Duane Reade

Great location. If you need something before work or on the way home they have everything you can think of for home and office needs. Much cleaner and quicker than the K-​Mart in the main corridor. Don’t overpay for drinks in Penn station, get them here for regular prices.

This review is for the pharmacy.
I called about getting a flu shot on a busy Wednesday morning – someone in the Pharmacy department picked up immediately and said to come on down. I waited less than two minutes, was in and out and the whole thing was covered by my insurance so cost me $ 0. The pharmacist that administered the vaccine was super friendly and nice. Totally pleasantly surprised!

I had to hunt to find a cell phone car charger here (the one near Grand Central has those right at the line to the register) but the location itself is okay. Smallish compared to some of them but staff was friendly enough & I’d think of this as «old reliable» in terms of Duane Reade locations.

The worst customer service I’ve ever experienced at DR. First, cashier gave me my change $ 14 — Nine singles (?!) and a $ 5. Why not in quarters? :)
Moreover she automatically put a few small items in a big bag. When I said that I don’t need a bag for it, she calmly replied that I can «do it» myself and turned away. No problem, I did it Myself but I will never shop at your store again.

based purely on the pharmacist.
THIS LADY IS THE BEST PHARMACIST TO DEAL WITH IN THE CITY.
No lines, she comes and helps you right away and makes your life easier.
If you ever commute thru penn station use this place

Store #14 155
After attending a meeting nearby, hunger pangs pegged me yet a strict budget restrains my food options. However, Duane Reade pulled through with Mini Ravioli at $ 3.49. There are very limited utensils at hand in the prepared food department. The line is organized and functions orderly to move moderately. Cashiers are efficient amid not the most welcoming nor professional to hone their interpersonal skills.
The correct address is: 2 Penn Plaza, New York, NY which this location sits inside Pennsylvania Station on NJ Transit level.

It’s a little weird maneuvering around this one… but they usually have what you need in stock… though the customer service is rather spotty.

wow extremely bad customer service, I’m talking 3 employees chatting it up while checking out AND BEING SUPER LOUD! UGGGHHH

Needed passport photos for an international drivers license. Went to the Duane Reade at 460 Eighth Avenue and was in and out in less than 15 minutes. The cashier taking my photo let me look at it first and even offered to take another one if I didn’t like the first one. How great is that?

There’s about 3 Duane Reeds in the Penn Station area (2 underground and 1 on the 34^th and 8^th Street corner). I’m not sure which one is considered the 1 Penn location but I frequent all of them depending on what direction I’m taking for lunch. I go to all of them all the time and they’re very convenient but just found out that they do passport pictures!!! The lady took my picture and it was done in a few minutes (I thought I would have time to shop some more :(). So if you need passport pictures done, this is the place to go…

Every Duane Reade has a crazy layout, so I am not holding that against them. I’m sure that corporate tells them to put the kleenex with the cold meds (not by the other paper products) and the granola bars by the cookies (not by the cereal) because I see this infuriating layout at many Duane Reades.
Probably the best thing about this Duane Reade is how nice the pharmacy staff is. That is certainly not the case with their other locations and for years I never got my meds at a DR after some really shoddy service at a couple of locations. Not so with the Penn Station DR.
Since this DR is the closest one to my work, it’s where I’m going to shop regardless, but the experience is MUCH more pleasant now that they have completely remodelled. I was sad to see the photo developer go, but that’s what mail-​in places like Shutterfly and Snapfish are for. (Cheaper, too.)
Best of all, now that there are individual check-​out counters which make it only natural for people to form separate lines, the cashiers no longer have to spend their days yelling, «separate lines!»
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that with the remodel came a Zabar’s pre-​packaged food stand. The sandwiches are cheaper than the ones just down the hallway at Zaros and just as fresh. There are also small side dishes and wraps. Now I can run my lunchtime errands and grab a bite and only wait in line once.

This Duane Reede is in a great location. Easy pick stuff up and jump right on the train.

Unlike a certain Duane Reade 8 blocks away, this one has plungers! It’s also conveniently located near Penn Station, so commuters can get their fix of hostess cakes and household chemicals.
The store layout is a little confusing, but with a little searching you’ll probably find what you need.