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Aurelija Rakauskaitė

69 Weird, Ridiculous, And Purely Infuriating Things Spotted At Local Pharmacies

Pharmacies are a vital part of the healthcare system. They help local communities answer health-related questions and keep them in the best shape possible. However, it’s not just about medicine and prescriptions but also the people and the quality customer service they receive.   Unfortunately, not all visits to the pharmacy are pleasant, and these instances down below are the proof. Scroll away to find times people left the drugstore frustrated and don’t forget to share your own experiences in the comments below.

#1 Back Pain Remedy On The Bottom Shelf

Image credits: jeff1989uk

#2 Pharmacy Reviews On Google

Image credits: NoDonkey3566

#3 Was Told To “Use Uber” If I Wanted To Pick Up My Antibiotics From The Pharmacy I Was Standing At

This is a Walgreens in a city. I don’t have a car. Not exactly sure how to “use Uber” to sit and wait at a busy drive thru. Wish I’d known ahead I could have gotten them sent somewhere else.

Image credits: GmaSaysBlessYourSoul

As of 2024, there were 46,230 pharmacies and drugstore businesses in the US employing more than 340,000 specialists. Upon entering the profession, pharmacists have to swear on an oath to “assure optimal outcomes for all patients.” 

However, as we see from the list, that is not always the case, and working conditions are making it almost impossible to stick to their promise.

#4 Bought 2 Lifesavers At CVS And The Receipt Was Almost As Long As My Truck Bed

Image credits: Veiss76

#5 At My Local CVS, Pushing This Button Announces Over The Pa System To The Entire Store "A Customer Requires Assistance In The Family Planning Department"

The shelves are only about 5 feet high, so almost everyone in the store can look over them while you awkwardly wait for an employee to open the case.

Image credits: Diader

#6 Walgreens Stuck Their Stupid Non-Removable Sticker Over The Dosing Instructions For This Medication. Every Box Was Like This

Image credits: wowbobwow

The National Pharmacist Workforce Study (NPWS) in 2022 has found that more than 60% of chain pharmacists experienced high levels of work exhaustion, while 80% reported not being satisfied with their job. 

This is happening because of the number of tasks they perform at work that go beyond their original job description. Staff shortage additionally contributes to this issue, making pharmacists overworked and overwhelmed.

#7 The Pharmacy Sent Me My Chemotherapy Pills, One Bottle Per Pill. I Fear For When I Get The 6 Month Batch

Image credits: Two-Tone-

#8 So One Of My Prescription Pills From A Walgreens Pharmacy Turned Out To Just Be A Popcorn Cornel…. Is This Something That Actually Happens In The Real World Or Have I Definitely Slipped Into Some Hysterical Alternate Reality?

Image credits: StegosaurusBestDino

#9 Amazing Discounts At The Pharmacy

Image credits: formulaemu

Due to staff shortage, burnout, and employers’ focus on meeting quotas, 75% of pharmacists felt like they didn't have enough time to safely perform their duties, let alone be smiley and polite to customers looking for professional care.

#10 Just Noticed I Have Been Given The Wrong Tablets By The Pharmacist And Taking Them For A Month. Was Prescribed Blood Pressure Tablets (Enalapril). Received Anti Depressants (Escitalopram). Explains Weird Side Effects From Before Xmas

Image credits: Christopherfromtheuk

#11 CVS Stapled The Bag Shut Right Through My Medicine

Image credits: Seoulkrusher

#12 Those CVS Receipts Are Finally Paying Off

Image credits: phatposer

“Pharmacists are so overwhelmed and worried that they’re going to make a mistake. It’s so easy to make a mistake under those conditions,” said pharmacist and labor advocate Shane Jerominski, who has a decade of experience working at chain pharmacies including Walgreens and CVS.

#13 Maybe This Isn’t The Best Way To Get Kids Excited About Getting The Flu Shot At The Pharmacy

Image credits: VeryLastBison

#14 Walgreens Says To Use Qr Code To Check-In. I Waited 30m And When I Inquired About The Wait, They Said I Need To Check-In In Person As Well

Image credits: bluecollar-gent2

#15 Pharmacy Stapled Receipt Through My Syringe’s Plastic Wrapping, So Now It’s Not Sterile. I Picked 4 Of These Up About A Month Ago And This Was My Last One, So I Didn’t Notice Until Today

Image credits: aangjaeger

Their work goes beyond putting pills in the bottle - they have to check the prescription for errors, check if the drug will be used in combination with other medicines, bill insurance companies, and counsel patients on risks. When workers are burnt out and busy, they are more likely to make mistakes in the process. Unfortunately, pharmacists' errors can have dire consequences.

#16 Pharmacist At Walgreens Drive Thru Stapled My Card

Image credits: colieoly

#17 The Pharmacy Added A Mystery Pill To My Prescription. It Looks Almost Exactly Like The Other Pills

Image credits: CrisisAverted24

#18 My Pharmacy Uses An Enormous Amount Of Plastic. I Asked Them If I Could Remove The Label And Recycle The Orange Bottles Back To Them And They Said Couldn't Accept Them

Each pharmacy is going through thousands of these bottles a month and there are ~80,000 pharmacies in America.

Image credits: blacklotusmag

“Any simple mistake: the counting of medication, or even issuing the wrong type of medication could have serious impacts and even cause a death,” said Tony Bertolino, a lawyer who specializes in defending pharmacies and pharmacists. “There’s so much pressure on pharmacists to get prescriptions filled and to get patients in and out.”

#19 $300.00 Copay For A Name Brand Meds I Need To Take. This Is How It Arrives! Thanks CVS

Image credits: 08perfection

#20 Looking Forward To Earwax Drops In My Eyes, Thanks Walgreens

Image credits: decadentj

#21 My Birth Control Prescription Didn’t Have Any Pills Inside

How is this even possible?
It was completely sealed so it’s not like I took them out and put the empty box back in my drawer and forgot. Luckily I have 2 more boxes so I’m okay for now but this is ridiculous. I can’t understand how this could have happened.

Image credits: juniperbabe

Each year, between 7,000 and 9,000 people in the US die because of a medication error. More than hundreds of thousands of patients also experience adverse reactions or other side effects related to their medication but decide not to report them.

#22 Installed Wheelchair Access Boss. Pharmacy In Poland

Image credits: newworde

#23 Bought These Off A Walgreens Shelf 3 Days Ago

Image credits: SisteroftheMoon16

#24 I Can't Even See What I Want To Buy. Thanks Walgreens

Image credits: Bluedit5

However, some states are trying to get the situation under control. For example, Virginia banned quotas and passed regulations that ordered pharmacies to increase staffing until March 2025. California and Ohio also implemented rules that require pharmacies to have an adequate number of employees, which will help divide pharmacists' workload better and keep them from overworking themselves.

#25 24-Hour From 9am To 5pm

Image credits: kupus0

#26 This Store Policy In A Manhattan Pharmacy

Image credits: DiscoHeaven

#27 The Way My Prescription Was Filled

Image credits: MultipleAutism

#28 Same Prescription, Bought Two Weeks Apart

Image credits: International_Stop56

#29 At A Pharmacy In UK. 8 Items On The Same Order Came In 5 Separate Plastic Bags

Image credits: aaaggrroo

#30 My Pharmacy Sold Me Expired Contraceptives That I've Been Taking For A Month

Image credits: LoomisKnows

#31 My Pharmacy Gave Me 29 Pills In One Bottle, And 1 Pill In Another For My 30-Pill Prescription

Image credits: big_red_couch

#32 My New Pharmacist Put My Ointment In A Pill Container...why?

Image credits: Formal_Lack_9737

#33 I’ve Put The Viagra On The Shelves Boss

Image credits: BigWaveSmallOcean

#34 I Ordered A Box Of Tampons From CVS And They Sent Me These

Image credits: AndyFeelfine

#35 The Pharmacy Line Today At Walgreens In Capitol Hill (Broadway And E Pine)

Image credits: wildernessbackpacker

#36 Bought Acne Patches From The Store, Opened The Package When I Got Home And It's Empty

Went to my local CVS near a college to buy some pimple patches. I didn't think I needed to open the box to check if there are any patches inside, so I just drove home with some other groceries and thought that was that.
Came home, took a nice shower, cleansed my face, and was ready to use this brand of patches for the first time. When I opened it, it was just empty. Nothing. Thank God the store is willing to help me get a new box when I called them about this.
Mildly infuriating that I have to go back outside in the cold to get a new box, I was so ready to unwind from work too.

Image credits: Responsible_Wafer208

#37 This Isn't New We All Know Prescriptions Suck But This Is Literally A Pill I Need To Not Get Ill And Have Cysts All Over My Ovaries. And I Do Have Insurance, The Pharmacy Just Refuses To Run It Unless I Yell At Them In Person

Image credits: burningbliss

#38 Made Vax Appointment For My Elderly Mother; CVS Confirmed, And Then Canceled The Evening Before Because They Didn't Have The Vaccine. Then They Emailed Saying Sorry She Couldn't Make It And Were Canceling As Per My Request

Image credits: Scott_A_R

#39 4 Months In A Row This Has Happened. Every Month I'm Forced To Ration My Meds Bc They Are Always Unavailable When It's Time For The Refill

Image credits: ZombiePenguinQueen42

#40 Just Saw This Little Buddy At The CVS I Went To Pick Up My Rx. Where To Report?

Image credits: Khuntastic

#41 Walgreens “Actual Size” Label Compared To The Actual Size

Image credits: ihatewinter

#42 I Need Antibiotics And My Doctor Prescribed Them To Me To Take Two Per Day For Five Days. Only To Find Out That There Are No More Boxes With 10 Tablettes, Only 8 And That I Need Another Prescription. Opened The Box And There Are Literal Two Empty Places. I’ll Have To Get Another Box For 2 Tablettes

Image credits: reditt13

#43 The Amount Of Trash That Comes With My Monthly Prescription

Image credits: OneEyedSara

#44 Think I'm Getting The Point Across?

Image credits: PsychoticSM

#45 The Paperwork That Came With My One Prescription. My Current Dose Requires Capsules In 3 Different Strengths, So The Pharmacy Gave Me 3 Copies Of The Patient Info

Image credits: theytookthemall

#46 At A Local Chemist Waiting Area

Image credits: Zarine_Aybara

#47 CVS Gave Me The Wrong Perscription Today

Image credits: JesseKarma

#48 CVS Won't Take No For An Answer

Image credits: yuricatinspace

#49 Trying To Read This Sign At My Local Pharmacy

Image credits: Zowozo

#50 This Wheelchair Ramp In A Local Pharmacy

Image credits: Juanito-XxX

#51 Went To Take The Antibiotic Prescribed To Me At The ER, And They Accidentally Gave Me 25% Of The Wrong Antibiotic

 I have a very bad jaw/throat infection, doctor sent me to ER because it's dangerous to have an infection in that area. Did all the ER stuff, get my prescriptions and head home. I am really careful with antibiotics because I have a very bad allergy to one of them. This one is an antibiotic that I am not allergic to, Clindamycin.
So, I read the little orange attachment to the label that describes what the pill looks like "Light blue, oblong shaped capsule printed with a C and a 40". The first pill on the top of the bottle is blue and oblong, but printed with something different. I google it quickly to make sure it's still the same antibiotic, and was surprised to see that it is a totally different antibiotic (Doxycycline) that is used to treat STDs (among other things!) This has never happened to me. I'm guessing I should just go back to the pharmacy and they can refill it?? So weird that manufacturers would make them look so similar.

Image credits: Gothicshawtyy

#52 "Free Of Artificial Dyes"

Image credits: ryannefromTX

#53 Must Be Free Then

Image credits: Lmanwell23

#54 Pharmacy (Meant To Be Selling Health Products) Selling Tobacco

Image credits: WinterSprinkles4506

#55 The Pharmacy Close At 7:00 Pm Pharmacy Line At 6:51 Pm

Image credits: aminullahahmad

#56 When Your Kid Has A Fever And All The Infant Medicine Has Been Hoarded

Image credits: Rynin101

#57 Same Tablets, Same Dose, 2 Stores From The Same Suburb. $7.39 vs. $23.99, Over 230% Markup. The Consumer Has No Idea What They’ll Be Charged Till It’s Too Late

Image credits: MooCowLevel

#58 Pharmacy Tries (Badly) To Hide The Maximum Retail Price

Image credits: Big_E_6969

#59 The Pharmacy In My Pharmacy Is Closed. I Was Supposed To Pick Up My Diabetes Meds Here. Didn’t Get A Call, Message, Nothing

Image credits: ScorpionBob

#60 Installed The Fire Suppression System, Boss. Local Pharmacy Fire Sprinkler

Image credits: jerrygalwell

#61 Our Local Pharmacy Trying To Spell Herbst (Autumn)

Image credits: halficanunicorn

#62 One Sign Didn't Seem To Be Enough

Image credits: rowie324

#63 The Rubber Handle Things Are Like This On Every Shopping Basket At CVS

Image credits: strumpster

#64 Tubed Back To The Pharmacy With This Note

Image credits: Farmacyst93

#65 Great Job, Pharmacy. Now I Know Exactly Where These Came From

Image credits: mertmay05

#66 This CVS Bathroom Sign

Image credits: brebre431

#67 Crazy

Image credits: ellenfromnowon

#68 How Far Apart The “Y” Is On Pharmacy

Image credits: Xylum1473

#69 Wait The Pharmacy Is Only Open For 1 Hour In The Morning?

Image credits: pugworthy

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