Taking a gander at all of the reviews on this CVS, I am quite confused as to other's experiences. I could totally see something negative happening if you over-demanded or had complex shopping requests, but on the whole, I have found this CVS to be reliable, quick during most visits, and relatively orderly. One plus is that they are pretty well staffed here. I've been to other CVS locations in the city, where you hit the button to ask for someone to help you open the Tylenol cabinet, only to wait for an inordinate amount of time before you have to walk all the way back up to the front to get the person yourself. You're able to get the help you need in almost every part of the store here. Granted, you're dealing with Philly folks, so they're not going to give you the nicest smile or friendliest service. But they'll help you out with what you ask, and frankly, when I'm coming to CVS, I'm not looking for the red carpet anyways so that's more than enough for me. Only knocks are probably the fact that aisles are often getting clogged up due to constant restocking happening. Not their problem honestly, because they're serving pretty continuous traffic opening to closing because of UPenn and Drexel nearby, so the fact that they're on top of inventory in the aisles instead of letting shelves stay empty is a good sign to me. Pharmacy folks are also helpful in the Philly fashion. Don't think I've had much of a wait ever, except for right after work, as expected, but even then they recently installed these partially self-serve kiosks within the past year that have greatly sped up prescription pick ups here. On the whole, I think you shouldn't believe all the revenge reviews happening here. This place is more than sufficient and above average for CVS locations in the city. read more

I'm updating my review & upgrading my rating, since I've been to CVS many times over the years. CVS has been consistently okay. They don't always have what I need, but many times they do. The employees are nice & helpful. The receipts are still way too long, which not only wastes paper, but also wastes time trying to rip off the extra coupons, throw them away, fold it all up & jam it into my bag. It's annoying, but it's a feature of every CVS I've been to, not this one in particular. read more

CVS always has what I need... 90% of the time! From cleaning products to personal care to nutritional supplements, prescriptions, candy, holiday cards, etc... CVS is usually my "go-to" spot. The store even has a wide selection of groceries, and strangely the prices range from great deals to huge rip-offs. If you're money-minded, it's worth comparing CVS to your usual supermarket. read more

I have to give this CVS a lot of credit. The PENN students often stop here in between classes so their crowds come in waves and yet they always do a great job of keeping the check out line moving and the self-check out kiosks working and manned with a helpful employee. While they do sometimes run out of items that go on sale, I feel that it's because the poor college students are always looking for a bargain and wipe them out of their hot sale items. The associates that work here are friendly and helpful although I've seen them get mad at one another but that doesn't really bother me too much. I've always found the layout of this store to make sense and they've almost always had everything I needed. As far as convenience, this store definitely gets 4 stars. read more

The Pharmacist at this CVS looks incredibly depressed and given up on life when it comes to helping costumers. I went to ask information about an e- prescription and they just told me come in Monday because they weren't sure how to fulfill this order. read more

It's a CVS. It's not a store you go to because you love it you go there because of convenience or to pick up a prescription. I'd say the customer service is usually pretty good and they have a surprisingly great skincare selection and cleaning supplies. The store employees are overall helpful and pleasant but the pharmacists are very rude and judgmental. One lady in particular is always very unpleasant but either way it gets the job done of being a dependable convenience store and pharmacy. read more

My New Year's Resolution is to boycott CVS. I have repeatedly received God-awful customer service at this and other CVS stores. Rolling eyes, no "Hello," throwing my money and my change at me. I even got yelled at for wanting cash back at 8:30 in the morning, when, apparently, there's no cash to give back (I only wanted $5!). I was very loudly yelled at. On top of that, the store is a mess. I have more than once had to move crates of merchandise out of the way in order to get to way I needed. The line is always, always long, and the staff is just plain unfriendly. Recently, whatever I was buying did not ring up on sale, and I didn't catch it until my credit card had already gone through. The cashier rolled her eyes at me and called the manager. I was ready to tattle tale my ass off to the manager until he arrived and I realized that he was just as awful as the cashier. I wrote the company a letter, but who knows where that went. I have heard lately that they participate in biased hiring or something and that there have been protests. Someone needs to humble this company real bad. read more

Until today, I would have given this CVS two stars for convenience and affordable-ish lunches when I don't have time to brown-bag it. But today I had a seriously humiliating experience that leads me to rethink ever getting anything from this store again. I have to go through the checkout counter instead of the auto-checkout line because the card I use is no longer swipeable and needs to be hand-entered. The (nice, polite) checkout girl was having trouble with the manual entry. She called over her manager, a self-important guy who loudly said four or five times, "No, she can't use Food Stamps for anything other than food. Oh, okay, she is buying food, so she can use her Food Stamps. Okay, it's Food Stamps, so just enter 'Food Stamps.' Something something FOOD STAMPS." When he himself had trouble, he called over a female manager, who also loudly said, "Hit the Food Stamps key." This was humiliating. I said politely to the guy that there's a reason that they call it EBT these days (so as not to humiliate people about their poverty), but he ignored me. I was relieved to see that I didn't know anyone behind me in the line or in the auto-checkout line. But this was a serious customer-service faux pas. I work at that intersection, for Unnamed University, and the high likelihood that this could have been witnessed by my students and colleagues whose goodwill and respect are essential to my future employment--at a place where, I hate to say, some people are not that empathetic or understanding about poverty-- Well, I'm pretty pissed off. I was going to write a letter to the store manager, but based on other people's postings here, I suspect that won't do any good. read more

I certainly didn't come here intending to defend CVS, but I almost feel compelled to in light of all these negative reviews... Which is weird, since I wanted to post mostly to complain about how this place is always busy. Always. Always always always. I live just around the corner so I've been here at the weirdest times, and there is always a line. Though I am starting to realize that this is probably less a function of foot traffic and more a chronic case of always being two cashiers short. Still, though, it's kind of strange... How do they always manage to be two cashiers short? Where do those cashiers go? Is this a calculated business decision? Have the CVS higher-ups decided that they need to project an image of 'exclusivity' and 'worth waiting in line'? These are questions to which there are probably no answers. Here are a few questions that do have answers, though... Where do I go when I need Red Bull and Orbit gum? CVS. Where do I go when I need prescription drugs? CVS. Have I ever had a truly miserable experience at this location? No. Have I ever had an outstanding experience at this location? No. Do I always have to wait in line? Yes. Are there often boxes stacked up in the aisles? Yes. Do I continue to patronize in spite of these negative things? Yes. read more

I've defended this CVS in the past, but today was awful. I waited online for 15 minutes to pay. Normally, not a problem. I try to find the Zen in it, and approach as "read People magazine" found- time. But, I was the ONLY person in line. I couldn't do self checkout (which I'm not a fan of anyway) because the people doing self checkout were having issues with the machine (as they break all the time). And there was no staff. The cashier was texting, and then disappeared into the back room. If I wasn't in dire need of my purchase, I would have left. read more

I really don't like to give poor reviews, but this place goes out of their way to make your shopping experience crummy. So to assist you, I've created a protocol that will steer you clear of trouble 1. Please don't ask employees to help you; they have better things to do, like: *walking around the aisles looking busy *texting on cell phones covertly hidden under sleeves or sleethly inside pockets (Facebook status' will not update themselves, you know!) *maintaining an aire of superiority over customers 2. If you dare to ask for help, you will likely be met with: *blank stares *a finger pointing you towards some vague area of the store *referral towards a elusive figure in management who is currently out *a tone of voice that compares only with your cat's claws against a chalkboard *irritation, because as stated before, CVS employees have better things to do I have a CVS closer to where I live, and I can attest to the fact that CVS employees are capable of caring for the customer's needs (at least they pretend!) This CVS, located on 34th and Walnut, and not to be compared with the CVS on 39th and Walnut, is pretty terrible. If you believe you've been treated poorly here, please call CVS' customer service at: 1-888-607-4CVS (1-888-607-4287) I did, and they said that my specific complaint would be addressed immediately. read more

Great they got rid of all the rude cashiers at this CVS and replaced them with plastic boxes. This one cashier with braids is mean. I once entered a wrong phone number into the selfcheck out and it rejected my $3 off coupon. I asked for help and mean cashier gives me her two cents and then asks me for Valid ID just to use my coupon. I showed her my ID and her grummy ass taps the screen to take off $3. Never been carded just to use a coupon, this one's a first. Your Cashiers needs to smile and act like they want to be there, they belong at Walmart! read more

I was lucky - I came here right at 8 AM when the pharmacy opened and the place was empty - thus no waiting (lines here can be ridiculous.). Plus I got a bottle of "SmartWater" for $1. Score! Wish they had more cashiers. (They also have 4 self check outs that sometimes don;t always work.) A necessary evil. read more

RIght smack in the heart of the Penn campus lies a mini-CVS with narrow aisles and a lot of foot traffic, so much at times it seems like walking through the streets of Mumbai. At times, the lines for the cash registers or self-serve registers are impossibly long. I don't think this is the fault of the store in most cases. There are just too many humans crowding into one little space. read more

Moved from 39th over to this new location down on Walnut, there's a bit less space and the prices are much the same. Not that many staff at times. Convenient for some of the students, but for most of us with access to cars, etc., a Target or Walmart is a better bet. read more

It's not really their fault that they're slow and overcrowded....but they're slow and overcrowded. This is the only CVS on Penn and Drexel's campus, so pretty much every goddamn student goes there. If you can, go to another one. read more

DO NOT USE the self check out machines here. They're always broken AND even though the machines accept cash, they don't give you change back. You have to wait FOREVER for a person to slowly wobble over and fumble with the key. read more

The pharmacy technicians are by far the worst, extremely rude and unprofessional. After ignoring me for 15 minutes I finally received my prescription. When I got home I realized they mixed up my prescription and gave me the wrong prescription!!!! read more

I contacted the corporate office and filed a complaint. They vigorously and adequately dealt with it! Kudos to CVS customer service.

A quick walk from the Drexel dorms, this CVS is located "technically" on Upenn's campus. They are sandwiched in between a small food court that has a quizno's. They have everything you need pretty much from food to bathroom supplies! Pharmacy in the back is like any other you find at other CVS's. They are smaller in size but they don't lose any of their stock! read more

Phamacists and techs are very nice. The line is often a bit long, but I guess that's what you get when there aren't many drugstores in the heart of 2 college campuses. read more

If I could I would give this store a half star. The pharmacy techs are completely rude, and cannot get orders correct at all. Frightening. I have had to go back several times for the same prescription. I will take ALL my business to Rite Aid moving forward. At least they are pleasant. read more

This CVS is the worst in the city. they often mess up my prescription, they tell my it's gonna be 15 minutes and it takes an hour, lost my film and the don't even sell cat food. I've had the worst service here! the guy pharmacist is ignorant as all hell. normally they seem very understaffed. read more

Sadly, the pharmacist Amber Zacarias was not reliable about the prescription information. I would not trust her with my prescriptions in the future. read more

I have worked with customer service for 6 years, so I always try and refrain from writing bad reviews for places because I know how hard it is to run a big business. However, this CVS is absolutely atrocious. They have no clue what they are doing and half-ass their work. Six times now they have told me to come in on a certain day to pick up my medicine, and six times I have come in only for them to give me bullshit excuses as to why they don't have it yet when even an idiot could see they just forgot to get it together/call for it. They don't care about any of their customers and when I begin to tell them how inconvenient it is for me to walk all the way over to find out my prescriptions aren't even close to being ready, they either walk away or start talking to a customer and ignore me while I am still talking. Three of my friends have had the exact same problems and all four of us are finding a new pharmacy, because even if it means us having to go further out of our way to get there, it's worth it knowing that our orders will be done when they tell us they're done. Take my advice and stay away from this pharmacy. read more

Usually this pharmacy is great. Today I made a phone call because there was a miscommunication between my new doctor and the information the pharmacy needed. The young man on the phone was extremely rude, unhelpful, and condescending. I recognized his voice from when I pick up my prescriptions in person--he is the young black man who is usually quite helpful and to the point. Over the phone however he seemed like he just didn't care or want to help me. I was quite upset when I hung up! I probably still won't get the prescription I need because the problem definitely wasn't solved. read more

THIS IS THE WORST PHARMACY I'VE EVER BEEN TO. I got an Rx filled here, they gave me the WRONG medication (the scrip was right, they just read it wrong) and refused to take it back or refund it - and I hadn't even left the store. They cited that "since I had opened the bag they couldn't take it back". Well, I HAD to open the bag, to see what medication was inside it, and I was never asked to sign one of those "I confirm that my prescription is correct" things before I left the counter, so I don't know how that works. I argued this point with them, to no avail. I had to go BACK to my doctor, get a NEW scrip, and pay $150 out of pocket because my insurance was maxed out by the first Rx. Went there again months later, they didn't even have my meds (a common medication that's NEVER out of stock). Went there are THIRD, time (it's less than a block from my work, and I was in a rush) and they said they didn't have my insurance on file, OK, fine, I'll show you my insurance card on my phone. The pharmacist read my information, put in some numbers in his computer (I guess, he might have been checking facebook for all I know) and then told me "Yeah that insurance is just for like, medical care, it doesn't cover medications." OH REALLY? That's strange, considering I use it for my prescriptions once a month at Walgreens just fine. I told him that it does work for medications at Walgreens, so then he asked me for Walgreens number, I gave him my Rx bottle with Walgreen's of South Street's number on it. Then he asked me "Soooo, is this your phone number, or Walgreens?" WHY WOULD WALGREENS PUT MY PHONE NUMBER IN GIANT NUMBERS NEXT TO THE WORDS "PHARMACY PHONE NUMBER". 45 minutes or so later, I received my medication (the correct one, for once) and lo and behold, my insurance DID cover the medication. I'm sure they get people who don't understand their insurance all the time, but to tell me something clearly false before you've even run my prescription and insurance is beyond asinine and potentially harmful to patients. I've wasted too much time and money on these imbeciles!!! GO LITERALLY ANYWHERE ELSE. read more

Alright for all the complainers who have an issue with waiting in line, you are at one of the highest grossing and BUSIEST CVS stores in all of Philadelphia not to mention it sits in the middle of two major universities, UPenn and Drexel so have some common sense and realize you are gonna have to wait in line just like everyone else. The customer service may not be great but what do you expect from extremely underpaid and overworked employees who have to cater to stupid questions from customers like "Is there a Pharmacy here?" or " Where are the batteries?" when they are standing directly in front of the batteries. Also, if you wanna throw a fit because you can't get cash back the moment the store opens or any other time of day for that matter then take yourself to one of those cash machines called an ATM. Sometimes you ask yourself in the store how hard these employee jobs must be but forget to ask yourself how much common sense you have when you can't find toothpaste even though the aisle is conveniently labeled ORAL CARE. Those blank stares you are met with when you ask a question is not because they do not know what your saying its because some people choose not to answer stupid questions. Also, CVS is not a grocery store so try taking yourself to one of those if you want Cat Food but I guess its just easier to complain on here about it. Oh and any real complaints you have go unheard and unchecked because Corporate CVS doesn't care and the employees at the stores have nothing to do with that. read more