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Pharmacies are a vital part of the healthcare system. They help local communities answer health-related questions and keep them in the best shape possible. However, it’s not just about medicine and prescriptions but also the people and the quality customer service they receive. Unfortunately, not all visits to the pharmacy are pleasant, and these instances down below are the proof. Scroll away to find times people left the drugstore frustrated and don’t forget to share your own experiences in the comments below.
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#1
Back Pain Remedy On The Bottom Shelf
RELATED:
#2
Pharmacy Reviews On Google
#3
At My Local CVS, Pushing This Button Announces Over The Pa System To The Entire Store "A Customer Requires Assistance In The Family Planning Department"
The shelves are only about 5 feet high, so almost everyone in the store can look over them while you awkwardly wait for an employee to open the case.
Earonn - 19 hours ago
Ages ago Germany had a fun ad for condoms. A young guy nervously at the till, trying to hide the condoms he's buying under the rest of his shopping. Lady at the till tries to scan them, giving him a understanding wink. Condom doesn't scan, so she shouts through the whole shop "BERTA, (Berta being an old-fashioned German first name), WHAT'S THE PRICE FOR THE CONDOMS?" Guy almost dies and pretty girl and the next till makes some encouraging comment. it was meant to show that condoms were nothing to be ashamed of. Was pretty nice and got people talking about condoms. Well done!
As of 2024, there were 46,230 pharmacies and drugstore businesses in the US employing more than 340,000 specialists. Upon entering the profession, pharmacists have to swear on an oath to “assure optimal outcomes for all patients.”
However, as we see from the list, that is not always the case, and working conditions are making it almost impossible to stick to their promise.
#4
Bought 2 Lifesavers At CVS And The Receipt Was Almost As Long As My Truck Bed
Dusty's mom 21 hours ago
Coupons!!! Just tell them you don't want a receipt. You can access your coupons online at CVS.com. They'll accommodate you.
#5
Walgreens Stuck Their Stupid Non-Removable Sticker Over The Dosing Instructions For This Medication. Every Box Was Like This
#6
Was Told To “Use Uber” If I Wanted To Pick Up My Antibiotics From The Pharmacy I Was Standing At
This is a Walgreens in a city. I don’t have a car. Not exactly sure how to “use Uber” to sit and wait at a busy drive thru. Wish I’d known ahead I could have gotten them sent somewhere else.
Remi (He/Him) 17 hours ago
Walk to the drive thru like you're walking a bike and if they complain, say your bike is invisible
The National Pharmacist Workforce Study (NPWS) in 2022 has found that more than 60% of chain pharmacists experienced high levels of work exhaustion, while 80% reported not being satisfied with their job.
This is happening because of the number of tasks they perform at work that go beyond their original job description. Staff shortage additionally contributes to this issue, making pharmacists overworked and overwhelmed.
#7
The Pharmacy Sent Me My Chemotherapy Pills, One Bottle Per Pill. I Fear For When I Get The 6 Month Batch
#8
Just Noticed I Have Been Given The Wrong Tablets By The Pharmacist And Taking Them For A Month. Was Prescribed Blood Pressure Tablets (Enalapril). Received Anti Depressants (Escitalopram). Explains Weird Side Effects From Before Xmas
Dusty's mom 21 hours ago
Contact your government's health board. These kind of mistakes can kill. If they don't respond, contact a reputable media source. Keep everything for proof!
#9
CVS Stapled The Bag Shut Right Through My Medicine
Dusty's mom 21 hours ago
CVS has a staple fetish. I swear they use a box of them on my family for a month's supply of prescriptions. I'd call them and tell them they need to deliver a new prescription to your home, and they're covering all costs.
Due to staff shortage, burnout, and employers’ focus on meeting quotas, 75% of pharmacists felt like they didn't have enough time to safely perform their duties, let alone be smiley and polite to customers looking for professional care.
#10
Those CVS Receipts Are Finally Paying Off
Dusty's mom 21 hours ago
You can get both receipts and coupons online. Most CVS have a little gizmo where you can tick off "no receipt". If you're in drive-thru, let the clerk know you don't want receipts before everything is rung up.
#11
Amazing Discounts At The Pharmacy
Kris Fireheart 19 hours ago
This is the kind of c**p pulled on black Friday and cyber Monday as well. Just peel that sticker back and wow! It's 10 bucks more expensive! WHAT A DEAL!
#12
So One Of My Prescription Pills From A Walgreens Pharmacy Turned Out To Just Be A Popcorn Cornel…. Is This Something That Actually Happens In The Real World Or Have I Definitely Slipped Into Some Hysterical Alternate Reality?
“Pharmacists are so overwhelmed and worried that they’re going to make a mistake. It’s so easy to make a mistake under those conditions,” said pharmacist and labor advocate Shane Jerominski, who has a decade of experience working at chain pharmacies including Walgreens and CVS.
#13
Walgreens Says To Use Qr Code To Check-In. I Waited 30m And When I Inquired About The Wait, They Said I Need To Check-In In Person As Well
#14
Maybe This Isn’t The Best Way To Get Kids Excited About Getting The Flu Shot At The Pharmacy
#15
This Store Policy In A Manhattan Pharmacy
Their work goes beyond putting pills in the bottle - they have to check the prescription for errors, check if the drug will be used in combination with other medicines, bill insurance companies, and counsel patients on risks. When workers are burnt out and busy, they are more likely to make mistakes in the process. Unfortunately, pharmacists' errors can have dire consequences.
#16
I Can't Even See What I Want To Buy. Thanks Walgreens
#17
My Pharmacy Uses An Enormous Amount Of Plastic. I Asked Them If I Could Remove The Label And Recycle The Orange Bottles Back To Them And They Said Couldn't Accept Them
Each pharmacy is going through thousands of these bottles a month and there are ~80,000 pharmacies in America.
Tropical Tarot 23 hours ago
Our city homeless shelter accepts recycled prescription bottles. Check with yours.
#18
Pharmacist At Walgreens Drive Thru Stapled My Card
Dusty's mom 21 hours ago
They need to yank those staplers out of every pharmacy. They get staple crazy.
“Any simple mistake: the counting of medication, or even issuing the wrong type of medication could have serious impacts and even cause a death,” said Tony Bertolino, a lawyer who specializes in defending pharmacies and pharmacists. “There’s so much pressure on pharmacists to get prescriptions filled and to get patients in and out.”
#19
My Birth Control Prescription Didn’t Have Any Pills Inside
How is this even possible?
It was completely sealed so it’s not like I took them out and put the empty box back in my drawer and forgot. Luckily I have 2 more boxes so I’m okay for now but this is ridiculous. I can’t understand how this could have happened.
Dusty's mom 21 hours ago
Possible theft inside the system. Contact your pharmacy immediately. If they don't respond, go to your government's health board. Still no response? Contact reputable media! Keep all packaging, photos and this post for proof.
#20
Installed Wheelchair Access Boss. Pharmacy In Poland
Debby Keir 16 hours ago
Those not already in wheelchairs, soon will be as they trip over 'the ramp'.
#21
Pharmacy Stapled Receipt Through My Syringe’s Plastic Wrapping, So Now It’s Not Sterile. I Picked 4 Of These Up About A Month Ago And This Was My Last One, So I Didn’t Notice Until Today
Each year, between 7,000 and 9,000 people in the US die because of a medication error. More than hundreds of thousands of patients also experience adverse reactions or other side effects related to their medication but decide not to report them.
#22
The Pharmacy Added A Mystery Pill To My Prescription. It Looks Almost Exactly Like The Other Pills
Dusty's mom 21 hours ago
Take the pills to the pharmacy and ask them to explain. Follow the above information if you get pushback.
#23
Looking Forward To Earwax Drops In My Eyes, Thanks Walgreens
#24
$300.00 Copay For A Name Brand Meds I Need To Take. This Is How It Arrives! Thanks CVS
However, some states are trying to get the situation under control. For example, Virginia banned quotas and passed regulations that ordered pharmacies to increase staffing until March 2025. California and Ohio also implemented rules that require pharmacies to have an adequate number of employees, which will help divide pharmacists' workload better and keep them from overworking themselves.
#25
At A Pharmacy In UK. 8 Items On The Same Order Came In 5 Separate Plastic Bags
#26
Bought These Off A Walgreens Shelf 3 Days Ago
Blue Bunny of Happiness 21 hours ago
Fun fact, my Dad once had a job as a tampon tester (okay, so it was testing the quality of the kapok used in them, but that doesn’t sound as good!)
#27
24-Hour From 9am To 5pm
Verena 13 hours ago
It would be correct in the Netherlands. Lots of pharmacies have an automatic distributor to serve clients outside of opening times. We are in a rural area with no emergency pharmacy anywhere near a 1h drive, so they invented a mechanism that can distribute medication remotely. No idea how it actually works, but it does.
#28
Same Prescription, Bought Two Weeks Apart
ScarletRos 1 day ago
I’ve had that experience at Priceline Pharmacy also. And different Pricelines charge different amounts!
#29
I’ve Put The Viagra On The Shelves Boss
Michael Largey 13 hours ago
Well, if you want to have children, Viagra may be helpful in some instances.
Debby Keir 16 hours ago
Like that the cat flea treatment is ALSO on the kids medicine shelf....
Kris Fireheart 11 hours ago
Wow. I can imagine the look on the dad's face and questions for daddy when little man asks what viagra is for.
Khavrinen 20 hours ago
UK: Puts Viagra right out on the shelves where anyone can pick it up. USA: Locks up the shampoo so no one "unauthorized" can get at it. "Home of the Free", yeah, right.
Sven Grammersdorf 5 hours ago
Viagra is a prescription medicine in the USA
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#30
The Way My Prescription Was Filled
Blue Bunny of Happiness 21 hours ago
Pretty standard at English pharmacies. A lot of meds still come in 30 day packs but GPs prescribe in 4 weeks ie 28 days. The pharmacist then has to snip off any excess tablets and dispenses them in another prescription. Admittedly, it looks like they’d been stockpiling these ones!
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Lost Panda 21 hours ago
One of the good things about Japan. There is usually a pharmacy within a short walk from most all doctor's offices. The worst I have ever been told is "We don't have that on hand right now, but we will order it and give you a call when it arrives"
Bat cat in a hat 16 hours ago
Used to be like that in my old town, pharmacy was literally opposite the clinic. Where I live now the nearest chemist is a 30 min drive away (and I don't drive so it's a 45 min bus ride)
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Lost Panda 21 hours ago
One of the good things about Japan. There is usually a pharmacy within a short walk from most all doctor's offices. The worst I have ever been told is "We don't have that on hand right now, but we will order it and give you a call when it arrives"
Bat cat in a hat 16 hours ago
Used to be like that in my old town, pharmacy was literally opposite the clinic. Where I live now the nearest chemist is a 30 min drive away (and I don't drive so it's a 45 min bus ride)
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