. If it is, the plant would benefit from being repotted into the next larger size. This is more of an issue with the potted rosemary trees that appear in stored in November.
