Duane Reade

So it is freezing winter, I have a huge cold and need some tissue paper.
I walk around the whole ground floor, go upstairs all around, come back down… no tissue paper! I go back upstairs where they sell boxes of facial tissue and ask the pharmacist «Does this pharmacy sell tissue paper??» She looks at me doubtfully and says «try in the travel section»!!! Are you kidding me? They were no where to be found even there but the «travel section» for a pack of tissue paper?
OMG! I cannot believe it! As you enter the store you will stumble on chips, pop corn, soda drinks but they cannot sell tissue paper?
I am in shock how this brand can call themselves a pharmacy! The cheapest bottega has better supplies!

My boyfriend ordered a small bottle of Humulin-​R from the 48^th street store in Manhattan, they told him they had sent the order and to come in the next day (last Friday) to pick it up. He had «luckily» run out of the insulin he had been using the next morning. He expected to only be without insulin for a few hours yet, when he went to the 48^th street store, he was informed that no order was sent and no insulin was there for him, and to come back on Monday. A diabetic, with uncontrolled type I juvenile diabetes, NEEDS insulin to live. He spent his whole weekend carefully eating and exercising to compensate for having no short term insulin/​make sure his blood sugar didn’t go high. He went back on Monday and once again they didn’t order it and was told to use a different pharmacy from now on! This is ridiculous and unacceptable from a pharmacy! He was forced to spend $ 92 on a bigger bottle of insulin from a different store, but he should have gotten the size he ordered, when he ordered it, at the store he ordered it from. Instead he was treated rudely and his order was completely ignored. Duane Reade should really make sure the pharmacist they hire actually care about their customers.

I do like the renovations, but, just had one of the most obnoxious experiences I’ve had in a while. I picked up something from the upstairs section, and thought I’d pay for them upstairs in the pharmacy line where there was practically no one in line (the downstairs cashiers had a line going all the way past the stairs).
This lady tells me that, even though she clearly had nothing else to do, that I had to wait downstairs. I told her I had cash. She insisted I had to go downstairs. I mean, really? What, just because she’s a pharmacist, she’s too good to be a cashier? C’mon!
Selection is pretty good, and the location is convenient. But there are other places right in Rock that are cheaper… and with much more helpful staff. Not worth the nuisance.

Only one register open when I need to buy a bottle of water?
I don’t think so, not with all those raggedy-​assed tourists in front of me.
Didn’t they know my diet pill was wearing off? Well it was, which is why I’m only giving them two stars. The water was ice cold but the wait made me hot under the collar.

In theory, Duane Reade is not a terrible place to buy donuts. They have all the breakfast cart standards — same supplier and everything — with the added bonus that they usually have stock left over when the carts close up around 11 am and I still need a fix.
That said, avoid this particular DR and go to one of the 17 others within a two-​block radius. For some wacky reason, they have decreed that donuts are «pastries» and thus charge the yuppie-​food danish/​muffin price of like $ 1.50 or so for the donuts you’d get for $ 0.79 elsewhere (or $ 1 at a cart).

Being swealtering hot today, I stopped in here randomly for a gatorade.
Interestingly, they are starting to offer sushi and quick sandwiches to go. Not bad as I was a bit hungry, and randomly grabbed a small tray of sushi.
The lines are quick, the price is right, head out and down to the subway to get back downtown before the nose bleeds!

Finally this place did a complete interior makeover. Use to look so raggedy and dim, but now it’s bright and aisles are appealing to walk through. Unfortunately, there is always a long line. I can’t blame the staff all the time because some times there are some dim wit patrons who either have difficulties with the card swipe machine or digging in their laundry-​size bag for exact change.
Duane Reade is every where, so a great convenience.