It’s odd how the policies differ from one store to another. I didn’t have to show anything.
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No ID’s needed at door, but had appointments scheduled and they had our insurance info. They took H’s temp and not mine…
Because it’s hard to depend on my mom to have her relevant paperwork, I keep a a xeroxed set of all of it in my purse and am able to present it as needed. She has a set in her purse as well, plus I have her original passport in my house with our passports. We can get her duplicates of her insurance or SS card if essential.
My brother has her original renewed DLicense, tho she hadn’t driven in decades and has no interest (was never a good driver).
I was curious so I went through the CVS scheduling website to see what it said about downloading insurance cards. Here it is:
"We’d like an image of your medical insurance card (optional)
Upload or take a picture of the front and back sides of your card. A clear image will help us properly bill the government for your vaccine. Both images are optional."
I had my booster at a CVS in a Target store. No line, just one person finishing up a vaccine when I got there and one person picking up a prescription while I waited my 15 minutes. But tonight I went to pick a prescription at a Walgreens – oh my! Pharmacy hours have been cut to 10-5. The drive-thru was closed. There was a line halfway around to the store – not sure if it was for shots or prescriptions, but since it was 4:45 I just left and will go back another day.
Just went to cvs and was expecting massive crowd due to VDay holiday but it was very calm and very few customers. I was even able to speak with pharmacist! He says Friday afternoons & evenings are crazy. He says holidays they often aren’t crowded.
We’re in densely populated North Jersey. There are CVS, Walgreens and RiteAids on every corner.
We use CVS about a mile from home. Drive up is always open with maybe 2 cars in line.
Pharmacy inside is HUGE.
A drop off window, consultation window and 3 pickup registers.
Yesterday, I counted TEN white coated employers busy at counters and computer screens.
I use the CVS app and love getting texts when scripts are ready.
I have no connection to CVS except a lucky customer.
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You have an efficient CVS. Mine is a mess. My H needed a refill for his pain medication (he had knee replacement surgery 8 days ago). The CVS that had his pain medication last week—didn’t have it this week. I ended up calling several CVS stores—none had the pain medication. I finally contacted an independent pharmacy and this pharmacy had the medication. At the same time, I got a text that my eye medication, which I get from CVS is ready. I drove to the store and it’s not there??? Why did I get a text? Eventually, the clerk finds the prescription. CVS in my area clearly has problems. I didn’t have issues like this at CVS until the last few months.
That sounds awful.
Last thing you need to do is chase around to different pharmacies for medication for a man in pain.
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Which is EXACTLY what we pharmacists said back in the early 2000’s when all those pharmacy schools started up, would destroy salaries when the glut came. SMH.
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yeah, it looks like the number of Pharm schools is up ~75% in the past 20+ years. It’s past market saturation and market needs, i.e., grads exceed number of entry level jobs, similar to what happened to Law schools years ago. (And like law schools, pharm programs were cash cows for Unis, so no surprise that programs have grown.)
My D21 is in college, doing well and wants to go off a medication for anxiety and chronic pain medication that’s she’s been on for over two years. Tapering off has been really hard with lots of withdrawal effects but she is determined. Because the pills are capsules and hard to accurately divide, her doc wrote for a smaller dose.
She ubered to Walgreens from campus to pick up this and another script. Waited an hour and 15 min in line. They told her they only had one script for her. She said are you sure? They said yes. She took the one and then called the doctor’s office. They said they had called it in and it should be there. Pharmacist told her she would have to wait in line again. She waited again, about a half an hour this time. They found the second script. She went back to her dorm and discovered it was not the strength the doctor wrote for. It was the same strength she already has instead of the lower one. 
It’s important to check Rx (especially dosages) before leaving the pharmacy counter so these issues can be corrected. Once you leave with the Rx, the pharmacy can’t take it back due to laws to protect against possible tampering.
It’s unfortunate that the wrong dose was given and now your D has to contact the MD and get the corrected dose dispensed. Maybe she can gave it mailed to her(tho the mail isn’t as reliable as we’d like).
I’d be very upset and don’t see what she had to wait in line a 2nd time—she should have been called out of order when they filled the Rx.
I’ve actually never checked my prescriptions/dosages at the pharmacy counter, but it’s a good lesson. Luckily, D21’s doctor is happy to call it in to a different pharmacy where she hopefully will not have to wait.
Our pharmacy at home often has a long wait now due to the fact that they have one line for both prescriptions and vaccines. I wish they would hire more people so that they could separate the two functions. But there are still times you can go when there won’t be a wait, as opposed to the Walgreens by D21 where there is always a long wait.
Our local quick care said if you show up right at opening time there’s never a long wait. I bet it’s similar for pharmacies.
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I happened to be at our beach neighborhood CVS for a couple of items and swung by the pharmacy area to report here. No line; no customers at all. And hand lettered signs that they were out of COVID tests.
Gotta say I had a great experience getting Moderna booster at CVS this evening. The online registration was a bit of a pain, but I got the jab one minute ahead of my appointment
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I’m not sure where to put this since it involves Riteaid instead of CVS.
I made an appointment for my booster today. I show up, no one other than me is at the pharmacy at 10am. There are 5 people working.
As I’m waiting for my booster an elderly gentleman comes up to the pharmacy. He’d like a booster and shows the person manning the check in his vaccines card. This is how the conversation goes.
Man- I’d like a booster
Clerk- we don’t have Pfizer, is moderna ok?
M-yes I’m fine I need a booster
C-it looks like you’ve only had one shot. We are only taking appointments, do you have access to a computer?
M- no
C- come back between 2 and 3 that’s the only time we do walk ins
M-ok I’ll come back the next time I’m in town.
I am so upset at this point. I am so sad that I didn’t think fast enough to offer him my appointment, since I have access to a computer. I did not see any one else waiting for a vaccine.
I say to the pharmacist that I am very upset, this man has only had one dose and has no access to a computer.
The pharmacist says that she hears a lot of sad stories every day. That they had to make appointments because they couldn’t get their other work done. I pointed out that when my husband got his booster 3 weeks ago that he walked in.
How in the world are we going to get everyone in the United States vaccinated when not everyone has the ability to get the vaccine? This man came to town with the intention of getting a vaccine.
It just should be easier than this.
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I witnessed a similar encounter when I went for my booster at our CVS but the pharmacist explained that they only take a certain number of doses out to thaw so they don’t have extras for walk ins. But, the pharmacist sent the tech out and he helped the gentleman make an appointment on his phone for the next day (which he said wouldn’t be a hardship to come back).
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Except the difference is that they do accept walk ins from 2 to 3. And no one was willing to help him set up an appointment.
Who knows if this man will come back in? There was a chance to fully vaccinate another person missed.
How many more are there? It’s not just anti-vaxxers
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