Walgreens

I was actually very impressed with my experience at this Walgreens today. Most Walgreens are fairly undifferentiated, bones are a little worn down, but they get the job done for everyday items. The big issue with most of the Walgreens in lower traffic areas is that if they get a run of customers they can’t /​don’t flex their check out capacity, so it can take a long time to get through the line. Today, there was a line growing at checkout, and I thought I was in for a long wait, but the staff immediately moved to open two new lanes (including the photo counter). Seems like the management of this store knows what they are doing.

I enjoy the place best. It is just a couple minutes drive, and is pretty well stocked with most things in the event you are in a bind and do not need to drive all the way to Target or Walmart.

I’m very disappointed with the level and unprofessional experience I had filling a precription 3 hours to get it filled when told only half hour just had throat surgery and had to sit and wait in pain while they just ignored me
I will never use walgreens again.

An African American cashier who was working on ⁴⁄₀₂ was obviously homophobic and treated me like I was less of a person. She told me to «take my ass outside» because I was having a conversation with my life-​partner.

Every time I come here there is a long line because there is only one person working. Many times I spend over twenty minutes at this store for something that should take at most 5 minutes. Especially at the pharmacy

Worst Walgreens pharmacy I’ve ever been to. I’ve had a negative experience after negative experience there after years of being a customer, and I’m finally taking my prescriptions elsewhere. Between flat out having a not having enough medication for their clients, slow computers, sometimes over 45 minute long waits in line, being so short staffed that the pharmacy is sometimes run by only one person during a standard 9 – 5 business day, and flat out negligent and non-​knowledgable employees — unfortunately the list goes on.
Parking anywhere on Brady can be a nightmare so it’s nice that there’s a lot if you can find a spot.

This Walgreens is open 24 hours which is great considering its prime location on Brady street. Parking here can be an absolute nightmare. There is a small parking lot that is shared with a few other businesses, but during peak times its not unusual for it to be totally full. The cashiers and other staff have always been friendly enough. They lost two stars from me because on more than one occasion when I went to pick up prescriptions only part of my order was ready. This is despite the fact that I received an automated phone call, text message, and app alert all from Walgreens stating my prescriptions were ready for pick up. Pharmacy lines can also be extremely long at times. I will still run in here from time to time to pick up things, but I have started using other Walgreens to get prescriptions filled.

How great is it to live close to a 24-​hour Walgreens? SO GREAT.
The store is pretty small, but usually well stocked. However, the cosmetic section (my favorite to browse) often has bare spots in a few different sections which can be a bit sad when you just want to buy your fourth tube of Kate Moss 111 Kiss of Life lipstick.
The pharmacists and assistants here are really helpful. One spent almost 20 minutes with me figuring out an insurance issue, and did so without the slightest inclining of frustration. The service is usually pretty quick and painless. I know they offer different immunization shots and though I’ve never taken part, I’d be comfortable doing so at this location if need be.
A few months ago there were some changes to the photo section, I know there were issues for weeks and because of the problems they no longer do in-​house development. This is definitely a bummer, as now I have take my film and disposables to the Oakland Walgreens.
The staff is usually decent, especially given the fact that they deal with so many drunk and rowdy Brady St. patrons. At the end of the day, I’m just lucky to have a place to buy 4:30am Craisins. Yum.

Seriously the most inefficient pharmacy in the Walgreens chain. Prescriptions never ready on time or as requested.
Hideous waits in line. They really need to get it together.
Will never come back to this pharmacy.

I would consider this a typical Walgreens. It’s clean enough. Not overly outstanding but I’ve seen way worse. It is open 24 hours, which is convenient when you need allergy medicine at 11:30pm. And I believe it is the only Walgreens in the area that is a 24-​hr store. Parking lot (and nearby street parking) can be insane.
When there is a festival or other event occurring on Brady Street the Chase ATM is drained of cash very, very quickly. Luckily I was the last person (at least that is what the cashier told me) who was able to use debit and get extra $. Employees appear to deal with the crazy Brady Street crowds pretty well, great costumer service during the World Cup game.
Overall, A-​Ok.

I’ve been coming here for, geez, 13 years?
The place is open 24 hours and the staff here is excellent. I don’t know if the pharmacy waiting area has low oxygen levels or what, but any customer ahead of me in line will invariably develop some complex insurance, prescription, or coupon dilemma that takes them completely by surprise and makes them go insane. Seriously, you rarely see the kind of customer behavior I’ve seen in this place. (And I worked for the cable company, so I’m no stranger to the freaking out customer.)
That said, the pharmacy staff is always hands down awesome – helpful, generous, and patient – in spite of what I can only presume is a steady stream of crazy. Same goes for the store staff. Most of the people who work here have worked here forever and are REALLY good at dealing with the 24-​hour public.
As for the stuff they sell, my prescriptions are almost always done very quickly despite their seriously needing more staff (and maybe therapists or spiritual counselors) in the pharmacy area. The store is adequately stocked. It sells normal Walgreen’s stuff. Overpriced Murphy’s Oil Soap and underpriced pistachios. Smokes are cheap. The lines up front are usually either 10 people deep or empty, and move super fast unless someone insists on failing at coupon usage. They’re very good at getting people out the door there.

So great that this place is open 24 hours. Normally a pretty interesting/​funny experience coming in here late at night.
Pretty much anything you’d need/​expect from a Walgreen’s: pharmacy, first aid, hair care, skin care, candy, cards, basic office supplies. Oh yeah, and cigarettes. Sometimes the register lines are super long because everyone seems to be coming here for cigarettes.
Last time I was in here someone let off a stink bomb. Not so nice.
Otherwise, definitely meets my needs.

Has everything most Walgreens have. Customer base is a little strange. Otherwise typical

This place is just a few blocks from where I live, and I am a steady customer, thanks to old age and too many doctors. Parking can be a problem, but I can walk. And I love the fact that it is open 24 hours, even the pharmacy. I’ve often stopped by there at 5 am, and the overnight pharmacists know me by name – but then, so do some of the day staff. We also use it as a convenience store, picking up cokes, milk, munchies, or a big roll of toilet paper. The Walgreens reward system works pretty well, too.

I like the location best. It’s only a couple minutes drive, and is pretty well stocked with most things if you’re in a bind and don’t want to drive all the way to Target or Walmart. It’s a little ghetto sometimes, meaning that once a guy asked me for money and then a ride because he was in trouble with his parole officer. Lol other than that weirdness, and the fact that they don’t have coolant (the lady said they’d be getting more automotive stuff shortly), this place is alright. Great to print your photos, get a prescription filled, and earn points. :)

Very small Walgreens, but has all the basics. Id say if you really want to browse a Walgreens and get a good experience, you’d be better served to go to the one a couple miles away on Oakland. Parking is much easier there and they have a Redbox. Brady street is pretty much like playing cashier roulette, either they are having the best day of their life or the worst.

Luckily I’ve not experienced any of the excitement that other have documented for this Walgreens, but my experience with this location is limited to the retail health clinic (Take Care Wisconsin, LLC) located in the rear of the store by the pharmacy. Onwards!
Location: 3 out of 5
From my location in the Historic 3^rd Ward, it was a less than 20 minute jog to Walgreens, and then back again. The total distance is less than 2 miles, and when you consider the amount of time it would take to drive/​bike/​jog and their associated resources (like the smaller parking spots, congestion, etc.) jogging turned out to be the easiest option. Several bus routes run within one or two streets of the intersection, so there shouldn’t be a huge issue getting there.
Scheduling of appointment/​punctuality: 5 out of 5
Retail health clinics that take appointments are a double edged sword. On the one hand, it feels «reassuring» to make an appointment and have a spot in the waiting room by the time you arrive. On the other hand, the reason I usually don’t seek out traditional PCPs for health screenings is because of their notorious inability to be on time. Yes, there are several reasons some outside of their control, for their inability to be punctual — but with a standard retail health clinic that takes walk-​ins only as the queuing theory, there’s no reason to be upset at a wait because you’re served based on the order you show up. My appointment process was quick and easy — I scheduled via the Wags site, and was seen within 5 minutes of my appointment time. The APRN did have to come out and explain to someone in the waiting room that because I had made an appointment, she had to see me first.
Quality of care: 4 out of 5
I had to think long and hard about the rating for quality of care. While it’s true that retail health clinics aren’t the panacea to all primary care issues (NB, they do very poorly at certain fields, like pediatrics or issues that require sustained continuity of care), they ARE able to do some things efficiently like routine vaccines and health screenings (vitals, blood work, some counseling, etc). A little backstory — 2 years ago I was morbidly obese and my evaluation at another one of these clinics in Chicago was definitely a more somber feeling with the APN there (no distinction between APN and APRN, except for the nomenclature based on geography) really trying to convey the fact that my health was in the danger zone. In the last year, I’ve dropped about 65 pounds, and among other stats, I’ve dropped my total cholesterol by 30 points, my total cholesterol to good cholesterol ratio is under 2, I’ve dropped my trigylycerides by HALF, and perhaps most reassuring — my fasting glucose went from official «prediabetes» to well within the «normal» range. As a result, there wasn’t as much «counseling» involved with Linda at this location. Instead, it was more of a series of open ended conversations about what I’ve done, what’s inspired me, etc. The final message was something along the lines of, «You’ve done a really good job of getting your health in shape… there’s not much more I can tell you to do but to keep up the good work.» So in essence, maybe the 4 out of 5 comes primarily from what people associate as being an «active listener.» Linda had to draw some blood… it was not an issue, and it did not hurt, and she didn’t have to redo it.
«Intangibles», aka the «Comfort Factor»: 3.5 out of 5
With VBP incentives from CMS being partially based on patient satisfaction inclusive of factors like how a clinic look, or how it makes you feel, let me be clear about something here. For those of you who have never been to a retail health clinic, it’s not fancy. Likely it will share a waiting room with the pharmacy, and there’s not a a hospitalist or staff person that triages you. Instead, you self report the chief complaint into a kiosk, as well as any insurance you may have. The actual exam room at this location was about 12 by 12, and I would describe it as being functional but comfortable.
EMR/​EHR integration: 3 out of 5
Take this with another grain of salt… retail health clinics do not have the ability to talk directly with any existing EMR system your PCP may use (Cerner, Epic, NextGen, etc.) but the Take Care Clinic, LLC umbrella is fully integrated, meaning they can pull up your records from any other TCC.
Ease of billing: 4 out of 5
No co-​pay up front since for some reason, my insurance doesn’t recognize this as a «doctor’s office». I think I usually pay about 25 $ for these screenings out of pocket, so I really can’t complain.
Overall: 4 out of 5
Like I said — I wouldn’t use TCC as my health care provider for every situation, but they certainly do a fine job of health assessments including blood panels for cholesterol, fats, and fasting glucose.

This is the one we call «Crackhead Walgreens.» And while, really, it’s not the *most* crackheadish Walgreens (my BFF is a Walgreens pharmacist in the metro-​Milwaukee area, she gives us the lowdown on the goings on of the truly truly horrific stores — like the ones that pharmacists and techs get their cars keyed and windows smashed and the ones that require armed security and police escorts out of the building at the end of the day because of the death threats from narc addicts who are refused service) I do not prefer this location. Too much panhandling and parking is horrific.

It’s open 24 hrs so you know you and the rest of the eastside will be there as a last resort at like 3:45 am. If u want ice cream at that hour, its way more economical to throw on some sweats and show up here looking a bit of a mess than to bother calling pizza shuttle.
The parking lot is sort of a nightmare. The employees are nice but not really gonna bend over backwards for u. (I think they might be a little exhausted from all the interesting characters on Brady st.) Once I watched a man write a check here for flamin’ hot cheetos and a icee.
They have a take care clinic… u should check ur insurance because mine views take care clinics on par with a general practitioner visit — so its only a $ 30 copay as opposed to the $ 100+ u pay at say, an aurora urgent care.
Back to the store… other good finds: 59 cent honey buns, 2 for $ 5 jewelry, $ 1.19 pantyhose (in the words of Homer Simpson — «ooh, pantyhose! Practical, yet alluring.»)
And last time I tried to enter a (seemingly) inebriated man and his friend serenaded me with a rousing rendition of ‘pretty woman.’ All this and 59 cent honey buns too.

The lady clerks are really friendly, even if they always try to sell you chocolate. They get a nickel commission if they sell one, so if you like them, but some chocolate. Or if you’re a Fatty Fatty 2×4. Either way, you feel better about eating chocolate. YUM.