A-G Pharmacy

The reviews below are deceiving… As Time goes on, businesses change. I didn’t know this business until a few months ago and the team running it is amazing. If the lady working there is the same one, she’s a delight. The younger team (which I believe acquired this business or merged into it) is very innovative in their operations — ask them about their app — a game changer!

Five years later at a time when Walgreens and CVS line the streets, I still love AG and I had a hilarious time laughing with Vivian (lovely daintiness) who explains things like the very wise boss named Marcia (absent yesterday), Rayna (sweetness at the front desk), and Hazel (the technician who doesn’t miss a thing). I told a joke that was a little out of the (actually their) way, and we all nearly fell to the ground in happy tears. Anyhow, I get the best service at this lil neighborhood place and I am doing my part to support this small pharmacy that pre-​dates and rises above all the rest.

Dear Reader:
I wrote the following review of A G Pharmacy in January of 2014 and I still stand behind it. Since writing the original review I have continued to get all family prescriptions there.
I highly recommend A-​G Pharmacy. Once you get past the 1960’s look of the place it turns out to be a wonderful place to pick up prescriptions because of their efficiency, professionalism, and personalized customer service. The pharmacist and all of the other employees are courteous, informative, and most of all competent. If you are tired of the generic and often inept service of larger pharmacies this is definitely the place for you.
I began patronizing A-​G Pharmacy at the beginning of January 2014. I pick up prescriptions for my mother who is 80 years old. She suffers from acute high blood pressure and it is vitally important for her to take 3 separate medications daily. Because of medical insurance changes in 2014 I found myself in a predicament: my mother’s old Medicare advantage plan had expired and the new plan (although she applied for it in October 2013) had not taken effect. Because of this pharmacies would not fill my mom’s prescriptions unless I paid an exorbitant price (just one uninsured prescription was $ 140). I used the 2014 Medicare handbook to contact several pharmacies including: Seton Medical Center, Walgreens, Costco, and others. All of them refused to fill my mother’s prescriptions without full uninsured payment. On my way home and desperate to get my mom’s medication I went into A-​G Pharmacy and it was a great decision. After carefully listening to my problem the pharmacist explained to me that Medicare and Obamacare had anticipated the problem and created a Medicare Net Program. The Net program ensured that Medicare recipients would receive full benefits during their transitional period. The pharmacist then made a couple of phone calls, found out my mom had full coverage under the Medicare Net Program, and filled her prescriptions all within a half hour. Why couldn’t Walgreens, Costco, or the other pharmacies help me? It is clear that they knew or should have known how to use the Medicare Net Program (since they are listed in the 2014 Medicare Handbook). Perhaps it wasn’t profitable to help or perhaps they didn’t care. Nevertheless, one thing is for sure: I will get all my family prescriptions from A-​G Pharmacy.

I’m not sure who ran this place before, but the people who run it now are courteous and very helpful! I have to pay out of pocket for my prescriptions and bill my insurance later. What would have cost me $ 59 at Walgreens only costs me $ 45 here. And their pharmacy is open at 8:30am and most drugstores open later than that. Convenient location, parking lot, open early and not crowded.

I have picked up prescriptions here over ten times. I have always gotten good service and respect, so I don’t know what all these 1 stars are about unless Walgreens is responsible for some of them. Walgreens routinely charges the non-​sale price on sale items, so they were slapped with a $ 20 million dollar penalty by the CA attorney general’s office and forced for several years to give 4 or 5 dollars cash to people who caught them overcharging, but only did so if asked and most shoppers did not know to ask. I caught them over charging me but they refused to give me the cash even though they had already rung up the wrong price, so I hate shopping there. Safeway has been fined for this practice too, so I prefer independents.
How can a reviewer with 7 reviews have almost 150 friends? Looks suspicious! How do you friend someone on Unilocal

I agree with Mark D. It is definitely a funky pharmacy, and I think it has been there for at least 40 years. My mom actually worked there for a little bit and only had nice things to say about the staff. She is now head of pharmacy for Kaiser Perm. But really people, if you are expecting state of the art aesthetics of your pharmacy then yes go else where. I don’t care about that sort of thing and have been going here for the last 3 years, as it’s extremely affordable under healthy SF, prescriptions are always on time and the pharmacists are nice, efficient and knowledgeable.

If you have a problem with AG Pharmacy, I urge you to file a complaint with the California Board of Pharmacy.
It will make a difference, they take complains very seriously.
When I went in to get my cancer meds and was reeling from the effects of chemotherapy, the elderly stateswoman kept yelling at me. I told her I was really sick and I couldn’t handle being yelled at, especially because there was no reason to yell at me. I just wanted cancer meds. I feel like confessing this just made her realize she could get away with being even meaner. Every time I go in, I feel like she is taking out some personal problem of her own on me, because she knows I have cancer and needs my meds and that she has all the power. I genuinely feel like she would go as far as to delay or withhold my medication if I displeased her and her placard over the register that says «Service will be adjusted based on attitude of the customer» seems more than simply smugly ironic. When my doctor prescribed me a certain medicine that I really needed, she went out of her way to fight giving it to me, calling it a ‘luxury medicine’. My doctor was good enough to jump through a lot of hoops and advocate for me, and she seemed resentful when she finally had to give it to me. Honestly, it was bizarre and almost surreal.
When I have gone in there in healthier times, they refuse to tell me when my prescriptions can be filled, they loudly discuss my personal information so the entire store can hear it, they have given me medical advise that was wrong and downright dangerous, they yell at other customers in front of me which I find awkward. Till this point in my life, pharmacies were just a place I picked stuff up. This place is a monthly ordeal I have to brace myself for and hope the mean old lady isn’t working or in a mood.
My doctor tells me that he hears this from most of his patients, and I didn’t know places like this even existed. My girlfriend came in one day with me and was disgusted. I’ve reported them to the BBB and PIPA and you should too. It is a crime that people have to deal with this sort of abuse for no reason when they are sick and at their most vulnerable. I hope that woman gets cancer and that someone yells at her once a week while she is on chemo. If there is an afterlife, she will most definitely have a space place in hell for her daily career of relentless cruelty to the sick and the vulnerable.

The terrible woman has become more respectful. Perhaps it is because I have conformed to what she needs. She doesn’t seem to handle criticism or conflict well, but nonetheless, I no longer dread walking in as much. I do not use them for all of my pharmaceutical needs though.

This place is a joke, totally unprofessional and treats their customers badly. The young woman yells at the customers. I could go on and on. This place should be closed down, no questions asked. BBB what are you doing about this?

The worst service and pharmacy I have ever been to in my life. This white older woman is rude and yells at people. Outside of this yelling, she has shown me (and the 3 others in line) the most absolute worst service and attitude I have ever seen EVER. The pharmacy is dirty with old products on half stalked unorganized shelves. I cant believe they are even allowed to operate like this. I don’t rate based on my first experience either… I am forced to use this pharmacy and have been several times each time its is pathetic. I told my doctor (who had a lot of stories himself) and even he agreed that this place was pathetic and should be shut down. I had to take my wife and her friend in just so that they would believe my stories. Shut this place down and pull their license! These people are supposed to be helpful and professional not rude and spiteful.

The city of San Francisco should shut this place down.
I have a list of problems with this pharmacy. #1 is that as soon as she found out I had healthy San Francisco the pharmacist literally tried to flick me away with her finger like a pest.
I have been an advocate for heath care for every human being for most of my life. I’m not giving up that it can be done, but A-​G Pharmacy is the alluvium at the foot of a very slippery slope.
If you have a problem with this pharmacy you MUST let your voice be heard. Lives depend on it!

I went in here and the elder stateswoman wasn’t there that day — and everyone was soooooooooooo nice. I think they were happy and gave great customer service. It made me feel bad about my review.
There’s always parking out front and it’s usually a quick in and out.

Best pharmacy in the bay area! Been coming here my whole life and don’t plan to change that any time soon.

the staff is very rude and unprofessional specially the owner i do not how can this kind of people run a bussiness.

This place doesn’t not deserve to exist and I hope it goes out of business. Everything about it is wrong: non-​professional, terrible attitude towards customers, very limited hours and the space that is stuffy and seems unclean. Staff is not helpful, they will never call you to alert you of any insurance issue and u figure it out only after driving through the whole city. Avoid by all cost. Unfortunalety we’re stuck with them, bad insurance.

Besides one interaction with their only halfway professional worker, the customer service there is absolutely terrible, specifically with the middle-​age, white woman who appears to be the boss. Expect occasional yelling at you.
Sadly, my health coverage does not permit me to go to any other pharmacy… I’m stuck! Obama, get your act together cuz your healthcare bill blows. Single-​payer healthcare would be a good start.

OMG!!! this place is awful! the worst customer service ever!
I call in a refill and someone named Ivey answers the phone asking what she can do for me, I tell her I need to put in an order for a refill and she yells at me that she needs the order number… I say huh? this is the first time anyone has asked me for that… she curtly says «hold on» after 5 minutes I hang up and call again and Ivey answers again, I tell her what I need and she yells at me that she is very busy and if I cant give her the number she needs now that I will need to call again later and she hangs up. I am not sure who this person is however she did tell me that she was the pharmacist… Oh and by the way, a little windex and dusting will go a long way… this place is so so dirty and dusty.

The only problem I’ve had with these people is that one of the counter people has a loud mouth and no sense of confidentiality. Other than that, they are fine.
The store’s pretty shabby but they keep their promises and are businesslike. They have convenient parking and I’ve never received spam from them.

Want to know who keeps filling up your inbox with unsolicited Viagra etc spam? A G Pharmacy.
Go give them a visit and let them know what you think.