Chris and his staff are exceptional. I have never had a pharmacist who knew so much without looking up the information first or took the time to look it up and as if I wanted it printed out. They look for coupons to make sure you can afford that new med you Dr. just put you on and make sure you feel cared for and about, unlike big pharmacies. I hope the owners know what an asset they have in Chris....and their other staff read more

Unfortunately...... they've sold the business to Walgreens They will be greatly missed! Chris was the best pharmacist

After a bad experience with CVS, who I went to because of the proximity to my home and weekend hours, I switched to El Portal Pharmacy and SO glad I did! Chris was able to save me over $100 a month on my prescriptions and is always willing to go the extra mile for his patients/customers! Outstanding service. read more

I have all my pharmacy needs through Chris the Pharmacist and his awesome staff. So friendly, courteous and KNOWLEDGEABLE!!!

Best customer service ever! After trying to get an rx filled at scary big pharmacies in town as I feared getting robbed then told no stock to fill rx, it was so nice to go to a nice new pharmacy that treats you with respect and care. We are fairly new to Merced and will be transferring all of our rxs here. They even gave me a suggestion for a local doctor in the same plaza. Thank you El Portal pharmacy! read more

Best pharmacy very attentive no longer lines Great service. Will never use rite aide or Walgreens again as long as they are around read more

I've been going to El Portal pharmacy since they opened. My husband and I are extremely happy with the service we get, such wonderful people and very helpful and caring. We love going to pick up prescriptions and never regret having to go. Awesome people, thank you read more

This is a great pharmacy, staff is friendly and helpful. Pharmacists fill Rx's VERY QUICKLY...I haven't ever waited longer than 10 minutes. I totally agree with other posts here the large pharmacies, take your Rx, write all over it then tell you its not in stock and the wait is 2 weeks. read more

Very friendly and helpful, and my prescriptions are always ready in minutes! I love this Pharmacy. I used to go to Costco and Walgreens and its a completely different experience here. I wish more people knew what a great pharmacy this is, even in emergency situations they have been understanding and have helped me out right away. I highly recommend El Portal Pharmacy! read more

The best pharmacy in Merced! I go here on a regular basis for myself and my daughter. They have excellent customer service always friendly, caring and helpful. They go over and beyond just being a pharmacy. read more

I found them to be friendly and very efficient. I have requested some unusual items and they have been very helpful in every way.

I was using the Costco pharmacy to get my prescriptions for over a year. I had to jump through so many hoops with them because they either did not have them in stock or would have to call my doctor. The last straw was them not being able to bill my insurance because they were not in the system. This one required a total of four visits on my part. I finally picked up my script from costco and took it to El Portal Pharmacy where I had my prescription filled in less than 15 minutes (with a nice text message update). I love El Portal Pharmacy! read more

Wonderful staff, knowledgeable pharmacists, very reasonably priced and excellent product quality! I've always received very excellent and timely service from the folks at this location. It is too bad that I no longer live there so that I may continue to use them but I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this establishment and I am a customer survey marketing specialist. Keep up the great work guys!!!! Eli Montgomery and Family read more

I've never had any problems with this pharmacy until today. They have always provided great service. Once they even delivered my medication when they couldn't fill it immediately due to being out of stock. A very friendly and outgoing employee, Sam, dropped it off. So here we go: Today I received a text message informing me that my prescriptions were ready to be picked up. I wondered how 2 of the 3 could be ready when I never dropped off the actual physical prescription slip. Due to the medication being a highly controlled drug, it is unlike other medication where the doctor can fax it over or call it in. I must have the triplicate in hand. I've been doing this for over 7 years now. So I called and spoke to an associate named Ray. I asked him how it could be that this particular medicine was ready if I never dropped off the prescription and if the law changed and it was possible I was just unaware. This has happened before with the DEA. He said he didn't know and was it possible I just don't remember picking it up from my doctor and dropping it off? Since I cannot drive, it was not possible. Plus I'd just spoken with an associate at my doctor's office who verified that they were ready to be picked up there. I had been waiting on their call all week. If I needed the triplicate slip I had no issue going to pick it up from my doctor. But if it was unnecessary, then I'd save a trip across town. I just wanted to know the correct procedure and didn't want to go back and forth unnecessarily. The trip is from one side of Merced to the other and since I have others running around for me, I didn't want to waste anyone's time. Ray said he didn't know and "Well, if you've been doing it for years then don't you think you should keep doing it?" Rude. I asked him if there was another person I could speak with that might know and he said they'd just tell me the same thing. So I asked if there was a manager I could speak with and he identified himself as the manager. I asked what his last name was and he said I didn't need to know that information, which I understand. I just wanted to identify the correct employee for reference if needed later. I said that I didn't understand and shouldn't they be aware of the laws? If there was a change in the procedure then I would think the pharmacy would be the first to know. I know that many of these drugs are highly controlled and monitored. A pharmacy can get in big trouble releasing drugs, especially pain medicine such as this, without the proper paperwork. I didn't want anything to happen where I wasn't allowed to fill my prescription in the future. He said he didn't know. So I re-iterated that I just didn't want to go to pick up the medication and be told I couldn't because I needed the written prescription. The previous month there was a mix-up and I had to pay $ out of pocket because they ran the uncovered part of my prescription through the computer before the part the insurance covers. Not a big deal. I didn't complain because I've worked in customer service and I know things happen. That is also why I was never rude to Ray at all during our conversation. Unless you've worked with the public, it is very hard to understand how rude & demanding people can be. He began to be rude himself and I asked him why that was. Ray said because I was "going around and around about the same thing." Wow. I told him I was just trying to understand the policy and law. Then....he hung up on me. Seriously! I guess he felt I was wasting his time. I was never rude nor did I ever raise my voice once. I simply wanted an explanation as to how I could be allowed to pick up a prescription without the actual prescription being called in or dropped off. Any other medication and I could understand because I could be on a monthly schedule where it is automatically refilled. But not this medication. So besides not knowing what was going on with the current laws and specifically what was going on with my prescriptions, he was very rude and unwilling to try to further look into a situation that could be harmful to his job. I don't want to cause any problems for this establishment or its employees with reference to a possible violation of DEA rules and regulations. It's my medication. I think I should be aware of what's happening and what laws I must follow. I'm trying to be an honest, law abiding citizen and respect the rules the government has set forth. And I certainly know that you should never hang up on a customer unless they are being abusive or derogatory. I was neither. Perhaps Ray was just having a bad day. But having a bad day nor being unaware of specific laws doesn't justify that level of rudeness. So if you choose to do business with this place, don't talk to Ray about anything. If he doesn't know the answer or is too busy to bother looking into finding one, he'll just hang up on you! read more