Prescription refill times

[holly116]

I'm wondering if my expectations are off so please help me.  

After you call to refill a medication or receive a call/text from the pharmacy letting you know that an automatic refill is ready, how quickly do you need to get there to pick it up with it being ready?  Meaning, no 20 minute wait, just ready to check out.

I guess I'd like to know at what point is it no longer reasonable to expect that it's still ready and hasn't been returned to stock?  

Does this make any sense lol?  

[ava]

The place I go will keep the prescription on the shelf for 10 days before they restock it. After I get the notice it's ready for pickup.

[holly116]

I called in a refill for DS2's daily inhaler yesterday afternoon and it was ready within a half hour. I went to pick it up this morning, and after waiting in a long line, I was told that it was returned to stock and it would be 20 minutes. I was a bit enraged because this same pharmacy will call to say DH's meds are ready but then they aren't when I go to pick them up. So maybe I'm waiting too long by assuming I don't need to drop everything the moment it's ready?

What's the standard? I'm going to try and avoid this with our regular stuff by just switching it all to mail order lol.

[niq]

Your pharmacy will notify you when it's ready? This sounds magical.

I would assume it stays at the front of the store all of the day they call plus all of the next day.

But in general grocery store pharmacies all seem organized around the idea that shoppers will go there first, then do their shopping, and then come back. Meh.

[shelbyann]

They restocked it less than 24 hours after they filled it? No, not normal. I would have been annoyed too.

I use a Target and I think they give me a week. And I get a reminder text the day before it will be restocked.

[niki]

I would certainly be annoyed. They at least need to give 72 hours.

[undecidedowl]

Yea, that's crazy. I can't always get to the grocery store within 24 hours of my auto refill being ready. Ours is good for a week which seems reasonable.

[pooh8402]

Mine holds my prescriptions for like 5 days.

[Alyssa]

Aug 5, 2015 13:35:15 GMT -5 holly116 said:

I called in a refill for DS2's daily inhaler yesterday afternoon and it was ready within a half hour. I went to pick it up this morning, and after waiting in a long line, I was told that it was returned to stock and it would be 20 minutes. I was a bit enraged because this same pharmacy will call to say DH's meds are ready but then they aren't when I go to pick them up. So maybe I'm waiting too long by assuming I don't need to drop everything the moment it's ready?

What's the standard? I'm going to try and avoid this with our regular stuff by just switching it all to mail order lol.

I think that if you get a call that it's ready for pick up when it's not, that should be taken up with the manager.  If you have another pharmacy in the area, you might need to switch over.  We used to go to CVS but they were terrible so we switched to Walgreens.

[Deleted]

I'm a pharmacist and they are lying and have a messed up computer system.
It's calling to tell you it's ready before it is.
This happens to us when we are closed sometimes. The Rx is processed on Sunday so on Monday morning, the computer starts calling people to pick up and we haven't even got to work yet.

Anyway, our standards of practice is 2 weeks before Return to stock but we cheat and do 3-4 weeks depending on the drug. Because redoing stuff is a pain and no gain.

Also, if you waited in a long line to pick up something that the computer said was ready and it wasn't, we would bust ass to get it done in 5 min to keep you happy.

[holly116]

Thanks guys! This is a really busy Kroger pharmacy and I like the bonus fuel points but I think I'm done. It's too annoying to have this happen repeatedly. They did give me a survey after today lol, so they'll know why.

[boiler717]

The law here is 7 days before returning to stock

[cjeanette]

My target holds for 7 days. Sometimes longer.