DANG!
Wanted my booster shot for (the Disease Which May Not Be Named).
WALGREEN'S had ads on the TV about how easy and convenient it was to go online and schedule the shot.
Well, I had moved into GEETOWN about eleven years ago, and had been going to the G-town Walgreen's for my prescriptions ever since.
So, went online, fired up Walgreen's website, clicked for COVID shots, and they asked me which nearby Walgreen's I wanted to deal with.
And, MUCH to my surprise, G-Town was not offered as one of the choices.
Ah, what the heck. S-ville was close, too, so I chose them.
Filled out the online forms, checked all the right boxes, and, MUCH to my delight, found out that I could get the shot THAT VERY DAY, at 4 PM.
Their site even suggested that I fill out a consent form, so as to save time at the pharmacy.
Did that for them.
Confirmed that I would go there, get the shot.
Got in Ye Old Vehicle, headed down the highway, got there 20 minutes early, parked, went in, walked back to the Pharmacy counter..
Much to my surprise, the metal shutters were DOWN at the pharmacy counter, and there was a sign informing one and all that the pharmacy, at the S-ville location, was TEMPORARILY CLOSED.
Offered four other nearby locations, including G-town.
OK, it's only 7 & 1/2 miles. Off I go.
Parked, went in, walked back to the pharmacy counter.
The assistant behind the counter has seen me SO OFTEN, that she greeted me by my first name.
Good omen, thinks I.
Explained the S-ville situation.
Asked her SPECIFICALLY if she could push a few buttons, extract my completed paperwork from Walgreen's computer system, and give me my shot then and there.
She confirmed my name and date of birth, said she could, trotted off to do so.
I sat down for a brief wait.
And sat, and sat.
TWENTY minutes later, she handed me a form, with my name and birth date on it, and BLANKS for me to fill out the exact same questions I had filled out online.
Another ten minutes later, I was asked to sign the BACK of the form. (Apparently, I had missed the part where somebody told me it was more than 1 page.)
And then I got the shot.
Went home, no problems.
And when I fired up my computer, later, to add insult to annoyance, there was an e-mail from WALGREEN'S, confirming that I would get the shot IN S-VILLE at 4 PM.
Questions:
Why didn't G-town show up as an option, when I first logged in?
Why didn't somebody AT S-ville notify Walgreen's Central that the pharmacy was closed?
Why couldn't G-town's computer pull my completed forms from Walgreen's central computer?
One might HOPE that a bazillion dollar operation like Walgreen's would have a system that WORKED.
Sounds like Quest....
We've stopped using Walgreens for similar reasons.
Unfortunately, many sites at pharmacies are not updated daily or weekly or maybe never.
So far, I've been fairly lucky. I get robocalls from my pharmacy when my prescriptions are due and ready to go.
I also have had no problem just walking in and getting shots for whatever they have available and that I need.
My pharmacy is definitely not Walgreen's or Walmart.
You have two entities involved here. Headquarters and your local store both do not communicate well with each other. Best to have your local store handle all your scrips and info and bypass the headquarters. Sooner or later headquarters will catch up with your local store’s info.
Our Walgreens is fantastic and bend over backwards to help. I got my 4th Covid shot as a walk-in …… maybe a 10 minute wait. I guess it all depends on the staff at any particular store. Got my flu shot the same way, but at Costco.
Shoppers Drug Mart here! Tried to pick up my prescription twice told me to come back. Standing in line first guy at the counter starts yelling " Are you kidding me?! I'm leaving the country tomorrow!"
Next guy " Not ready? I'm out!" I go up . Not ready either after waiting 4 days. I went to a small corner pharmacy & transferred all my records. I still have my optimum card with over $100 on it. I just go there for cheap toiletries.
All the pharmacy staff quit there & it looks like it's run by a bunch of kids now.
Profit comes first. Walgreens deems it too costly to have an employee (or more) whose job it is to constantly monitor and update site information to insure its accuracy. This is true of almost every business with a website. By law (Really.), customers come after stockholders, and stockholders tend to demand maximum profit.
Maybe you should try West Bend instead of Germantown or Saukville !!!
Sorry Mike, couldn’t help myself !!! Those are all my ol stomping grounds !!!
Slammer!!!
I think store staffing (which goes to Bill's profit post) is another part of the problem.
Just recently, my wife needed an over the counter that was recommended by the doctor.
I ordered it online for pickup, and got a receipt that it would be ready in 30 minutes.
After 90 minutes, I didn't receive the "it's ready" notification, so I called and got one of the check out people.
She said she couldn't check on the status for me because she was "the only one there".
I asked to have a manager call me before closing, which was in about 45 minutes.
Fortunately, we live 10 minutes away.
Finally, we connected and was told it was ready...picked it up before closing.
Then, for about a week after, I received daily notices that it was "ready for pickup", until I called their 800 number and asked them to cancel them.
Definitely disconnects all around.
I have similar problems with WGRNS web site. It never shows the locations nearest to me, but one that is 10 miles away and another 12 miles away.
There was a story on the news recently that a shortage of pharmacists has caused CVS and WalMart to cut back on open hours. This probably contributes to the problem.
Sherry's correct. The computers don't always stay current. I have received all of my ***** vaccinations and boosters at Walgreen's. I always fill out the form when I make the appointment, but some workers understand the system while others do not. The ones that don't are the ones who need you to fill it out a second time. (And they swear that they know exactly how it works too.) The email confirmations are also computer generated and sometimes arrive after the fact. Another little Walgreens trick is to send me an email that a prescription is ready for pickup, but it isn't there when I go to pick it up. Turns out the email is generated when the prescription is filled at some central location and I managed to beat it to the local store. I used to have similar problems with CVS. I've learned their little tricks and manage to work around them. I sometimes wonder if one of their employees gets miffed because I tell them I'll wait for another associate to take care of my needs....
quote:
Originally posted by WesBAnother little Walgreens trick is to send me an email that a prescription is ready for pickup, but it isn't there when I go to pick it up.
We've experienced that as well.
We use a mail-order pharmacy for anything other than a prescription that's needed right away.
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