Walgreens Opens Fancy Flagship Store With Humidor, Sushi Bar & More Upscale Trappings In Chicago
Going to the drugstore just to pick up a prescription or some shoe inserts is so passe — nowadays consumers demand things like a sushi bar, manicures, humidors and other fine trappings. Walgreens announced today that they're opening a flagship location in Chicao with those fancy attractions, as well as a slew of other flashy attractions.
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Walgreens Lets My Ex-Husband Change My Account Information And View My Prescription History
Walgreens seems to think the "ex" in "ex-husband" is just a funny little arbitrary word that doesn't mean much. Alice says she's been divorced for three years, and separated for more than that, has moved twice and changed her phone number twice, and yet Walgreens still allows her ex-husband to change her account information to link with his.
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Why Does This Candy Bar Have Three Different Prices?
It's time for yet another exciting installment of "No, seriously, how much does this item cost?"
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Drugstore.com Named In Lawsuit Over Knock-Off Sex Toys
Opting not to buy into name brand hype can be cheaper, but in the case of one company that manufactures vibrators, knockoffs might mean a legal battle. A Canadian company claims that Walgreen's online-only entity Drugstore.com is importing knockoff sex toys and selling them in the U.S.
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Walgreens Now Lets You Refill Your Prescription By Texting
Ordering a refill on your prescription meds at Walgreens can now be as easy as texting a single word.
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Store Attempts To Dissuade Customers From Trying On Condoms Before Buying
There is already a great deal of information for consumers printed on boxes of condoms, covering everything from proper use to possible allergic reactions to effectiveness in preventing pregnancy and transmission of infectious disease. But one store felt the need to post its own advisory about condoms: That you shouldn't crack open a box to try one on without paying.
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Diabetic Walgreens Staffer: I Was Fired For Eating A $1.39 Bag Of Chips Before I Paid For Them
A former San Francisco-area Walgreens worker with diabetes says she was fired from her job of nearly two decades because, feeling a hypoglycemic attacking coming, she chose to eat a $1.39 bag of potato chips before she had the chance to pay for them.
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Video Released Of Walgreens Pharmacist Fired For Shooting At Armed Robber
Last May, a pharmacist at a Michigan Walgreens was dismissed from his job at the drugstore chain after he fired his own handgun at an armed robber. Now the man is suing Walgreens and his lawyers have released footage of the incident to defend their client.
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If You Need A Cingular Wireless Prepaid Card, Check Out This Walgreens
Are you a time-traveler from 2007 in need of minutes for your prepaid Cingular cell phone? You're in luck! Tipster Peter found this card on the AT&T Wireless rack at his local Walgreens, noting that all of the $50 cards on the rack were antiques from Cingular.
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Walgreens To Start Selling Health Insurance
Come this fall, when you go to your local Walgreens to pick up your prescription, you may also be able to shop for a health insurance plan, as CNN reports that the country's largest drugstore chain is about to get into the insuring business.
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Walgreens Wants To Be The Spot Where You Charge Up Your Electric Car While Filling Your Prescription
As electric vehicles continue to hit the market, some retailers are seeing an opportunity to offer a new service by adding EV charging stations to existing stores.
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Walgreens Thinks $1.99 Mouthwash Is Worth $2.99
Reader Joy spotted an odd price discrepancy between the MSRP on the label of this bottle of mouthwash at Walgreens and the price on the shelf. So she whipped out her iPhone and sent in a picture of it to us using
our new Consumerist Tipster App. She chose "2" as her "Anger Level," indicating "a failure to communicate." The real question is whether the rinse rings up as $1.99 or $2.99 at the register. Either way, annoying.
Walgreens "Sorry" They Gave Patient 10x Recommended Dosage
She was hit with incredible pain and muscle spasms in her chest so bad that Arizona woman thought she was going to die. The strike was so severe she would turn red and purple. Sometimes she would have a hundred of these attacks each day, each time thinking that this would be the one that would kill her. Now Walgreens
tells ABC15 that they're "sorry" for refilling her prescription with 50mcg pills. She was only supposed to get 5mcg ones.
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Walgreens Fires Pharmacist Who Foiled Robbery By Firing Gun
What some called a heroic save, Walgreens has found reason to terminate the job of a night-shift pharmacist. Jeremy Hoven fired his handgun during an armed robbery at a store in Benton Township, Mich. and was subsequently fired.
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Wegmans Settles Walgreens Lawsuit Over Not-At-All-Similar "W"
Regular readers may remember that Walgreens filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Wegmans last fall over
the fact that the two companies' "W"s could maybe, possibly, if you squint, look similar. Well, Wegmans has decided it's cheaper to change some logos than fight a lawsuit, because it has agreed to change the offending W on its store-brand products.
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Bearded Man Steals $658 Worth Of Razors, May Have Shaved Beard By Now
New Jersey's Hunterdon County Democrat urges the public to watch out for a criminal on the loose. A tall, burly, bearded man shoplifted $658 worth of expensive razors from a Walgreens store. Police told the newspaper that the man "may or may not have a beard at this time."
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E-Mail Breach Hits Best Buy, TiVo, Walgreens, Chase, Kroger, Many More
What first looked like a small e-mail list breach at
New York & Company over the weekend was just the tip of the iceberg as multiple national retailers and banks found themselves the victim of the same data hackers.
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Walgreens Does Some Online Shopping, Picks Up Drugstore.com For $429 Million
After taking over New York City
with its purchase of Duane Reade drugstores last year, Walgreens has made a move to dominate the online market with its plan to buy Drugstore.com for around $429 million.
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Man Sues Walgreens For Giving Him Wart Remover Instead Of Eye Drops
A Walgreens customer in NYC is suing the drugstore chain for $1 million, alleging they mistakenly gave him wart remover when his prescription called for eyedrops.
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Drugstores Cross-Promoting Chocolate And Condoms For Valentine's
Drugstores are making it easier for you to get your Valentine's Day shopping in by putting endcaps of condoms and lubrication on their their chocolate and candy displays. Now you only have to visit one aisle!
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Walgreens To Sell Their Own Brand Of Beer For Under $.50/Can
If its decision to
start selling groceries wasn't enough of a sign that Walgreens is trying to shake up its image and reach a new audience, now comes news that the drugstore chain has begun selling its own private-label beer.
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Walgreens To Get Into The Grocery Game
For years, Walgreens has been the place where you could grab some milk, chips or soda while picking up a prescription but now the drugstore chain wants to be more than an afterthought in the fresh food market.
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Doing Extreme Coupons At Walgreens? Check Out At The Beauty Counter
Let's face it. One of the hardest things about using a lot of coupons is the shame factor. You're worried that you are going to get the rules wrong, that people in line will get mad at you, that the manager thinks you're stealing their time, and so forth. But one coupon aficionado recommends that when you're rocking the extreme coupons at Walgreens,
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Walgreens E-Mail List Hacked
Several readers have written in today after receiving a message from Walgreens that one of its e-mail distribution lists had been hacked by spammers.
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Walgreens Sues Wegmans Over The Letter "W"
If you thought the
Dodgers complaint against Brooklyn Burger was a stretch, here's one that's even more confounding. Drug store chain Walgreen's has filed a lawsuit against regional grocery store chain Wegmans because of the "W" in its new logo.
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(Willard)
When '50 Percent More' Means 'The Exact Same Amount' (Updated)
While on an almond hunt at Walgreen's, Willard encountered this side-by-side display of Blue Diamond Almonds. Both contain 24 ounces and cost $6.99, but one bag claims to have "50 percent more free."
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FDA Does Spit-Take Over Mouthwash Labels Saying They Fight Gum Disease
The FDA just smacked the taste out of the mouths of Johnson & Johnson, Walgreens and CVS over advertising that their mouthwash fights gum disease, without having science to prove it.
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Duane Reade Deploys Rewards Program Shrink Ray
Even retailer rewards programs can fall victim to the Shrink Ray. The latest victim? Duane Reade. Reader RC was saddened to learn of he change, and lays it out for us.
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10 Stores With Cheap Generic Drugs
Cheap generic drugs are good for when you're between jobs, between insurance, or if you've just got a prescription drug plan that is costing you too much money. You might find, as Wise Bread did, that a generic version of your medication actually causes fewer side effects in addition to being more cost-effective.
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Walgreens Wants You To Play Beer Pong
Someone at Steve's Walgreens knows that marketing table tennis balls to beer pong users is smart business. The little suckers have a way of getting lost amid the drunken mayhem of late-night competitions, so beer pong players make excellent repeat customers.
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Adventures In Crazy Birth Control Pricing
Rebecca experienced the wrath of the birth control pricing gods on a Walgreens visit, discovering that the generic version of her pill, Yaz, was suddenly more expensive than the name-brand version. She braved her insurer's customer service hell to track down some answers but only got more confusion.
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ACLU Makes Walgreens Sell Men Emergency Contraceptives
The ACLU says it found out Walgreens stores in Texas and Mississippi refused to sell emergency contraceptives to men, then pressured the pharmacy to order those locations to fall in line with corporate policy and let the men have their morning-after pills.
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Walgreens Launches Innovative Showroom Store, Where You Can Look But Not Buy
The thing about locking up all of your merchandise behind glass is your customers can't actually buy it. Well, they can if you have employees who give a damn about helping a customer. This Walgreens in Brooklyn does not have those kind of employees.
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Walgreens Computers Won't Let Me Buy Allergy Meds
Jason wanted to stock up on allergy meds by buying two packages rather than one in order to take advantage of a low price. Walgreens denied him then proceeded to accuse him of shady activity.
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FDA Investigating Walgreens Genetic-Testing Kits
If you were, well, salivating at the idea of spitting into a test tube at your corner Walgreens and sending off for a list of diseases you're at risk for, you may have to keep that drool in check for a while. The Food and Drug Administration is investigating the planned test kits, which were due to appear in stores later this month.
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Walgreens Completes Total Domination Of NYC With Duane Reade Deal
Hear that sound? It's the combined sobs of New Yorkers as the deal to turn all 258 Duane Reade drugstores in the metropolitan area, as well as two distribution centers and Duane Reade headquarters, into Walgreens has now been made official.
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Walgreens Takes Pity On You When You Get Mugged For Your Wallet And Prescriptions
Tabitha and her husband were part of a horrible chain of events. She was ill, and her husband was mugged on the way home from the pharmacy with her prescriptions. With his credit cards, cash, and his wife's medicine all gone, her husband went back to the pharmacy...and received true above and beyond service.
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Walgreens Expects To Complete Duane Reade Deal By Mid-April
Just as NBC prepares to give itself up to some company from Philadelphia, another New York institution has gotten one step closer to invasion from without with the news that the FTC has given the go-ahead for Walgreens to continue with its purchase of Duane Reade drug stores.
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(Jason)
Walgreens Has A Loose Definition Of The Phrase '50 Percent Off'
Jason spotted this photo at a Minnesota Walgreens. We ran the numbers and discovered that $7.49 is less than 50 percent off of $9.99. But the giant "50% Off" lettering looks so darn attractive that it's tough to fault the store's management from making the incorrect claim.
Walgreens Now Sells Televisions By The Inch
Rob took this picture of a 15" LCD television for sale at Walgreens in Virginia. It's nice that they chose to highlight the price, but confusing that they also posted the unit price. If you're wondering, TVs cost $8 per inch. I like this pricing scheme, and hope to see other retailers adopt it.
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Walmart Wins: Top 10 Most Valuable Retail Brands
Interbrand Design Forum— part of a global brand consulting firm— has ranked the top retail brands and guess what? Walmart is most valuable.
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Walgreens Opens Wide, Swallows Up Duane Reade
Anyone who's lived in — or even visited — New York City is familiar with Duane Reade Pharmacies, the only business that competes with Starbuck in terms of retail space in the five boroughs. And, as a New Yorker, I know it's a
love-hate relationship with the local chain. But the era of a Duane Reade on every corner in Manhattan may be coming to an end with the announcement this morning that Illinois-based drugstore giant Walgreens is in the process of buying Duane Reade out.
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Pepsi With H1N1 Flavoring Now Available At Walgreens
First, there was Pepsi Vanilla. Then there was Pepsi Lime. Now, exclusively at Walgreens, you can get the latest special flavor of Pepsi: Pepsi H1N1. It is also available in frozen pizza, Buffalo wing, and ice cream form.
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Learn To Play The Drugstore Game From The Very Beginning
Are you curious about what dedicated bargain-hunters call
the Drugstore Game, taking advantage of drugstores' reward programs in order to acquire more toothbrushes and shampoo than your family could ever possibly use? What frugal person isn't? Yet the forums where people discuss the tricks of this game can be intimidating, and it's hard to know where to start. What if you're not ready for major-league Drugstore Game? Is there maybe Drugstore Game T-Ball?
Yes, there is! More »
CVS, Walgreens Drop Tamiflu Prices After AG Sends Nasty Letter
Are CVS and Walgreens price gouging on liquid Tamiflu? The attorney general of Connecticut's office says the AG, Richard Blumenthal, has "received information suggesting that some pharmacies have charged substantially increased out-of-pocket prices for Tamiflu, in some cases as high as $130 or more. He has also heard that some retailers may be purchasing capsules of higher-dosage Tamiflu from distributors and remarketing it as liquid-form lower dosages at greatly inflated prices."
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Silly Consumer, Did You Think Your Prescription Info Was Private?
—>The NYT has the story of a woman who, more than 10 years after she tried and failed to have a baby using in vitro procedures, is still getting marketing information for all sorts of products. First it was Pampers and baby formula — then, as the baby she did not have "grew up," so did the marketing offers. How did they get her information? They bought it. More »
Trade Walgreens Hippie Cold/Flu Remedy For Actual Flu Shot
—>First, there was Airborne. Then there was Rite-Aid's house brand version of Airborne. Now, the Walgreens brand of homeopathic cold and flu remedy was also the subject of a class action lawsuit, and the settlement is at hand. More »
Walgreens says declining home values and rising unemployment are causing consumers to cut back on everything but essentials like soap and milk. Consequently, the drugstore chain is having to spend money revamping its merchandise selection to match the trend. It's back to basics if you want to make money. [Bloomberg] More »
Walgreens Cancels EasySaver Program, But That Doesn't Mean You Can't Still Play "The Drugstore Game"
—>Mitchell wrote to us complaining about Walgreen's decision to cancel its EasySaver Rebate program, where customers could submit multiple rebate requests at once and get the money back along with a 10% bonus applied to a gift card. Although the program is no longer with us, it's still very possible to game the reward/discount systems at Walgreens and other chain drugstores to accumulate huge savings. Sometimes you can even make money back. More »
Massachusetts CVS Stores Regularly Overcharge Customers
The number of overcharging violations - defined as charging more at the register than the price in an advertisement, on a shelf sign, or on the item itself - soared to 711, from 425. More »
Important Announcement: Drugstore Has Tamiflu; Commence Panicking
—>Anticipating a swine flu/H1N1 panic in your workplace, school, or airplane? Walgreens in Colleyville, TX has you covered. More »
Walgreens Pharmacist Sends Hand Written Thank You Note To Customer
—>Whether it's rational or not, there's something very satisfying when your pharmacist acknowledges you personally—it makes you feel like this expert you're placing such trust in takes the job, and you, seriously. In our experience it's a rare thing to see from pharmacists at chain drugstores, but Mike just had a great encounter with his Walgreens pharmacist when he moved to a new town. More »
Pop Quiz: How Much Is This Walgreens Mouthwash?
—>Reader Travis is wondering if anyone can tell him how much this mouthwash costs? It is a mystery. More »
Chia Obama Pulled From Walgreens Shelves
—>Sorry, folks, you'll have to go elsewhere than Walgreens to purchase your "Chia Obamas," as headquarters has asked local stores to remove the item, saying they felt it was bad for their corporate image. This perhaps marks the first time anyone has said, yeah, that's probably not a good way to commodify the Barackster. The Chia Obama comes in two formats, "Happy Chia Obama," and "Determined Chia Obama," sporting either a smile, or steely resolve, respectively. More »
Walgreens Doesn't Want You To Print Your Own Passport Photos
—>Walgreens charges a hefty $7.99 for passport photos. Is it because they're super fancy, or technically challenging to create, or the paper is strawberry scented? The answer to all of these questions is no. It's because it's an easy way to make a quick buck. That's why they hate it when you find a cheaper online solution and try to print out your own 4x6 layout of passport photos via their stores. More »
Want a free one-night movie rental from the Kiosk based Redbox Service? Just Enter this Code from Walgreens, WGREEN2, and a night of entertainment is a quick trip to your nearest supermarket/airport lounge/odd standalone. More »
Walgreens Jerks You Around When You Try To Buy Plan B
—>A reader's girlfriend tried to buy Plan B yesterday, but the Oxford, MS Walgreens pharmacy seemed to go out of their way to make it has hard as possible. Mere incompetence doesn't explain what happened. Instead, it sounds more like a consciously decided system of policies designed to discourage people from buying the pill... More »
Christmas Creep Is Mutating At Walgreens: "Halloween Trees?" Seriously?
—>It's bad enough when people send us pictures of Halloween decorations mixed in with Christmas ones, but a "Halloween Tree"? What the hell is a "Halloween Tree?" More »
Confirmed: Christmas Is Creeping
—>The Chicago Tribune confirms that Christmas is creeping up earlier this year as skittish retailers try to stay ahead of the ever-crescendoing non-recession. Walgreens, Kohls, and Home Depot were all singled out for defying the calendar, but blame also belongs with consumers who fuel seasonal ignorance with their buying choices. More »
Christmas Wrapping Paper Spotted At Walgreens
—> Reader James says he spotted this Christmas-themed wrapping paper lurking on the top shelf at Walgreens, waiting to strike... More »
Grocery Shrink Ray Hits White Rain Shampoo, But It's Still "33% More"
—>Reader Luke noticed that the grocery shrink ray mercilessly zapped his bottle of White Rain shampoo— but mysteriously left the "33% more" label untouched. 33% more than... what exactly? More »
Walgreens Pill-Flipping Scheme Costs Taxpayers Millions
—>Thanks to an anonymous whistle-blower, a Walgreens pill-flipping scheme has been blown wide open, according to CBS. "Pill-flipping" refers the practice of pharmacies that purposefully switch Medicaid patients to more expensive versions of certain drugs for the sole reason of collecting more money from the government. Naturally, when this happens, taxpayers pick up the bill. Athough, Walgreen's officially denies any wrongdoing they have agreed to pay the government more than $35 million. Details, inside... More »
Walgreens Thanks Nurse For Rescuing Comatose Diabetic By Sending Her Glucometer Bill
—>A woman went into a potentially fatal diabetic coma while in line at a New York-area Walgreens. Two nurses and an off duty sheriff's officer happened to be in line. They grab a carton of OJ, some sugar, and a glucometer and manage to raise her blood sugar a little bit. According to their reports, after the paramedics took the patient away, the Walgreens manager came out to demand that the merchandise be paid for, otherwise it's shoplifting. Good thing they were there, otherwise he might have tried to fine the diabetic for blocking the checkout line. More »
Free Printer Ink Refill At Walgreens Today
Walgreens is offering their customers a free printer ink refill today only at participating stores. Refills are available for the following printer brands: Dell • HP • Lexmark • Okidata • Primera • Sharp • XeroxGet them while they're hot.
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Walgreens Fills High Blood Pressure Prescription With Generic Allergy Pills
Tina claims that last December she had her prescription filled at a Dallas Walgreens store, and was surprised to see that the pills had changed.
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This Sunbeam Heating Pad Is Maybe A Little Too Hot
—> This is a Sunbeam heating pad that a LiveJournal user bought for his girlfriend. After a little while she said that the heating pad was too hot, even on low, turned it off, let it cool, and set it aside. More »
DHL and Walgreens cut a deal to open DHL shipping kiosks inside stores. 1,600 Walgreens will be offering DHL services around the clock.[Forbes] More »
Walgreens Drops Some CVS Prescription Plans
—>Negotiations have broken down between Walgreens and rival CVS Caremark, and Walgreens has withdrawn as a provider from four of their prescription plans.
Customers affected include members of prescription benefit plans managed by CVS Caremark for ArcelorMittal, Johnson Controls, Inc., Progressive Casualty Insurance Co. and Wisconsin Education Association Trust, the company said. More »
Walgreens is doing very well for itself. Same store sales up 6.9%. Do you like Walgreens, or did everyone get a cold at the same time? [Reuters] More »
Lawsuit: Walgreens Substituted Chemo Drug For Prenatal Vitamins
—>A woman who suffered a miscarriage after taking chemo drugs that were supposed to be prenatal vitamins is suing Walgreens, according to the Chicago Tribune. More »
Roadside Blasphemy: Walgreens Replacing Chicagoland Icon
—>"The Spindle," sometimes known as the Car-Kabob, a giant sculpture in the parking lot of the Cermak Plaza strip mall in Berwyn, Illinois, is set to be destroyed as part of a strip mall reconstruction. Instead, drugstore megachain Walgreens, apparently not content with its near-complete saturation of the Chicagoland landscape, will replace the legendary sculpture. Goodbye, quirky art, hello, homogeneity! (You might remember the 1989 sculpture by artist Dustin Shuler from the movie "Wayne's World.") But fans of the art and the citizens of the Chicago suburb of Berwyn aren't sitting still: The website SaveTheSpindle.com has launched, and there's a resolution in the Illinois House decrying the teardown. Will the sculpture survive? Hit the supporters' site and show 'em your love. More »
Duane Reade Sucks As A Pharmacy, Target Is Pretty Good
According to JD Power and associates survey of pharmacies, that blight on New York City, Duane Reade, placed last in the rankings of chain pharmacies. From the WSJ Health Blog:The results are based on an online survey of 6,543 U.S. consumers conducted last fall.
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Walgreens Apologizes For Insinuating Reader Might Be Committing Check Fraud
—>Reader DudeAsInCool got an apology from Walgreens and a $20 coupon after submitting his complaint over the hassle he was put through when trying to pay with a check. Somehow the who/what/when/why/where/how of his purchase tripped Walgreen's check verification service, Certegy, and he had to go through a ridiculous phone call in order to get his check cleared. More »
Religion On The Job
The law on this is Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits religious discrimination in the workplace. It requires employers to make "reasonable accommodations" for an employee's religious beliefs — "reasonable" being anything that doesn't create an "undue hardship" on the employer or on co-workers.
We think it's great and wonderful and amazing that companies make these accommodations, but retailers should probably make sure there's at least one friendly atheistic heathen-type cashier available at all times. Otherwise, at which register would we buy that gun that shoots pork-based birth control?
—MEGHANN MARCO More »
Generics Aren't Always That Much Cheaper
—>Generics meds are supposed to be a cheaper alternative to name-brand drugs, but a recent Wall Street Journal found that there wasn't as much difference as you might think. — BEN POPKEN More »
Statistically Speaking, His Check Was Fraudulent
—>Checking systems' vagaries make them susceptible to scams, so we can understand why Walgreens might want to protect themselves against our reader by denying his drug purchase. More »
Angry Customer Sets Walgreens On Fire
Attention: This technique is not in the Consumerist Kit. Do not set the Walgreens on fire. Apparently the dispute was over correct change and she used a lit cigarette to start the blaze.
—MEGHANN MARCO More »
More Customers Mocked By Walgreens Pharmacy
—>Just over two weeks after a woman sued Walgreens for labeling her a "PSYCHO," two more patients are suing for slanderous remarks attached to their prescription sheets. More »
Walgreens Pharmacists Mock You Behind Your Back
—>How would you like to see this on your bottle of meds? More »
Embarrassing Check-Out Line Purchases
The mostly entertaining Defective Yeti has an entertaining post up, musing upon embarrassing purchases, malicious price checks by Walgreen's cashiers and the nature of vacuums in check-out lines: More »
