Walmart Pharmacy doesn't care about customers

Its probably against the law to just hand you 1-2 pills. I have had
this happen, but I just went home, got some cash, and came back.

Although it seems they could of given you a pill or two I must ask why
you could not go to an ATM and get some cash. Stores have issues
with credit cards and ATM cards / processing from time to time.
Sometimes they don't have much choice, but to say they can't do the
transaction at the moment. One time I was in a store and spent over 1
hour shopping. Day after Cbristmas. All of a sudden the store
starting annoucing they were unable to process their own gift cards.
So had to charge the items and use that gift card another day. Things
happen out of a stores control from time to time. I am sure the
pharmacist would of much rather ran your ATM card and got you on your
way.

Good, one less dip shit we have to deal with

Solution:

1. Ask to speak with a manager.

If a resolution is not attained:

2. Demand to speak with the store manager.

I have a regular medication that is prescrbed in small amounts of
pills. I plan ahead and anticipate issues that might arise. I carry a
few bucks for emergencies.I also keep a few pills back for insurance!
All the best.

Is synthroid a controlled substance? The OP didn't mention what
dosage but that may be a factor if it's a higher dose.

kinda like how ibuprofen is OTC at 200mg but at 800mg it requires a
prescription.




and the mentions of stores from the 70s and the small-town ones...
there's a problem there too.



1) Back in the 70s there were less laws about drugs.
These days even some OTC drugs are controlled substances and you have
specific laws on how to obtain them.


2) Small town pharmacies. You have fewer customers so you'll be more
apt to recognize someone. So you know who does and doesn't owe you
money for loaner pills.

I worked in a small, family-owned pharmacy in the the 1970's. It was
not uncommon for the pharmacist to dispense a few pills to a customer
if their scrip ran out on a weekend and the doctor could not be
reached. The pharmacist knew the patients.

If you choose to deal with a corporate giant like Walmart, (I suspect
to get the $4.00 drugs) you give up the personalized service you might
get at a smaller, non-chain store.

As a manager of a chain retail pharmacy, the right thing to do is give
a few tablets. There are a few factors that determine my decision.
Is there a valid prescription?(yes so it is not illegal) Is the
patient out of medication?(yes) Does the patient have a long history
with my pharmacy?(yes) What is the reason for needing a few
tablets?(debit/credit system is down which is no fault of the patient)
Is she polite?(this WILL make a big difference).

I'm sorry, but what's the big deal about being 62 and living in the
country and so on? My dad retired at 72 from a full-time manual labor
type job, and commuted over 60 miles round-trip each day to work (my
mom commutes over 50 miles daily and has your thyroid/bones
condition).

This just goes to show that people have lost any ability to think
out-of-the-box. So...you don't have enough pills. Call your doctor
and have them call your script to another pharmacy. Go to another
pharmacy and ask them to transfer your script. Have some spares or go
in before you run out and carry at least a couple bucks and/or a check
with you. There are likley a dozen other pharmacies out there within a
short distance of any Wal-Mart.

Let your fingers do the walking BEFORE you venture out. You're old
enough to know what that is if your 62. Being a widow has NOTHING to
do with how any company should view you and their treatment of you.
That you have been there 100 or 1000 times before doesn't mean they
have to remember you, nor does it mean there isn't someone working who
doesn't know you. There are enough scammers around to not trust much
of anyone lately, so why would they trust you just because you are of
a certain age and/or appearance or social status? People trusted
Bernie Madoff. Look what he did to them. He's such a kind old man,
isn't he?

You're old enough to have been around the block a few times and not so
naive that you really thought that you could do this. Your smart
enough to have found this blog and obviously have a computer to do a
little homework first. Stop blaming everybody else for problems you
created or could otherwise have easily avoided with even a tiny amount
of work ahead of time.

I am actually surprised that Walmart couldn't handle this. Virtually
all pharmacies have processes to make sure prescriptions get out even
when systems are down. The last thing you want to do is tell people
they should go without their meds. Not good for someone who is
servicing in healthcare.

While the pharmacy should never just give someone medication, they can
partially fill an Rx and not charge the co-pay. Nothing illegal
there. They give you 3 pills of the 30 day Rx without charging you,
and when you come back (ostensibly when the systems are up and
running), they give you the other 27 and then ring it through the
register. Easy peasy.

Perhaps it would be best for you in the future if you plan to refill
your scripts a few days before you are completely out. Being 62, a
widow, and working full time is not an excuse. You can call in a
refill or do it online. Also carring an emergency $20 isn't a bad idea
either. Especially since you are 62, a widow, and live out in the
country.

Did you know that you can refill your RX online as well as with your
Cell? and it will be ready when you pick it up.

if you have a checkbook or credit card you may also be able to use
those if the system is down.


i don't know about walmart but many places can still manually process
checks. it may require a call to the banking institute but that
shouldn't take too long.


and many establishments still have the old credit card machines - the
ones where you actually make an impression of the card.

The problem with getting "loaner" pills is

1) IIRC it's not legal. Arguing will not change that

2) Just because someone SAYS "I'm good for it" does not mean anyone
has to believe it.



it sounds like you were trying to bank on your trustworthiness ... you
just didn't realize that it doesn't work with people who don't know
you.


You offered them no proof that you'd be back - other than claiming
they've done it for you before. In the world of retail that line
means nothing.... mainly because people use that even when it's not
true.



I mean heck where I work, I had a guy trying to claim our corporation
authorized him a free repair on his computer because he complained
that we didn't fix him for it.

Turned out he was trying to pull a fast one on us. He was trying to
use his manufacturer's warranty to "fix the mouse" as he claimed.
What he chose not to disclose - and the service center discovered -
was that he had also drenched the computer in liquids.



So yes, claims of "they let me do it before" or "they offered *this*
to me" are often disbelieved because others DO try scams.



You cannot reasonably expect someone to magically know you're
different.


People are not mind readers.

"Walmart Pharmacy doesn't care about customers" is not quite accurate.
It cares about them only if it means making a profit. Other than
that...

Businesses love to make themselves appear to care about charities and
their customers' well being, but it really is all a front to get
publicity or a tax deduction. Their REAL motive is to make money, so
if giving a donation to some group will help them look better to the
public and thereby boost their image such that people are more
inclined to shop at their stores, then they will do it. How does
"loaning" you a few pills help Walmart do that? Its PR department
probably was no where near that store that day, so Walmart had no
motivation to do anything other than what you experienced.

the refill then? You know, give yourself a cushion?

This is a good lesson to make sure you always have some cash on you.
Although I do not like to carry a lot of cash I always try to have 5
or 10 bucks on me just in case.

You said "debit" card. Walmart has ATMs.

Problem solved.

So you're 62. My mom is 64. 62 is not old.

So you're a widower. My mom is a widower. It's just a part of life.

You've been working since you were 15?

*I* have been working since I was 14 -- cleaning hotel rooms, working
on pig farm, among other not awesome jobs. That's part of life for
many of us.

It is illegal for them to give you "a few pills" to get you buy until
you can come back the next day to pay for the rest.

No matter if you have been a customer for 15 years and yes I know you
are not asking for free pills I believe you would have went back and
paid BUT it is illegal and I am sure you don't want someone losing
their job because they gave you what you wanted.

We get you are 62 years old and a widower and work a full time job but
what does that have to do with anything.

Should they give me a couple free pills because I don't have insurance
(be happy you have insurance) and I don't get paid till the next day
but as soon as I get my paycheck I will be back to pay them. Not
going to happen.

Hope you find a pharmacy where you will get your meds for 4.00 bucks
still, I think Wal-Mart is about the cheapest way to go.

You waited so long to refill your script that by the time you arrived
to get it, you didnt even have enough of your extremely vital medicine
on you to get to your next dose?

And THEY'RE the ones in the wrong?

It's unbelievably short sighted to claim WalMart Pharmacy doesnt care
for their customers when it wasnt their fault you were out of your
medication or that you failed to carry any cash with you. Yes, it's
unfortunate and inconvenient that their system went down, but it does
happen sometimes and as a 62 year old with quite an extensive work
history, you'd think a modicom of preparation would have been in order
here!

You can argue, shout and spin the situation all you want, it's not
going to change the opinions. They have no way of knowing if you will
take that one pill and never come back. There are some desperate
people out there!

In a perfect world, everyone's word would be their bond, but it's just
not like that these days. Trusting people are often victims, not
heroes.

Others have suggested several other scenarios whereby you could have
gotten what you needed, but you only wanted to do what you wanted to
do and so WalMart is the bad guy for not kowtowing to you.

FYI, I AM THE ONE WHO WROTE THE ABOVE. I AM A 62 YEAR OLD WIDOWER WHO
WORKS 5 DAYS A WEEK AND HAVE BEEN WORKING SINCE I WAS 15. (OH, I
ALREADY, KNOW YOU DON'T CARE), YOU'VE ALREADY MADE THAT PLAIN IN YOUR
RUDE COMMENTS. I HAVE BEEN A WALMART PHARMACY CUSTOMER FOR 15 YEARS
AND PAY AROUND $1,000.00 IN CO-PAYS EVERY YEAR. I TAKE MORE THAN
SYNTHROID, BTW. I ALSO HAVE PSORASIS AND ARTHRITIS AND SEVERE BONE
LOSS IN MY BACK BUT I WORK 42-45 HOURS PER WEEK. I WAS AT THE DRIVE
THRU BECAUSE I HAD JUST GOTTEN OFF WORK AND WAS TOO TIRED TO WALK A
LONG DISTANCE BECAUSE YOU CAN NEVER FIND A PARKING SPACE. I WAS
HURTING AND YES, OUT OF MY MEDICATION. I OFFERED TO WRITE THEM A
CHECK AND THE YOUNG MAN SAID THAT SYSTEM WAS DOWN TOO! (FOR THE LAST
TIME), I DID NOT WANT THEM TO GIVE ME ANYTHING). I PLAINLY ASKED HIM
IF THEY COULD TAKE ONE PILL OUT OF THE BOTTLE SO I WOULDN'T MISS
TAKING MY DOSAGE AND I WOULD PICK UP THE OTHER 29 PILLS THE NEXT DAY
AND PAY THE ENTIRE HUGE AMOUNT OF $4.00. THIS IS THE NEAREST PHARMACY
TO ME AND IT IS 20-25 MINUTES AWAY, BUT IT IS CLOSER TO MY PLACE OF
EMPLOYMENT AND THAT'S WHY I WENT AFTER WORK. I WAS NOT TRYING TO ROB,
STEAL OR GET ANYTHING FOR FREE!!!! YOU WOULD THINK THAT AFTER YOU
HAVE HAD A 15 YEAR RELATIONSHIP WITH A BUSINESS AND SOMETHING HAD
HAPPENED THAT WASN'T YOUR FAULT, THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN A LITTLE MORE
ACCOMODATING. (ONE PILL, IS ALL I ASKED FOR TO BE PAID FOR THE NEXT
DAY WITH THE OTHER 29 PILLS). I SUPPOSE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASIER FOR
ME TO DIE THAN GET ONE PILL. I DO IN ALL SINCERITY PRAY THAT SOMEOME
WILL SHOW YOU A LITTLE COMPASSION, SHOULD YOU EVER HAPPEN TO BE IN THE
SAME SITUATION!!!!

Doesn't just about every walmart have an atm inside?

oh and please let us know when you find a pharmacy that gives you free
pills.

You wanted him to give you pills for free. UNACCEPTABLE.

What would be acceptable? You get cash out with your card at a nearby
ATM (meaning, yes, you may have to drive or walk to a convenience
store) and return.

He did nothing wrong, nor did Walmart.

U had your debit card. Why didn't you go to the ATM and get cash?

Why didn't you go to the bank and get cash, use an AMT, or write a
check. I know you need these pills and shouldn't skip a dose so why
didn't you put in a little extra effort to get cash and get them?

My local CVS has loaned me pills (sometimes my doctors appointment
would be scheduled a bit past when my meds ran out or they had not
called them in yet) but then I've been going there for 8 years and
have been on the same medicine for 5 years.

SURE THEY WILL. THEY DO IT ALL THE TIME! WALMART HAS EVEN DONE IT
BEFORE. I'VE BEEN GOING THERE FOR 15 YEARS AND TAKING THE SAME
MEDICATION FOR 20 YEARS. THE PILLS ONLY COST $4.00. THEY WOULDN'T
EVEN TAKE A CHECK, SAID THAT WAS DOWN TOO. I LIVE ABOUT 20 MILES FROM
THE PHARMACY. HAVE YOU EVER LIVED IN THE COUNTRY? I AM 62 YEARS OLD
AND HAVE WORKED SINCE I WAS 15. IT WAS LATE AND DARK AND I WAS GOING
TO PICK UP THE OTHER 29 PILLS TODAY. WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR YOU ALL TO
UNDERSTAND "I DIDN'T WANT THEM TO GIVE ME ANYTHING"!!!! I WAS GOING
TO PAY FOR THE ENTIRE 30 DAY SUPPLY ($4.00) TODAY. JUST DEDUCT THE 1
LITTLE PILL FROM MY 30 DAY SUPPLY SO I WOULDN'T GO INTO A THYROID
SHOCK. (THINK I'M GOING INTO IT NOW)!!!!!!

"I DIDN'T WANT THEM TO GIVE ME ANYTHING"!!!!

Funny cuz right there in your letter it says:

"asked him if they could possibly give me 1 or 2 pills and come back
and pick up the rest the next day ..."

I don't think that any reasonable pharmacy will let you just take a
couple pills or even the whole bottle without payment.
Most businesses will not invoice you, or give you an IOU either.

It sucks that their processing system was down, but theres nothing
they can do until it is fixed. Computer systems don't always run
perfectly 100% of the time.

(especially medication) without paying for it, please let me know. I
hate Walmart, but I don't think they're unreasonable for not taking
your word that you'll be back to pay.

I always carry some cash with me in case of situations like this. The
Walmarts near me all have ATM's inside the store. Did you check if the
store had an ATM? If not, you might have been able to make a small
purchase at the register and received cash back so you could pay for
your medicine.

"We are only talking about $4.00."

Surely you could have found a way to scrape up a whole $4.00 cash from
an ATM that was at a different location.

I know that a lot of us rely on our credit/debit cards. When those
processors go out, we are stuck!! It happens, and it's not the
merchant's fault. Be thankful that you hadn't pumped a full tank of
gas.

My mom was on Synthroid, so I know how important it is for you to have
every dose. That said, you surely knew that you were down to your last
pill or two. It's not Wal-Mart's fault you waited until you were
completely out.

Most pharmacies have auto-refill. The pharmacy automatically refills
your prescription when you have three or four days' worth left from
the previous refill. You might want to try this.

Or at least don't wait until the last second to order your refill.