Duane Reade — Local services in New York

Mortified at how this pharmacy has treated me. Zombies. It happened once before and I thought maybe a bad day type of thing but a few days ago had me experiencing this was not the case. The young woman at the register is out of it, entitled and thinks really highly of herself or is just plain rude more than once. I've come in before and disliked the whole vibe there. My situation relates to an OVER THE COUNTER drug I have taken for years for severe sinus allergies and occasional sinusitus. Advil cold and sinus, where it is a requirement to show i.d. for many years since some bad people buy up in mass quantities of this and mis-use it for making illegal drugs. I take one pill, (one sudafed/one advil) to prevent migraines when having sinus pressure. Maybe several times a week some weeks unfortunately like many allergy sufferers it's the only relief at times. For some reason upon purchasing, cashier sternly asked loud enough for others near to hear "You have been cancelled out and cannot buy this." Confused I asked for more information since clearly she was not into being kind in explanation or clear as to why. So she went with an attitude as if I was 'over buying' and the company refused to sell it to me and expressed this in her inability to read a situation. I still was confused, no info just blank nearly accusatory energy instead of assistance. "Have you been buying alot recently, or did you buy it recently?" "How long ago?" i said "Huh? Maybe 5 weeks...I was sick so possibly..." like I was under a light bulb at the local precinct for drug dealing. She walked over to the phramacist or a woman in a white coat so assuming (?) who was sitting on her phone maybe for work maybe not who knows who gestured with her hand a blow off when she inquired with her as to what to do. The pharmacist seemed annoyed at the question and has been in past ridiculously rude when I have been there to others. Does or should a pharmacist care enough or have they any training to be kind to guests in the store? Maybe not. When tall young woman returned to the register she blank stared me no answers and it seemed as if she wanted to move on and go. I said, "who is the manager of her" and I pointed to pharmacist that never looked over at me, or got up "because she doesn't care so maybe someone else might?" Suddenly a young woman wanting to help who was nice in a mask took over, and said something about the "system" and walked me to the front. Still the system wouldn't take the purchase. We walked back and met the manager who wanted to help who actually knew there may be an issue having nothing to do with me possibly being a drug dealer as a middle aged woman on her way to preventing a sinus migraine. Manager now on it, pharmacist finally got up to discuss, young cashier huddles with them also and says it happened ten min ago with someone else and as I watched this quick staff meeting while I stood in front of other customers I wondered if the DEA were on their way to take me away from the scene. It was really humiliating because of the initial problem of a person working in customer service not communicating in a nice way, that's the bottom line. I said to the nicer manager, "I think I'll just go into another store tomorrow since I am late for work now thank you for trying to figure it out." She understood and that was that after 10 min of awkwardness. I will never go to the pharmacy there again...or maybe any walgreen's if I am going to feel judgement for buying sinus medicine. I'm sure the idiocy here that started off this bad vibe was about negative communication, no interest and it's not an easy job but why would I risk the discomfort honestly. Yuck. The next day I went to another pharmacy and I wasn't on "a list" of bad people who need to breathe and purchased the again, over the...

THIS IS MANAGER's REVIEW for the store. I hope someone from Corporate reads it. I would have loved not to say anything negative about anyone... unfortunately - Joshua Ikiziarry - deserves it. I politely came to exchange an item, which he refused to do. Then, I politely told him that it's first time I heard no exchanges are possible and even receipt says the opposite. He raised his voice and literally asked me to leave and call the corporate. Instead, I went to the store 1 block down, asked for the same - and they did it with no issues. When I told them about what happened in their sister store, they were surprised and said I should report it. Hence, I'm reporting very inappropriate treatment. I hope Duane Read / Wallgreens does better job training their managers! and...

Minor headache sent me to this Duane Reade to pick up a bottle of Tylenol. All Pain meds are now locked up, but there are convenient buttons to press in the isle to get custom care people to unlock the plastic panels. 10 minutes worth of pressing the buttons escalated the minor headache to severe. A Susan walked over with a very unhappy "why are you bothering me" face. Now my headache is 9 out of 10. I shared with the cashier my thoughts on the experience. His stoned face looked past me. I repeated my comments, and he asked "would that be all?" Now it is full-blown migraine. I applaud (and hopeful of) Private Equity taking over Walgreen and splitting up its inefficient businesses, either make it go away or run more like a business, hopefully without the Susan or stoned...