I Still Hate Walgreens

I’ve had the pleasure of dealing with the Walgreens Pharmacy for over two years now, on at least a monthly basis, but unfortunately it’s usually more. I have multiple, complex and annoying health problems, which makes me a slave to the rule-reciting minions at the pharmacy counter, who don’t know shit about shit. Don’t worry, I understand there are rules and strict guidelines that have to be followed. Afterall, it’s the idiots who abuse many medicines which have made it exceedingly difficult for the rest of us sickleys to get our DAMN PILLS.

The problem I have with them is the problem people have with the DMV and many other American chain institutions. I don’t like when people treat you as a policy, instead of a person. You’ll ask them a basic question and they respond with a script that someone else wrote, something memorized for the job. And sometimes, that’s what you have to do. But sometimes, it’s good to look people in the eye, listen to what they are saying, and, I dont know, possibly…help them?

Walgreens is genius because they hired a great advertising agency which created a bunch of commercials noting that we don’t live in a perfect world, so for everything else, there’s Walgreens. I threw my shoe at the TV last time I saw that commercial. We don’t live in a perfect world, true, and Walgreens is a first rate offender.

There’s a couple things Walgreens is wonderful for. Like shampoo. And all the shit people try to sell on infomercials that didn’t do well, because, well, they’re shit. There is an entire aisle dedicated to “As Seen On TV Products”, and that’s cool and everything, if you have twenty bucks you’d like to lose and are in desperate need of “pajama jeans.” They also have a great post seasonal aisle, which has a bunch of cheap chocolate and ugly decorations that are half the price, and could save you some dough for next year. But the buck stops there. Most people need Walgreens because they are suffering, and unfortunately, it’s the DMV of medication distribution.

Sadly I don’t see Walgreens going out of business any time soon. For one thing, THEY’RE EVERYWHERE. I’m currently in New York City, and I passed 6 in a 2 block radius yesterday. That could be an exaggeration, but they’re like starbucks, only the people handling your coffee are usually 10 times more intelligent than the people handling your pills. Does this strike anyone else as a problem? I feel like I’m on CRAZY PILLS!! Then again if I were, it’s not like I could get the refill when needed, in which case I’d be having a psychotic break right now. Sometimes I think that’s what’s going on with Charlie Sheen. I know everyone is sort of having a boner for him right now, which is cool and everything, because the guy is pretty funny and such a spectacle to watch. But I can’t help but wonder if he’s just been waiting for his schizophrenia medication to be re-filled this whole time, and Walgreens is to blame. (In that case, thanks Walgreens! love, everyone)

Anyway, I know deep in my soul, this blog isn’t gong to do much. All I am is a sick kid with a computer. I lack the strength, manpower, and money to go after Walgreen’s. You’d know who’d be great to get on my side? Charlie Sheen. I think some tigers blood could really help this issue. Then when the person behind the pharmacy counter tells me they can’t fill my prescription because, I dunno, it’s Wednesday and it’s raining, or something equally irrelevant, Charlie Sheen could just punch them in the face. We’d high five and walk out. WINNING! The problem is there is such little accountability for institutions like this, and such little oversight.  I could complain to the manager, which I have before, but then I’m just that girl that complains to the manager, and everyone flips off when I walk out the door. I know how it works. They probably aren’t paid enough, they probably aren’t trained enough, and most importantly, they are not taught to treat people like people, they’re taught to read rules, and that’s where our system fails. We’ve lost our humanity.

The worst part is, I’m totally at their mercy. I need my pills. And every time I need a refill, I take a deep breath and begin the process. Tears, screams, and six thrown boxes later, I usually get it. But by that time the damage is done. I’ve probably eliminated years from my already sickly life. Being at the mercy of someone unintelligent and more importantly, non compassionate about your situation, is a very, scary thing. It’s terrible. Walgreens is like the douchey cop that threatens to bring you to jail for failure to use a blinker, and you have to turn on the charm, hard. I don’t know how to fix this problem. I don’t even know if it’s possible to fix it. I googled “Walgreens Sucks” and saw a lot of things flying around on the inter-web. I’m know I’m not alone, but I just don’t know if they’ll ever HAVE to change their ways.

I think the only thing I can do is switch pharmacies, I just don’t foresee it being much better, and frankly I shouldn’t have to. Although my mom recently switched to CVS and said it was a little better. So I’m going to try that. In the meantime, I just needed to put down in words, that Walgreens has failed me, and many others. Over. and over. and over. and over. and over. and over again. When I get better, I’m going to do a parody commercial for Walgreens. It’s going to play that same tinker-bell dingy sweet music in the background, but instead of a general tone of happiness, it will show what REALLY goes on at the pharmacy counter. (You know, cursing, freak-outs, general loss of humanity by genuinely nice people)  Last week I watched a 40 year old man cry, because they would not administer the prescription for his child who was having an allergic reaction. They kept insisting that the childs policy ended on July 9, 2009. He kept saying back, “No, that’s her birthday. I’ve been filling prescriptions here for a year.” “Sorry sir, I just can’t.” And THAT shit, pisses me off. It is clearly a typo. ANYONE WITH A BRAIN, could see that it’s a typo. But there’s NO effort, they see what they see and say no way too easily. He freaked out, I shook my head. How long will this go on? I’m going to do some thinking on how to get things to change. I’m also going to call them again and see if my prescription that was called in 3 days ago, is ready. You can go ahead and guess how THAT conversation is going to go. Anyway, health and happiness.

457 thoughts on “I Still Hate Walgreens”

  1. I too, am not a fan of Walgreens. After reading your post here I think that there is a serious internal problem with Walgreens. I was treated like a common criminal at my local Walgreens where I often frequented (I refuse to shop there now). I must say that the aforementioned Walgreens is located in a not so nice area of Bremerton, WA and as I can witness, is a regular stop to some less fortunate people (drug addicts and such). It was on my way home and a somewhat convenient place to stop for a Redbox or heating pad. What I think is part of the issue with this chain is that because of the regular customer, location and other internal issues, some people get treated very unjustly, myself included! It is an unfortunate result of society and life. I am not a victim and from what I read here, you are not either. This blog and the comments, good and bad, will create a movement of change among people and hopefully corporations. I have to believe that because the alternative is worse than a zombie invasion. Perhaps that is already the problem.
    Best of luck to you. Thank you for sharing and allowing me to share too.

    Like

    Reply

    2. This is the first time I’ve read your posts, so I dont know the entire backstory but would like to comment. I am a community pharmacist but I do not work at Walgreens, however, as a mistreated community pharmacist I feel the need to at least point out the viewpoint of the pharmacy. Again, you might be dealing with a really bad pharmacy and staff, which unfortunately happens, but just to give you some insight (and for anyone else who reads this).

      Community pharmacists are NOT insurance companies. We hate them as much as our patients do. It is absolutely beyond our control to determine patient’s copays, eligibility, etc. A good pharmacist will call the insurance company when a rejection happens to find out the reason why, but that is usually the extent to which we can intervene. Your example of the man sobbing because his son’s policy ended–well theres no way for the pharmacist to do anything there. Ive seen this happen and its usually a typo on the INSURANCE CARRIER’s end of things. Most of the time, after being on hold for 20+ minutes, we’re only told for the patient to contact the insurance provider.

      The other problem we deal with is people constantly trying to get their medications, namely narcotics, filled early. In my only 5 years as a community pharmacist, I’ve caught at least 20 forged prescriptions and had to call the police 10 times and have been in court testifying twice. Unfortunately, this does jade us to people who really need the pills. If you have a good pharmacist who knows you, they know what patients truly need medications and who are just selling them on the street. However, sometime a floater might be in or someone unfamiliar with your situation. In times like this, it is extremely difficult to determine who is real and who is not.

      I could write a book more, but I feel these two points may be two things you are referring to. Again, I feel awful you have had such a bad experience with them, but remember that most community pharmacists-who have doctorate degrees and go to school for 6+ years only to be screamed at daily by the public, have a side too.

      Like

      Reply

      1. Allegra isn’t a narcotic. And when someone, covered in hives & angioedema, comes to you with a bunch of allergy RX’s from an allergist, you’d better figure out a way to get that shit filled. That’s really all.

        Like

        Reply

        2. Oh wait, you’re covered in hives and experiencing angiodema? That means you’re supposed to go to the ER dumbass. Survival of the fittest I suppose. If you think the pharmacy is the solution I hope natural selection will eliminate you. God forbid you pass those genes on.

          Like

          Reply

    1. @ gop360- if you have angioedema, and you’re showing up at Walgreen’s with an allegra prescription, you’re doing it wrong.

      for future reference, pop a couple of benadryl and go to the ER as fast as you can move, or you might end up like my comatose patient who had to have his front teeth pulled because they were chewing off his balloon sized tongue. Or dead, because airways swell up too.

      Like

      Reply

  3. You are exactly the reason why pharmacy workers loose their compassion for patients. You are so deeply caught up in your pain/sickness that you fail to realize the reality of the health care system. Well guess what, you have a role in the system too you know. Your primary role in the system is to inform yourself with knowledge, and to take some damn responsibility for your own health. First of all, do you even KNOW why you’re taking 25 different medications? Is it because you truly understand what that medication is doing to your body at a molecular level or because you’re in pain and have been led to believe that there is a pill for every single one of your symptom?

    Have you ever considered the possibility that your pharmacist knows that there can’t possibly be more benefits than harm to be taking 25 different medications at once. They know what these meds do to you, and their job is to keep those little pills from KILLING you. And so they give you a hard time when you try to get your refills, because they have to wrestle with whether or not to help you relieve your pain and risk your family sueing their ass for giving you medications you shouldn’t be taking together. They also have to deal with your insurance company which is ready to drop you now that you’ve cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars. They probably also have to deal with 10 different doctors since you have a complex disease that requires that many medications. Does each of your doctor even know what the other 9 doctors are prescribing you? Your pharmacist does and his/her job is to inform the other docs, so that they don’t write you the same thing, or things you’re not suppose to take together. Oh – and there’s also the GOVERNMENT which is on your pharmacist’s ass about every single narcotic pill that leaves their pharmacy.

    And you know what else darling? Every day, the pharmacy staff deals with 50 other people in your situation, each with their own set of 25 medications.

    So pucker up, learn to cooperate with the people whose job is to keep you alive (even if it means being nasty to you and getting spat in the face by you each time), do your part of keeping track of your own medications, and tell your doctors to take you off 15 of those pills. I guarantee you can live without those pills.

    Like

    Reply

    1. You are exactly the reason why blog readers LOSE respect for anything found in the comment section. Go start your own blog and troll that.

      Like

      Reply

    3. Oh yea anonymous, like I’m sure the people at Walgreens are not giving her the refills because they “care” about how many and what kinds of meds she is taking. Their job is to fill the meds! If it’s a real problem, the mythical pharmacists should appear from the magical land of Narnia from behind the counter and effing help her then! There are no pharmacists anymore, only “pharm techs”, which any effing high school dropout can obtain that prestigious title by going to a 3 month course at the local swap and share flea market or Kmart… I believe Wal-Mart will be offering this course in 2012 as well! Idiot!! They are counter people, no freaking Docs to sit there and argue with what and how much of it she should be taking. Plus I highly DOUBT that is her problem anyways… everything is done electronically now. Your comment made me loads mad! I don’t know the last time I even saw an actual pharmacist at Walgreens! Lose their compassion for patients? Honey, real people with compassion don’t just lose it. Have you even seen most of the sad individuals behind the counter? They probably don’t even know how to pronounce any effing diseases at all let alone argue with the docs prescription. You my darling are probably one of those scabby little trolls behind the counter screwing everything up because its interfering with your scheduled 15 min smoke break where you puff on a kool cigarette and wash back cheetos with whatever flavor of the month mountain dew is on special, and im sure you are also the reason why that poor child’s birth date was entered incorrectly as the expiration date of her policy.

      Like

      Reply

      1. You need a high school diploma to be a pharmacy tech. A person also needs to be nationally certified which means doing medication conversions, knowing brand name medications and what their generics are, and knowing the laws in your state. At least that’s how it is where I’m from.

        The person’s comment was a little harsh but that is no reason to belittle technicians. It’s just rude and immature. Yes, her comment was a bit immature but be an adult here.

        Like

        Reply

      2. Your ignorance is pitiful. If you think pharmacists only act on behalf of compassion then you’re been terribly mislead. Pharmacy staff don’t need to “care” to do their job. There are lawyers, insurance companies, auditors, the pharmacy board, and government agencies who would be on their ass the minute they screw up. They have authorities above them to answer to as well. It’s not a perfect system, and sometimes the patient will have to suffer. Sorry, but it is what it is. If you don’t like the service then go somewhere else.

        Like

        Reply

      3. Hey Melissa, go pop a few more Norco’s in your delusional state of mind. I suggest you try to reason with reality in between your hits of crack via the Chore Boy. Crack heads…SMH

        Like

        Reply

    4. I hope you never find yourself in the situation to need 25 different meds a day because you will have to EAT your words and they probably won’t taste too great going down! I forgive you for your stupidity and ignorance. It is not easy being chronically ill and your hateful words do not help. And believe me when I say, sometimes you really do need those 25 different meds to feel barely human. Thank you THAT IS ALL!

      Like

      Reply

      1. Oh absolutely, the cigarette breaks. The mysterious Narnian pharmacist isn’t showing up because the corporation she works for has the same mindset you attribute to HER, and has assigned one pharmacist and 3 technicians to cover an entire day’s worth of prescriptions. In a slow store, in a peezy little town, that pharmacist has to verify about 300 prescriptions in a day, argue with insurance companies on her patient’s behalf, kiss the same patient’s ass when he screams at her, fight her way through doctor’s office staff (now there’s some underlings to gripe about) to fix screwed up scripts, and make NO MISTAKES. She’s taking a knee and pulling a Tebow if she gets a chance to pee once a day. There’s no such thing as lunch at a retail pharmacy.

        And what, the pharm tech’s gonna just throw out meds cause selling meds is their job? They can’t put out anything the pharmacist doesn’t approve. And yeah…when your poor sad hurtin’ little patient who’s trying to fill his narcotics 2 weeks early starts laying on the horn in the drive through while you have 10 people in line inside and 3 behind him, you stop feeling sorry for him. At the end of the day, we just want to keep our licenses. And everyone who touches your drugs has a license and annual education requirements to keep it. Maybe you’d feel more sympathetic if you thought of these guys as beleaguered waiters, except instead of worrying about bringing you slaw instead of fries, they have to make sure they don’t kill you or get arrested for trying to help you out when you lay out your sob story.

        Like

        Reply

      2. Come on now, anonymous, you’re just being a troll. You’re arguing for the sake of arguing, and you should know you sound like a sociopath. Just because you’re comfortably hidden behind a keyboard doesn’t make you a badass. Get. HELP.

        I wasn’t going to bother replying until I read, “it is what it is”. I’m sorry, but anybody who uses such a defeatist generic statement deserves a smack upside the head. Don’t you have some World of Warcraft you should be playing?

        Like

        Reply

    5. I’d like to see a kid with a life-threatening peanut/shellfish/strawberry/corn/wheat/soy allergy live without an Epi-Pen.

      Like

      Reply

      1. That kid will just have to learn not to eat peanut/shellfish/strawberry/corn/wheat/soy allergy huh? His life must be SO awful.

        Sobering thoughts: millions of children around the world with the same allergies who have never even heard of Epi-Pen.

        Like

        Reply

      2. oopsies–i thought there was only one anonymous, and i didn’t mean to reply to the person to whom i wound up replying.

        that’s what i get for saying all that mean stuff, derp

        Like

        Reply

  4. I laughed when I read you threw your shoe at the TV during a Walgreens commercial. I too have thrown shoes. Only….I actually threw my shoe at the DMV building. I was disappointed to find I couldn’t PAY A BILL because I was not the owner of a vehicle. The same rule was recited to me by FOUR different people. I didn’t want info. I just wanted to do something nice for someone else who really deserved it and they wouldn’t even TAKE MY MONEY!! I have also thrown shoes at hapless counters who stand between me and the idiots that refuse to properly refill my father’s meds WHILE HE’S STANDING RIGHT THERE. Shoe throwing is awesome. As for the court ordered anger management classes….well the jury is still out on that…

    Like

    Reply

  5. Hi-I am not sure if this would help or is an option for you, but have you tried mail order prescriptions? You can usually order months worth at a time and re-order as long as you can get refills. Just a thought. Good luck with everything. Your blog is so funny and touching.

    Like

    Reply

  6. IF it is any of your business, my husband and I were camping in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan which has no Walgreens on any corner. And we were camping in a campground not a 4 star hotel….

    Like

    Reply

  7. ive been doing with the same thing…cvs is AWESOME….butif you lose your health insurance and you have to pay out of pocket it is the most expensive… rite aide is ok…if you dont have health insurance or if you have a new rx, want to skip some red tape…just say you have no insurance and as for a discount card…you can get it cheap there also…but i have had my bext success with cvs and i have had alot of problems like youand i have always gone through cvs… :) good luck :)

    Like

    Reply

  8. I totally agree with everyone who said use an independent pharmacy! I’m on a lot of pill for kidney and blood conditions and I have to say going to visit “my dude” at the local pharmacy as I call him, is actually a good experience! He doesn’t grill me & best of all when I go in there with something else wrong like the flu, he knows straight away what I can and can’t take! He’s the best…

    Like

    Reply

  9. as a pharmacy technician AND someone suffering with fibromyalgia i can honestly say, having fibromyalgia is easier to deal with. pharmacy techs get treated like shit 90% of the time even when they’re doing their jobs correctly. i have developed facial twitches, very serious intestinal problems, rashes, panic attacks, headaches, and self-harming thoughts because of the atmosphere that comes from working in a pharmacy because every fucking person that comes through there screams, yells, bitches, and calls names because they don’t understand how prescription refills, insurance policies, and state pharmacy boards work. as for the crying 40 year old man, i can almost assure you that yes, it might be a typo, but if the typo is on the insurance’s end (which is almost always is) there is NO WAY to bill them until they fix it. they can fill prescriptions for homedude all day long but he’s going to have to pay out of pocket. i have patients whose insurance has had their birthdates listed wrong on their policy for YEARS. i know people who have had to take legal action to get their insurance to fix a freaking typo. so while you sit there and blame blame blame the pharmacy, you should think of all the other aspects that go into filling a prescription and then maybe you won’t be such a little bitch about it.

    Like

    Reply

    1. I don’t think she’s the bitch here. I think if your job is making you so unhappy you think about self-harming, and so unpleasant you get stuck into a very sick young woman on line, it’s time to change professions. Seriously.

      Like

      Reply

    2. Wow, to sink so low as to call someone a “little bitch” about something that is very seriously affecting her life and health and then expect compassion and understanding for what you go through boggles my mind. You cannot receive sympathy or empathy until you give it to others. So for now, stop being a little bitch yourself and whining about your job. When you grow a heart and maybe learn how to put yourself in someone else’s situation then we can start to give a shit about how you feel and what you go through.

      Like

      Reply

      2. How many days have you worked as a retail pharmacy technician? None? Exactly. I served in the USMC in Iraq. The BS pharmacy techs deal with everyday is almost 75% of the BS our troops experience daily. People literally want to fight techs over trivial BS like whether their Dr sent in a refill.

        Like

        Reply

    3. You just illustrated Mary’s point beautifully. You have no business being a pharmacy technician. Judging from your post, you have no compassion for folks struggling with their insurance and medications. I’m sure lots of customers behave badly as they’re used to dealing with folks like you that make NO attempt to show they at least care about their plight, even if they can’t do anything about it.

      Stop whining and do the public a service: get a desk job away from people

      Like

      Reply

      1. why don’t you get a part time job as a pharm tech and see how you like it? pharmacies are struggling with your insurance and medication too. what do you think serves them better- putting a script through and selling it to the patient, or 30 minutes worth of back and forth with you holding up a line of people who eventually give up and leave? By the time you show up to get all butthurt about people not giving you your medicine for the price you want to pay for it, they’ve been to bat for you 3 different times. It’s a thankless job. Are you standing there looking at a frustrated technician, feeling their pain? If they were sitting there crying with every single patient who had a problem, they wouldn’t make it through the first day.

        Like

        Reply

    4. Stefanie, aside from the “bitch” comment at the end, the rest of your statement was right on.
      The rest is directed at the writer of this post:
      My husband works for Walgreens and has for 11 years. I also worked for Walgreens at one point. I have seen first hand what goes on. My husband also has a chronic condition. He takes several-at least 25 or more- prescriptions too. Very rarely is it the pharmacy that is the problem. It is usually the insurance company. I understand the point of customer service that you were trying to convey. It just wasn’t done very well. In retail pharmacy, those pharmacy techs are usually in school to be pharmacist or straight out of high school. They haven’t been trained in the way of customer service.They get thrown behind the counter to the wolves, I mean customers, who don’t try to understand what it is like to be in their place. They see someone they can yell at, get mad at, get frustrated with, and take their frustrations out on. The techs are usually the middle person and take the brunt of the customer frustration. It takes someone with a very thick skin not to take what is being said personally and still be friendly and compassionate to the customer. After being beaten down all day by customers such as yourself who don’t take time out to consider the person on the others side of the counter, you end up getting what you give.

      Like

      Reply

  10. If you’re still in Miami, have you tried Publix’s pharmacy? I have never had an issue with them. Rite-Aid is another one that will frequently screw up your insurance info… they’ll correct it, but you’re guaranteed to lose about 1/2 an hour out of your life for a prescription that is supposed to be ready for pick up.

    Like

    Reply

  11. I read a lot of the comments on this and can I say, WOW. A lot of you are really opinionated. I’ve had Bipolar Disorder a loooonnnggg time now. I’m not up to 25 pills a day, but I did take 12 at one point. I’m used to pharmacies who act like they don’t really give a flying flip whether or not you need your medication. It’s a whole mess of reasons that just come to a huge head once you get to the pharmacy counter. From doc to insurance to bottle. There are stupid rules around my anxiety meds because some people abuse them. Other meds won’t be filled because there’s a generic out there and why can’t I be on that instead? Well it’s not like tylenol. The generic doesn’t work the same. No, I can’t go two days without it. I put it on auto-refill, so why is it not ready? All I know is that out of the pharmacies I’ve tried, I’ve had awesome luck with the Target in my town. They are super nice, know my name, and go to incredible lengths (like staying on the phone with the insurance company for an hour) to get me the meds I need. Most of us with long term conditions know the hoops we have to jump through. We learn them fast. So to the ass who said that us long-term sicklys needed to deal with it, you have no idea. We do follow procedure. More than anyone else. I go to the pharmacy about 4 times a month, more if my meds aren’t on the same rotation. And yeah, I go before the bottle is empty. I know what life is like without it. I don’t throw a fit. I just think that if we’re in a country where meds are being produced to improve my quality of life, then if I “follow the rules” I should be able to buy said medication without issue. Doesn’t always work. So to Mary, I hope you have better luck and can find a pharmacy where they treat you like a person, not a problem to be dealt with. To those who had some compassion, thanks. To the rest of you, pull your foot out of your mouth and show a little decency. It’s not easy to have crap like this that we have to deal with all the time, not easy to have something that may never be cured. So her rant- it’s her blog, don’t read it if it annoys you. Mary, keep fighting. Your words are awesome and power enough.

    Like

    Reply

    1. I switched to Target for the same reasons! They have been very helpful, will call Dr’s & anything else they can to help. Walgreens peps are rude.Do not listen or try to help!

      Like

      Reply

  12. I feel like most zoning its terrible. That being said I think Walgreens and CVS need to be restricted to designated “Ugly Zones” that are labeled with really big red signs and are right next to the city dump or that really smelly factory in town. They are both terrible businesses that don’t give a shit about actually helping you ever, just about being the closest one to you.

    Like

    Reply

  13. anyone who claims that Walgreens is either convenient, competent or friendly enough to actually write a nasty reply to this sick girl’s blurb is really screwed up. so what if she complains about some place? if you don’t like the article why not move on to another blog or an unrelated post?

    i can say that I once waited for 1 hour to find out that for reasons i cannot even begin to fathom, they somehow filled by prescription at a location i have never been to, and i needed to leave and drive there to get it. i have no idea how, but it happened. i don’t get my prescriptions filled there these days. despite modeling itself as a convenience store, it is one of the most inconvenient stores i have ever been to. i rarely can get into it without having to wait innumerable minutes for someone with a coupon or cigarette issue that requires managerial skill and a 5 minute wait. additionally, one would think there is some sort of age discrimination policy, whereby no matter how long i wait in line if there is an elderly person within a 1 aisle radius they will automatically be first in line. forget the fact that i am actually standing there waiting in the friggin line. has anyone noticed how rarely there is actually someone on duty in photo when you walk into the store? i ordered some photos online to be printed in the store. i thought this would be convenient. my mistake. i go in there up to the counter where there are 0 employees. i wait probably 5 min, looking irritated, trying to get the attention of someone at the front register, etc. finally, i gave up and walked to the front and asked them to call someone to photo. as they were being paged, i walk back and just before i reach the photo, an old person steps to the counter. so, i realized there was nothing i could do and waited while the newly arrived photo employee dealt with her. in the meantime an additional old person walks up behind me. so, guess who was waited on next? if you guessed the old person behind me, you guessed right. i left the store. a similar thing happened to my friend waiting at the pharmacy when i was with her. so, i feel you on this.

    however, i can give a worse account of an unnamed pharmacy where i asked a question about the prescription and the assistant didn’t speak enough english to answer it, but enough of stories.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Unfortunately Walgreens doesn’t have very good training programs… The two stores I’ve worked at have been more of a sink-or-swim training (if you suck, back at the register you go!) than actual, hands-on training from a coworker. I’ve been there 2 1/2 years and I wish the company worked harder to train employees (at my store we’re extremely understaffed because of hour cuts) so that customers can get their prescriptions with fewer hassles…

      Like

      Reply

    2. Well it seems like you have problems with departments other than the pharmacy. Where the heck do you live because I like Walgreens but even that would frustrate me. Old people before anyone else? So weird…

      Also, if she writes a blog be prepared for opposition. Some people will agree and others won’t. That’s what happens when a person puts information on the internet.

      Like

      Reply

      1. of course opposition! but why not say: i disagree because… rather than leave a really hostile reply? that’s all i’m saying. anyway, i can also identify with disliking things for no reason that i can articulate, so i can’t really blame anyone for that.

        Like

        Reply

      2. i also live in the New Orleans area. that could be part of her problem. New Orleans has customer service like no other… When I go to other states the employees come up to me, smiling, and ask if i need something. i assume there is some evil intent. that isn’t something you see here.

        Like

        Reply

  14. I think Walgreens has poor communication – the last time I had a prescription filled there for my daughter – I dropped it off, they told me it would be “about an hour”. I returned after at least 3 hours and they told me “we don’t have it” – umm okay, why didn’t anyone call me? This was for an anti-biotic for a child with an ear infection – after I stood at the counter feeling stupid, they told me they could fill half and I would have to come back the next day. Ugh! Tell the customer what the deal really is!!

    Like

    Reply

  15. For those of you who are recommending mail-order, I have some news for you. It is ripping off the health care system. It is the insurance’s way of making you get your prescriptions through their own pharmacy so they can make the money. But besides just making the money, they are OVERCHARGING your employer. For a drug that is on the $4 generic list that you get three months for your one copy, they are charging your plan sometimes over $300. Check your statements! It is being done and it is outrageous. Check out http://www.truthrx.org. Shop mom and pop and keep them in business!

    Like

    Reply

  16. I like how there’s no specifics, in other words, you didn’t actually listen when they told you WHY they couldn’t fill your rx. (Because it’s Wednesday and it’s raining? Really?) It sounds like most of your problems are with your insurance company. We’re almost always happy to allow you to pay full cash price. And if you have a true issue with a pharmacy, take it to the Board of Pharmacy for your state. There is actually TONS of oversight and accountability for pharmacies.

    Like

    Reply

  17. As many people have said before, use an independent pharmacy! You really can’t beat their customer service and most have a delivery service! Stay away from chain and mail-order, they give pharmacy a bad rap. Best of luck to you!

    Like

    Reply

  18. I have had some of the same issues with CVS that you’ve had with Walgreens…I’ve never had a problem with Walgreens. But I think your experiences should push you to find your local small town pharmacy and use them. Its AMAZING the difference these local pharmacies make. One of the other comments basically said that Walgreens don’t need your business–and to go somewhere local that will kiss your ass…as hateful as that person was being-its true. Go to a local place where the employee’s actually care about you, rather than the minimum wage associate at the register that hate’s her/his life so bad they want to ruin yours so they don’t have to be the only one in misery. Go local! Good luck to you!

    Like

    Reply

  19. i work for my doctor and have to deal with pharmacies every day (refill authorizations, calling in new scripts, switching patients’ meds, etc.) and out of all the pharmacy chains, walgreen’s is the worst across the board. we deal with more idiocy and head-up-one’s-assery from them than any other pharmacy. maybe they need to have more strict hiring policies in place. we have a lot of problems with them not knowing what certain medications are (if you’re a tech then go get the pharmacist!), sending stuff over the escribe system that cannot legally be filled online, not faxing us refill authorizations and actually lying to our patients about the status of their prescriptions. my advice is to go through a mail order company like medco or cvs/caremark or right source among others. you have your doc’s office send in your scripts with refills listed and you’re done. we usually send them in for 90 day supplies with 3 refills authorized. so now you’ll have your meds sent to your house for a year with no need for stress or tantrums. and when you’re out of refills just call your doc and have them authorize another year. it makes it so much easier on your end and the doctor’s end.

    Like

    Reply

    1. I work at Waglreens. Corporate has control over what goes thru the e-scribe. And missing faxes are ALWAYS a huge he said/she said headache. If we didn’t get the rx, we didn’t get the rx. Our system shows us the date we sent it, but it doesn’t give confirmation that it was actually received. And yeah, anyone that straight up lies to a patient would need to be fired. Period. End of discussion. I have no coworkers that purposely lie to patients. ( The ONLY exception, of course is when the patient is calling in phony rx’s, in which case, we want them to come in so we can get their license plate and or driver’s license/ID so we can turn them in to police.) Curious why you give 90 days with 3 ref to mail order pharmacies but not to Walgreens? Then Walgreens won’t need to be faxing you any more refill authorizations on that script… hmm…..

      Like

      Reply

    2. Funny – I’m a tech, and we deal with people who work for doctor’s offices that have no idea what they’re calling in, or how to call in a script, let alone how to pronounce the name of a medication. I cannot begin to tell you how many electronic rx’s we recieve that have incorrect, incomplete, or no directions at all, or are for medications that are able to be filled. We have patients that call us, saying their doctor authorized their refill, and we weren’t called. So, you see, it does go both ways.

      Like

      Reply

  21. I work as a pharmacy tech – not at a retail pharmacy, but at an insurance company. I read your entire post waiting for you to do something besides rant…you know, like give an actual story of a specific incident instead of just general griping. Everyone has their faults, and in general I’m no fan of Walgreens, but are you doing the things you need to do to ensure your scripts can be filled in a timely manner? Do you call them in BEFORE you run out? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten a phone call at 4:45 on a Friday afternoon, with someone who needs an authorization RIGHT THEN because they let themselves run out of pills and now they’re leaving for Antarctica for 18 months and their doctor’s office is closed and it’s all our fault.

    I use a local grocery store chain and I’ve been so much happier than I was at the big chains. Sure, I have to be a little more cautious about my fills because they close at 7 on weeknights, 5 on Saturdays, and are closed on Sundays, but they more than make up for it with awesome service.

    I would also suggest you investigate whether your benefits allow for home delivery (mail order). Generally the scripts have to be considered life-long therapy (“maintenance”) and not all long-term meds fit this bill, but a) you can get a three month supply instead of just one month at a time, b) it’s delivered directly to your home or other location of your choice at no additional charge, and c) your copays are often reduced. I would expect the majority of meds related to fibro to be considered maintenance by most plans. Good luck.

    Like

    Reply

  22. Really? Let me guess. You’re one of those people that need extra attention because their bottle says zero refills and you called the prescription in when there was nothing in the bottle. Then it becomes Walgreens fault when you’re about to die even though doctors dictate when you get your refills. For the man and his daughter I do feel bad. I would do everything in mh power to help him but how can you be upset that the pharmacy won’t hand out a 500$ medication? Would that be acceptable at your job? Go to a family owned pharmacy where they beg on hands and knees there for customers. Then you can get your butt kissed.

    Like

    Reply

    2. Wow, Erica’s comment and the previous “Anonymous” author who claimed this post was “baseless chatter” just confirmed Mary’s main point: expressions of kindness and consideration towards strangers is exceedingly rare.

      Like

      Reply

      1. No, it’s called quit whining and do something your damn self. Don’t wait until you have one dose left and then expect everyone to bend their rules to accommodate you. You have a chronic illness, learn the process and follow it. You’re right, I have NO sympathy for someone not willing to help themselves. I don’t find it an act of kindness to hand over regulated drugs just because someone throws a fit. Follow the rules and nobody gets hurt. That seems to be the rare concept. Gimme Gimme Gimme.

        Like

        Reply

      2. i love how it’s just assumed that she has no idea how to fill a script and that she’s a complete moron. and why is everyone so personally offended that she doesn’t like walgreen’s? no one forced you to read the blog. if you don’t like it, log off and have a soda or something. jeesh!

        Like

        Reply

      3. You clearly didn’t read all that she wrote. She states at the bottom that she is going to call walgreens AGAIN to see if the refill she called in three days ago is ready. Through my own research that I did, when my doctor misdiagnosed me with her condition, I learned regulated drugs (narcotics) do nothing to help the pain associated with this illness, therefor they don’t prescribe them for Fibro. You seem very angry how sad for you. For someone with such strong negative words you should grow a pair and use your name ANONYMOUS,

        Like

        Reply

      4. I’m very compassionate but only if people are willing to understand the process. If not then I’m more than willing to explain. The answers don’t always make people happy but how can you please someone who doesn’t want to listen.

        “My doctor’s office said you never faxed them.”

        I heard that about 1,000 times a day so I started keeping fax confirmations. As much as you want to think your doctor is amazing the staff makes mistakes. As for prior authorizations, it’s the insurance companies who are in control of that not the pharmacy.

        I’m very aware that going to a pharmacy can be frustrating. They’re the last people you see after being sick after spending hours at the emergency room or dr.’s office. However, there are rules that can make us lose our jobs if we don’t obey them. It also ensures the saftey of people. Maybe it’s the customers who should be more compassionate

        Like

        Reply

  23. Maybe if this country wasn’t rampant in addiction, prescriptions would be easier to fill. There are rules, laws and regulations. If you know you’re going to have issues, be proactive and learn the proper process. Don’t blame the insurance company for not giving you an unlimited supply of a narcotic and it is in their best interest to create some sort of protocol. After all, they will be the ones paying for your overdose hospitalization bills. The guess what, everyone else’s premiums go up because Sally needed 14 anti-anxiety pills to get through the day, landing her in the hospital. So what if they’re out of your medication? You said you noticed 6 stores in a 2 block radius, Walgreens WILL transfer your scripts to a location that has it in stock. The pharmacy isn’t a never ending vending machine of meds. Here’s a real thought, if your insurance company won’t pay because you haven’t followed the process and it’s life threatening, why not pull out your wallet and pay for it. Or let yourself die, nobody cares at this point. It’s all a bunch of baseless chatter to me.

    Not only that, customer service sucks everywhere. Been to McDonalds lately? My suggestion, get over it and move on. That’s the problem with this country, everyone is offended and then decides to write a stupid blog about how they were wronged. Maybe you should get a pill for being a whiner.

    Like

    Reply

    3. Sounds like to me you work at Walgreens??? Funny how her blog will now be read by millions because her facebook post went viral. Wonder how Walgreens will treat her now?

      Like

      Reply

      1. I don’t work at Walgreens LMAO…. but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night. I just have enough brain cells to know how to get my prescriptions filled. I’m sure Walgreens cares about this going viral, just like we care about the dancing chickens that also went viral. Maybe walgreens can give her a lifetime supply of pajama jeans?

        Like

        Reply

    4. Why the assumption that she is trying to get Narcotics???? Narcotics do nothing to relieve the pain associated with Fibro, so doctors don’t prescibe them for it. Give the girl lives with extreme pain every day of her life, bet you wouldn’t be such an A** if you spent 1 hour in her body. Again i love how the most negative angry people on here won’t use their name ANONYMOUS.

      Like

      Reply

  24. Walgreens has also failed me more times than I can count. I was on birth control and anti-depressants(insert funny insult here) I had my prescriptions filled at Walgreens every month. They gave me the wrong b/c and I now have a son who turns 6 next month. They ran out of my antidepressant. How can a pharmacy not take inventory? They should never run out! Once they got it back in stock and 3 lovely days of withdraws later…I was told I needed Dr. Authorization. I had it and why didn’t they say so sooner!? I called my Dr and they said they never got the request from the pharmacy, but would send it immediately. Not the 1st time the tech said they called and never really did and not even close to the first time they have screwed up my refill. They refused the refill even with Drs Authorization, claimed it was insurance related…that I wasnt covered any longer. Not true, I brought proof. No dice. I have now been “off my meds” for 6 months now. I nearly died from the withdrawl symptoms, so I am suing them:)

    Like

    Reply

    1. 1. I don’t think any type of birth control is 100% effective.
      2. A lot of things can go wrong with inventory:
      a. the shipment doesn’t come in on time
      b. the drug is on back-order from the manufacturer.
      3. Things get lost at the Drs office too. They might have received your authorization request but forgot to fill it.
      4. Why didn’t you bring your prescription to another pharmacy..instead of being off your meds for 6 months??

      it seems like you think your pharmacy is out to get you.

      Like

      Reply

  25. You should get your pills delivered directly to your house… It’s a free service – you should ask your doctor or insurance provider.

    Like

    Reply

    1. no what they do is have a emp use there gas to run to another store and get it…..Crazy because keep inventory low.And use the call center,that is why they ask you to put your rx on auto order… do not do it..they fill it at a call center rx does not see it

      Like

      Reply

  26. I understand. You’re 11 pills up on me, but I’m really not trying to compete! I had a friend who worked at walgreens.. We’re not friends anymore.. Sometimes I pretend it’s because she works at the Evil Empire. I needed a medication and walgreens actually told me they were out. They ran out. Of a pill.. they knew I needed every month.. Did they think i would decide not to take them this month? Perhaps I was miraculously cured and didn’t need them. So I asked my friend what the shit ass fuck is up with your company (because you blame your friends for the place they work) not giving me my pills! Turns out.. their policy is.. If it’s not a LIFE SAVING medication, they won’t give you any until their shipment comes in! For life saving meds, they keep extras, they have to. Thyroid meds, diabetes meds, you’ll get them no problem. Anti-depressants, allergy pills, stomach meds, pain meds.. shit outta luck til they get their shipment.
    Don’t even get me started on insurance only allowing you to get the 30 day orders so you can’t catch a break from ordering pills all the damn time. Keep up the blog.

    Like

    Reply

    1. I work at a retail pharmacy, not Walgreen’s, and I understand both sides of this argument, however, I have to reply to your quote “they ran out. Of a pill…they knew I needed every month.. Did they think I would decided not to take them this month? Perhaps I was miraculously cured and didn’t need them.”…etc. This is an attitude that I see every day: entitlement. You are not the only person in the world waiting on a prescription at that moment and you are almost definitely not the only person in the world who takes that medication. You have no idea how much we hate telling a patient that we don’t have something in stock but if someone came in right before you for a brand new script of your med for #180 tablets, we may very well be out of stock when you come in five minutes later. And when we say it will be 25 minutes (a long time for us to give) it’s because the phone is ringing off the hook and we are calling on 5 PAs (prior authorizations) and sorting through a mess of insurance cards trying to figure out which one to bill and there are seven people who dropped off their rxs 5 minutes before you. DO NOT wait until the last minute to fill your rx because there isn’t much we can do for you at 8:50 on a Friday night when you are out of refills or we are out of stock and our order doesn’t come until Monday…pharmacies are not McDonald’s and we catch a lot of mistakes that you never hear about because we don’t want to make your MD look bad to you. At the same time, I really do feel bad for patients who have so many insurance problems or whose medication is on backorder and they have to go all over town to find it. That’s why I will go above and beyond for kind, respectful customers who understand that there are things beyond our control as pharmacists/techs (I am getting my PharmD right now). At my store, myself and the other employees know our regular customers by name and they know us. I have an amazing relationship with the vast majority of them, but there are a few I wouldn’t mind transferring their rxs to Walgreen’s, for example. Those are the ones with an entitlement complex. YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD. FYI. I really do feel badly that you have been inconvenienced and no pharmacies are not perfect and sometimes we screw up too, but sometimes it’s just the nature of the game. Sorry that got so long and venty. Just try to see both sides, is all I’m asking.

      Like

      Reply

  28. Dear Human,
    I wish you the best of luck, especially in your dealings with our other fellow humans. They’re in there, somewhere, deep down & covered in cement.
    Best Regards,
    Heather

    Like

    Reply

  29. Please try a Target pharmacy. I havehad nothing but the best service there and if you can’t get them filled just yet they call your doctors to try to work something out. They are amazing!

    Like

    Reply

    1. I 100% agree with Emily!! We hated hated HATED walgreens for the fact that I needed pain meds after having surgery and had to wait 2 days to get them cause walgreens was doing who knows what! Called target- 10 minutes :) And they are more like a “small town” pharmacist/business..they know us by name and ask how our kids and such! It is awesome!!!

      Like

      Reply

      1. agreeagreeagree! ive been to Target Pharamcy in three different states. myself,boyfriend,and all three of our kids. they know all of us on sight,know our meds,can whip up our three different last names in a jiff.
        have worked their buts off to get doctors auths through when needed,when didnt have a full script in stock would give us what they had and make sure the order came in before we would run out. if they couldnt get it theyd send us to where we could right away.
        when i didnt have insurance,the sweet girl behind the counter found me a discount that i really shouldnt have gotten.
        i cant speak highly enough.

        Like

        Reply

    2. Me too. I recently switched from Walgreens to Target. I love it. They even helped me get meds which Walgreens was out of.

      Like

      Reply

  31. Good post. I’ve had the same poor treatment at CVS. Which owns/is owned by Caremark (mail-order pharm).
    I really like Target. And had really good service at Costco (even though I wasn’t a member – you don’t have to be to use the pharm).

    Sorry for your health problems, Mary.
    Like the blog. Good luck reading all the new comments now that you’re famous!

    Like

    Reply

  32. This is why I used a neighborhood pharmacy instead of a chain one when I was on medications, but I know that option isn’t available to everyone. I have (had? my doctor and I are calling it a remission) fibromyalgia, too. I have a few other issues but nothing else that required medication. You just have to keep holding on, and loving the people (and pets) in your life. I’m glad you have a sense of humor to carry you through.

    Like

    Reply

  33. I love your posts! It seems that we share the same humor..I stumbled across your blog that someone shared on my facebook page. I just wrote a blog today about the stupid as seen on tv bullshit, and was just at the drive thru at walgreens today thinking, I hate this place! ha! Be well :)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  34. Switch to Wal*mart. Scream. Rant. Switch back to Walgreens. What will this accomplish? You will feel better because you will actually be happy to be back at Walgreens.

    I have used CVS for years, and I have had a good experience.

    However, before that I used RiteAid. The Pharmacist there was fabulous! He was always so nice and always in a good mood. He, genuinely, seemed happy to see you. I have went in before to fill a prescription and watched him pull it off the shelf, label it, and cash me out in less than 5 minutes. Yes, you read that right, the pharmacist, not a tech, actually even cashed me out.

    One day, I went in, and he was no longer working there. I asked. He had moved. My first experience, I watched the new pharmacist screaming at a customer. Although I feel like the customer was a druggy trying to score, I couldn’t believe the pharmacist talked to her so inhumanely to her and even destroyed her script, so if she even tried to use it at any other pharmacy, they would question it. I was so disgusted with the way she treated the customer, I switched to CVS.

    I say all of this to say, I think it just depends on the individual pharmacist.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Had a Walgreens do that to me with my Rx, call me an abuser and a liar. The next day my Dr.s office called and ripped Walgreens a new one. They apologized to me repeatedly, but it was too late. The damage was done. I now use one specific Rite Aid that’s out of the way because I love the pharmacists. It’s a shame the way they are allowed to treat people anymore.

      Like

      Reply

  35. It is not walgreens you hate, its bad service. Its no different than going to a restaurant and getting bad service. Some people dont care, some do. I have worked for walgreens for 6 years. I love my job, and i truly care about my patients. I do things that are way above my job description on a regular basis. I have learned a lot of my patients names, and their needs. This doesnt mean that every employee you meet will be rude or nice. All people are different, and im sorry you had bad experiences.
    Try another walgreens. I have worked at about 15 different stores, and i know some employees who could care less about the patients, but then there are those that take the time to care. Keep in mind, a lot of the things your pharmacy cant/cant do are regulated by the law as well as the insurance companies. Some things are beyond our control.
    We are aware you are sick, and for the most part are doing our best to get you in and out as quickly as possible. Sometimes we arent going to have the medication (do you know how many medications exist? its impossible to carry them all, all the time). Sometimes the doctor isnt going to return our calls, no matter how many messages we leave. And sometimes, there is a 20 minute hold time to speak the your insurance, who says they wont pay for your medication. We arent out to piss you off or kill you. Speaking of, everyone makes mistakes. Yes at a pharmacy, they can be life threatening, and im sorry some of you have dealt with those mistakes. Sometimes, those mistakes are the doctors, and sometimes they are the pharmacys. Im not saying we should make mistakes, but after filling 400 scripts daily, if we only make one mistake a day, thats amazing! Also, thats why its important for patients to be aware of what they take and how much. look at the RX before you leave the drs office to make sure its what it should be. Look at the bottle before you leave the pharmacy, to make sure its what it should be. If the pills look funny, ask! If you know you take 10mg of a drug and its filled for 100mg, ASK. Always assume mistakes are made and double check before you take anything! As a patient, i always look at my bottle before i take my pill, every day. Yes it says the same thing it did yesterday, but what if i pick up the wrong bottle? I want to know what im putting in my body.
    We are all human, we have bad days, we have stress, we make mistakes. Remember, just a simple smile can change the whole converstation! And if you are sick when you come in, thats ok, we know you are sick and are having a bad day, but at least say HI and smile before you start yelling at us.

    and here is something that describes my job perfectly: ( i didnt write this)

    Why Your Prescription Takes So Long to Fill
    You come to the counter. I am on the phone with a drunk dude who wants the phone number to the grocery store next door. After I instruct him on the virtues of 411, you tell me your doctor was to phone in your prescription to me. Your doctor hasn’t, and you’re unwilling to wait until he does. Being in a generous mood, I call your doctors office and am put on hold for 5 minutes, then informed that your prescription was phoned in to my competitor on the other side of town. Phoning the competitor, I am immediately put on hold for 5 minutes before speaking to a clerk, who puts me back on hold to wait for the pharmacist. Your prescription is then transferred to me, and now I have to get the 2 phone calls that have been put on hold while this was being done. Now I return to the counter to ask if we’ve ever filled prescriptions for you before. For some reason, you think that “for you” means “for your cousin” and you answer my question with a “yes”, whereupon I go the computer and see you are not on file. The phone rings.
    You have left to do something very important, such as browse through the monster truck magazines, and do not hear the three PA announcements requesting that you return to the pharmacy. You return eventually, expecting to pick up the finished prescription…..
    The phone rings.
    ..only to find out that I need to ask your address, phone number, date of birth, if you have any allergies and insurance coverage. You tell me you’re allergic to codeine. Since the prescription is for Vicodin I ask you what exactly codeine did to you when you took it. You say it made your stomach hurt and I roll my eyes and write down “no known allergies” You tell me……
    The phone rings.
    …..you have insurance and spend the next 5 minutes looking for your card. You give up and expect me to be able to file your claim anyway. I call my competitor and am immediately put on hold. Upon reaching a human, I ask them what insurance they have on file for you. I get the information and file your claim, which is rejected because you changed jobs 6 months ago. A jerk barges his way to the counter to ask where the bread is.
    The phone rings.
    I inform you that the insurance the other pharmacy has on file for you isn’t working. You produce a card in under 10 seconds that you seemed to be unable to find before. What you were really doing was hoping your old insurance would still work because it had a lower copay. Your new card prominently displays the logo of Nebraska Blue Cross, and although Nebraska Blue cross does in fact handle millions of prescription claims every day, for the group you belong to, the claim should go to a company called Caremark, whose logo is nowhere on the card. >
    The phone rings.
    A lady comes to the counter wanting to know why the cherry flavored antacid works better than the lemon cream flavored antacid. What probably happened is that she had a milder case of heartburn when she took the cherry flavored brand, as they both use the exact same ingredient in the same strength. She will not be satisfied though until I confirm her belief that the cherry flavored brand is the superior product. I file your claim with Caremark, who rejects it because you had a 30 day supply of Vicodin filled 15 days ago at another pharmacy. You swear to me on your mother’s’….
    The phone rings.
    …….life that you did not have a Vicodin prescription filled recently. I call Caremark and am immediately placed on hold. The most beautiful woman on the planet walks buy and notices not a thing. She has never talked to a pharmacist and never will. Upon reaching a human at Caremark, I am informed that the Vicodin prescription was indeed filled at another of my competitors. When I tell you this, you say you got hydrocodone there, not Vicodin. Another little part of me dies.
    The phone rings.
    It turns out that a few days after your doctor wrote your last prescription, he told you to take it more frequently, meaning that what Caremark thought was a 30-day supply is indeed a 15 day supply with the new instructions. I call your doctor’s office to confirm this and am immediately placed on hold. I call Caremark to get an override and am immediately placed on hold. My laser printer has a paper jam. It’s time for my tech to go to lunch. Caremark issues the override and your claim goes though. Your insurance saves you 85 cents off the regular price of the prescription. >
    The phone rings.
    At the cash register you sign….
    The phone rings.
    ……the acknowledgement that you received a copy of my HIPAA policy and that I offered the required OBRA counseling for new prescriptions. You remark that you’re glad that your last pharmacist told you you shouldn’t take over the counter Tylenol along with the Vicodin, and that the acetaminophen you’re taking instead seems to be working pretty well. I break the news to you that Tylenol is simply a brand name for acetaminophen and you don’t believe me. You fumble around for 2 minutes looking for your checkbook and spend another 2 minutes making out a check for four dollars and sixty seven cents. You ask why the tablets look different than those you got at the other pharmacy. I explain that they are from a different manufacturer. Tomorrow you’ll be back to tell me they don’t work as well.
    Now imagine this wasn’t you at all, but the person who dropped off their prescription three people ahead of you, and you’ll start to have an idea why…..your prescription takes so dang long to fill.

    .

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  36. I understand your frustration but there is a lot more that goes with running a retail pharmacy than you probably know. I’m not saying it’s acceptable for the lack of empathy, lord knows it’s an image we’re trying to fix. Try as we might to run every location the same, it’s ultimately up to the Store Manager to set the tone. If you’ve spoken to the Store Manager (the actual manager) and you get no apology, I urge you to call 1-800-WALGREENS and reference the store, transaction and names of any involved. They will contact the District Manager directly, and it will get handled. Even if you decide to leave and use another Pharmacy, please let them know the issues they have. There is no excuse for that kind of service.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  37. hey dear i have fibro too and my list is so much longer then yours. :( i dont know if you have a target but i LOVE LOVE LOVE mine. when the doctor forgets or just doesnt call back they will give me a 3 day supply. alot of my pills are on the 4 dollar program and all are on auto refill and an automatic phone service calls me when i have one filled. i have used two different ones and both where great!!!! they have never let me down or made me suffer they always always always see me through. i have hugged some of them and everyone feels like a personal friend!!!

    Like

    Reply

  38. I don’t understand why you are still using the Walgreen’s pharmacy if its been so bad. There’s no grocery store, target, walmart, cvs, rite aid, or locally owned pharmacy anywhere else?

    Like

    Reply

  39. Many of my girlfriends are pharmacists and they deal with lots of crazies wanting meds they can’t have and working 14 hour days managing, well, not always the brightest of people. They are overworked and they healthcare system is dysfunctional. This does not excuse their attitudes (if they are rude) but if they don’t follow all of these ridiculous rules, they will lose their licences. And they worked for 6-7 years, depending on what school you went to, and spent $250,000+ on that education and make good money- $100,000+ with pharm techs making $10/hr. Not always a winner as a tech. It’s hard to find a good pharmacy, but my suggestion is for you to do mail order, if it’s available for your maintenance drugs and then really shop out a good pharmacy with a caring pharmacist for your new prescriptions. Best of luck!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  40. Walgreens filled a prescription for an ointment for my daughter. They gave me 10 tubes of ointment because the script read 2.5 ounces and each tube was .25 ounces. I tried to tell that that it was just one tube…she’s 4 years old. But, they filled “as prescribed”.

    common.sense!!!

    Like

    Reply

    1. Not every medication is readily available like that. Either through supply issues, manufacturer out of stock or even a new manufacturer. They should have at least explained that in some states, even non-controlled drugs may have to be filled “as written.”

      Like

      Reply

    2. i really hope you made them call the doctor’s office. if they ever do anything like that again make them call for a pharmacy clarification immediately right in front of you. the pharmacist was sort of right though. they absolutely have to fill “as prescribed” but they should have used common sense and called the doc to make sure. doctors for the most part have the worst handwriting ever. i work for a doc and we get clarification calls all day. we don’t mind. we’d rather have the docs fix their scripts than have something go terribly wrong with our patients.

      Like

      Reply

  41. To RAnn,

    Walgreens overdosed me because my doctor wrote my prescription for Liothyronine at 5mcg, and unfortunately it was filled at 50mcg. I know it was not my doctor’s mistake on the written prescription slip, or why would they have caught it when I went to have it REfilled? It was then (after telling me “It must have been deleted from the computer, come back” twice) when I finally called to see what the heck was going that they said “Did your doctor prescribe you 5mcg or 50?” I said I thought it must be 50, I was looking at the bottle. She asked again, “But are you sure whether she prescribed you 50? Or 5?” I told them I didn’t know (b/c some medicines in generics or other brands can have different dosing measurements, right?) and they said that I had been prescribed 5, but they had accidentally filled it at 50. OOPS. How had I been feeling? Um, yeah, like crap. Actually, thank God it kind of made me feel like I was going to die b/c I called my doctor in the first few days to see if I could break them in half and she said sure. I told Walgreens that they needed to call my doctor and inform her immediately and they assured me they would, and that at the very least I wanted them to pay any extra medical bills I might incur. No problem. Anyway, the whole story of the past bad year is too long to get into here, but they did NOT call my doctor, I informed her when I got in to see her 5 days later, and had already swelled up 8.5 pounds. So, after they massively overdosed me, they just cut me off at zero while they scrambled to figure out and cover their mistake. This had nothing to do with my doctor or my medical history.

    Like

    Reply

    1. always always make them call the doc immediately if there’s even a HINT of doubt. i’m not saying be an asshole but definitely be a pebble in their shoe when it comes to your meds.

      Like

      Reply

      1. Thank you Anonymous, but I think the actual name of the hormone on the script was different, Liothyronine is the brand name. So it probably wouldn’t have given me any red flags anyway. And just as an aside, the service from the pharmacy staff was always wonderful, the pharmacist would come out of his little booth every time and wait on me himself. It was just a mistake made somewhere along the line… What makes me SO mad is that if they had done this to someone like my Mom who has a heart murmur, she would have probably been dead on the bathroom floor, and I thoroughly, utterly, completely believe Walgreen’s would have NEVER said anything or owned up to it. The just did NOT seem to care at all, except for being afraid of a potential lawsuit. So here I am, 21 pounds up so far, no matter how much I work out or try to diet. (I have been working out for over 20 years) I just have no metabolism left apparently. And I’m too afraid to try diet pills now b/c I have so many chest pains and strange shooting headaches. Not as much as when I was on the overdose, but enough to scare me. Sucks to be me, go Big Pharma!!! ;-)

        Like

        Reply

  43. I worked for an inner city (ghetto) Walgreens as a CPhT for 4 years and have never seen a single person not care about the patients, even the drug seekers. I have personally spent hours (7 hours once) on the phone begging insurance companies to allow a refill. I’ve spent time harrassing doctors to get a prior authorization. I’ve been yelled at by patients, doctors, and insurance companies for things I had nothing to do with. If they are refusing to refill your Rx without reason they are wrong and you should go else where. If they’re saying it’s too soon, then you need to speak to your MD and the insurance co. If you are calling it in without refills and showing up before the MD called a refill in, call him for a refill. That should be the 1st thing they do in the am, call the doctors. You shouldn’t have to wait 3 days for a phoned in Rx. As far as the man and his daughter: that’s the insurance co. We once had a patient who had a 2600 dollar a month Rx and we’d have to fight each month for her to get it covered. We were blamed if it didn’t go through though it wasn’t us refusing it and we couldn’t hand out an Rx that cost that much without payment. One tip I didn’t see here: get all of your Rx’s filled at one location and build a relationship with that location. It not only helps it makes the insurance easier.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Yes, definitely build up a rapport with one location. That’s saved me with Walgreens. I have fibro and Lyme, complete with insomnia and RLS, and am on blood pressure meds, painkillers, anxiety meds, and all kinds of other fun things that I need to have refilled monthly. My location digs through their drawers if they even think they have a coupon for something I’m buying, and have given me as many price breaks as they can without getting fired, because I have no health insurance.

      They know me by sight, I’m as polite as possible with them, and they’re nice, in return. I understand your frustration, and that there are bad people, but that’s not the case everywhere, and I know that in Memphis they’re working hard to make sure the techs are actually worth something. They still beat Wal-Mart by a country mile.

      Like

      Reply

  44. I work for walgreens and if they are telling you they can’t fill a script its got to be for a reason. They are well trained and most are good with customers but unfortunately they are under stafed and overworked because walgreens keeps cutting back budget hours to save money. Your problem isn’t with the pharmacists its with corporate, you think their customers get treated bad u should see how they treat their employees . They keep taking from the workers to add more and vips and give them 300 dollar gym memberships and giving the president of walgreens a 33%script salary increase.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  45. Use a pharmacy that isn’t a chain. I think a lot of people opt for Walgreens and CVS because they are so “convenient” but that convenience is not worth what you are describing here.

    Like

    Reply

  46. I can’t even imagine how much of a trial that is for you. I lost it once when the pharmacist at CVS was refusing my birth control refill because I hadn’t been back to my doctor in a year (I had an appt in 4 days). You’d think I’d just asked her for Oxycotin the way she was looking at me. She could not (or really would not) understand that if she refused to refill my 28 pill packet of hormones (7 of which are SUGAR) I’d be screwed for the next month.
    Frustrating!

    Like

    Reply

    1. Pharmacists can’t just change policy. just deal without sex. And it’s ur doctors offices fault they now the policy they should have scheduled you sooner.

      Like

      Reply

      1. Dear Asshole: It isn’t about sex. It’s about hormonal regulation. Since your name is clearly male, we don’t expect you to understand.

        Like

        Reply

    2. Melissa- in your case this has to do with state laws regulating medications that are only available via prescription. Standard medications that are not controlled substances such as narcotics “expire” one year after the date it is written by the physician. This drives us crazy as well, but if we were to give you a medication without proper physician authorization we can lose our license, which means we will be out of a job we worked very hard to get. Most times we can get an authorization from a doctor, but this can take time as physicians are busy professionals themselves. I hope you can understand that this does not mean that we do not care, it just means we are bound to follow the laws that regulate our profession.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    4. wow, so the pharmacist is suppose to give you your BC without a valid prescription just because YOU failed to see your doctor in time? That’s illegal, and they could lose their license for it. You had a whole YEAR to have that figure out, but now the pharmacist is suppose to put his/her LICENSE in jeopardy so you can have sex without getting knocked up? if this was a blood pressure pill or something life-threatening, then he/she would have done it as a favor. But that’s just plain stupidity and laziness on your part. Here’s a piece of advice: take some responsibility for your own health!

      Like

      Reply

  47. I cannot even believe the comments that I am reading. I am a pharmacist and I do care about my patients, even my patients on controlled substances and pain meds. I often fill medications for cancer patients on astromomical doses of pain meds with no problems and a smile on my face. I understand that you need these medications and that life is probably pretty miserable without them. But do you know what’s miserable for me? Being at work for 10 minutes when some strung out drug addict want to buy syringes for his “grandma.” Do I look like I was born yesterday? Or how about the millionth person going on vacation today into the wilderness with no pharmacy for miles, or the lost or stolen or dog-eaten medications. It’s not me or my technicians or my company or even your insurance company that causes these problems. It’s the drug addicts that commit insurance fraud that make your insurance company tough. It’s the people who hold guns to my friends’ heads for Oxycontin that make me angry. It’s because your doctor wrote your prescription for 2 pills a day and told you to take 4 that you can’t get your prescription when you’re out of medication. It’s the state that I live and work in that will take my license away if I give you controlled substances without a prescription that say that you should have them. I went to college for SIX years to earn my doctorate degree and college didn’t “rock” for me. It was long nights and weekends in the library and working full time to pay to live. I worked hard for my license and my job and I love my patients but I’m not about to give it all up because your dog flushed your last 3 days of ‘vics’ down the toilet.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Dear proudpharmacist,

      Very glad to hear you are doing your job well, and I’m sure it’s not everywhere, but my Walgreens overdosed me last year with ten TIMES what my doctor prescribed in thyroid meds. Then they dodged me for several days (leaving me with NO meds after my system being shocked w/so much overdose) before they finally told me what they had done, and didn’t even call my doctor to inform her. Also, in my trying to be a good person and not sue (I’ve never sued anyone for anything) just over a mistake, I’ve been working with the side effects for over a year now, and was just informed that there is a statue of limitations of one year, so no matter what they have done to me or what damage it has caused me, that’s just too bad. Now I can’t even get them to pay all my extra medical bills and bloodwork. They get to go on happily messing up people’s prescriptions and their health with ZERO consequences. That’s just not right, because I’m sure I’m not the only person they have harmed, and some things take time to show the true level of damage. Like the lawyer said, “You would have been better off if it had killed you immediately.” I understand that people are human and everyone makes mistakes, but the way they tried to cover and dodge me and avoid telling what they had done, magnified by their complete lack of care or follow-up afterward is abysmal. Please keep up the good work, we need some out there who truly care!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. How did “Walgreens overdose you”? We, as pharmacists fill a prescription without knowing your medical history, or anything about you other than what is written on the prescription. Thyroid hormones come in various strengths, so we would never know that you were taking “10x” the normal amount. Maybe who you should be mad at is your doctor…

        Also, we do catch a lot of mistakes coming from the doctor’s offices, and yes, we are the last place that a prescription can be checked and deemed safe. That being said, like I have mentioned earlier, we do not know everybody’s medical history. This is a breakdown in the medical community, and I honestly think it needs to be fixed so that these things do not happen. However, that is not the case right now..Either way, it is not your pharmacy’s fault for your overdose on levothyroxine.

        Like

        Reply

      1. I know right??? There is a stigma attached to all people that need pain medicine because of the “drug seekers” as they are called.
        It’s a damn shame! Some of us have horrible diseases that cause us extreme pain. It is terrible and degrading the way some pharmacists and some Dr.s treat us! I have not only been “under” treated but I have also been “over” prescribed and lucky for me my pharmacist at the time helped me. But that’s a whole other issue… The fact of the matter is, it’s a “slippery slope” and the best thing you can do is, take charge of your own health care! You have got to be informed. Do your homework and work together with your Dr. and your pharmacist! Be pro-active! It is our responsibility to be involved in all aspects of our own health care. :)

        Like

        Reply

      2. Didn’t you know Rainshiny Day? All of us folks with chronic pain, inflammation, bone pain from cancer…we’re just criminals looking to get high on pain meds. It’s best to treat us like crap right from the start. I love how this pharmacists acts like she’s a saint because she’s nice to people on pain meds. In the words of Christian Bale: OOOOOHHH GOOOD FOR YOU.

        Like

        Reply

      3. That’s what I was thinking.
        I’ve used ExpressScripts(for my diabetes meds)for years with no issues. I went to CVS Pharmacy for another prescription when I was sick & was surprised by how hostile they were to me, completely unprovoked. I don’t know- maybe they need more workers or customer service training. It’s okay to be frustrated by a previous customer or a constantly ringing phone. In no situation is it okay to take those frustrations out on the customer.

        Like

        Reply

  48. Walgreens was quite responsive when I put a call into their corporate side.

    They refused to call my insurance company to check if they could refill early due to a dosage change. They instead called us to tell us the meds were ready. Oh, we don’t have those, come back on Friday and they’ll be ready. Nope. After keeping me waiting for an hour, with the pharmacy tech yelling at me, and the pharmacist ignoring me, I walked out for the next to last time.

    So Friday night, one pill left until an infant will have to be admitted to the hospital because you can’t skip a dose let alone go cold turkey for a weekend. We got our doctor to call in a modified dose to a different pharmacy, all was well.

    I told corporate that their pharmacist endangered my daughter’s life, and my phone call was a courtesy to them to explain why they had two days to fix the situation before I file a formal complaint asking for the pharmacist to be disbarred by the state. Didn’t even have to mention a lawyer…

    We got a phone call from the manager of the store, they had our pills, and they were waiving the copay. I went in, picked them up, walked out for the last time. The local independent compounding pharmacy gets our business now.

    Like

    Reply

  49. I am a pharmacist that has had the pleasure of working for both Walgreens and CVS. The reasons for the terrible customer service is that these pharmacies are horribly understaffed and the supervisors are constantly on your back about filling scripts faster. I now work for an independent and am able to take the time to actually help people. Independents are the way to go if you want someone who will treat you like a person.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I have also worked for Walgreens. Along with their horrible under staffing, they have the stringent company policies. I think it is terribly unfair to walk into a pharmacy and lose your mind with one of the techs or the pharmacists… just saying! And most of the time, the people get pissed about things that can’t be helped by employee or company. State laws are there people!!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  50. I use CVS and Rite Aid, but you’re right – it’s the big name pharmacies and the insurance companies that have the “rules” stuck so far up their asses that they stop treating people as patients and more as potential offenders. My insurance company has gone so far as to stop covering any prescriptions we choose to fill at Walgreens. After your blog, I have a better understanding as to why – it’s the douchery that is the big chain pharmacy. I get a large quantity of medications each month and I walk out of the pharmacy feeling as if I am scum of the earth based on the way that the pharmacists treat and look at me – as if I’m doing something wrong or immoral and that I couldn’t possibly need to be on such strong medication at such a young age. Apparently, pain and other just as annoying issues know no age limit so I do what I have to do…feeling bad enough about it and really don’t need a pharmacist to make me feel any worse. Sorry – this is your rant, not mine. I wanted to let you know that someone else feels your frustration and if you can, try to find a small, family owned pharmacy (if possible) where they treat you with more humanity and less clinical indifference.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. They didn’t stop paying for them because “their rules are stuck up their asses” sweetie… Walgreens is a major company and is all about a buck. The insurance companies have to contract with them for their members to be allowed to fill prescriptions there. If Walgreens doesn’t like the contracted amount, then they will refuse the contract. Thus, the members (YOU) will not be allowed to fill there. Your insurance company (who is also all about a buck) could really care less how the pharmacy treats you or their members.

      Like

      Reply

  52. I really love our local CVS. Granted, we live in a small-ish town and we have a particularly friendly store here, so much so that when I’ve seen the pharmacist around town he actually remembers me. Beyond that, it seems like the system CVS has is more organized than other companies; they always seem to be on top of their sh*t so there’s not as much drama or inefficiency, which wastes the employees’ time and stresses out customers. For instance, my husband & I briefly had a gap in our health insurance and the pharmacists took the extra time to look up discounts for our meds so we wouldn’t have to pay full price. They also automatically contact our doctors ahead of time to get Rx refill authorization, so nobody has to scramble around last minute. And the one time I had neither coverage or a doctor they hooked me up with a week’s worth of my regular meds to get me through to my next dr’s appointment. I’d consider switching to CVS, for real.

    Like

    Reply

  53. I call all my scripts in and my insurance company will allow the pharmacy to fill 3 days early. When I had to deal with Walgreens they would lose my prescriptions, not fill them when I called them in and steal pills that were in the script. I would get a 30 day supply of my anti-anxiety med and get it home and find that 1/3 would be gone. You take it back and they would say I took them. I started counting them in the store but it wouldn’t stop them from taking it. The script was for 90 pills and there would be 60 in the bottle and the pharmacist would say that is what the script was written for. I know what I am supposed to take a day. I finally got fed up after 3 months and turned the pharmacy in. They ended up firing 3 of the pharmacists and most of the support staff in that department and hiring new people. I left them and went to CVS and never had a problem after I did. I have used Wal-Mart and rite-aide as well and like them both. If the only pharmacy around was Walgreens I would stop taking my meds.

    Like

    Reply

  54. I love my CVS but I think I just got really lucky and have an amazing pharmacist that works there. They have given me one pill because my prescription had expired and the doctor was closed but she knew it was something my daughter took every day for years and didnt want me to go without until the office opened. They have caught mistakes by doctors, had stuff sent in from other stores so I didnt have to drive, etc. But I dont attribute that to CVS, I attribute that to a good pharmacist. If you have an independent pharmacy around I would try that, you tend to get better service there. I have a cousin who is a pharmacist at one and I know they give great service. Dont accept crappy service, take your business elsewhere. Change pharmacies every month if you have to until you find one who cares. Someone will. Good luck.

    Like

    Reply

    1. I go to Walgreens and generally the people are helpful. here are 2 pharmacists there that do not smile, do not try and help…I tried to get a Vicodin rx refilled a week early cause I was going on vacation and she interrogated me like a criminal…”are you going out of the country” uh no, but I’m not going to be around here….duh….going and vacation should be a clue…the techs are all super…but the pharmacists, not so much…I have fibromyalgia and fight to get my drugs too…not very enjoyable…like I wouldn’t rather live without taking all this crap.

      Like

      Reply

      1. In regards to the going on vacation and needing your vicodin a week early ; there are walgreens everywhere, and all insurance companies are nationwide, except for medicaid. And if u are on medicaid, how do you afford to go on vacation? Just sayin ……..

        Like

        Reply

      2. My children were adopted through distressed and have Medicaid independent of my insurance policy and we … go on vacation and sometimes need medications early. Sam, why don’t you think about what you are posting … before you post it. Just sayin

        Like

        Reply

  55. I live in a tiny town where there is one pharmacy a CVS. I was on an anti- arriythmic and had to take it at a certain time every day for fear my icd would shock me. They let know my rx was filled when I go to get it they tell me its on back order and will be a week but another CVS the next town over has it. So, I head there to get it but the first CVS never let them know I was coming. Now, I’m on a beta blocker and after my husband picked up my medicine one night I felt really weird so I looked on the bottle and the pill description and the actually pills were different. I googled the pills in the bottle and it was reglan a Med that can increase q-t interval making me worse instead of better. All they had to say was sorry

    Like

    Reply

  56. So, I work at a pharmacy as a tech and think I can shed some light on the problem here. Yes, of course there are idiots working at pharmacys but the vast majority of us are not. Also, we get treated like shit everyday by people. Again, not all people, but a lot of them. Old people are mean, young people are mean, middle aged people are mean. An example: Me: “hi, how can I help you today?” customer: I need my pill. Me: what’s your name? (still smiling) Customer: I’m blah blah. God, I’ve been coming here for years, you people should know who I am. (really? How am i supposed to know who you are? Do you know my name? Also, i see over 300 people a day do you really think i remember everybody? Me: I’m sorry, which prescription did you want to get filled? ( because god knows people can’t call anything in ahead, and then they get pissed if they have to wait) Customer: the white one. (so I look at her file which has a good 30 different prescriptions in it, hmm, the white one? Really?) this is why we become glazed over insensitive people. Also, this lady threw her change at me. You know, just to be more of a bitch. Okay, on another note. Yes, we are majorly underpaid. I actually am just resting at the poverty level. And the biggest reason you can’t get your prescpitions when you want them, YOUR insurance company regulates everything we do. They are the ones that tell us when we can fill things. If you get a 30 day supply of something, and you are supposed to take 1 pill a day, that should last for 30 days and they aren’t going to give it to you early, even 3 days early. They are bastards and are really the ones in control. I’ll tell you a secret, if the pharmacy isn’t doing what you want, ask them what the insurances problem is, that way it doesnt make them feel like you are attacking them for something they have no control over, and they are more likely to help you. Everyone hates insurance companies. They are the real bad guys, and yes I’m sure something’s are Walgreens fault, but by yelling at the employees who have absolutely no control over things, you’re just going to become one of those customers we don’t like to see coming. Moral of the story, side with the pharmacy staff, they hate the fact that they can’t give you your stuff just as much as you do. I’ll be the first one to tell you that the people who are nice to me and don’t blame me for things are people that I would go out of my way to help. I’ve spent hours on the phone with their insurance getting things straightened out, but I’m never going to do that if you treat me like shit. Just sayin.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Thank you for clarifying that! My sister is a pharmacy tech at Walgreens and would back up everything you said. Blame your insurance company and all the asshole med seekers who screwed it up for patients that actually need their meds. And believe me, they can tell the difference!

      Like

      Reply

      1. You guys are dead on! I’ve worked for Walgreens for 10 years. It’s funny how people thing we show up to work with a tally record on how many people we can piss off, because clearly, we have nothing else to do. I just tell them, don’t shoot the messenger!

        Like

        Reply

    2. I agree with this 100%, C. I worked at walgreens for 2 years in pharmacy. People picking up their scripts have this opinion that their shit doesn’t stink. they treat pharmacy technicians like they are stupid, and less than people. It’s ridiculous. I bet you’re an amazing person, but I also bet your pharmacy hates you. Theres a lot going on behind the counter. Just because there aren’t people waiting right there doesnt mean the pharmacy isn’t busy. My walgreens store would will about 400 scripts a day (open 8am to 10 pm) with 3 technicians. Maybe that doesn’t seem like a lot to you, but when every other person doesn’t know the correct date of birth for their child, or their insurance information, or anything about their insurance policy (vacation policy, what the plan covers, how soon they can refill early, etc) that’s a lot of scripts. Not to mention all the other pharmacy tasks they need to do. Call the doctor, call the insurance, answer the phone, etc.

      I think knowing the process of having a script filled would probably be pretty beneficial. Most important things you would learn? 1. You’re so called “nice people,” are not nice. They aren’t prepared, they aren’t patient, they understand my second point, which is: 2. Pharmacy people are just the messenger 95% of the time. It’s actually your insurance company giving you a rough time.

      Also, if your getting your scripts filled in a crappy part of town, make the trip to a nicer end. I’ve worked in various locations. I’ve learned that people in a lower class part of town are angrier and more likely to abuse your technicians, thus making them less likely to go the extra step for you. Just an observation.

      Like

      Reply

  57. I am a 25 year old girl who takes 23 pills a day and applies hormonal cream everyday. I feel the pain you’re in and I like being able to hear about your struggles ( even though I wish them upon no one ) because it makes me feel like less of a freak. :)) I’ve been to 5 different doctors since I was 16 just to get my thyroid stable(I have hypo-thyroidism/hashimoto’s disease). I’ve been to a billion different pharmacies to find 1 that works best for me. They compound my medicine at the pharmacy because my body can’t handle synthetic medicine. Found that out from experience and losing my hair (: awesome. I find pharmacies that offer more organic and vitamins/supplements as well other ways to helps your symptoms works best. I also eat gluten free. Best decision I’ve ever made. It’s hard to change your lifestyle but in the end it’s truly worth it. I have adrenal disease as well so eatin gluten free helps with my energy levels because before I wasn’t getting enough nutrients in my body. It’s been a hard ten years and I continue to struggle everyday but it gets easier each day. If you ever need or want advice, I’d be more than willing to try and help. Best of luck in your future :))

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  58. This makes me feel really sad. I worked in pharmacy for about 7 or so years in Massachusetts, a few different stores, owned by CVS/Caremark, but not all CVS. I moved to New Zealand about 4 years ago and have worked in pharmacy here since then. I will tell you, it doesn’t matter whether it is a corporation or an independently owned business. Yeah, corporations are more figure and sales oriented, where independents are more customer satisfaction, but everyone I worked with wanted to help people. You aren’t a pharmacist to be a know it all. You aren’t a pharmacist so that once you hit being in your career for 30 years, you get a pay rise to keep you level with the interns coming fresh out of school. You are a pharmacist or a tech because you want to help people, cos you’re good at math and science, cos you can handle people well. I never had bad interactions with consumers who mattered, ex, not someone on welfare driving a flash car thru drivethru or someone trying to fill a controlled substance 2 days after they received the last one. Generally speaking, you go to work wanting to make a difference, yet no one says thank you for your trouble, no one ever appreciates any of the time consuming and mind numbing work you do, spending countless hours on hold with your insurance company just to try to get them to change your date of birth so the claim will go through, only to be told they need the patient to do it, so you come back to the patient saying they have to call their company….and well bingo. Get mad at us.
    I would wager a guess that these employees want to give you your pills. We don’t like saying that your insurance company won’t pay for it, or it is too soon since you last got them, or you need a prior authorization before they can be paid for. Those are just the rules YOUR insurance places on us.
    But I’m sure everyone who is complaining here has heard this all before. Try working with us. We’re just like you, but tired of getting shit on. I loved my job, I love helping people, I love being able to sort out issues and take care of things so they can pick up their medicines. Unfortunately this is not always the case. I suggest trying to make friends with us, you’ll see….

    Like

    Reply

    1. And to put this more clearly, the insanity of the people we dealt with, let me bullet point.
      ~Requesting cigarettes via drive thru while your oxygen tank is sitting in the passenger seat.
      ~Telling me you won’t pay $2 for your child’s antibiotics because you paid for your 3 horse’s feed.
      ~Telling me the last prescription was filled a week early by another pharmacy and when I politely explain you may take your prescription back and to them, you tell me you can’t because I wrote all over it with my cunty handwriting.
      ~Telling me you know you need blood work taken before we can dispense your pills, but you’re out. Screw agranulocytosis.

      So please, please, please be nice to us. We want to help you. Help us help you.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  59. I have been going thru this since Thursday, it’s Tuesday. CVS is the WORST EVER. Target Pharmacies are the only I’ve EVER dealt with that are kind, considerate, timely.

    Like

    Reply

  60. As mom to a 3.5 year old son with complex medical needs, I have experienced every problem you have mentioned. And to be hoonest, most of them were with Walgreens. And you know what I did? I told them how much I despised their service, and that I was taking my business elsewhere. And I did it. They actually had the nerve to offer my husband a MAGNET when he was upset with the way they were handling a refill. “Oh, you’re upset? Let me get you a magnet.” No lie. That is exactly what she said. Have we had problems elsewhere? Sure. You’re going to. But NOBODY deserves to be treated like that over and over again. I have worked in customer service industries for 15 years, and the one thing I have learned above all else is that 99% of what we do is perception based. If your customer thinks you are doing a bad job, then you are. That’s not to say the customer is always right, because they often are not (I really hate that saying by the way). But they are people too, and deserve to be treated as such. So yes, when the pharmacy tells me they can’t fill my son’s antibiotic because it’s two days too early, or we find out as we’re standing at the counter to pick up his meds that they have been denied and we have to go through an approval process (um, hello, a phone call would have been nice. How long did you know this? Two days), or they look at me like I’m a criminal because my toddler is addicted to morphine after a string a surgeries, like I’m the one that was pushing it through his IV, I get offended. It is not their job to pass judgement. I realize there are unscrupulous doctors and persons out there, but not all of us are.
    And yes, switch your pharmacy. It will be a headache in the beginning, but worth it in the end. We have been through 4 in two years. And we have finally found one that works with us and talks to us. They do exist.

    Like

    Reply

  61. You’re a witty and talented writer. You mentioned writing a book in quip about things girls do on Facebook. Have you ever considered writing a screenplay?

    Like

    Reply

  62. I worked at walgreens before and it sucks..they were the first company to be open 24 7 on holiday which sucks..employee miss holidays with family so that people can buy chi pets and other garbage. They also suck cuz they hate coupons (manufacture) and never want to accept anything.

    Like

    Reply

  63. I’m terribly sorry to hear you’ve had such a difficult time getting your meds at Walgreens. I knew there was something wrong with that store just because it always seemed dirtier inside than the well-kept CVS across the street, even though the Walgreens was newer.

    I have never had a negative pharmacy experience at CVS. In fact, their pharmacists even went to significant lengths to help me out when I messed up my own refill request one time right before an international trip. As if that wasn’t enough, CVS has some kind of height restriction on the racks in it is aisles. Walgreens designs its stores so that 8 feet tall people can always find the latest crappy alarm clock next to an unkempt stack of coloring books and some scary dangling mobile of sunscreen products. At CVS, you can wander the aisles seeing the whole store the whole time and never feeling imprisoned by towers of oxy clean and snuggie boxes. (However, I have to say, Walgreen’s one redeeming quality is the as seen on tv aisle, because, don’t lie, we all want to see if that shit really cleans 2 year old wine stains out of white carpet.)

    My only beef with CVS is that it is everywhere. Kind of like walgreens. But it’s so much better. I choose think of CVS as one of those benevolent corporate empires, like google, who, in exchange for free email and gchat, I would gladly entrust with my medical records.

    as for walgreens, ew. def stop going there. posts like this have a much bigger impact than you realize! it’s good that you put it up. if anyone from corporate sees it they will send you a message and offer you a free visit to their walk in clinic, where a nurse practitioner who has been stripped of her ability to interpret human emotion will diagnose and medicate you according to a worksheet.

    Like

    Reply

    1. I submitted the link to the general feedback webmail at Walgreens.com, so hopefully someone will read this! I am also joining the Trail of Tears away from Walgreens after repeatedly encountering lousy customer service; denial of prescriptions with no notice after I’ve called them in (and no explanation – just denied); and, yes, being treated like a criminal because I have a diabetic cat.

      Like

      Reply

  64. Yep Mary. I agree. The people behind the counter didn’t see any reason to be helpful or compassionate to customers who were there because they were sick. Maybe the Walgreens pharmacy workers have their reasons, but I finally changed pharmacies. Don’t know why I didn’t think of that sooner!

    Like

    Reply

  65. Try a local or grocery store pharmacy (Target is good also). If you don’t like the one you switch to, switch again. Get to know your pharmacist and technicians. This is much easier at a less busy local or grocery store pharmacy. I’ve worked in pharmacy for 17 years, 11 as a pharmacist at a single grocery store location. I know all my customers and I take care of all my customers (especially the ones go switch to us from Walgreens). My pharmacy is not the only caring one out there. Keep looking until you find one for yourself.

    Like

    Reply

  66. My family owns several independent pharmacies and they truly care about the health of their customers. I hate Walgreens/CVS because they are killing small businesses. Switch to an independent pharmacy!

    Like

    Reply

  67. I own an independent pharmacy and my patients love my employees and my store. I suggest you find an independent pharmacy. It is a world of difference from the chains. I would also talk to you about what is going on with your health and see if you are having some nutritional deficiencies that may assist you.

    Like

    Reply

    1. I agree with this 100%, it is exactly what I was going to suggest…the difference between customer service is like night and day.

      Like

      Reply

    2. Independent pharmacies are amazing businesses, and I would highly recommend them to anyone who is sick of the big chain run-around. Great advice Teresa!

      Like

      Reply

  69. I wonder if the “10 year pharmacy employee” genuinely cares about people on pain medication, or if she just “genuinely cares” about people on “acceptable” medications with no stigma.

    Like

    Reply

    1. I genuinely care about ALL of my customers, especially those on controlled medications. I do not treat customers with controlled substances any differently than I do a customer with high blood pressure. We are required by law to be hyper vigilant of anything that may be considered suspicious activity, that is all. I have a lot of empathy for those on chronic pain medications and ADHD medications especially because those people have to struggle daily to maintain a normal level of functioning, and these medications are just a way for them to attain that. There are some employees that I have worked with that do stereotype patients, but for the most part we do not assume everyone getting a controlled medication is a low-life drug seeker.

      Like

      Reply

  70. Brilliant. Here’s the kicker as well. I venture a guess that at least 50% of your pills are some form of controlled substance. If you switch pharmacies now, they’ll red flag you from here to kingdom come because their first order of business is to treat people on pain medication like lawless, lying heroin addicts. Having suffered years of chronic pain due to herniated discs (that would have been easily cured by surgery, but my doctor just gave me more and stronger pills until surprise! she decided I was addicted to painkillers and cut me off. Good times. I got the surgery and my life is a total 180) I know the joy of explaining to the pharmacy assistant why I’m filling my prescription two days early instead of on day thirty. Way to go, you might bust me for hoarding two pills or taking one more than I was prescribed. Here’s your medal. I understand the rules of insurance and early refills and having only one doctor prescribe everything, but it’s when the tech is so cheerful and happy and “how may I help you?” until you hand her a script for Norco, and then her face changes like a jump edit in a movie. She reviews every word, asks you for fifty forms of id, makes you sign a little book, calls the doctor, and looks at you like you’re a criminal for taking pain medication. Hell, I take Suboxone now. That means I’m in TREATMENT for pain killer dependency. I am seeking help. STILL I’m treated like second class when they see that controlled substance buzz word.

    I always try to be pleasant, always try to explain if there’s something out of routine (a new dosage, a different amount, an early refill for vacationing) but i RARELY get that pleasantry in return. I had a pharmacist demand to know my diagnosis, what other therapies I’d tried and whether or not I was in physical therapy before she’d fill my script. Power hungry much?

    No one deserves to be treated like shit right off the bat…not the patient, not the pharmacy tech…but when you go above and beyond the call of duty to make someone feel WORSE for TAKING A MEDICATION THAT ALLOWS THEM TO FUNCTION, maybe you can understand why we don’t fall all over ourselves to thank you for your service.

    Carry on! I hope you feel better and find a pharmacist who will work with you without treating you like a criminal.

    Like

    Reply

  71. dear llama face,
    common decency and respect for other human beings is accountable on both sides of the fence, regardless of what your “reason” is for being shitty, it is never an excuse. You don’t loose personal accountability for your behavior because you are sick or upset, have had things go wrong in your life, or because someone else doesn’t understand what you do or why you are doing it. It is your responsibility as a decent person to try and understand another person’s position because at the end of the day, we are all human with our own weight to bear, with no one persons being greater or lesser than the other. If you don’t want to take that personal responsibility and integrity, than at least be honest with yourself and others that you are not willing to care about yourself and other human beings.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  72. Just linked into your blog from the 15 thing white girls do on fb and read this strain too. You’re pretty funny. From your frustration at the people who “don’t know shit about shit” and you being annoyed at them reading off a script, I thought you might fully enjoy Little Britain’s skit along the same lines…an oldy but a goody. Just go to youtube and type in “computer says no” and watch the Little Britain clip. You’ll love it :)

    Like

    Reply

  73. I gave up on Walgreens ages ago. Try Target…I’ve had nothing but good experiences with them. Heck, they usually have my prescriptions at the register before I even get there because they recognize me when I walk in. (I too have a multitude of health issues and take a bajillion prescriptions a day just to try to function at a somewhat normal level.) Even at their busiest, I’ve received better service there than any other pharmacy I’ve tried since “back in the day” when I lived in a small town where the pharmacist knew everyone and all their ailments.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  74. I’m not sure if there are many of these in NYC, or if you travel a lot, but locally-owned, locally-run pharmacies can be great! They usually take an interest in you, plus their prices can be much lower!

    Like

    Reply

  75. If you have a publix, try it. I’m at the pharmacy all the time, and publix is my favorite. Good luck, Mary. Just know there are people out there feeling your pain.

    Like

    Reply

  76. My local Walgreen’s is wonderful, you really can’t blame the whole company for problems at one store. I am there several times a month refilling prescriptions and everyone has always been nice and really tried to help when I have had an issue with insurance or whatever.

    Like

    Reply

  77. i thave half my meds fill through mail order and half at the local CVS. Both of them are part of the same company and I will have to say that dealing with the pharmacy down the street is easier than dealing with mail order. It always seems like I need a new prescription but there is no way to get someone from the mail order place to get me a new one without going to hell and back. I don’t have any problems dealing with the local CVS. In fact I call, give them my name and they are real great. If I need a new script they call my doctor and get it. They even give me a few pills if I need them till my script comes in.
    I have used Walgreens when I lived in another town and I have to agree they suck. They won’t give you the time of day or help you if you were dying. I won’t ever go there again.

    Like

    Reply

  78. So sorry about Wal-greens sucking. I’m just now starting on a pharmacy journey after my husband was diagnosed with cancer. You did manage to do something with this post, I sure won’t be going to Wal-Greens to fill his multiple RXs. Try Wal-Mart, I cant speak for all of them, but my local one seems compassionate and helpful. Or if you have a Giant Eagle near you, try there too. They’ve been great to me thus far, as have they been to my friends.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  79. Unfortunately, it is people who are uneducated about the operations of a pharmacy that generally complain about the operation of a pharmacy. I have been in the business for over 10 years on both sides of the counter- as an employee and also as a customer. I have to agree that we have called Walgreens the “evil empire” on occasion for offenses against what one would imagine to be basic employee rights. However, I have also been an employee being yelled at because a medication takes more than 5 minutes to properly dispense, insurance companies won’t cooperate or unexpectedly change hands or their computer systems go down or doctor’s offices are too busy to simply answer their phones so we can safely dispense the proper medication for our patient that WE ARE GENUINELY CONCERNED ABOUT. There is a lot more detail and knowledge required to safely dispensing medications that goes well beyond just “putting pills in a bottle”. As pharmacists, we need to make sure that the medication is correct and will not cause harm as well as getting the insurance companies to “play nice” so to speak. I would say that the majority of problems that the pharmacy and its customers have are due to insurance companies that make it impossible to properly submit claims and bill for insurance. Its sad, but in healthcare we have to make money some how, and if your insurance isn’t working, 9 times out of 10 we can’t just let the medication walk out of the door without someone paying for it. If it isn’t the insurance company, and you don’t want to pay the ridiculous amount of money some prescriptions cost, then who is going to pay? The employees? The company? It has to be someone. If your insurance is not cooperating, usually there is little that we can do about it. In the situation of the child needing medication for his allergic reaction, I don’t know a pharmacist in practice that would deny ANYONE medication for a life threatening allergic reaction, especially a child, however if the condition was that of an emergency, the last place you should be standing is in the waiting room of a retail pharmacy. That person should have been in the hospital. I suppose that I went on this rant because I am one of the few people that DOES care and I try my very best and go out of my way every single day to make sure the people I am serving are well taken care of, but there are some things that are just out of our hands. The reason the responses probably sound rehearsed or scripted (and I promise you they are NOT) is because there are many issues common to most people’s medications that we deal with daily, and we get a lot of practice repeating the same information over and over again, so it begins to sound rehearsed. The most frustrating part of being on that side of the counter is the people who do not know or understand how things work and decide to yell at us or throw things at us as we try to explain important information and do our best to serve you. I realize that it may seem as though some employees are not well trained and could care less about your situation, but I want you to realize this is generally the exception and not the rule. The obstacles will be the same no matter what retail pharmacy you give your patronage too, just understand that there are many other factors that may cause problems that do not include ” a bunch of uneducated people” handling your medication.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Proud Pharmacy Guy,

      Since you’ve been in the biz for over 10 years, I’m sure you remember that you’re dealing with people who need medication. That means they have health problems. They’re sick, possibly in pain, possibly scared. Since you’ve been a pharmacy customer before, I’m sure you remember what it’s like to be sick, tired, or in pain and haul your ass to the pharmacy to get your prescription when all you really want to do is go home and crawl in bed, and then have to sit there and wait for your prescription to be filled, while you’re sick, tired, and possibly in pain. Do you have any kids? If you do, I’m sure you remember what it’s like to sit in the pharmacy with a kid with a kid with an ear infection, weeping in pain. It kind of sucks.

      I don’t feel bad for you and the struggles you deal with in your profession. You chose to be pharmacist, which means you deal with sick people who are generally pissy most of the time, BECAUSE THEY’RE SICK, and being sick sucks. Fortunately, I am blessed with good health so I have no idea what it’s like to take 25 pills a day just to be able to get through the day, but I imagine that is horrible.

      So basically, eff you. Your job is to dispense meds to people who feel like crap and don’t want to be there. As irritating as it is for you to have to deal with doctor’s offices and insurance companies, compound that by about eleventy billion for the sick person who just wants his or her medicine so she can go home and feel better. You should exercise some compassion for the sick people coming to you for help, have some empathy and deal with their shitty behavior because most of them are probably perfectly lovely people when not sick and miserable. If you don’t like people’s attitudes, get another job where you don’t have to deal with people who are under stress, sick, in pain, and miserable.

      As far as your education, you probably have a very expensive degree, but it sounds like you need to go back to psych class and learn to deal with emotional people because obviously you suck at it.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Llama Face, You are an unpleasant person.

        All he said was that the wait, and the hassle is, for a large part, out of the hands of the pharmacist.

        Also, if you don’t understand why it is important to ensure that the medication is covered by insurance, and won’t interact with any other medications that a patient is taking, then it seems like you should late drop all those psych classes and enroll in some basic science and business.

        Like

        Reply

      2. Wow, being sick dosen’t give you the right to be a total fucking asshat. If your pharmacist treats you like shit, it’s because you deserve it!

        Like

        Reply

      3. Upon reading through my response, I can see how you would think that I don’t actually care. The main point of my response was to explain some of the basic obstacles that all pharmacy employees face on a daily basis that interfere with our goal of taking care of the people that walk through our door. As with many big businesses, the care of the customer (or in this case a very sick person who is feeling miserable) gets thrown to the wayside in order to follow the rules that have been set by employers,insurance companies and state and federal governments. This frustrates us just as much as it frustrates you, and believe it or not, it does make me feel awful knowing someone in the waiting room is stuck there feeling terrible while I try to sort through all of the red tape required to fill their prescription. It is people like you, however, who make it difficult because you treat your pharmacy employees like dirt. As for my expensive degree, I chose it because I felt like I could truly help people that may actually appreciate it, and blogs like this have proven me otherwise. Most people view us a basic general laborers who are there to serve them medications Burger King style through a drive through. This does no justice for our lengthy and difficult medical education similar to that of the physicians everyone has so much respect for. The commercialization of the pharmacy business is responsible for the current lack of respect for the difficulty of the profession, and most pharmacists despise it as much as their patients do. Of course there are people that are just minions of the business- there are always some in every company- but the majority of pharmacists, interns and technicians genuinely care about the well being of their customers and do their best to get them home with their medication as soon as possible.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

  80. Yes, the Pharmacist with the Phd is an idiot. Just an idiot behind a counter thinking up ways to make your life miserable. Might as well be a monkey for all they do and know.

    Like

    Reply

      1. I was expressing incredulity that someone with a BA in journalism thinks someone with a PhD trying their best to make sure all 25 (which is ridiculous) pills are safe to take and won’t interact, IN ADDITION to sitting on the phone fight HER battle with the insurance company is an idiot.

        Perhaps the pharmacist should give her the prescriptions, the number to call the insurance company and tell her to come back when she’s worked it out. Then maybe she’ll understand that the “idiots” behind the counter aren’t purposefully making her wait.

        Seriously, this blogger needs to get a clue.

        Like

        Reply

        1. Actually I lost my insurance after losing my job from this disease, so there’s So insurance logistics holding things up. Also you’re right, it IS sad that someone might have 15 prescriptions like I do… but I’m not sure why you say that as though it’s my fault I have a disease that has no cure and count it, ZERO FDA approved treatments. That means seeing a different doctor for every body system that goes wrong, and since myalgic encephalomyelitis is a multi-systemic disease, that means I have 8 doctors managing my health. It’s not a very efficient way to address healthcare, is it? I’m sure you agree. But I understand what you’re saying, and I was being snarky when I wrote this years ago. I understand the pharmacy is not there to make the patients life miserable. Not the techs either. It’s just when you live your life waiting in lines at the pharmacy confronting problem after problem, it’s tiring, on top of a disease that takes away all your strength and ATP-making abilities! Anyway, I understand that the problem is much larger and not on account of the employees at these places, and I didn’t mean to point the finger at the pharmacists who are are only doing their job. But I do hope, if anything, you can take away from this comment, that I’d rather NOT be on all the medicine I take. It’s not fun, it’s expensive, and it’s a insane eating up of time just to get them filled and actually picked up. This is on account of my disease– and I have a hard time believing you would hear about a girl who had cancer, and took 25 pills a day, and then would point the finger at her and call it just plain “sad”… am I right? It’s not her fault, she’s sick, right? I know that this disease is hugely stigmatized and misunderstood, but please believe, nobody with it would wish it on our worst enemy, and all of us are looking for compassion and understanding when it comes to confronting this disease. Thanks for reading, if you get this. And I apologize for my words years ago–I was young and snarky and angry– I wanted to someone to point the finger at, but trust me I know, the pharmacists are not it. All the best to you.

          Like

          Reply

  81. CVS is superior to the other major pharmacies, from what I’ve seen, and this is coming from someone who worked at a Brooks for a couple of years before they switched over to Rite Aid. On some medications, I don’t even have to pay a copay now. The service is fast and reliable, and they seem to train their employees much better.

    Walgreens is good for cheap make-up, and that’s about it.

    I guess if you’re desperate, you could always try Wal-Mart. They beat the smiles into their employees every morning, and the generics are super cheap.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Speaking of walmart I’ve been to several in different states and always see piss poor serive..they practically run away if u try to approach an associate for a question and the door greeters don’t greet but look at you all bug eyed or looking like they’re down. Hate walmart!

      Like

      Reply

  82. Try out a solid independent pharmacy. Sure some things may cost more when paying out of pocket but copays on prescriptions should be the same.

    Like

    Reply

  84. CVS sells name brand insulin syringes for cheaper than the shitty walgreens ones. and walgreens does suck. and to the walgreens employee, does walgreens know about your insubordinate attitude? I’m sure they’d fire your bitch ass on the spot if they knew you’d spoken to a customer that way. stay anonymous. jerk.

    Like

    Reply

  85. Pharmacy Technician here. I’ve worked for CVS now for 7 years (regrettably) and let me tell you, it doesn’t matter which chain you choose; a corporation is a corporation. They do not care about you, they care about getting paid from your insurance company. Therefore, if there is a glitch in your insurance company’s computer system when they bill them for your medication and it is not something that is immediately fixable, you can rest assured you will not be receiving your meds until it is resolved (something neither you, nor the idiots behind the pharmacy counter have any control over). I’m not too sure how Walgreen’s runs things, but CVS is notorious for underpaying and understaffing. They also require their employees to do an irrationally enormous amount of nonsensical busy work which takes away from being able to actually service the customers. Yet somehow these people keep giving them their business. There is an actual WEBSITE dedicated to “curing” CVS: http://www.curecvs.org. My advice would definitely be to find a reputable privately owned pharmacy.

    Like

    Reply

    1. good to hear from an employee. you’re right though. and i realize it is not the employees fault. it’s the company at large. it’s sad how business is done especially when concerning someones health. im sorry that you have to deal with angry people all day when it isn’t your fault. i have since found a local pharmacy. keep it real!

      Like

      Reply

  87. oh my god you are amazing. i will come up with something better to say when i’m not freaking out that my boss is going to catch me not pretending to work!

    Like

    Reply

  88. i switched to CVS from walgreens and the service is much better! when i told the people at CVS how much better they were they said we hear that all the time. good luck! :)

    Like

    Reply

    3. Wow, way to pretty much prove her point. Her ‘attitude’ is a result of the way she is treated. Let’s remember that she’s not a five year old throwing a tantrum in the toy aisle, she’s a grown woman trying to get medication she needs.

      Pharmacies and insurance companies suck, period.

      Like

      Reply

Leave a reply to Hannah J. Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.