Duane Reade

the pharmacy staff is completely incompetent. accused me of cussing their pharmacy staff out when I DID NOT. then refused to fulfill my prescription. sticks so far up their asses they’re a complete waste of time

This Duane Reade is absolutely ridiculous. My friend tried to buy a pack of cigarettes. We are all of age at 22. The cashier tells my friend he doesn’t only need to see his id but everyone he’s with. I asked for the manger, he tells me the same thing. Shows me to a sign which does not state that if someone is buying cigarettes and is accompanied by their friends they are all obligated to show ID for a purchase of cigarettes. He tells me to call corporate at 2am. Will not be buying items from this Duane Reade anymore all your good for is chase ATM.
BTW managers name is Rasheen

I always call ahead to see if they have certain items in stock, they always say yes, and once I get there they don’t have them. Useless employees.

This is my go to Duane Reade because I use their pharmacy and it’s close to where I live. The store is always organized and I never have any issues finding things. The only problem I can say is that the link for the pharmacy is always long no matter at what time or day I go. This is the only thing I might dislike other than that it is very pleasant.

Negative experience with the cashiers who tried to be coy. While ringing me up, the cashier helping her along with the cashier working to the right worked quickly together to withhold my register rewards coupon! I heard the coupon printing and saw the two of them quickly stashing the printed coupon in between the printers. I quickly said to the one ringing me up that I know I am supposed to get a register reward coupon from this transaction and she pretended not to know what I was talking about. She waited at least 10 seconds before giving it to me and said, «oh is it this?» While playing dumb, she kept chuckling for some reason (maybe at the fact that she got called out?)
Please do not take things that do not belong to you. Quit playing dumb and do your job honestly.

This review is for the Duane Reade pharmacy at this location. One of the pharmacy employees — Reshma (sp?) — is so helpful and pleasant. Even if she doesn’t really remember me, she acts like she does, which is always nice. She is knowledagble, provides answers and refills quickly.
Rest of the employees at this Duane Reade are not as on-​point. So, minus one star there.

Lord, you wanna talk about an incompetent pharmacy staff and some ghetto disaffected cashiers? Look no further than this well manicured castle of douche. 1 star for the one time that I had a nice experience here with a sweet hispanic lady at the pharmacy who guided me to the feminine products aisle when I needed it.

Left work early to pick up a prescription. Pharmacy is supposed to close at 10, and was shuttered at 9:57. Pharmacist was very rude when I asked her if she could open up saying there was «nothing she could do». Spoke with a manager who seemed to be almost confused at my request. Completely unhelpful.

They don’t pick up phonecalls in the evening, good luck to anyone trying to reach the pharmacy.
Items are slightly pricier bc it is about the only chain pharmacy in williamsburg, but clean and orderly.

This is definitely one of the nicer, larger Duane Reades in Brooklyn, with its main level is largely devoted to beer! There, you can find a small bar where you can buy draft beer bottled on the spot, or peruse a large, refrigerated, room dedicated to stocking a multitude of different beers. However, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, go there hoping to drop off or pick up a prescription in a timely fashion. The pharmacists are nice and helpful enough, but they are grossly understaffed and cannot handle the high Williamsburg traffic. Trust me, just don’t. You will wait in line at their lower level pharmacy with no cell reception, questioning whether or not you really need that medicine after all.

There is one nice young lady at the pharmacy and then there’s everyone else. They bullied me, mocked me and lectured me about how I should be spending my time– and for not calling my doctor when they had a problem filling my prescription, which I thought was their job…
I left this pharmacy in tears TWICE in one night because they were so ridiculously rude: «Are you sure you have enough money to pay for this [prescription]?»
I wanted to go talk to the manager the next day but honestly what’s the point. I now just go to another Duane Reade.
Look, I’ve worked in the service industry before and I know how frustrating it can be to deal with people daily, but no one should leave *anywhere* feeling like they were ganged up on or– even worse – crying. I swear to God, other DR employees came over to the Pharmacy (I was the last customer trying to sort out a prescription) to gawk at me and laugh at my confusion/​frustration over their laziness that ultimately led me to not being able to pick it up. They even said at one point that I had called to cancel it, which wasn’t true at all!
I tried calling them all week to confirm everything went OK since in the past they’ve been difficult. I even asked my parents to try as well since I just started a new job and didn’t want to be seen as taking personal time during work but no one answered! I’d be on hold for 10 or 15 minutes! I told Leina this and she just snapped back that she had been answering the phones all week so I must have been dialing the wrong number.
To top it all off, at the end they embarrassed me by asking if I had enough money and waved bye to me saying «buh-​bye!» as I walked away feeling defeated and humiliated.
Seriously, this happened. I was so surprised a grown woman, Leina the pharmacist, would not only act like this but LEAD the entire thing. I’m 24 years old and I can be immature sometimes but I’d never expect such terrible behavior from a «professional» — especially one who was so convinced she had the maturity and wisdom to lecture me: «I don’t know what you’ve been doing this whole week but you shouldn’t have waited until the last minute to pick this up.»
Well, to answer your question LEINA, I have a very demanding full-​time job in the city that I love and unlike you, I like to do my job well and give it my all– so fuck you.

If you want a reality check with the pace of time outside of New York City living, then this is your place. Time slows down in this store– or, the time it takes the employees to ring you up. It’s as though their moving in slow motion. Every single 20 times I’ve been in this store. I mean, why is someone restocking a full counter of candy when there’s only one register open and a line of ten people? While the main register moves at a sloth’s pace, the pharmacy downstairs is respectfully quick and helpful.

It’s ok. the cashier wasn’t at the counter today. had to wait about 3 minutes for her. they have usually what I’m looking for.

this moved in across the street from king’s pharmacy, which sucks because that place was great and was forced out. i could have forgiven them if they could have pulled their weight in the drugstore game, but it’s my closest drugstore so i am constantly inconvenienced by them as i go there at least twice weekly for something and they are out of that thing for weeks, even months. they never restock! it is so annoying! oh, keep your «be well“s, you corporate doofuses. replace your stock or you’re going down!

Expect them to not know what you’re talking about when you come in to pick up a rx your doctor called in an hour prior, apparently because they haven’t bothered checking the voicemail on the line doctors use.
Don’t expect the pharmacy to answer their phone when you call to find out. Do expect to be told you are the next person in line by the hold system, and to sit there unanswered until you give up fifteen minutes later. This has happened to me three separate times now.

Price are twice as high as other store in the area. Went to by contact re-​wetting drops. 12 dollars for less than an ounce of drops. 12 dollars!!! Started looking around everything is marked up higher. Screw this place. Go to a neighborhood store.

Ridiculous wait times for the pharmacy and no Wi-​Fi in their dead zone basement level makes me cringe going to this Duane Reade. As a fan of the brand and stores… this is one of the worst.

This review is solely for Brew York City, the beer taps INSIDE Diane Reade that lets you refill your own growlers. Yes, you heard that right… this Duane Reade has beer taps where you can bring in your own growlers and they fill them up with whatever craft beer you’d like that they have available!
Otherwise, it’s a Duane Reade, people. What the fuck else were you expecting out of a Duane Reade thats like every other? Except, this one has beer taps and you can bring in your own growlers that they will refill for you! If you forgot your growler or just want one, they sell them there to you for a few dollars, like $ 5-​$ 6ish for a 64 oz.
Refill prices:
64oz: $ 9.99
32oz: $ 5.99
I go about 1 – 2 times a week. Walk in with about 2 – 3 growlers in hand, skim by the registers holding my growlers up, they acknowledge me and call for someone, walk the 10 feet to the taps, wait like 2 minutes, then someone comes up and starts filling up all my growlers. They wash them off, I give a few dollars for a tip, walk to the register, pay, leave, then head home with a ton of beer. All from a Duane Reade!
I love this place, mainly for Brew York City, they also have a nifty beer cellar right next to the taps with a huge selection of beers.
Otherwise, it’s a fuckin Duane Reade, people! Except, this Duane Reade has beer taps where you can bring in your own growlers and they fill them up with whatever craft beer you’d like that they have available!

While this location and the 24 service is super convenient, the service at the pharmacy, from one pharmacist in particular, will keep me away from this place unless absolutely necessary for good.
I was attempting to fill a prescription for my boyfriend and the pharmacist refused to fill it. Why? Because the month was changed (by the doctor — same handwriting) on the form from a 2 to a 3. I asked if they would call the doctor’s office to verify, they refused. I had the doctor call them to ask if they could fax in a new prescription — he refused.
Upon each refusal, both in person and on the phone with the doctor’s office when they tried to call it in or send a fax (a very legitimate and large practice on Park Avenue in Manhattan, mind you), the pharmacist was incredibly rude and unreasonable to both myself and the doctor’s office. If this was a question of company policy, you would never have known, because he was simply uninformative and curt — beyond rude to my face and actually laughed at me as I walked away, as I was visibly upset at being unable to fill this prescription my boyfriend needed very badly.
While I appreciate big business raising the worth of this neighborhood I have lived in for many years now (before the hipster/​yuppy mega boom), there is some thing to be said for common courtesy, solid customer service, and just treating people like human beings. It is extremely unfortunate to be treated so poorly. I took my prescription to Napolitano’s on Graham and Metropolitan, open until 9pm on weeknights, and they were extremely accommodating and friendly. Even if it’s a bit out of the way, I’ll be going there from now on. End of story.

The only reason I’m giving this location 4 stars is because it’s probably the ONLY place in Williamsburg near the Bedford Ave Station with a Chase ATM machine.
For newbies to Williamsburg, Hipsterville is NOT a very Plastic-​friendly (By plastic, I mean credit/​debit card) place. Sure there are many ATMs located on the main drag of Bedford Ave as well as in the ubiquitous Delis but they charge an arm and leg for it (One time I saw an ATM with a withdrawal fee of $ 4.50 WTF No thank you)
Even though I don’t like Duane Reade in general, this place is a lifesaver especially for those that have a Chase Bank Account and need to withdrawal some cash without a steep ATM fee.