Picture it: Late April 2026, Waltham, and I find myself an unwilling cog in the machine of consumer bureaucracy. A maintenance drug that I cannot miss was on back order at my regular pharmacy and had been for close to 2 weeks with no accurate updates in sight and goal posts on the expected refill dates continually being moved. I was going to be out of luck, and out of pills, in a few days. Receiving no further help whatsoever from my regular pharmacy I was told to look elsewhere. Like it was a limited edition sneaker instead of life-saving medication. Thus began the second stage of this saga. One CVS I called did not have my medication in stock but did quite helpfully refer me to the CVS on Lexington Street which they explained did. After calling and leaving a message I decided to waste no further time and went in person late in the day to share my predicament. When I say rays of sunlight veritably lit up the pharmacy desk despite dusk fast approaching I am not exaggerating. A very special shout out to Omar, the pharmacist on call, who helped me from the moment I arrived in mild distress to the moment I left with my precious cargo in tow. Despite what I'm sure was a hectic day for him as well, he took the time to listen to me, immediately confirmed that the medication was in stock and offered several solutions to getting the prescription transferred over so that I could have my meds by no later than the next day. He was kind, patient, professional and invested in my well-being as a patient. The entire team working that night was a study in caring and professionalism honestly. After a very worrying day which began with my concerns being ignored or downplayed, thanks to Omar and the team at the CVS on Lexington Street I have the meds I need and some small faith in humanity restored. So thank you again! read more

Consistently horrible service . Always understaffed , rushed and a mess . Drive thru is torture , but so is walking up to the counter , or calling them. Generally staffed by a single overworked pharmacist and a bunch of techs , they must pay horribly , they all seem miserable and some of them are quite difficult to understand or explain things to, speaking in defeated mumbles and dejected exhaustion. They can't even seem to hire enough staff to stay open during lunch. They should close this mess of a pharmacy, it's a customer service embarrassment. Good luck read more

Get these people some help...! All of the workers at the Pharmacy in back look like they are constantly in survival mode yikes. As others have mentioned often the notifications for the prescriptions are inaccurate and when I asked the staff openly admitted that it's not reliable. So the past few times I've been watching the app like a hawk and it's been in process for a long time with no movement. So when you go there in person you go to the drop-off/consultation line. Then they might do a rush fill if they have the medication there and you'll need to wait another additional 20-30+ minutes. I've also used the drive through which is the main benefit over other Pharmacy locations. There have been also 2 instances where they have sent my RX to another CVS location... when we visited the one in Belmont it looked normal and there wasn't a giant line 10+ people deep. My RX that was sent over was filled quickly in 5 minutes. It doesn't matter what hour you come here there is always a line. When I've come here I don't think I've seen the same people working here in the past few months at all. It's also impossible to call this location given the phone directory making it super hard to get the right extension and I've been on hold for 40+ minutes. When I'm in person I always hear the automated "there are 4 calls" on hold there. Then occasionally it will lower as people give up on hold or the system automatically disconnects them. The rest of the store is fine and we've stopped by here to pick up other stuff since we know we will be stuck here awhile anyway. read more

This is my local pharmacy but that's about all it has going for it. Every time I go here to pick up my recurring prescription, it's the same story- I didn't get it fast enough, they returned it to stock. This means I stand in one line, then get told to stand in another, then get told to either come back in an hour or the next day. Every time. Would they let me prepay so they could hold it out of stock for me? Could they see I'm always a few days late, and maybe just hold it an extra week? No. They'd rather have their associates process me three times, every time. The associates are nice enough folks, but their management has failed them. read more

This place has gone from horrible to an absolute disaster!! Have not gone to pick up a prescription where the line is not at least 10 deep for the last year. 50% of the time after waiting in line for 25-35 minutes I find that there is some type of issue with my order that has me waiting even longer or having to come back altogether. Tonight they sent me a message stating my prescription was not covered by insurance, even though I have been taking the same med for years. So I called to ask for clarification. After waiting on hold for 25 minutes the pharmacist answered and abruptly hung up on me when I asked why I had to sit on hold for 25 minutes. I am usually not one to call for a boycott of someplace, but if this place isn't worthy of a boycott I don't know what is!! It's really too bad that you can't post negative stars. read more

Ever wonder what the letters in CVS stand for? Well if you are a customer of the 800 Lexington Street one in Waltham it must be "Customers' Veritable Sh!tshow" as this is THE WORST pharmacy you will ever visit. In fact PLEASE do not allow them to fill your scripts unless you like waiting in line for 45 minutes only to be told the script that was requested a week ago was not filled, and it is not because they are out of the pills, but they just haven't got to it and they "can't say when they will". Longtime customers who need pills that can result in a heart attack if they miss doses should not be treated like utter garbage by the staff. (based on the long long lines and quantity of enraged people walking out we were not the only ones). Costco will be our pharmacy for everything from this day forward. read more

This CVS went fron bad to horrific. it's the CVS in Waltham, MA in the past 3 yrs, it went from 2 stars to negative 10 stars. The store staff decide when they will open & close whenever they feel they want to do so. It's supposed to be open till 12am but I pass buy for essentials, the doors are locked & lights are turned off- sometimes as early as 8pm. random hours. what's worse, is that they cut their pharmacy hours- now it's 6pm instead of 9pm. they take an hour lunch break or more. THE PHARMACIST IS MEAN SPIRITED & NASTY. ***Half the time they don't have the medication.** they no longer offer delivery nor prepay. GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER!!! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. They should be reported to the BBB. If you pass by there, do us a favour. Spray paint & graffiti the buildinc. F minus minus read more

Actually a rx tech, Nate, was amazing! He was very efficient, responsive to all my questions and listened intently. Ask for him the next time you're in there! read more

im sorry i cant give this a 0. The employees at the pharmacy are so rude and unhelpful... and it's ALWAYS like this at this particular cvs

UPDATE your signs! Don't have a sign on your door that says open until MIDNIGHT if you lock the doors at 10pm. I understand there is a labor shortage and this may impact your hours, but you can take down the huge LIT sign that says open until midnight! read more

THE WORST CVS EVER! The pharmacists are incredibly rude and straight up incompetent. DO NOT GO HERE!

The worst service of any CVS I have ever used!!!! Rude, inept personnel especially in the pharmacy!!! Beware@@

Just visited this location to pick up a prescription and was told that you have to "check in" with a newly installed computer! This was the only thing a twenty something could tell me not having my glasses with me to pick up a ten dollar script an other woman offered to enter my information into the system! Of course she didn't say first or last name so we had to do it twice‍ I asked the twenty something why I couldn't just provide the information orally but I got the canned response we have to use the computer So here's a question for the bright minds at CVS. What happens if the computer is down, are customers forbidden to obtain their necessary scripts read more

Buckle up folks. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, they have a new pharmacy manager (again) who is rude, arrogant and considers herself the end all and be all. So unprofessional. She actually told me the pharmacy fired all the previous managers and brought her in to save the day. The height of arrogant. If you disagree with her she threatens to ship you off to another pharmacy. She is confrontational and arrogant. Mean, ridiculous and unsympathetic to the plight of the patient or the public left to deal with their chaos and lack of organization. Her solution to fixing the problems is to eliminate customers who are dissatisfied with the chaos. Unbelievable. read more

CVS is terrible, not like it used to be. The pharmacy staff is useless. After four days, I received a text the drug was in, only to wait in line to be told it wasn't Going to Walgreens from now on. read more

Worst Pharmacy ever! Can you give a zero? No customer service. I have a sick kid at home, and they are unable to have antibiotics or eye drops ready? Absolute joke. This will be the last time I use this pharmacy or cvs for that matter. If I was a pharmacist I would find a different location to work. I will be switching to a different pharmacy. CVS is not like it used to be. STAY AWAY! read more

I dread needing to call CVS. They have an hour plus wait time to call. CVS CORP HIRE MORE PEOPLE, 2 Hour LUNCH BREAK IS CRAZY. Also Make a call back option. US Government should break CVS up, the lack of Competition has resulted in a horrible customer experience where the customer has little to no recourse read more

The pharmacy here is impossible to deal with. Far too many times have had texts sent to be saying a prescription is ready only for me to arrive and be told its not in stock then treated like I am the one with a problem for expecting it to be ready. This pharmacy never has anything in stock, pharmacist incredibly rude, and despite being within walking distance for me will look elsewhere to get medications filled. read more

I do not typically leave feedback if it is not good but this the WORST CVS location I have every gone to in the lifetime of CVS locations I have visited. I have been waiting for a prescription for almost 5 days that they never have in stock (Ive been ordering for 4 years now). I was suppose to get it "the next day" but I wouldn't' know if its ready.. because not a single person has picked up the phone in the 4 days I have been calling for a status. I have waited on hold up to 40 min and no-one bothers to answer. I highly suggest you never visit this location. read more

This is the worst CVS pharmacy I have ever been too! It's awful! The lines are long and slow. The pharmacists return your prescriptions after a day, so I have to reorder them. They are never ready in time. The staff are very unfriendly!! The pharmacist is just so behind, so never comes over to help. I take medication that is essential for my health. The staff at the front of the store are so very helpful and kind... I wish they worked in the pharmacy! read more

You'll either be in line for 20 minutes or the pharmacy will be randomly closed. And they're rude. All CVS locations are crap, but this one (Lexington street, Waltham) is extra awful. Go anyplace else if you possibly can read more

Terrible customer service. They didn't have my prescription I need for 5 days. Finally came to get it was told later in the afternoon. Came back at 430, told one hour, hour and a half later, told another hour by a woman that was extremely busy rude. Go elsewhere, or be prepared to be lied to and get terrible service read more

This is the WORST cvs I have ever been in. The pharmacy lines are outrageously long and there are never enough people working. Scripts are NEVER available when promised . The staff is rude. Shop elsewhere. This store is awful. read more

I'm not one to leave feedback, but this has to be the worst CVS I've ever been to. It's not all that neat in the store but it's the pharmacy that is so bad. I once received the wrong medicine in a bottle that was labeled incorrectly. The lines to pick up prescriptions are absurd. You have to leave an extra 1/2 hour to stand in line to wait to pick up prescriptions that take days to fill. I am in need of a medication now. It was submitted yesterday. I guarantee it won't be ready for days. read more

Well, it's a CVS, and a perfectly average one at that. There is nothing wrong with it, and it is fairly clean and airy. And there's plenty of parking. So, good on you, CVS. You get a B. read more

Hands down the worst CVS I have ever dealt with. I'm my parents primary caretaker. They live in Waltham and this is the closest CVS to them. Every time I'm notified by text that a prescription is ready, they can't locate it in their database when I pick it up. I would have to go to Order desk where they see that it was filled. They walk over to the bins and get it. After a couple of times, I just tell them to look in the bins. Apparently the databases aren't linked. What really prompted this review was what happened last week. My Mom forgot to tell me that they ran out of one of my Dad's medications and somehow the CVS Auto Refill didn't refill it or notify me. I live in Walpole, 40 minutes away. I call the CVS to check and have the refill ready for when I get there or as soon as possible. I get the pharmacy and get put on hold. As I am nearing the Waltham exit ... I am still on hold. Now I decide to see if I arrive at the store before they pick up. I do. Now, I'm still on hold and walk into the store and get in line at the pharmacy . There are three people in front of me. Over the intercom , I hear "Caller holding on Line 1." That's me. They're busy, I can see that. One woman is giving Flu shots to about 4-5 people. I come to find out later that she is the pharmacy manager. She finishes the Flu shots and then goes behind the counter and does some paperwork. She is now standing BESIDE the phone. Over the intercom , it keeps repeating "Caller holding on Line 1." That's still me because I am waiting to get the counter and now dying to see if they ever pick this up. I get to the counter, I'm still on hold but say nothing. I want the store manager afterwards. Turns out that the prescription had expired and required a new one. That's why it wasn't refilled explaining why I didn't get a text notice. Its Sunday. The pharmacist gives me two pills and submits the renewal request to the doctor for Monday. I am still on hold this whole time, another ten minutes and watching the woman standing beside the phone still doing paperwork, ignoring the call, ignoring me, while the intercom keeps repeating "Caller holding on Line 1." I finish with the pharmacist and walk up to the front and ask for the store manager. The person I ask happens to be the store manager. I explain and hold up my phone, which says CVS Waltham with call timer at 35 minutes, on hold. She is not happy but is also only the "acting" manager. The actual manager Maureen Richardson, was out. The acting manager and I walk back to the Pharmacy and she confronts the Pharmacy Manager. I forgot her name but I think it was Barbara. She looks at me and says "well we were very busy." I said that I watched her ignore the call on hold for ten minutes while beside the phone. She literally scowled at me and said "we were busy, what else do you want me to say." I said "you can say what you want to upper management when I let them know about this." She just glared at me as I turned and walked away. I transferred the prescriptions to Costco. read more

This is the WORST CVS location. I usually do not go to this location, but they were the only location that has had a certain medication in stock, so I've had to go there 3 times now. Every time I call the pharmacy I am on hold for 45+ minutes. The last time I called, I was on hold for 57 minutes. They always seem overwhelmed in there. I am not sure if they are just consistently understaffed, or they just don't want to answer their phones. I have gone in person three times now and have waited in a line 30-45 minutes. There is always more than 10 people in line. The last time I went there, I called the automated system first and it said the prescription was ready. When I arrived, I waited 45 minutes in line only to be told my prescription wasn't ready, and they said they were getting close to closing (30 minutes) and I would have to come back the next day. The wait wasn't any better the next day. Avoid going to this location at all costs, they are horrible. If you can't avoid this location, be prepared to wait. read more

CVS Lexington St. Waltham is the most un-customer focused of almost any place I deal with. Every single time I call with a simple request (e.g. mailing a prescription), they always have an excuse - too busy, computer down...and say to call back or go to the website. One night, I asked for my prescription to be sent (a service they claim to provide), and I asked if its possible to add one other item to the package. The woman responded, "It's nearing closing time, and I'm not going to start going through the store to get your item." There's never a customer focus, customer friendly response, even if they have to say, "I'm so sorry. We can't do that because," or, "Let me see what I can do to help you." This is consistent, not just one particular employee. Because of this, I encourage everyone I know to stay away from them. read more

The associates weren't particularly friendly, but what bugged me the most was the long line at 2 in the afternoon. I came in here at 2 one day to take passport pictures. A line was forming in the one opened register and another line was forming at the register at the photo booth. So........how do you expect me to take my passport picture? Oh, get in line. I got in line to take my picture. "Please wait 10 minutes". 10 minutes over. Oh wait, I have to get back in line again?!?! They are understaffed. At most, I think there were 3 workers in the whole store. My whole trip at CVS should have lasted at MOST 10 minutes. It took me 30 minutes. Note to self: Come back when you have time to waste. read more

This is by far the slowest/worst CVS I have ever been too in terms of their Pharmacy. I've overheard many people complain while waiting in line about how they were told their prescription was ready only to get there and that not be the case. I've had similar experiences as well. I've also had many experiences where I said I would wait to pick up a prescription where it would take "10-15 minutes" only to have it take well over a half hour or they forgot about it altogether. I gave it 2 stars because the rest of the store is pretty solid. Plenty of selection for over the counter medicine and about 5 self checkout stations that work well if your trying to quickly get in and out and only have 1-2 items. read more

I generally avoid CVS since I've had nothing but bad experiences. However I'm having an issue with insurance and I can't go to Walgreens or Osco So CVS is my only choice in Waltham. My dr called in 3 of my scripts and 2 were ready before 4pm. I wanted almost 2 hours and decided to check with cvs to make sure I wasn't having an issue. They told me that my prescription would be ready in 15 minutes. I waited around cause I work doubles the rest of the week and can't get over there until Saturday. Long story short 3 hours later on my 3rd attempt to talk to the pharmacist it was finally ready. Not only did it take 3 hours for them to fill a my 60 that comes in 30 count boxes but they are rude and treat people on certain medication like they beneath them. I may just pay cash for my prescriptions someplace else cause this place sucks to deal with read more

The store, especially the pharmacy area, is disgusting. It honestly appears that no one has ever dusted or vacuumed and this is where they mix medications! Pharmacy staff is unhappy at best. Even when there are 6-7 people in the pharmacy, they will ignore a line of customers until they decide to acknowledge their presence. They also love to send you from line to line and make you wait each and every time. The self checkout sucks, rarely works, and only one kiosk takes cash. There are almost zero employees who work in the store and those who do have almost no knowledge of what they sell, where to find items, etc. Choose another store. Waltham CVS is just plain gross. read more

Come in time to time for the occasional snack there is usually one decent deal for a popular snack. Today when I went the Arizona ice teas were 2 for 1. The employees are also pretty friendly and helpful when you need them. read more

CVS Pharmacy - Cvs employees might need a spell check.... - Drugstores Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

I was at the pharmacy last night. As usual I stood at counter watching busy employees work, chat, draw straws as to who will attend to people in lineI'd rather go to the drive thru LONG line where they WANT to help customers, or are forced to because thats their job. And hey a pleasant attitude please. I am the customer right? We've all had a long day !!!This CVS is at the bottom of my list. read more

What a nightmare. The pharmacy department is decent, but when I asked to be texted when my stuff was ready, I never got one until hours later. They always seem rushed and super busy, even when there's nobody at the desk. The real problem is the rest of the store. There are no employees around, so if you, God forbid, ever need help with anything, expect to wait 10-15minutes for somebody to put down their sandwich, get the key to the razorblades/formula/candy, shuffle over to you, then talk on the phone while they ring you out. I'd rather go to one of the useless self-checkout things, where at least I don't have to interact with them. Prices are also far higher than the grocery store down the road, which is where I'll be going from now on for any of my normal drug store needs. Don't forget to take your six foot long receipt on your way out... read more

If the store is open, the pharmacy should be open. There are many people out there who start work at 8 AM, including myself, and would like to pick up or drop off prescriptions before work. read more

Okay, now if I could give this place *0* stars I would. One would think that CVS would have taken the time to fix the self-checkout machines by now, due to the issues that have been documented in prior reviews stretching back to August. But the opposite is true: I was here on January 28 and found not one, not two, but three (3) machines completely out of service. The only machine left in service was one that would not accept coupons but was otherwise functional. This is atrocious and suggests that CVS corporate just does not care about the customers that use this location. I think I will avoid this location. read more

I did not go to this CVS with the intention of reviewing it. There's nothing remarkable about the store itself. But because of my experiences with the employees, I simply have to. I've been to the CVS at this particular location all of twice. And both times, I've had weird encounters with people who work there! To give you a better idea, here's the most recent one: (as I'm approaching the registers to check out) Employee: Hey pretty lady, I'll help you over here (gestures to the self-checkout stations that I abhor) Me: Okay, thanks...? (I begin scanning my items) Employee: Hey pretty, you visiting? Me: Excuse me? Employee: You visiting? Me: No... Employee: Sweet, where you live? Me: Couple towns over... Employee: Where?? Want my number? (reaches into pocket and miraculously pulls out piece of paper with his number) Me: * silence * Employee: (as I'm walking away) Come on beautiful, here's my number! Wait! Can you see why I'm annoyed here?? I come to CVS to buy necessities like toothpaste or shampoo. Not to be hit on! read more

Wow, what a terrible store! I'm splitting this review according to store departments: Pharmacy department: I've gone to get my prescriptions filled here several times, especially since I live right down the street. I've received phone calls that my order was ready to be picked up, I've gone and waited in a very long line and then I find out that it is not ready to be picked up. Many times they've misplaced my insurance information. Other times the staff have actually ignored me while I waited in line, or turned me away rudely. One time I went and their machine wasn't reading any of my cards so I had to wait and re-enter my driver's license information (I was purchasing Sudafed) three times. I finally just paid cash. I keep coming back to this store because its close to my apartment, but I am consistently surprised by how terrible the service is. Photo department: There is rarely anyone at this desk, and when they are, they have been rude and/or busy. It seems that they split their photo department as their main cashier, so if you are developing a photo order you have to wait until the cashier line has died down (even if you were waiting before the customer they are checking out). It seems like they treat they're employees as if they can be in two places at once, which they can't. The last time I went to the photo department, I had to wait a ridiculous long time (again). Then, for three weeks they kept calling me telling me that my order was ready- although I had already picked it up. When I called, I had to wait on hold for 5-10 minutes each time because they kept answering and then hanging up on me before I could answer. I finally got through to them because I called the pharmacy department who transferred me over. If you can avoid this store, do so! read more

I would like to know WHY when i have all my meds on automatic refill, every month they tell me they don't have my medication and they have to "order it" if I ask to speak to the manager, s/he is never there. I'm tired of being furious every month. I'M CHANGING PHARMACIES! read more