Walgreens — Local services in Willoughby

Since moving to Ohio in 2017 my wife and I have primarily used 2 pharmacies. The Walgreens and CVS in Willoughby on SOM Center Road. We did so at first because one or the other was preferred by our group insurance plan.

But we quickly found that while the Walgreens wasn't open 24 hrs a day 7 days a week all year, Walgreens customer service was much better than CVS's especially in the time it took to pickup Rxs at both the drive through and inside and most especially in the time it took when we needed to talk to a pharmacist by phone, which for me was at least 2x a month because while two of my medications could be written with refills, by law Rxs could only be for 30 day supplies and to get the next refill I had to visit or call the pharmacy.

I can almost always get a Walgreens pharmacist on the phone within 3-5 minutes of getting past their automated phone tree. A phone tree that is much faster to get through than CVS's.

The hold time it took me to get a CVS pharmacist on the phone generally ran 20+ minutes and often longer.

Plus the sound quality of the music on hold at CVS made me think it was purposely created to make you not want to hold and discourage you from calling the pharmacist. I don't know if that is why the sound quality was so annoying but I can't imagine CVS couldn't afford to make the hold music tolerable.

The phone app for Walgreens is also better than CVSs in my opinion.

Walgreens also tends to run short on my medications fewer times and when they have to get more supply it generally takes less time.

The Walgreens pharmacy staff at the location we use are also much friendlier than the CVS near us.

I realize my Walgreens vs CVS review is an unusual approach to a review but part of what makes Walgreens our preferred pharmacy is the contrast with the CVS almost next to it on SOM Center Road in Willoughby.

A contrast that made us use Walgreens even when our health insurance has both as participating in their plan but our copay was...

One of my medications was on back order when I went to get it refilled in February; I was told it would come in on March 15th and never heard from them. I was also told at this time that my doctor had 'called and stopped' another one of my medications. I called my doctor because we always discuss things of this manner and found out that the information about it being stopped was untrue. I went to get my April refills on the 2nd and was told that the one that was previously on back order is either still or again on back order. Then the pharmacist asked me why I take two different dosages of the same medication with the retort that 'one is usually enough'. Why am I being grilled about what I'm taking when all they have to do is call my doctor who wrote the scripts if they have questions? I like the 24 hour service but am considering transferring my scripts to a pharmacy that won't lie to me or sit in judgment. This place has really fallen though the cracks and I've been using them for years...

Ahoy, seekers of remedies and provisions! I recently steered me course to Walgreens, and by the compass rose, it was a haven for necessities! The shelves were stocked like a ship's galley, laden with goods from medicines to mend your ailments to treasures for daily living. The crew, as knowledgeable and helpful as a ship's surgeon, were ready to aid in navigating the seas of health and wellness. The atmosphere was as orderly and clean as a captain's quarters, ensuring a smooth and pleasant journey through the store. The patrons, content as sailors with a full hold, found what they needed with ease. For its treasure trove of essentials and helpful crew, Walgreens gets a resounding five parrots out of five from this...