Walgreens — Local services in Alameda

This is about the pharmacy, which I would give 0 stars if I could. Don't ever try to go here to get your legally prescribed, medically necessary ADHD medication unless you want to deal with a pharmacist who knows nothing about you telling you she "isn't comfortable" filling it for numerous bs reasons after the entire pharmacy staff lies to you for over a week to make you think they're filling it.

First off, they don't tell you that if it's a new to them rx, they have to fax your doctor to get a bunch of information to make sure you aren't making up needing medication you've been on for years after being evaluated by several psychiatrists, neurologists, and GPs. So the app will tell you it's "processing" for days after you can request your refill, which you can't do until you're out of your 30 day supply of medication.

When they finally do start actually processing it, it will say "delayed, call pharmacy" which you do, and then they tell you about the fax. In my case, I put in the refill request on July 23rd, got that message on July 25th. Waited 5 days, during which it said "delayed, being reviewed by a pharmacist" I finally called them today, July 30th, and was told "we've tried faxing your doctor 3 times, and no one replied" so I called my doctor, who came with receipts showing they replied on the 25th with the info, received confirmation that it was received, then sent it again today just in case and also received a confirmation that it was received. So the pharmacy just LIED directly to me and tried to implicate my doctor's office.

I called the pharmacy back. The pharmacist gets on the phone and proceeds to tell me because I have a "family history" of heart disease and high blood pressure, she's not "comfortable" filling this medication. Said "family history"? One grandparent who smoked, drank, and ate terribly and lived to be in his 90's. Which she of course wouldn't know because SHE'S NOT MY DOCTOR.

I am a scientist with advanced degrees working in the health field. I am not a recreational drug abuser nor have I ever been suspected of faking my condition to get this medication for any reason. My doctor's office DRUG TESTS everyone they write these prescriptions for. But this pharmacist who can read some general contraindications knows better! Which is why she spent all of that time in pharmacy school to work at the worst pharmacy chain on the planet where they're cool filling illegal opioid prescriptions and getting fined $350 million THIS YEAR by the US Justice Department, but I can't get a medication I've been taking for years and have never had ANY medical issues or negative reactions to and that is actually necessary as determined for me by a host of real medical professionals. Please spend your time and money where you're actually respected as a human with medical needs and not where petty little pharmacists try to flex their minuscule amount of power because they believe the bs about everyone with ADHD being some kind of drug seeking college student.

Also the California State Board of Pharmacy lists "A pharmacist fails to assist you in obtaining a prescribed drug or device from another pharmacy, when the pharmacist refuses to fill the prescription for ethical, moral, or religious reasons" as pharmacist misconduct. Given that I was given a bogus "medical" reason that was not borne out by my actual medical record of taking this medication for years and the pharmacist stated that this was about her being "uncomfortable", I will be filing a complaint at the very least, because I certainly was not offered any sort of aid or assistance in obtaining my...

Seriously TERRIBLE. Don’t come here for testing or pharmacy help. Zero bedside manner. I came in to get tested, and there were no signs anywhere that showed me I needed to stay in my vehicle- understandable and an easy mistake to make, though I’m happy to amend it, since it’s MY mistake.

What’s not okay is waiting for over 30 minutes by following another sign that said line for COVID testing. The pharmacists saw me waiting and did not try to get my attention (I eventually went inside and someone tried to tell me they were waving to me. They were not- my window was down and I would have heard it.) and even the woman who drove up and saw me waiting was so much kinder than these people. I called them while I was in my car waiting and a male voice answered. Instead of helping and explaining the situation, he laughed and told me I was in the wrong. When I asked for his name (at this point, I’m angry and especially upset that instead of helping he’s laughing) he put me back on hold. I went inside and the manager, Inga was understanding and apologized. But another pharmacist came up to argue with me and tell me I was in the wrong place. If you see me in the wrong place and you know I’m needing help, DO SOMETHING. It’s the least you can do. Horrible bedside manner overall, unkind staff (except for Inga). And to whomever answered that phone, learn to be kind and understanding. We are in a pandemic that changed and ruined lives. It’s not that hard to be a little kind. It makes all the difference in an experience. Respectfully, I hope whomever answered that...

The pharmacist I spoke to on the phone was really quick-thinking and very well-informed (more so than other pharmacists I have had occasion to speak with), and she was able to come up with a very smart idea that would allow me to save about $500/month, for a medication my horrible insurance won't cover, that would have otherwise cost me more than $1000/month, out of pocket. She was very helpful, and I was delighted to have my phone call answered, without having to hold for the normal 20 minutes, first. This was quite impressive, given the fact that I am generally required to wait a substantial amount of time when I pick my prescriptions up. This is usually pretty clearly an issue with the pharmacy being understaffed, however, and I have always been satisfied, if not very impressed with the speed and efficiency of the employees at the pharmacy counter. Had to subtract a star, however, as this pharmacy does seem to consistently have a substantial line, and I am rarely thrilled to be standing around, waiting for the handful of people who always seem to combine standing too close to others with some form of coughing and/or sneezing. This store has a fairly cramped waiting area, so this is less than rare at this location. I realize the store isn't really at fault here, but it's definitely a noteworthy norm, which some might find a...