Walgreens — Local services in Birmingham

There is a traveling pharmacist that works here from time to time, and unfortunately out of the past 2 times I’ve come here I had to encounter her. I’m not quite sure what her name is, but I believe it is Holly and she has thin long brown hair and about 5’11”. I’m aware of Walgreens “policies” - should truly called fabricated policies. I’m prescribed adderall for my narcolepsy - a neurological disorder that greatly effects my sleep and daily function in life. My first encounter with this lady she refused to refill my prescription because HER policy is 2-days prior. And she clearly needs to be educated on the fact that HER policy is false seeing as it is a 4-days prior to the last date filled that I can get it. All other pharmacists that have worked here or at other locations have all said the same thing as well as my insurance. My second encounter happened this afternoon when I went to go get my prescription filled early since I’m leaving for out of the country this week. Obviously I can’t get my medicine overseas (you’d think she’d use her brain to realize that). Before even calling my doctor, I spoke with my insurance and was cleared for my early refill. I then called my doctor and explained what was happening and I got the approval and picked up my prescription. After this, I came to this pharmacy and was waiting on it while it got filled. Well over 30 minutes had passed and luckily one of the employees that knows us asked us if we were still waiting. Turns out that they felt that it was too early to refill my prescription and trying to make me feel dumb for even trying. Well, obviously I’m filling it early for a reason! They let me sit there for over 30 minutes clearly trying to avoid telling me this, but I didn’t let this affect me. Now what did affect me was this “pharmacist” trying to tell me that they need to speak with my doctor to make sure it was approved. Adderall is a controlled substance and that means a physical prescription - no call ins, no automatic refills. I’m not quite sure if this lady has poor education or just zero common sense, but obviously I had a physical prescription that I had given to them. That is literally your proof that it was approved by my doctor. So, since SHE FELT that she needed verbal approval, they didn’t fill my prescription. All while saying this to me with a distinct condescending tone.

Walgreens apparently feels that their pharmacists should be allowed to police people. And that is far from being okay. I do not appreciate feeling judged and/or discriminated against due to the medication that I take and the countless other stories I have found about other Walgreens pharmacies. She has delayed me TWICE in my medication that is vital to me to function daily and normally. I can’t imagine how many others she has done this to as well, but it is NOT okay. It is in fact disgusting that she is allowed to still be a pharmacist for Walgreens let alone a...

The WORST Walgreens experience I've ever had! I confirmed they had a medication in stock that I had a prescription for so my husband brought it to that location to be filled. A week later, they haven't done anything to help my prescription get filled. There was an insurance issue. Each person I spoke with at the Walgreens had a different reason as to the problem. So I called the insurance company and they informed me add to the real issue. They told me the pharmacy should have been told exactly what the problem was. I called the insurance company and Dr office again today to get this figured out. The prescription I'm needing filled is a controlled medicine that has strict times I can get it filled. By now, I'm out of medicine! So the insurance company told me everything was cleared as of yesterday and it'll go thru when it is run thru insurance. I called this Walgreens immediately after and they said it did go thru and would take an hour and a half to be filled. So I told my husband and he asked if I would get a text when it's ready. I usually do, so he ran other errands after getting off work until I got the text. No text after 90 minutes so I called Walgreens back. Guess what?! They didn't even have the prescription in stock!!!!!! Ummm the lady who ran it an hour and a half ago didn't make sure it was in stock before telling me they would be getting it ready?! They've had my prescription for at least a week. Why didn't they reorder to make sure mine could be filled too? No one at this pharmacy has a clue!! Since my prescription was dropped off, I haven't been comfortable with what I've been told or what I've heard and now this.. I've been on monthly narcotic meds for over 10 years so I've dealt with several pharmacies. This has been the worst experience hands down! I never got my medicine! These people don't have a clue! In the past, when there's been issues, a good pharmacy usually will rerun the prescription at least once a day. Insurance told me they hadn't run it in the past 5 days! Stay away!! This Walgreens pharmacy is a mess!! And that's being too nice! They never apologized for anything, never offered to contact another Walgreens to see if they had some in stock. Nothing! No help at all. Just said we could get the prescription and try somewhere else! Zero...

I went to the Walgreens on the corner of Oporto--Madrid and Montavallo Road to inquire about Covid testing a couple of days ago. When I approached the area that was well described [by "Covid" testing signage] as being the appropriate "lane" for any issues related to Covid testing, I asked, in a pleasant tone, if the person who asked me if she could help me, would please pull her surgical mask up. She then had to answer a phone call, which she then focused on, the entire time essentially unmasked, i.e., mask covering mouth, but definitely not covering her nose. She was approximately 4-5' away from me. The plexiglass screen was placed in a manner which did not provide much of any dividing, protective "screen" for either staff member or customer / consumer. That call took several minutes. During those minutes, I took a look and noted, as pharmacy staff walked around focusing on their work, that four of the five staff in the pharmacy area had their surgical masks below their nose. I asked someone at a front-store check-out area if she could assist me with discussing my experience with her store manager. The store manager, in a very professional manner, walked to the pharmacy area with me, per my request. It seems that, per the store manager, the Walgreens policy regarding Covid and masking, changed last week so as most recently to require wearing a face mask. Previously, the policy, apparently to me, had been no mask required for employees who had been vaccinated. Even as the store manager had her discussion with the employee with whom I had had my initial interaction, that employee failed to keep her mask covering her nose. [Just a reminder: Covid is a virus that is transmitted via the respiratory system; thus, the point of wearing a mask--any face mask--correctly, such that it covers one's NOSE.] Even the pharmacist allowed her own mask to dangle such that it covered neither her nose or mouth at the times I observed, i.e., MOST of the time that I was there. My question here is this: Would you feel comfortable going to ANY place for Covid testing where the vast majority of employees does not wear face masks...