Wrong Aid

[Innkeeper]

When we moved from Maine to New Hampshire two and years and two months ago, one of highest priorities was finding a reliable pharmacy. In the closest town to ours we found a Rite Aid. After three months of "sorry we're out that for three or four days" and other service problems we switched to Brooks in further away Rochester. Every was fine for almost two full years, and then, you guessed it, Rite Aid bought Brooks.

The very first prescription we picked up was only two thirds full. "Sorry we wanted to be sure we could get through the weekend." You see, Rite Aid keeps stockholders happy by keeping inventories low. Then we started to see signs on the door say things like, "Pharmacy will be closed on Sunday." Inquiry revealed that pharmacists could only work so many hours without a break. Employees were juming ship!

This past Saturday I called in four prescriptions for Bev for pick up that day, and the computer said fine. I called back to see if they would open on Sunday when it would be more convenient for us to pick them up. I couldn't reach a human, so I called the front of the store and was told that the pharmacy was closed for Saturday, Sunday, and maybe Monday. Bev's Lipitor ran out on Sunday.

Today we checked in with Walgreens in Rochester, and they were very nice. They verified our prescriptions by calling a Wrong Aid with an open pharmacy, getting us squared away. Now we just hope that Wrong Aid doesn't buy Walgreens!

[hotwine]

Sounds like a mail order outfit might suit your needs Carl. I use Merck Medco and it sure beats having to deal with losers like that bunch.

[Kcwhippet]

We've been happy with our treatment at CVS. You might give them a try, if there's one near you. We've never been shorted or had a closed store in 18 years.

[Innkeeper]

Thanks Gil and Bob. Unforunately when we have to get a prescription we need it fast, and the local CVS is 30 miles away.

[winoweenie]

Don't you have Walgreens up there in the wilderness? We have one on every other corner here in Phoenix and quite a few are 24 hour operations. WW

[wondersofwine]

I have several prescriptions with CVS and a couple from the dermatologist with Walgreens. I went to Walgreens when CVS was slow about refilling a particular ointment. I know pharmacy is a good field to go into (high demand) but the evening and weekend work (or all night) probably gets old in a hurry. I liked a certain pharmacy (perhaps North Carolina-based or regional) that had an outlet near my former apartment but it sold the two shops in Fayetteville to Eckhard. A Phar-Mor has also closed. The CVS and Walgreens I use are both near the main hospital and dozens of medical offices so the prescription-fill time is almost always lengthy. I usually phone in the request a day or more ahead of when I need to pick it up. We have a new non-chain pharmacy near the grocery store where I usually get my groceries but I haven't tried the pharmacy there.
HW's suggestion about mail order sounds good if the Lipitor and other prescriptions are recurring refills.

[Georgie]

Yes, the mail order is a great thing, but you do have to be on top of it to not run out of your prescription. Now don't get jealous, I go to the little pharmacy three blocks from my house and have NEVER had an incomplete prescription or long wait. The pharmacist knows me for 20 years; I taught his son many moons ago. He's open every day of the week. It's terrific.

[Innkeeper]

WW, we are using the Rochester Walgreens now as stated in my first post. It is 20 miles away, but hey, so is everything else!

WOW, it is a good thing you got out of Eckhard. They had merged with Brooks, and are now part of Wrong Aid too!!!

[TheEngineer]

being married to a drug pusher...err..I mean a pharmacist, I can throw some additional useless information in for consideration.

While there may be a different between Rite Aid and Boots, the different between rite aid, walgreens, and CVS come down more to the staff as most policies are about the same. My spouse works 12 hour shifts....no breaks. They don't say that there are not breaks in the policy manual, but instead they say that the pharmacy cannot be without a Pharmacist. Since there is only one pharmacist....well you get the idea. Once there was a friend who was entering labor. She called her supervisor and the supervisor asked her to stay until they could find a replacement for her. The store manager told the manager to @#$@%# and called an ambulance. Thank God for people like that. For some reason, they are able to really skirt the employment laws...too many situations to list....so at the end of the day, tough working environment.

So the best thing to do is find a pharmacist that you are comfortable working with regardless of the store and stay ...until they switch them out to another store....

[wondersofwine]

Twelve hours with no break! That's awful! I really sympathize. I bet WW didn't/doesn't treat his employees that way.

[winoweenie]

Them dudes used to work 5-6 daily 5 per and made me do the 12-14-a-day. WW

[Innkeeper]

One thing that separates Wrong Aid from the pack is their corporate inventory policy. It keeps profits up, sharholders happy, and customers unhappy. Workers tend to be unhappy too, but as Mike mentioned this is true elsewhere too.