Reader Rachael’s description of what its like to shop at her local CVS is a good example maddening, yet typical “customer service” that you find at chain drug stores. Why is buying razor blades and photo prints so insanely difficult? Why?
I recently went to CVS to buy razor blades and they were completely locked up. Apparently a new procedure since they never were in the past. I try to get the attention of no fewer than 3 CVS employees milling about doing nothing. One actually stops and tells me I have to go to the counter.
So I get in line and wait and wait and wait. 10 minutes later, I’m at the counter and I tell them I want to buy razor blades. They tell me I need to go to aisle 2. I told them I know where they are but they are locked up so can I get some help. They tell me I need to go back to the pharmacy because they have the key. I go to the pharmacy and wait another 10 minutes in a painfully slow line. Pharmacy cashier tells me they’re located in aisle 2. I confirm this and tell them I need help since they are locked up. They tell me I have to go to the front counter.
I inform them the front counter told me I needed to go to the pharmacy counter. They tell me to hold on and they walk to the front. I’ve been in the store a good half hour now.
The cashier comes back and told me that only the manager had the key and he must be on break or something because they don’t know where he is and can I come back tomorrow? I ask what they do when the manager is out – who has the key then and they told me that the cashiers have them. I ask why none of the cashiers present have a key then to assist me. They told me they cannot leave their counters because they are busy and I have to wait for the manager to get assistance.
I should have known better to try and order photos there…..
I wanted prints of my wedding photos. You know, all 315 of them.
So I go in to order them. They have 15 cent prints 24 hours and one-hour prints for 19 cents. It’s 10am on a Sunday.
I tell the guy I want the 15 cent ones. (I’m in no hurry). He tells me they don’t offer that option. Despite the 3 – 6 foot long banners all over the pharmacy advertising that. So I tell him I want them in an hour then. He asks how many prints I need. I tell him 315. He looks at me funny and tells me I can’t have them in an hour. Despite those same banners advertising one-hour prints for 19 cents a print for orders up to 500 prints. So I tell him then I will pick them up Monday then and can I have the 15 cent price. He tells me “I already told you, we don’t offer that service”. So I say “So I have to pay the one-hour processing price of 19 cents a print?” He says I’m correct. So then I ask “So I can come back in an hour or two to pick them up?” He tells me I have to come back Monday.
Clearly a losing battle.
So I went in on Monday (at 8PM for the record). About 34 hours after dropping them off for “one-hour” processing. I didn’t actually even drop anything off. I had the pics on a cd and I had to do all the processing on their automated system myself…. Anyway…
I go in and of course they have one cashier working. There are like 30 people in the line.
I go to the photo department. There is somebody sitting behind the counter but she ignores me and talks on her cell phone for about 5 minutes. I guess she realized I wasn’t leaving so she comes up and asks how she can help me. I tell her I’m only picking up prints. She says well nobody is working in photos today (um, then why is she manning the photo counter? Furthermore, how friggin hard is it to turn around and grab the huge and bulging envelope with my name on it so I can pay?????)
I look at her and say “So how do I pick up my photos so I can pay for them?”
She points to the line that HAS NOT MOVED since I walked in (apparently there was nobody manning the cashier counter – just like how this chick was not manning the photo center – despite doing just that).
Anyway, she points to the line and tells me I have to wait in the line and when I get to the counter, I have to ask the cashier if she can go to the photo department to pick up my pics so I can pay for them. You know, the ones behind the chick manning the photo department (or not).
I point to the envelope about 1 foot behind her and ask her if I can pick it up so when I go to the line, I can pay and leave (I mean, it’s a good $50 of photos here….) Let’s not forget they also decided to charge me for one hour processing that I was not allowed to have…..
She tells me no, I have to wait in the line and maybe that cashier will help me.
I told her that she could keep the fucking pictures then.
I walked out.
CVS can keep all 315 photos.
They only have my last name and telephone number on file. Let’s see how long it takes them to decide it’s time to call me.
Then, maybe for the fun of it, I will have the 19 cents vs 15 cents discussion.
I’ll probably end up ordering online now. Fuck CVS.
(Photo:Tengaport)
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@MissTic: Maybe this is just her way of getting proofs so she can decide what order to create photos for her album. Sheesh! Commenters really like to blame the victim!
I don’t understand why that customer was so insistent on giving CVS her business. There are other places that sell razors, other places that develop pictures. Instead of waiting in line and bitching about how bad CVS is, go check out the competition.
Cause the grocery store next door doesn’t sell the blades for the razor and doesn’t handle photos. Target is a 30 minute ride away (on a good day, depending on traffic)
I gave up CVS when they gave me insulin instead of an antibiotic. I never heard from Corporate when I wrote them
FWIW — I’ve had great luck with Snapfish, but there are lots of other online sites to get photos developed. The prices are typically 12 – 19 cents per photo, the prints are excellent quality, and the photos are mailed to your home quickly You also have the option to order calendars, photo books, etc. The only downside is uploading the photos to their website before you order, but frankly that was a minor inconvenience compared to what that poor woman had to deal with at CVS!
Once a month I need to have a prescription filled. The only store that seems to have a consistent stock of the medication I require is CVS and they are open 24 hours. I work until 11 PM and stop in the place after midnight on my way home. Recently there have been notices posted that tell customers that all bags have to be checked and this is to deter shoplifting. My personal policy is to avoid these stores and shop elsewhere because I do not enjoy being labeled as a potential thief. Since I have no other choice lately, I do go to this store to get it filled. I merely put on my headphones and ignore the waving, shouting employees at the front counter as I enter (They are not allowed to leave the front) and make a beeline for the pharmacy in the back. They always just give up and let it go. There I submit my order, wait in the little area, and pay when it’s ready. I then make a straight line for the exit.
The last time I did this, a police officer was at the front to confront me. He stopped me and asked if I knew about the policy of checking bags. I replied that I did not and was just here to fill a prescription. He then asked for ID and I told him my name and address. He pressed on and asked for the actual card. Then I realized this was going a bit far. I told this officer that I wished to leave and asked if I was being detained? If not, am I free to go? He seemed taken aback for a second and glanced at the manager of the store a few feet away before nodding to me that I could go.
That was the last straw for me. I go to another pharmacy now and avoid CVS like the plague.
@elislider:
Didn’t read all the messages yet, so might have been replied to…
They lock the infant formula up because it is one of the biggest items stolen and resold on the streets…
@Ecoaster:
At the Walgreens by my house, the razor blades by ONLY CERTAIN companies are locked up and you need to have a “sales associate” open the locked glass door for you.
And the reason???
I am told that they have to EARN /SELL a certain amount of certain products a week, else they are replaced.
I hate CVS just as much, especially their card policy when Walgreens does not require one, unfortunately the closest Walgreens is 30 mins away. I came a few weeks back and asked the pharmacist for the generic Zyrtec (Allergy meds) and she said no such thing existed. A month prior I received a notice from my health care provider about generic Zyrtec available. So much for a pharmacist who knows her stuff…I too encountered the locked cabinet situation, and it was with toothpaste! Of all things, toothpaste. I had to wait 15 mins inorder to get the cabinet opened for a $3.99 toothpaste tube. Completely absurd! I agree with you guys on all this, I’m from Chicago, and Walgreens is everywhere, and despite faults, no locked cabinets and STUPID cards. I’m in VA now, and it’s a CVS monopoly. In addition, the Arlington CVS takes 45+ mins to fill prescriptions on the spot. I stopped going when they forgot to fill my prescription and I waited over an hour!
I wouldn’t wish bad customer service on anyone, I know it’s annoying. Had to laugh a bit at the “wait and wait and wait….. 10 minutes later”. I was expecting something a bit more distressing, 10 minutes in line (at least where I live) is hardly eternity.
As someone who recently worked at Rite Aid (don’t judge me, they offer health insurance to employees who work a minimum of 8 hours a week) I can defend the policy of keeping certain items under lock and key. Most of the items in question are small and expensive. This isn’t a problem when confronting the individual shoplifter, however when professional shoplifters come in and “sweep” a shelf (taking everything), it can mean a rather significant loss for the store. Formula, razors, electronics, perfume, etc. are easy to steal and easy to re-sell.
As for how the locked cabinets were handled, that’s a customer service issue to take up with CVS. At our store we have doorbells that summon us to the cabinets in question.
I used to work at CVS back in high school. Part of their training program was excellent customer service. They tell you that if you are in an aisle with a customer, you have to approach that customer within 30 seconds and inquire if you can be of any assistance.
The problem is that in many places (not just CVS, or drugstores) employ people who just don’t give a rat’s @$$ about maintaining the image of the company by actually doing their job as long as they get paid their 6 bucks an hour.
I liked working at CVS a lot, and still shop there because I know how the comapny strives to achieve great customer service. But I always hated working with people who were inbred, lacked common sense and generally deprived the customer of the true CVS experience.
If I were a manager, I would have fired at least half the people I worked with for total incompetance and laziness. But then again, I would be doing this every week because they always seemed to hire such people – many of them the managers themselves!
I work at Rite aid. Last week alone, we had $2306.00 worth of Mucinex and Claritin stolen off the shelf. We do not lock up the high theft items. We keep them behind the checkstand. As of today….the items we need to keep “behind” consist of, high priced razor blades, Dulcolax, Pepcid, Oil of Olay and Zeno. Now we will have to make room for these items too. All of these items have been stolen in mass, resulting in thousands of dollars in losses. When it comes to a little inconvenience verses having to raise the prices to a ridiculous amount to make up for the lost dollars…..I will gladly take the inconvenience. At this rate we might as well go back to the NON self-service type of stores.
If you only knew how hard these retailer take it in the ass from theft of this kind of stuff! Organized groups steal large amounts of all kinds of health and beauty aids, especially small expensive shit like razor cartridges (4 for $14?, seriously?) and sell them to local mom & pop corner stores at a discount compared to legitimate wholesale.
So now they are locked up.
@Ihaveasmartpuppy: “She said breastfeeding is like having sex with your baby – very dirty.”
OMG that’s pretty much the most hilarious and stupid thing I’ve almost heard any person ever say! That woman should have her vagina revoked. What a fucktwit.
Anyway, I do know of a couple of girls who had to have breast reduction (at an early age, around 18) and that cuts you completely out of the possibility of breast feeding. Breast enhancement probably follows suit but because it’s a vanity thing people tend to not look kindly on that kind of thing.
We pretty much quit shopping there after my wife couldn’t get a prescription filled and the pharmicist was so rude to her she called me crying. I called the pharmacy myself and found out the reason they wouldn’t help her is because they would have to submit the insurance paperwork manually even though I work for a large nationwide company who uses a very large insurance company.
Consistently Vile Service.
Of course they’re going to start locking shit up. Wasn’t it just like 2 weeks ago that consumerist had the article about the gang of people stealing smaller, easier to steal, but still fairly expensive items and then selling them on eBay?
Pretty soon even the candy bars will be locked down.
I recently took my 8 year old antibiotic medication to be filled at CVS. The woman at the drive thru took the script from me, asked me when I would be back and when I said I would be about two hours he reply was, “Good we’re busy”. I drove away at 11 a.m. and came back at 3:00 p.m. and once again pulled up to the drive thru window. I was forced to wait while the woman was standing right next to the window looked like she was picking her nails then she must have realized she was still on the job and walked away from the window I was waiting at and went further into the pharmacy. I hesitated about ringing the bell since she was standing at the window because I didn’t want to seem impatient but I immediately rang the bell. She came back over to the window, extremely annoyed and asked for a name. She the went to find my son’s script. She came back, medicine in hand and told me that my son was not in the system could she have his insurance card? I gave it to hear and was immediately told that I would have to come back later they need to run the card and she was just too bust right now.
This is the same woman who a few weeks earlier gave me an attitude because the pharmacy lost another script for a prepackaged bottle of cough syrup as if I am the person responsible for their lack of organization.
I remember a CVS manager telling me that the top items that are stolen in pharmacies are razor blades, soap, and funny enough, toothpaste. You’ve also gotta take into consideration the location of the CVS…rough neighborhood? Popular hangout for kids and teens? Are lots of homeless in the vicinity? Is this a CVS in the heart of the business district? All these factors contribute to the how the in-store items are handled.
I just go to walgreens.
Colour me dense maybe but how does showing ID prove that you’re not making meth?
@elislider: I live in Iowa were we used to have a big meth problem.
Apparently the meth makers cut it with powdered baby formula cuz it looks the same. When Iowa passed a law requiring all psuedoephedrine cold medicines be locked up then surprisingly (NOT!) the number of meths labs went down dramatically as well as the number of baby formula thefts.
@k8supergrover: In Iowa you are only allowed to purchase so much psuedoephedrine in a week. The stores keep track of people who are buying large amounts. Not very conveniant to have to travel to 15 different stores to buy your meth ingredients. This law has drastically reduced the number of meth labs found here.
You know. I think CVS actually does read and respond to their customer service complaints. I had a similar problem but it was constant over the course of a year due to the pharmacy being way understaffed for having 2 major hospitals really closeby, each being a block away, plus lots of neighborhood clinics. Everyone there seems to work really hard and give good customer service, they were just too damn busy.
Wrote them a message on the website, received the automatic response. And you know, they might have done something because it’s gotten a lot better. Instead of waiting in the store (while in pain and hanging around a lot of other uncomfortable people also waiting for their prescription) for 2 hours for the prescription to be filled, it’s now more like 10 minutes at most. And the staff seems a lot happier .
At my retail store we usually point out CVS as the prime example of how not to do customer service.
How many times have I had a 10 minute wait when there were only two people ahead of me there?
Bah.
OMG! I feel vindicated! I have a prescription for a non-essential medicine for sleeping and I called my new doctor on Monday to ask how to obtain a new script for more as I was running out. The helpful lady at the Doctor’s office told me to jump through CVS hoops on the phone line and request it from them. So I did. For the next 4 days NO ONE knew anything about my refill. CVS said to call the doctor the Doctor said to call CVS. I am the most powerless person here, I can’t write my own script and I can’t force anyone else to do it. Passing me, the powerless, back and forth between the two entities was pissing me off and reminded me of the “Got ask your dad – Go ask your mom,” thing. It was starting to really piss me off.
Finally the woman at the doctor’s office assured me that she had called, faxed and sent in the requested script. It took 3 more calls to the Doctor. Finally the office manager snatches the phone away from the retard I’d already talked to 3 times before in the day and had very little recall of the situation. The office manager said she would have it done by the end of the day and that it wasn’t even something I needed until tonight. I informed her that I still had some of the prescription left from my last visit, but they recommend in person and on their website (as well as CVS) to refill often, refill early so you don’t run out. Which is was I was trying to do. I also told her that I need the script in the morning, not at night as I work third shift but thank you for assuming that everyone is just like you.
There’s more to the story but it involves me pointing out their individual flaws.
I visited my local CVS today and had the most ridiculous situation happen to me. I don’t think I have ever been this pissed off in my life! I went through the store quickly picking up the three things that I needed and finally got up to the register. A cashier in the photo department’s line became available and I proceeded to her. The cashier was a older woman who I was familiar with and she began talking to me. My total was $11.08, I counted out my .08 and gave her a twenty dollar bill. She took the twenty and only gave me my receipt back. Because she was a person that I knew we sort of laughed about and she began looking for the missing twenty. When she couldn’t find it she iimmediately began blaming me. I told her again I gave her a twenty and she called someone over and had them count her drawer. I sat at the register for 20 minutes waiting for this person to come back and when they did she said she did not find anything wrong. I told this person that all I had was a twenty dollar bill and described in detail the transaction. I even told the person the hand that the cashier had the money in. Nothing, they all looked at me like I was some knid of thief trying to scam $9 damn dollars out of them.
So for me one of two things happened either she pocketed the money or she dropped it. The cashier looked over at the assitant manager who never even came over to us to see if he could help me, said in front of 15 or so customers “Well I don’t know what you want me to do, we counted it, there’s nothing I could do for you.
I heard the words coming out of his mouth but I just couldn’t believe them. Honestly all I wanted was for someone in that damn store to say maybe she missed to drop box and it is around here. Just give a damn long enough to look.
Even i the assistant manager said let me take your information and if it comed up I’ll call you. I mean I am in that store at let 2x week.
What the hell is wrong with the CVS customer service?
Someone please explain it to me????
I had issues with the locked cabinet of electric razors at K-Mart awhile back. I asked two different employees walking around nearby for service, and they said they didn’t have the key and would get someone to come open it. After about 5-10 minutes each time, no one came so I went to the customer service desk. They told me they’d have someone take care of it right away. Again, no one came. I then ended up having to ask two more employees for help. The final one I asked seemed surprised no one had helped after that long and quickly went and got the key and got me the razor.
After all that trouble for a fucking $30 electric razor, I went back to the service desk and asked to speak to the manager. After telling him how I had to wait 30 minutes and speak to 5 different people just to get the case unlocked, I pretty much got an, “Oh. Sorry. Bye.”
After the initial issues she still wished to have them process her wedding pictures…. why? why? why?
From a CVS Employee’s PoV:
To the people complaining about locked cabinets: Yes, it is a pain, but unfortunitely a necessary one. I work in a brand new 24 hour store, in a lower middle class neighborhood. In the first week we were open, we had over $3,000 in liquor thefts alone. So we brought another cashier (yours truly) onto the late night shift so we could keep a better eye on the store. This cut the losses in half, but it still wasn’t nearly enough. So now between 10 PM and 8 AM our liquor section is closed off, you must request assistance, and we have to stay in the aisle with you. Now we’re losing less than $100 a week in liquor. Yes, it’s a pain. For you AND for me. Trust me, they expect us to get a lot done over night, and having to babysit everyone who just wants a case of beer isn’t helping. But theft hurts your prices, our pay, and everything in between. People will always find a way to steal, no matter how hard you make it, we just have to make it as inconvenient as possible so they’ll go find someone else to rob.
And as for the CVS cards, it’s just corporate’s way of putting out sale prices that not everyone will get if they don’t care enough to get a keychain card and pull it out at the register. You don’t have to have one, and if you want the sale price without one all you have to do is ask. I’m not saying it’s right, but hey, it’s big business. All in all, it’s a very standard retail environment, no different from when i worked at Sears, Suncoast, Kroger, etc. Oh, and the IDing for certain OTC meds is law, not CVS trying to be a pain in your ass.