Walgreens is a national drug store company and there just happens to be one near my house that is easy to get to when I need to pick up a quick prescription or some other drug store item I need. The problem is that each and every time I go there to buy something, I am stuck waiting in line forever to pay for my products. Last time I was there about a week ago, I stood in line for 15 minutes and only needed to buy children's pain medication and a couple of other small items. It was ridiculous! The cashier was slow and there were 3 people ahead of me in line, and this seems to be the case most times I go there. From now on I am going to drive a little out of my way to go to another store because the travel and wait time are the same if I choose to go somewhere a little out of my way.
It must be that location and the employees who work there. I have a Walgreens within walking distance to my house that is great; I never have to wait very long at all. If it's really that bad, maybe a friendly phone call to the store manager might be in order, just inform him/her how long it takes for a customer to stand in line on average? If they aren't aware of a problem, they can't possibly know to fix it.
That is annoying! I don't shop at Walgreens as often as I used to, but a lot of times if there is a line at one of the Walgreens in my area, I can check-out faster at the beauty counter. They usually always have someone working the beauty counter at the stores in my area. They might not be right at the counter, since they might be stocking in the beauty department. Maybe next time you go there when there is a line, look around the beauty section to see if there's someone there who can help you check-out at the beauty counter!
Do you live in an area with a high population? The Walgreens near me is almost always empty. This may be because there are other convenient and drug stores around it such as Rite Aid. Maybe you should try to find a different drug store, or just wait it out. 15 minutes won't kill you, but it could make you late for an important event.
There are a few tips I can give you to circumvent that if you ever decide to shop with them again: 1) There are several departments at Walgreens which means you do not have to check out at the registers by the door (which happen to ALWAYS be the busiest). You can also check out in cosmetics, camera, & even the pharmacy (be it they are open). 2) For some crazy reason Walgreens thinks it's a great idea to train new people at the busiest registers. No idea why. Maybe to just throw them in the deep end I guess. Anywho, when you're in line & it's taking longer than Ulysses politely ask the cashier to call out "I see three" on the PA. Which will alert someone on the floor to come to a register & help.
Thanks for the pointers. The cashiers also tend to be very slow and they will allow someone to step away from the register to get something if they forget it. This has happened a couple of times while I was in line and it just holds everything up. If a customer forgets an item, they need to clear the sale and get through ringing the other customers, while the person goes to get their item. I find that the worst time to go there is after work as it seems that everyone has the same idea. I can get through a big box store, like Target, quicker.
Don't worry about it. I know what you're talking about. I tend to frequent the one in my neighbourhood & these are just a few things I picked up from people that work there.
It's definitely location and time of day based thing whether or not you will end up waiting in line at Walgreens. My local Walgreens will sometimes have enough coverage to open that second register or 3rd in cosmetics. But I have also been there when they is only one register and 8 people all wanting to checkout at the same time. That is annoying.
I once got stuck checking out at a register where someone was being trained. It took forever. They should train people at the beauty register. I'm a patient person ,but Walgreen's is supposed to be a quick stop to pick up a few things, not a long ordeal.
Some cashiers are fast, some are slow. If it is a problem that you encounter several times at the same store, then I agree with the person here who said that you should call the store and talk to management. I like when cashiers take their time so as not to make mistakes, but sometimes the wait time can be ridiculous if you get someone who is really slow because of talking to the customers a lot, and seeming oblivious to the time factor.
I hate Walgreens for that exact same reason. I typically use amazon for non-prescription things and CVS for my prescriptions to avoid that kind of hassle even though walgreens is closer.
I don't EVER got into the Wal-Greens by me, hah. Asides from the fact that CVS is just closer, our Wal-Greens kind of sucks and is in a not so great area. Also, from what I've heard, finding an employee in there is pretty much impossible. And there's always only one person in the pharmacy, so there's always a massive line. Yeah, no thanks.
I hate sounding like an advocate but Walgreens is not that bad. I feel like if they would inform people about the ways to simplify their life I wouldn't have to. There are buttons in every section you press if you need an 'associate' & it definitely matters what side of town your Walgreens is located. That also determines who they hire.
I never have this problem at Walgreen's or anyplace else. 15 minutes??? That is crazy! If there is a line when I am ready to check out I look for other registers. I will go to camera or pharmacy and ask someone to check me out so I can get on with my life.
Wow, 15 minutes of waiting in a shop seems to have become a big issue. These days we expect to walk into a store and get immediate attention from every which side. But there are still many countries in this world where you have to prepare to stand in a line for up to an hour to get your groceries. I have been living in one of those developing third world countries for a year now, and it has completely changed my perception. These days I don't worry about the waiting time anymore, I am just happy to get everything that I need.
I've walked out of stores and left my entire basket or cart full of items, because the cashiers were taking too long and not being considerate of all the people who had been waiting in line for 15+ minutes to check out. I have no problem doing it either, it's infuriating to walk into a store for 5 minutes and grab a couple items, then be forced to stand there for nearly a half hour waiting to get rung up. I'm sorry, but they cannot be that blind that they don't see the long line of people waiting. That is not the time to putz around, make small talk with the person you're currently ringing up, do price checks on crap, and stall around. Sometimes it's not just the cashier's fault, but the person checking out, who wan't to re-organize their entire purse, balance their checkbook, and fumble around with a million other things - instead of just getting their crap and leaving.
I like Walgreens sometimes. I only go there if they are having a sale on something that I really need. The ones in my area are ok and sometimes there is a problem with long lines. It's usually because someone is in training. I wish the training could be done at the other counter in the back where the pictures are or something. I hate waiting in line just like everybody else but I keep in my the training cashier. I know it's stressful for them too but they have to learn somehow. Experience is always the best teacher.
It could very well be this location of Walgreens and those who work there. I have been in a few Walgreens in my area and haven't really experienced much problems with checking out. Now CVS on the other hand is another story. Especially their pharmacy which at times I feel is ignoring me as I stand up there. But then again it comes down to who is actually working there at that particular time. There are a few individuals who work in that phrmacy who are great at giving customer service but the key is being there when they are on duty. I know that waiting in line is no fun, yesterday I was having that issue at my favorite dollar store. It seem like no matter what line I was in there were issues ahead of me. Must of been something in my over all karma.
