JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Frustration is growing at a Northside pharmacy as customers say they’re struggling to get prescriptions filled on time at the Lem Turner Road location of Walgreens.
Customers tell Action News Jax they’re waiting in long lines for prescriptions they were told were ready, only to find out they’re not. With other Walgreens stores closed, they said this location is simply overwhelmed.
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Long lines at the drive-thru and long lines inside tell the story at the Lem Turner Road pharmacy.
Shopper Ken Badger said the impact was immediate once nearby stores shut down.
“This is the only Walgreens now in this community within a 3 to 5 mile radius,” said Badger.
He said this location is now carrying the load for the entire area.
Badger said, “So now you have a overflow of subscriptions at this store.”
Action News Jax reported last year when Walgreens announced plans to close 1,200 stores nationwide. That decision led to several closures on Jacksonville’s Northside, including locations on Soutel Drive, Dun Avenue, and Monaco Road, leaving the Lem Turner Road store as one of the only nearby options for residents in the Biscayne community.
Badger said he recently went to pick up medication for his wife, who is recovering from surgery, after he received a notification that it was ready.
“We did get the phone call saying the medication was ready. I get to the front of the line. I tell them who I am to pick up the medication, and they tell me that your medication is not ready,” said Badger.
He says the issue isn’t the employees but corporate leadership.
“ Because it does not appear that they’ve taken the necessary precautions to put the correct amount of staffing or even to increase the hours to accommodate this neighborhood,” said Badger.
Frustrated, Badger said he reached out to corporate.
Ken Badger said, “ I actually reached out to Walgreens to corporate office, and I got the response back from the store manager.”
He shared this statement with Action News Jax, which reads:
“Dear Kenneth Badger,
“Thank you for sharing about your recent experience at Walgreens.
“I appreciate your willingness to share your concerns and want to apologize for the delay,
“Unfortunately we are in the middle of getting new higher ups. We will use your feedback to ensure customers do not experience this same issue in the future.
“It you would like to email or call me to discuss this in more detail, please contact me using the information below. Thank you again for sharing your concerns, as your feedback is critical to help us improve the experience at Walgreens. We hope to see you again soon.”
Another shopper said she’s experienced similar problems.
Jocelyn Nash said, “It was a strain on us on the ones we’re trying to get our medicine when we get over here, then it’s not filled.”
Action News Jax also reached out to Reggie Gaffney Jr., who represents this district, to bring these concerns to his attention. He says he is now looking into the issue and working to provide a statement on how it will be addressed.
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