Community Chat

[Irshgrl31201]

I have to say I can't stand either of them to be honest. I currently have my prescriptions at Walgreens but i cannot stand them. I was at a local privately owned pharmacy that I loved and Walgreens bought them so all of my prescriptions are now at Walgreens and I am looking for another pharmacy to go to. My pharmacy was so much cheaper for prescription meds and over the counter ones too. I don't know how they are so much cheaper, you would think Walgreens and CVS would be because they buy so much more but they are not.

My husband has to kidney stone several months ago and his doctor gave him a prescription for pain medicine (hydrocodone/vicodin). Well when he took it, it made him extremely itchy, to the point where he couldn't sleep and his itching was causing big welts all over his body. He went back to see his dr and he then gave him a script for oxycodone/percocet. He goes to fill this and they would not fill it. Now there is no law that he could not get that filled. If he would have had a prescription for the same medicine (hydrocodone), he wouldn't have been able to fill it because he had just filled one for that med. They told us that they couldn't fill the script because he already had another pain medicine he just filled. I explained to them that the hydrocodone was causing him to have uncontrollable itching and he went to and explained this to the dr and he gave him this one because he had taken that in the past and had no trouble with it. They didn't care and said they could not do that by law. Well I called the dr while I was standing there. I told the nurse what was happening and he called me right back. He said there is no law that they cannot fill it and he absolutely could fill it because it was a different med. He asked to speak to the pharmacist and she told him he was right, it wasn't the law but it was Walgreens policy. My dr told me to go to a different pharmacy. I just cannot believe that they would not fill that and told me a lie about it being a law, which I knew wasn't true. Who do they think they are deciding what medicine a person can get? We went to a privately owned pharmacy not far from our house and they filled it immediately with no problem and my husband took that oxycodone with no problems at all. That just made me so mad, who do they think they are deciding who gets what? That is none of their business if it is legal and if it is the same dr prescribing a different one. That is such an overreach and they should just follow the law, Period. 

 Also I have to wait in line sometimes 30 min when picking up a prescription. My private pharmacy was so much more relaxed about filling meds early and things like that. Walgreens will never do that. I left my script when I went on vacation at the hotel and I was almost at the end of the month, just maybe 3 or 4 days left. I mentioned that to the pharmacist when picking up another prescription and he gave me a 3 day supply til I filled the new one and just took it out of the new script I got later.

I would never buy Tylenol, Aleve, Benadryl or any type of over the counter medicine there because it is so much more expensive (unless they have a BOGO). I went to pick up benadryl when I was there because I take them daily and a bottle of 100 was $15.99 for the name brand Benadryl. I get mine at another place for $3.99 for 100 and mine is the name brand too. The generic price was $9.99 for 100. I find pretty much the same at CVS too. 

I do go there for cosmetics and stuff like that but even drug store makeup I find a lot cheaper at other places. 

I have no issue with the workers there. They are pleasant, I just find them to be so much more expensive for just about everything and not just a little bit but quite a bit more. So that along with making their own rules makes me no a fan.

[Jordan2]

For so long I complained about not having a Walgreens near me. Now I do and I never go! I like CVS because I know everyone who works in the store and like getting the Extra Rewards Bucks and coupons. The only thing I don't like is they often don't have stock on many items that are on sale. 

[!FitChick!]

I go to and am used to Walgreens.  They don't always stock enough sale items, but it's never anything I need right away.  I support Walgreens because they have an outreach program for people with Autism.  The Walgreens warehouse in MN has a very "autism frendly" ( picture symbols as well as signs with labels) production floor where the picture signs increased productivity for EVERYONE employed there.  

[Carmie]

I have never been in Walgreens but I do know that CVS is way too expensive.  My dog takes A drug that overnight went from $30 to $80.  They honored Coscos price of $12 for a few months, then told me they couldn't do that anymore.

i now buy the Drug directly from Cosco.  It's a longer drive for me but $12 is a lot less than $80.

Their other products are too expensive too, even their generic OTC meds.

[stevieb]

Walgreen's has more variety and I prefer the store layout.

I preferred Target to either of them but of course, CVS took over their pharmacy.

[AngelPuppy1]

For a long time I have purchased more things from CVS because of their coupons and their extra bucks.  I do much better price-wise because of this.  However, our particular store doesn't have the selection I like and it's not in a good neighborhood.  So, as time goes on I seem to be giving more business to Walgreen.  They have a card there, too but the rewards aren't as great.  Their store is nicer, cleaner, they have a better selection, their hours suit my needs better, I feel more secure there and the staff is nicer.  

[Spurt]

Don't even get me started on CVS---to keep insurance costs down CVS is the Pharmacy we have to use as part of our health insurance plan.........

1. They had that problem couple years ago with selling expired merchandise and if they did that makes you wonder if you can trust their pharmacy.

2. Their stores seem dirty and I just get a bad vibe....

3.  They always seem to have a problem with my prescriptions---both are not ready at the same time even no they are both on auto refill and sync script and doctor always makes sure refills are in order....

4.  Someone called me from CVS and said one of my prescriptions could no longer be on auto refill, but she didn't know the reason why---I asked for a Pharmacist to call me back---they never did.  I called my doctor and the problem wasn't from anything my doctor changed or did, refills were in order....so I had to call CVS back ....they said they would have to check into it.....then I got a message my refill was ready....no one could provide an explantation of what happened ........ I never had this kind of a problem when my prescriptions were handled by your grocery store chain pharmacy---and they were cheaper too!!!

5.  I've had good experiences with Walgreens when I had to use them because they were one of the few 24 hour pharmacies nearby....Ive always found Walgreens clean, the employees friendly and helpful.....they even have some cute seasonal merchandise too.....

[Spurt]

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@ChynnaBlue wrote:

I have to get all my prescriptions filled either at a CVS or via mail order. I hate CVS stores. The CVS pharmacies in my area are all very, very slow. Sometimes they don't have the medications I need in stock and I have to get a partially filled prescription and come back or wait to get a whole prescription. The stores don't have as much variety as the Walgreens stores and are often not as clean and bright. (I think that depends on your area, not the entire chain.) I notice that CVS also has higher prices. 

CVS also likes to refill my prescriptions without asking, sending me a text message saying my prescriptions are ready for pickup. It sounds like a great and helpful idea, but my prescriptions are all for 90-day amounts and are not cheap, so when they try to refill them all at once and then contact me to say come in and pick up your $400 worth of medications, I'm a little put out, to say the least. I usually call them and tell them that I am not coming to get whatever it is and will refill it myself on my schedule.

If I need a short drugstore trip for an essential, I'll stop in Walgreens. Usually I prefer to wait and pick things up at my local HEB grocery store, which has a complete drugstore inside and much better prices than either CVS or Walgreens.

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@ChynnaBlue

Yep, a vote for HEB Pharmacies here too---so convenient to pick up a prescription when you grocery shop....the pharmacists were always so friendly and helpful if you have a question, and their prices are the lowest---The HEB Pharamacy always looking out for your dollar on one medication I had to take for a short period of time the Pharmcist told me to take an OTC med instead, I called my doctor and she agreed so they saved me lots of money... I can't understand why my employer chose to go with CVS--ARRRGGHHHH!!! 

[Moonchilde]

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@Irshgrl31201 wrote:

I have to say I can't stand either of them to be honest. I currently have my prescriptions at Walgreens but i cannot stand them. I was at a local privately owned pharmacy that I loved and Walgreens bought them so all of my prescriptions are now at Walgreens and I am looking for another pharmacy to go to. My pharmacy was so much cheaper for prescription meds and over the counter ones too. I don't know how they are so much cheaper, you would think Walgreens and CVS would be because they buy so much more but they are not.

My husband has to kidney stone several months ago and his doctor gave him a prescription for pain medicine (hydrocodone/vicodin). Well when he took it, it made him extremely itchy, to the point where he couldn't sleep and his itching was causing big welts all over his body. He went back to see his dr and he then gave him a script for oxycodone/percocet. He goes to fill this and they would not fill it. Now there is no law that he could not get that filled. If he would have had a prescription for the same medicine (hydrocodone), he wouldn't have been able to fill it because he had just filled one for that med. They told us that they couldn't fill the script because he already had another pain medicine he just filled. I explained to them that the hydrocodone was causing him to have uncontrollable itching and he went to and explained this to the dr and he gave him this one because he had taken that in the past and had no trouble with it. They didn't care and said they could not do that by law. Well I called the dr while I was standing there. I told the nurse what was happening and he called me right back. He said there is no law that they cannot fill it and he absolutely could fill it because it was a different med. He asked to speak to the pharmacist and she told him he was right, it wasn't the law but it was Walgreens policy. My dr told me to go to a different pharmacy. I just cannot believe that they would not fill that and told me a lie about it being a law, which I knew wasn't true. Who do they think they are deciding what medicine a person can get? We went to a privately owned pharmacy not far from our house and they filled it immediately with no problem and my husband took that oxycodone with no problems at all. That just made me so mad, who do they think they are deciding who gets what? That is none of their business if it is legal and if it is the same dr prescribing a different one. That is such an overreach and they should just follow the law, Period. 

 Also I have to wait in line sometimes 30 min when picking up a prescription. My private pharmacy was so much more relaxed about filling meds early and things like that. Walgreens will never do that. I left my script when I went on vacation at the hotel and I was almost at the end of the month, just maybe 3 or 4 days left. I mentioned that to the pharmacist when picking up another prescription and he gave me a 3 day supply til I filled the new one and just took it out of the new script I got later.

I would never buy Tylenol, Aleve, Benadryl or any type of over the counter medicine there because it is so much more expensive (unless they have a BOGO). I went to pick up benadryl when I was there because I take them daily and a bottle of 100 was $15.99 for the name brand Benadryl. I get mine at another place for $3.99 for 100 and mine is the name brand too. The generic price was $9.99 for 100. I find pretty much the same at CVS too. 

I do go there for cosmetics and stuff like that but even drug store makeup I find a lot cheaper at other places. 

I have no issue with the workers there. They are pleasant, I just find them to be so much more expensive for just about everything and not just a little bit but quite a bit more. So that along with making their own rules makes me no a fan.

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CVS also has their own policies about codeine. You must sit and wait for the written Rx to be filled when you first bring it in. You can't "put it in file" and pick it up next week. There never any refills for codeine.

The drugstores set up their own arbitrary rules for some things to cover their buns. But where they *actually* need bun coverage (their own multiple errors in VCS case) they just blow you off because they can get away with it.

[queendiva]

CVS

I get my prescription meds from Costco pharmacy. I buy the CVS house brand of bottled water (case) and laundry detergent, Both are great products and lowest prices.

My local Stop and Shop pharmacy also has better prices than either W or CVS.

Not sure if you can use the Costco pharmacy if you are not a Costco member. Does anyone know?