CVS Pharmacy — Local services in Bethel

If I could give this business zero stars I would.

I went to pick up an Rx. I stood at the pickup window for 5+ minutes. Of the 5 people behind the counter (including the pharmacist), not one acknowledged my presence.

Finally, after helping someone at the drive through window, one staffer said someone would be with me shortly. After another minute or so, she suggested I move to the drop off window where I would be more visible. I did so. 3-4 minutes passed before another staffer looked up and said someone would be with me shortly, then went back to joking with her colleague while she worked. A minute or two later, yet another staffer walked over to the pick up window and began to help someone who had shown up after I had been instructed to move to the drop off window.

I pointed out that I had been waiting for some time and now that patron was being helped before me. I was again told someone would be with me shortly. I reminded them that I had been standing at the pickup window, unacknowledged, had been told to move, did so, was again ignored, and then they proceeded to help someone who showed up after I had. The second staffer retorted that she had acknowledged me, to which I replied that I had already been waiting nearly 10 minutes at that point, that I had someone at home to whose care I needed to return, and that all she had done was tell me I would be helped but instead someone else had been helped. She claimed they were understaffed.

When I complained yet again about the staff ignoring me and helping someone else first, this staffer threatened not to help me at all. I told her I did need help, that I needed to pick up an Rx, and gave her the patient‘a name.

When she looked up the Rx she told me it had not been filled because they needed to talk to the prescribing doctor because there was an issue with refilling it. The Rx, for an epi-pen, I explained, was not a refill. The patient had never been prescribed one before, and had been prescribed at the hospital — not by the patient‘s primary doctor— after the patient came in through the Emergency Room with anaphylactic shock. Oh, she said, he just left the hospital? No, I replied, he’d been released a little more than 24 hours ago. She asked “and you don’t know who the prescribing doctor was?” I did not. She then said I would need to talk to the pharmacist, who would be with me when he was done with his present conversation.

Once I spoke with the pharmacist things finally got on track. He apparently did not need to speak with the prescribing doctor, he simply put the order through and it was available about 5 minutes later.

During this process I was asked for the patient’s phone number twice, and his name and date of birth 3 times. Excessive, but since they kept bouncing me to different people I can understand. What was inexcusable was: The staffer telling me they had to speak with the prescribing doctor when that was a lie, and Being ignored, moved around, and skipped over. I can only conclude that my treatment was racially motivated, as I am African American and everyone who was acknowledged, helped promptly, and/or apologized to for the delay, was white. Perhaps I would have received equal treatment had I told them that the patient was white? Since I was the only patron ignored and otherwise rudely treated, race is the only variable to which I can ascribe the disgraceful...

I started getting my prescriptions from the CVS on Queen Street because it was closer. I did not like the customer service at the pharmacy because they always ( with the exception of one person who is not always there) make me feel like I’m not a human being. They were rude and condescending and especially the younger ones talked down to me. I also noticed that I was treated differently from customers who didn’t look like me but more like them. After they sent me to the CVS on Durant to see if they have my medication in stock, I realized that CVS is not all the same in CT. I love picking up my medication at Durant, even though it’s farther away from my home. The pharmacy staff is always polite and treats me with dignity and respect. They always try to help me if I have a problem, without making me feel like I’m a burden or stupid. Thank you Durant...

This place is a health hazard

They have ZERO health standards

Things are disgustingly dirty literally caked with mucus and then you see - obviously infectious sick patients come in and touch hands on displays, counter tops, etc and NOTHING is cleaned!!! Merely as for “next customer”

I asked for something to clean it with myself the pharmacist literally tries to hand me a crumpled dirty to the point of being yellow tissue

Additionally there is zero sense of patient confidentiality - as I was waiting I hear this pharmacist go on loudly for three minutes about how they are so “proud” that another patient is picking up Nicotine supplement and how their mom died from smoking. The poor patient is sitting there looking mortified their prescription was just advertised to the entire store. ...