Costco Pharmacy

They gave me a hard time over a medication that I was in dire need of. They take forever to fill prescriptions and staff is rude. Lady with clumpy mascara and the other one with thin, brown hair spoke to me rudely when all I wanted was my medicine. My doctor said that she didn’t understand why they would not fill it. It honestly made zero sense, but I’m happy I decided to just have it filled at Walgreens because they were able to do it in 20 minutes.

The stigma surrounding life saving medications is very real here. I work for a clinic in Manassas Park that specializes in Medication Assisted Treatment for OUD, which has been classified by the ADA as a protected disability, and for good reason. Overdose rates, especially during COVID, are at an all time high. I called on behalf of one of the patients who attends this clinic after voluntarily completing a 45 day inpatient treatment program. After having what I perceived to be a productive conversation with Sarah, the pharmacist on staff there, she explained that there was a local doctor who was prescribing a combination of pharmaceuticals that evidence shows has no positive impact on an individual’s recovery. However, when I asked if the patient in question was a patient of that prescriber, she said that he was not. So, in an effort to move the process along and ignore the discriminatory nature of this implication, I explained what the evidence showed and she said she understood and would push the prescription through for him. When he showed up to pick it up, they turned him away because he did not have a valid government issued ID. Now, anyone in the medical field who is also familiar with VA state law knows that valid government issued IDs are only necessary for CII prescriptions. The medication in question was a CIII. So despite having his insurance information, access to his health records, AND an expired ID, they would not release that medication to him. When I called back to find out what the deal was, Dot, another pharmacist on staff, told me that Virginia state law did indeed state that the law said this, but this was pharmacy policy and because “he had never been to this pharmacy before” he had to jump through unreasonable hoops and barriers that evidence shows has a significantly adverse impact on an individual’s recovery. Despite explaining that he had just left a 45 day inpatient program, had an appointment in December with DMV to renew his ID, and the high risk of overdose, they still refused to release the medication. Cold, callous, and completely unreasonable judgment on the part of the staff there. This poor guy is trying to get his life back on track, and they are standing in the way of that. I will not let this go. I will take this to the media and tell them exactly what I was told and it will impact the profits of not only Costco pharmacy, but Costco as a whole. Pharmacy staff should be ashamed of this behavior and their overzealous attitude toward ADA protected disabilities. The pharmacists here evidently do not value their jobs. They are going to end up out of work trying to overcompensate, and the consequences of their actions can, and ultimately will, lead to grave outcomes for their community members. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. “Power is dangerous. It corrupts the best and attracts the worst. Power is only given to those who are prepared to lower themselves to pick it up.“ Authoritarians.

While I am no longer a member of Costco (their tire center is horrid), I have started using the pharmacy lately for a few scripts that Costco has the best price on.nnFor the most part, the staff is really helpful, patient, and very nice. On several occasions, the pharmacists and techs have gone above and beyond the call of duty in helping us with information and pricing.nnOne star deduction because parking at this location is horrible and the club only takes Visa.

After my last experience there, I certainly won’t be going back. Having health issues is hard enough without being judged by the people who are supposed to help you. The way this person spoke to me was completely uncalled for, and the worst part was that she made a comment about one of my medications loudly enough to be heard by everyone in line behind me. It was mortifying and completely unprofessional.

After using Costco’s throughout the country for 10+ years, we are moving our scrips to another pharmacy. The pharmacist was not accommodating and rude. Her attitude to me was that I was doing something wrong. Sad.