Rite Aid

loss prevention embarrassed me in front of my family

This review is for the Pharmacy, as the rest of the store appears to be adequate. On numerous occasions we have had our doctors and vets call in prescriptions and a majority of the time there is one problem or another. Most recently I came to pick up a prescription that had been called in 2 days earlier and of course Rite-​Aid claims they never received. If you have been here before you probably experienced the same. I had to call my doctor and have them call it in again. Per my doctor, they informed me they attempted to call 6 times and each time either were put on hold and then hung up on. Finally on the 7^th attempt they got through. You know it’s a problem when your doctor suggests you find a new pharmacy! What a joke this place is. This will be my last visit to this store!

Pharmacy:
The pharmacy manger Laura goes above and beyond to help out, as do the pharm techs Herlinda and Dalia.
Manny on the other hand is a nonsensical pharmacist who keeps one on hold without reason for minutes at a time and is bluntly rude. He hung up very abruptly after an already unsettling phone call and refused to tell me his name for some time.
Occasionally, prescriptions are delayed and waiting times can be long. Suggestion is to be placed on auto refill if you’re a regular to avoid waiting in the long line for refills.

Worst pharmacist ever — he was OLD, RUDE, CANTANKEROUS and an all around jerk — I took in my husbands rx after he broke some ribs in a motorcycle accident — he (my husband) was not present, and the pharmacist acted like I wanted to obtain 20 pain pills illegally, (while holding a prescription from saint johns hospital) whilst we have amazing insurance and own a house and are not at all interested in any kinds of drugs that are not prescribed by doctors — Riteaid should be ashamed at hiring senior pharmacists as a side job that do not give a crap about patients and all the while serving up shitty service by a totally unprofessional horrible low rent worker. Never go here in a pinch head out to the 24 hour rx at CVS in the Marina, better store service and pharmacist!

Done with this pharmacy. Pharmacist is rude and does not follow through with things like ordering medications they do not have in stock. Latest episode stopped in on Thursday, said they’d have on Wednesday. That conversation went like this: when will you have it? Next week? Monday? No. Tuesday? No. Wednesday? Yes. So I went back on Saturday and said they did not have! Tried to pawn me off that I had to talk to someone else who was not there to order. I explained that I did not work there. Will not be back.

This Rite Aid is pretty bad. The small staff always seems like they are lost. Stuff in the newly remodeled aisles. Understaffed check out stands and lines. Staff is out of touch.
This is Santa Monica people, not some third world hole. Let’s step up and act like we belong here or even appreciate the fact that Rite Aid employs you and puts up with your uneducated ways.

The pharmacists are borderline abusive to their patrons, snapping responses to their questions and inquires. I once over heard a pharmacist reprimand an employee in front of multiple customers. On numerous occasions I was told my prescription was ready only to arrive and discover it had not yet been filled. I would steer clear of this pharmacy!

Service seems to be a low priority here. Seriously, you are on your own although I have heard pharmacy staff warmly greet regulars. Staffers seem more interested in management-​generated tasks (e.g. restocking) and tend to leave equipment like stools, ladders in the way of shoppers (hello risk management).
Checkout clerks do move the lines along though.
I pop in for sundries, pain relief, makeup or supplements due to convenience alone but my prescription refill (yup, just one) is at the Beverly Hills Canon location.
Flu shots available without appointment. No excuse not to get one!
Large parking lot but like everywhere else be careful, watch your ride.
Addendum 10−31−15: Last evening, Bill Maher quipped (I paraphrase.) re. Wallgreens’ acquisition of Rite Aid, «100K+ employees and only nine cashiers to serve you.»
We shall see what this merger brings…

I called three times to makes sure my photo order went through as i did not receive any confirmation online. They kept me on hold for 10 minutes each time. And when i would call back — they kept saying they would transfer me to a manager who was no where to be located nor did they know of my calls.
This RiteAid is more convenient for me to drive to but i will search around for Walgreens or CVS as their customer service is terrible.

horrible service. waited for over 10min for ice cream, but no one came while they saw me waiting. when i looked for service, she said «you are waiting for ice cream»…no i’m waiting for over 10min to waste my time… just bad service! i left without ice cream and will not return again.

This review is for the pharmacy today. WAY BETTER THAN USUAL! They actually noticed me waiting in line, they immediately acknowledged me, and they were friendly and very helpful in answering my questions. (I came in around 6:30 pm)

Anytime I come here there’s a line even at 7:30am!
Customer service leaves a lot to be desired from this Rite Aid store especially when the line is crazy long.
I’ve gotten familiar enough with the layout that I can get what I need and then just wait in line.
Parking is usually available since they have a huge lot.

Long lines most times I have been here. This retailer has also decided not to take Apple Pay, a safe way to pay with credit card, even though their terminals can handle such a transaction.

Small store but pharmacy isn’t bad. Get most of my scripts filled here with no problems.

There should be a NO STAR OPTION. Worst rite aid ever! I am a huge fan of Rite Aid and CVS, etc. BUT this one should be avoided like the plague. Long lines and horrible customer service. The manager today was very UN-​accommodating and I won’t be back. Unfortunate. Hope they read this and start giving better service!

I am hesitant to speak have my new found love of Rite-​Aid, as I would hate for it to become overpopulated.
This location has everything you could possibly need, whether you are just visiting, or live here. From «someone in Santa Monica loves me» souvenirs to medicine, to shoes, and even anything you would need for a cookout!
I went over Memorial Day weekend, and even still the lines were not incredibly difficult — thankfully, as I had an awful head cold/​allergies of some sort!
It also happened to be my BIRTHDAY, so I picked up a pair of Tom look-​a-​likes for $ 12.99! BOOM!
I would highly recommend this clean, easy to park, friendly location!

Had to write an update: Worst-​pharmacy-​ever. The blind leading the blind. I’m not sure how they do it, but they get progressively worse everytime I go in (once a month). This is the western dental of pharmacy’s, the one eyed disfigured ugly sister of the hot chick that you take out because it’s «better than nothing». This update would bog down the server if I listed ALL the issues I’ve had here. Do yourself a favor and never get mixed up with this place.

Weird setup the store has. A lot of parking. –1 stars for the weird setup of the store and limited or misplaced items sometimes and with some to many of the Rite Aids including this location, there die-​cast cars (that are usually next to the ice cream section) are broke (doors are missing, windows missing, wheels off, or lots of scratches) and looks like little kids play with them and break them and then put it back without buying it and are expensive.

Agreed– this Rite Aid sucks.
long lines, minimal help, not welcoming, I use it as a last resort…

The Rite Aid on Pico Blvd in Santa Monica may be fancy and remodeled now but they will make you feel like a criminal. Just sayin. And before I wrote this, I saw someone else complained about this same issue as well. I understand that there can be come crazies on Pico Blvd so the store has to be secure, but DAMN!
I am furious! I was shopping for shampoo & placing my items in my reusable bag instead of one of their baskets. (I figure its cold & flu season and don’t really want to use one of the germ ridden baskets. LOL) Anyway, I was then in the face wash aisle and when I noticed that 2 men were acting really suspicious. One kept looking over at me & then up at the security cameras & then would look over at the other man that was in the aisle across from us. So I was convinced they were scoping out the place, seeing where the security cameras where, or gonna do something to me. THAT is how uncomfortable it made me.
So I called my fiancé and my mother to let them know what was up in case something happened to me. Not trying to be overly dramatic, but I am serious when I say that they made me feel THAT scared. One was a large and tall African American and the other was a medium height Latino man.
After I paid, I noticed the men were talking to other Rite Aid employees. So come to find out, they were plain clothes security pretending to shop. Its fine they were doing their job but to make me THAT uncomfortable was not okay. I had no idea they worked there! Therefore making me feel like I was going to become a victim of something if I walked out of the store. I even called my mother to come and pick me up because I was afraid to leave. It was just that creepy.
So I complained to a female manager before I left. That was NOT okay. I guess they thought I was trying to steal because I was using my own bag instead of one of their baskets. So before I left, I got on the phone and spoke loudly so one of the men could hear me, about how uncomfortable I felt and that it was ridiculous how I was treated.
Oh and if they are trying to be plain clothes security, they are NOT very good at it. They were being SOOOO obvious in their actions that they drew more attention to themselves then they should. When you are plain clothes security, you are supposed to blend into the background and watch people. NOT make people feel like they will be mugged when they leave the store. Piss off. I was not trying to steal $ 5 shampoo! :eye roll:
I ended up speaking with the district manager and he was VERY nice. Listened to me and was very sympathetic. He said he was going to speak to the location and even review the tapes if he has to. So thank you to him for being so nice. I told him that the training needed to be revamped there for security and that I would much rather them approached me and said something rather than stalk me and make me feel like I was going to be mugged by them once I left the store.
Other than this experience, I like the new layout and the remodeling. That is the ONLY reason I gave them an extra star. But if you want to keep customers, you HAVE to be NICE. You have to be polite and most of all. NOT CREEPY!