Unfortunately I am forced to use Reed's Pharmacy because I deeply love my pets and I do not own a car. They are within walking distance of my home and in an emergency there is not time to use an online alternative.
I have used Reeds for many years and about 4 or 5 times in the past month due to an illness affecting my guinea pig herd. I have spent well over $400 there this month. You would think they would appreciate my business. Not so.
The staff at the front counter are A+, polite and kind. Its the pharmacists running this business who I have seen behave very rudely and unprofessionally. There seems to be a great deal of pent up anger on the part of the pharmacy staff that people expect to be able to get their medicines quickly.
One day, just hours after one my beloved pets had died in my arms, I made the mistake of showing up 15 minutes earlier than they told me to come. The front desk woman went back into the glass enclosed pharmacy area to ask if it was ready. The pharmacist there (Courtney Miros) started waving her arms around wildly and seemed to be speaking to the front desk person in an angry and agitated manner. The front desk woman then returned to me to say, almost embarrassed to have to say it, that I should go away and return when I was told to come. It was clear that the rude comment was not coming from her but from the frustrated angry pharmacist. I was not offered to wait. I was told to leave because I had shown up 15 minutes early. It is clear to me that Courtney Miros was angry over something (as she often appears to be when I see her scowling and walking around the business) and she took it out on me and the front desk clerk at that moment.
Having just suffered the death of a pet, I was too beaten down to stand up for myself. I said ok. went outside, sat behind the building and cried for 15 minutes about how rotten people can be.
In the days since that experience, I have felt afraid to express to this pharmacy when I urgently need a medication to save a pet's life. Instead, I feel forced to bow to their convenience. They do not offer to have emergency medications available the same day the doctor prescribes them. Instead they assume that it is safe to have it for you late the next day- and in a veterinary emergency that can cost an animal their life.
A business should not make customers in need of life saving medicines feel afraid to ask for what they need- its just not right. I have been making all of my vets aware of this problem so they can avoiding using Reed's when a medicine is needed urgently and promptly. This is a matter of safety. The vets want you to start the medicine they are prescribing immediately in most cases and they are not aware that this pharmacy can become antagonistic towards people asking for medicine the same day.
Years ago when Thomas Reed, the founding pharmacist of this business, was around on a daily basis, I was treated with respect and there was a sense of good customer service. That is now gone along with his presence. Its very sad. This business has gone downhill in the last few years. Again, I have to say the front desk staff is always professional. The poor attitudes and unprofessionalism I have experienced has come from the pharmacists running this business.
I have searched extensively online for better alternative. If you can afford to wait 3 or 4 business days, there is an online compounding pharmacy in NJ called Wedgewood that offers great customer service and the same compounded medications at about 30% of the cost (yes you read that right, that is how inflated the prices at Reeds are). I wish I could take my business elsewhere, but I give my pets excellent veterinary care so I will continue to be forced to use them in some emergencies. However, when there is an alternative I will take it.
I do not recommend this business. If you own a car, there are two other compounding pharmacies in Tucson that are likely better than this one (almost anything would be better than the rudeness I encountered at a painful time).
There is a sense of constant stress and unhappiness you can feel as soon as you walk in the door. This business has declined with the departure of founder. It used to be a wonderful hometown business. It has become something toxic that I dread having to deal with.
UPDATE: I found an excellent specialty pet compounding pharmacy in Phoenix that gives free next day shipping and is an outstanding option called Roadrunner. There number is (623) 434-1180 and their website is roadrunnerpharmacydotcom . My vet prescribed special antibiotic eye ointment for my pigs and it was in my hand the next evening (I called them and asked them to rush it- they were professional, kind and understanding).
Second Update: I now use Acacia compounding pharmacy on Orange Grove. Its a little far from the center of town where I live but they fully understand and respect the need for same day antibiotics-excellent service! read more