Duane Reade

DR is pretty straight up and self explanatory, but this location is pretty large for an underground spot. It’s right before the 50^th St exit and has a large selection of prepared foods, particularly those quick lunch options… Sandwiches, sliced and whole fruits, salads, cold cuts — all seemed fresh.
They do have a sushi counter, which looks interesting, but I’m not that adventurous. I am regretting not getting those two huge packs of bacon on sale for $ 8 though. Oh well.
Also! There are two checkout locations (front and back of the store).

Pros:
–convenient, located downstairs in the BDFM Rockefeller train station
–stocks essentials that you may need
Meh:
–prices are high, which is expected
–store is not as big as most DRs/​Walgreens, may be due to midtown location/​high rents
Cons:
–if the thing I bought can’t fit into that teeny tiny plastic bag, please give me a bigger bag (common sense).
Other:
–If you’re paying with a credit card with a chip, stick it into the little slot in the front of the machine. Don’t swipe the card.

The renovated the location near my office but their prices are much higher than CVS or Walgreen’s. And their sales are not what I would call «sales».

Love the convenience of having a drug store right as you exit the subway at Rockefeller Center and head through the underground concourse. I knew I had to find a Duane Reade at some point in the day for bath & body necessities. Bumping in to this one, right off the train was super convenient. It was a clean a bright location and had a well stocked section of travel size items. Prices were fair for the convenience.
If you’re so inclined, they also had a wide variety of snacks, self serve fro-​yo (crazy right???) and cold beverages.
Great location and has the basics you’d need for your healthy & beauty needs.

This Duane Reade is a like a secret pocket or nook in the city underneath the city. While it has traditional midtown prices (e.g. really expensive things), it definitely has enough variety that will keep me coming back.
I went to the Duane Reade because I was in dire need of a good shampoo and conditioner. After scouring internet chat rooms for 30 minutes, I decided upon a good protein based conditioner and made my way to Duane Reade to see if they had it. Having kinky hair, I wasn’t expecting Duane Reade to carry the shampoo and conditioner, particularly because there are not a lot of stores which accommodate African-​American textured hair. I was glad to see that I was wrong. Duane Reade had Shea Moisture, Patene Pro-​V, Organic Root Stimulator, and many other shampoos and conditioners. I was able to quickly find the shampoo and conditioner that I wanted.
I was happy I took the risk.

Midtown prices, but good drug store

They recently expanded and took up the space where Burger King use to be. It’s a great upgrade and the store is bigger and brighter. Idk if I will be exploring the new sushi station, but I will definitely check out the frozen yogurt. I love that I can get to this location without having to go outside. They are the only place I have tracked down so far that still develops film and more specifically disposable cameras.

I usually use the Duane Reade on Whitehall Street, since my office got wiped out by Sandy we are in a midtown location. What a difference! The staff is so friendly and helpful. I forgot a bag in the store last nite. It was an expensive clothing purchase. I realized that I left it on the counter when I got home an hour later… I called the store panicked and they said they had the bag and the manager, Mohammed, would have it for me in the morning. Wowee. He did, and was so nice.
This Duane Reade is about the only thing I like about working in Midtown!
Thanks Chris and Mohamed.
Marie

Not to be contrarian, but I have been using this DR for years and have always found their staff to be friendly and helpful. Could use an update though!

I like the fact that this location is underground right across from the FMBD trains, which is convenient when you need to pick something up on the way home.
The store is small & every time I go in I always see the workers putting things away. The lines do tend to get long since there’s only like 2 cashiers, but the actual check out is fast.

This Duane Reade is on located on underground near the BDFM train and the Rockefeller concourse.
For the most part, I’ve found everything I needed at this location but have experienced a few times where products where out of stock or not carried completely.
I’ve also experienced so-​so cashiers and slow lines at cashiers almost every time I’ve been here.

Important note: This location is underground.
There is a very nice Duane Reade on 51^st St., North side of the street, next to the bank. It’s literally a 2 minute walk.
Don’t be lazy, go to the nicer one if you need to spend some quality time with Duane.

For $ 10 and in 10 minutes, the friendly woman working the photo center produced almost flattering passport photos of me. I even had the distinct impression that she would have re-​taken the photos had I not been happy with them. This was the least painful part of my entire passport acquisition experience.
Thanks, Duane Reade.
BTW, I’d give you 5 stars if you stocked granola bars or decent snacks. I needed something to keep my blood sugar up during the 6 hours I spent in line at the Rockefeller post office.

The worse Pharmacy at this duane reade location ever!!! First they tell me to come back next day to pick my prescription, so when i did, they couldn’t find me in the system at which point i insisted for them to find my order, which after 20 min they did. Finally, after they found my stuff they tell me that my insurance does not accept RX and I have to pay $ 100…right on my insurance card it spells out «Copays— NO for RX» they read it as «your insurance card doesn’t include RX» they didn’t even check my card on their computer… that was frustrating… anyway I ended up going to a different pharmacy store to get my prescription… they need professionals there.

Decently sized Duane Reade, has a bit of everything including cards, snack food and a pharmacy. The licensed pharmacist behind the counter is very knowledgeable and also very willing to take the time to answer questions and explain in detail the differences between certain medications.
DO NOT ask any of the cashiers, even the ones behind the pharmacy counter. Some of them will pretend to know what they are talking about when you ask a question (and insist that they are correct) but I have gotten incorrect answers both times I’ve asked them for help (double checked w/​the pharmacist after wards because it didn’t sound right)
Overall, the store is neat and clean and very convenient.

This has got to be one of the WORST Duane Reade in the city. The space is tiny, the aisles are cramped, the place is forever in a state of disrepair, and the staff MUST be from some sort of «Employ an Ex-​Convict» program because they are the surliest, least socialized bunch I have ever encountered in my entire life.
There is Jaquanda the cashier/pharmacist’s assistant. She must be the longest term employee in the store, because when she’s called in to help the PHARMACIST find something, you know there’s trouble in the store. She is never withour her doo-​rag/​hair scarf, and she appears to wear scrubs to work, so the entire effect is ghetto medical assistant. I’m sorry, I know it’s crass, but this place really just blows. Then there’s Andre, the cashier, who is usually on the phone kicking game to some poor female on the other end.
The cosmetics/​make up aisle shares space with whatever seasonal display is up, making it horribly crowded and dingy, but because the staff here is so lame, it’s not unusual to have to weed through old holiday candy crap or seasonally-​decorated somethings-​or-​another when looking for a lip gloss because yours just died.
Lines at the check out are never less than six deep, and the floor staff seems to scatter away like roaches in a just-​illuminated kitchen when ever there’s a pile up at check out. Where the hell are they? All on break? At 4:30pm?
This is the go-​to pharmacy for all employees of the McGraw-​Hill Building, seeing as its in the lobby, but for sharing space with such a tony address, you’d think they could up their game a bit! Good luck finding what you want in these horribly congested and DIRTY aisles. Truly one of the worst in a chain known for being low budget in the first place. Shameful.