Walgreens — Local services in Hillsborough

Fooled at Walgreens.

I needed a box of Prilosec and a yellow legal pad. Since they didn't have any legal pads at the Food Lion super market where I went first, I decided to go to Walgreens, only a mile or so further down the road.

At the Food Lion I had checked the price of a 42 count box of Prilosec. It was $26.99. I thought it might be cheaper at Walgreens so I held off buying it.

At Walgreens they did have legal pads, but the same box of Prilosec was $29.99. Luckily a big red sign underneath it said: "save $4.00!" Great I thought, that works out to the same price. I took the legal pads and Prilosec to the counter where I was asked to first sign up for their rewards program. Assuming it was necessary to receive the $4.00 discount, I did.

After that choir, the lady at the cash register tallied things it up but to my surprise I was charged $29.99 for the Prilosec. Where's the discount? I asked. For the discount you have to download the Walgreens App to your phone she explained.

By that time I was exhausted and decided it was easier to simply drive back to the Food Lion and get my Prilosec there. However, I did want the legal pads. After I paid I was handed my receipt and with it some kind of coupon that said in big letters $5.00 CASH REWARD!

Surprised again (pleasantly this time), I turned back to the lady at the cash register and said: I guess I'll buy the Prilosec after all, and with the $5.00 cash-coupon it will be not be a $4.00 but a $5.00 discount. My lucky day, right? Wrong, somehow that $5.00 gets registered in my 'rewards program'. It could not be used towards my purchase.

I will not elaborate further, because something wicked is starting to throb in the back of my head, but I'll end with an observation.

I've been a marketing specialist for twenty years, but you don't have to be one to understand that, for a business to be or stay successful, your customers must, at the very least 'like' your business. Irritating your customers, wasting their time, and playing them for fools does not...

I was at the drive through and push for service multiple times and not once did anyone come greet or say hey we are busy and have 1 tech and 1 pharmacist we will be with you shortly. I had to call the pharmacy for the Pharmacy operations manager to be tell me they were checking in at the front and didn't have anyone else. The pharmacist was very clearly standing at her computer counting and filling prescriptions and turned multiple times to grab other bottles and could have taken just a minute to walk to the window and tell me the tech will be right with you or something instead if me just sitting there having no idea if they even noticed us. It takes just a minute to acknowledge people and be like we'll be right with you.

Also they are constantly terrible at communication. Prescription will be on back order and you have no idea until you call and say hey why isn't my prescription ready? They will also put prescriptions back early...I was out of town they filled my RX and I got texts saying hey rx is ready we'll hold it until the 9th but on the 8th when I went to get it they had already put it back.

Most all the tech are very nice when I go into the store so I just chock it up to they are likely overworked and give the benefit of the doubt but the pharmacy manager that was there today just lacked in customer...

Google needs to give the option of negative stars. Absolutely do not waste your time trying to call this pharmacy—unless you enjoy being trapped in a never-ending loop of incompetence. They’ll answer the phone just long enough to throw you on hold, and after five minutes of dead air, the line rings again—only for someone to pick up and toss you right back on hold. Rinse and repeat until either the system hangs up on you or a staff member does it themselves.

Their so-called “hold your place in line” feature is a complete joke. You might get a callback, but it’s just more hold music, more ringing, and eventually, another hang-up. And if, by some miracle, someone actually talks to you, do not let them put you on hold again, or you’re right back in the endless cycle.

Need a refill? Go anywhere else. This place is an absolute disaster. The drive-thru is even worse—a slow-motion nightmare staffed by either apathetic teens collecting a paycheck or bitter older women who clearly couldn’t care less. And don’t count on the pharmacist to save the day either; depending on the hour, you’ll get someone who seems barely conscious or flat-out annoyed you're bothering them.

This isn’t customer service—it’s customer punishment. Avoid...