Shoppers Drug Mart
Reviews and Complaints

My husband and I attempted to purchase diabetic supplies and some Aleve from the pharmacist "Alim". His complete rudeness and lack of professionalism caused us both to become upset, leaving the store and all of the purchases behind. This pharmasist was blatently annoyed at my questioning of the use patient profiles for non-prescription purchases and we were told repeatedly "you can get this somewhere else". Well we did go to another pharmacy where we were not only treated with professionalism and dignity, but plan to make all of our non-perscription purchases in the future.

I purchased some eye makeup remover from Shoppers Drug Mart. It was their own cosmetics brand (Quo) and has the same return policy as the Life brand (satisfaction guaranteed!). It did not work very well and it stung my eyes. I sent an email to the company and told them I would be returning the product. I never did hear back from anyone.

I went to Shoppers to return the makeup remover. The cashier seemed new and was not familiar with the return policy (something I'd assume is part of basic training). She commented that it was used (um, yes, that's how I know it stings my eyes!). The other problem was that I didn't have my receipt.

She called the manager, who was not familiar with the return policy, either. I had to quote from the company's website that I could return a Quo product without a receipt for a full return or exchange. The manager took my word for it but said I would have to come back between 9-5 and do the return with the cosmetics manager!

The experience was completely ridiculous - I threw out the product and never returned (I work between 9-5).

This store had the worst service I have every seen! All the employees were rude to me and refused to help me find the items I was looking for. Then when I asked to see the manager she yelled at me and actually told me that I wasnt worth her time because I was just an unimportant piece of ###. The employees name was Rose. She should definately be fired! Nobody should be allowed to treat others that harshly.

i am a regular customer of shoppers for years.. i go to the dunbar branch on 27th avenue... but it is very dissapointing how the customers are treated. Two employees named margareet and elle are very rude specially margaret. She is very rude and has no idea how to behave with a customer. She constantly asks for ID. Whenever i see her there i feel like walking out of the store. they are very ill manered. if they are always so angry then they should not come to work.

on the other hand Kal and Wendy are very nice. best customer service. they are very welcoming.

PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT MARGARET AND ELLE. EVERYONE IN THE NIGHBOURHOOD HATES THEM SPECIALLY MARGARET... I Have recieved the worst customer service from her..
please do something about her...

Anyone with asthma / allergy please read
On july 21, 2010 I went into our "new" shoppers store. They resently closed 2 smallers stores nearby to make this one.
One of the two that closed was a 24hr. The only one at our end of town, close to our only hospital.
I enterered into the only enterance, and had to walk through the cosmetic/perfume space to get to the rest of the store. Within minutes I started to get an allergic reaction to the smells I encountered walking in. The funny thing is I was there to pick up my asthma medication, which I found out was at the back of the store. After waiting for almost 25 minutes, hearing the complaints of all the other customers. I finally got my medication. By the time I arrived home I was in a asthmatic and allergy attach. After taking the max amount of medicine I was o. K. Anyone with asthma/allergies knows what the medicine does to your body. It's not fun.
Who ever designed this store is a compleat idiot and it is ovious that they (Shoppers) is only consered about the bottom line (Money) then their customers. I will no longer be using this store. I'll have to go across town.
I wrote the head office in toronto, but i'm sure they will file my concern under "g".

Can't breath

I have hesitated to write this email because of the lack of support I received from the store Manager at your North Vancouver location. I am going forward with this formal complaint now because my 14 year old daughter has been affected by the experience in your store. She now refuses to go shopping at all and this is causing my family stress as well. I will give you a brief explanation of the event that took place in hopes that you can come up with a sufficient way to apologize to my daughter and somehow reassure my family that an event like this would not be permitted in your store again in the future.

On Friday June 11th at 9:40 pm, my wife and my daughter walked in to the 24hour Shoppers Drug Mart on Marine Drive, North Vancouver. They went there to shop for necessities as we often do while I waited in the car. While in the store, they saw a man that was completely naked in the store. My daughter became frantic and was pushing my wife to leave the store immediately. They went to the cash register and made their purchase and left as quickly as they could. As soon as they came out, I could see that my daughter was very upset. They told me what happened and I went into the store where the guy was actually being served by the cashier! I started telling him (the naked man) that he needs to leave the store because there are many families here and this is not a jungle. I asked him if he was high or something because he looked completely out of his mind. The supervisor said '' no they aren't high.'' With a smile. I said '' am i even talking to you?'' so he got his purchases' and walked out of the store with his friends. According to the supervisor, this was the second time he had been in the store that night.

My daughter was upset for the rest of the night and I consoled her by telling her that I would talk to the Manager the next day and make sure it wouldn’t happen again.

I went to the store the next morning and asked for the manager. The Manager said that her clerk (who was also the night supervisor) probably didn’t know how to handle the situation, that’s all. She did not provide an apology or let me know in any way that the clerk would be held responsible for not only allowing this guy to walk around the store but actually serving him!

I am upset with lack of professionalism that your staff showed and the absence of any form of apology. I am annoyed that I have had to take the time to write this complaint but more importantly I am angry and concerned that my 14 year old daughter had to be exposed to such disgust in an environment where she should feel comfortable and safe. I trust that your organization will come up with a suitable way to compensate/apologize to my daughter for the stress that has been caused due to the negligence of your employee and supervisors at the store level.

thanks

Hi. I just came home from a very disappointing visit to my local Shoppers Drug Mart. In last week's flyer, Friskies cat food was advertised @ 3/.99 with no limits noted. Since this store (as usual) was sold out of the flavours I wanted, I got a raincheck (no limit noted on raincheck). When I went back tonight, I wanted to buy 9 cans of 3 flavours, for a total of 27 cans. Imagine my surprise and anger when I was told there was suddenly a limit put on the number of cans I could buy! The store management arbitrarily limited the number of cans to 12! The flyer had no limit, the raincheck had no limit, and suddenly I could not buy what I wanted! This store has often sold out of sale items quickly, and very rarely replenishes its stock before the sale is over. VERY POOR PLANNING ON SOMEONE'S PART -- and then to be told I cannot buy what I want! Many items in the flyer have limits, which I have always honoured -- but the cat food had none and I don't really understand how the store can inform you of this when you are standing at the cashier's desk. My husband and I have been customers of this particular Shoppers Drug Mart for at least 10 years, but that will change quickly unless these unknown "policies" are changed.

I work in customer service and never had I imagined the level of ignorance possible in this field.
Today I went to Shoppers Drug Mart in London, Ontario (Adelaide & Huron) to pick-up my birth control prescription. I went to the dropoff and the gentleman told me it would be 15 minutes. I spent about $40 worth of other stuff while I waited and, seeing that it was busy, gave them a few extra minutes and waited in the waiting area beside the pharmacy. After approx 25 minutes I went to pickup my prescription. When I gave my name the short blond woman was very rude and told me that my prescription was expired (legit. I had another one with me, but thought they would've let me know if the old one had run out) and that I wasted their time. Taken aback I apologized and said I did have another one with me. I was the only customer waiting there, but she wouldn't take my other prescription. Insteatd she told me that I was in the pickup line and would have to get in the dropoff line (a few feet away, no one else in line). She turned her back on me and went to work behind another counter... how embarassing! There was no one there to help me at the dropoff line. I looked like an idiot and felt worse as she said all those things loud enough for people in the aisles to hear and the college student standing behind the counter.
I'm a pretty easy going person and customer and have NEVER felt the need to complain before, but this is eating at me.
I pay for this service and have never felt so humiliated by a stranger before (by that time other people were there). Chastised in public by this individual to whom I was nothing but pleasant, I took my prescription and went to Rexall instead. Good choice, they're cheaper and had much better service! But I never want to spend another cent in shoppers again. Good to know since I've always been an emotional Shoppers shopper. Goodbye!

I received a FREE $20.00 gift card for gas from Shoppers for having spent over a certain amount of money there.
The gift card was only effective for approximately 3 weeks.
Yes I didn't notice the expiry date however one would think as it's a gift card it would be valid indefinitely, or at least a few years.
Also, the clerk did not warn us about this by bringing this detail to our attention. Again, one wouldn't think there would be such a ridiculous short time limit to use the card.
(For me, my work pays for my gas and I was going to use the gift card for lawnmower fuel once summer came)
I'm really angry with Shoppers Drug Mart about this. I feel ripped off and that their promotions are not worth shopping there for.

Shoppers Drug Marts are popping up all over the country but their only concern is the money they are making not for the health of the people that use them. They all contain pharmacies which people get their medications from, including asthma drugs etc...inhalers and people with severe breathing problems. BUT, guess what, you have to take a deep breath before entering any of the Shoppers and hold your breath until you have finally gone thru the perfume department. Many people with these problems cannot do this. Why or why do they have to have the perfumes at the entrance way anyway. I have complained several years ago but got no where, so guess what? I removed my prescriptions to another pharmacy. I would recommend this to all people that have the same problem as I do, maybe this will decreased their sales. These are DRUG STORES not perfume and cosmetic stores, leave that to bigger chain stores. Just do your job and help people out that are in need.
We are not allowed to wear perfume in the hospitals, dentists or doctors offices or Clinics, so get on the bandwagon and place them at the back of your stores and increase your customer relations.

How can this store continue to operate when at the very bottom of my complaint list with this chain is that the prices are on avg 3x more than reality? I have gone back to this store more times post purchase than I can count because of sales code errors. Once, I noticed that no points were added to my card as I was hurrying to work and it burned me because I specifically asked the cashier if she swiped it and she said yes. I returned with receipt and point card in hand the following day (earliest possible) and explained to the supervisor my visit. I just wanted my points. She said no, they don't do that any day after because they "had been having issues with people trying to scam the system in that region". I argued that this was not my fault and like a stone with a scowl she repeated that that particular store doesn't follow national policy. Not one customer service word or gesture was ever offered. But today, TODAY LEFT ME IN SHOCK - no sales appear today b/c as one employee told me, they're the only ones open so it's a way to make money! I assured him that Lawtons among other similar stores are in fact open and in fact abiding by a code of customer ethics by leaving their sales on until end of day today. Please can someone tell me what is it that allows this chain to operate under such greedy principles? Most importantly, are we guilty of complacency? Canadians don't tend to complain, even if it's the only way to bring about change or reform. But because SDM has no shame, we should be ashamed of how poorly it behaves as a Canadian corporation. A misbehaved child needs guidance and set expectations to improve himself - can we not say the same for Shoppers Drug Mart and its inappropriate practises? ACCOUNTABILITY SHOULD NOT BE A CHOICE.

Phhehwww - I actually feel my blood pressure returning to normal - what therapy this has been! Greatest thanks to you for your time and your attention

Kind regards,
Tori Milley

numerous errors, last one phoned in prescription number and another drug was dispensed. They should of noticed as this drug was dispensed one month earlier. Client is 88. Had complained that this drug was refunded but still (weeks later) shows in extended medical system. They are thus getting paid.
Another time doctor ordered Vitamin B12, drugstore dispensed with a dispensing fee instead of offering the client (age 88) over the counter service. Other complaints, have left the business.

I walked into Shoppers drug mart, off Whyte ave and 109 st. As soon as I walked in the security guard started standing there staring at me while I went up and down the isles. Then the cashier started staring at me and kind of followed me around the store, and was just rude with me the couple times he talked to me while i ws there. then I said when I was paying for my items (do you guys think I am steeling stuff or what). he said no we are wondering why I am wearing a dress. I said sharply "I am transgendered" then he just looked at me very ignorantly and said "oh sorry" and dismissed me. I was in tears by the time I got back to my truck. Anyway I am going to make a complaint to the Transgendered community about this

Thanks
Madison

I use to work at this pharmacy and the pharmacy manager tried to cause conflict between his technicans and still tries to do so.when he is suppose to be doing things in confidentiality he does not...and then when confronted about it lies to everyone's face about it because heknows he has done wrong.He is the worst manager anyone could ask for because he does not take responsiblity for what he says or does.i want some action taken for wrongful dismisal.it boggles my mind that there is no 1 800 number to contact for shoppers drug mart.if anyone has one please contact me with it..[protected]@hotmail.com..thanks so much

My wfe had purchased Baby Formula in a can on her debit card when we went to return it as I had bought the same formula too and our baby moved up an age bracket and we also received new debit cards and our numbers are now different from the original receipts we were told we cannot return the items at all and we were told "NO WE DONT CALL HEAD OFFICE, EVER"!
Mohammed is the name of the arrogant manager who doesn't listen to reason and who [in his own words] doesn't EVER call head office!

Returned a gift my son recieved from his grandparents who do not live in Winnipeg, and had the receipt. Was told I needed the Interact Card, told them it was not possible because the Grandparents were out of the city. Was asked for mine, so I asked why, what was the difference between that and cash. They said it was store policy and I asked why. They did not know. Putting it on my debit card was not possible at that time. I asked to talk to store manager and he was gone home for the day. When I first returned the item I went to the cosmetic counter and they had no problems giving me the cash but they were short in their till so asked me to go to the front so I did. That is where the trouble started, so I asked them why at cosmetics would they give me the cash but not here. One of the ladies finally went and asked the Cosmetic Manager, while she was gone I stepped aside and another customer came to the counter. He said to me, they may give you a gift reciept, told him my son wanted the cash for something else. He asked my if I had the reciept and I said yes, he said then what is the problem I told him I didn't know... At that point the cashier looked at both of us and said "I can't concentrate when you two are talking". The genlteman looked at me and I looked at him and we were kind of shocked so we didn't say a word. I don't think she had any right to say that, no one was causing a scene and I do believe people are allowed to talk. To Shoppers Drug Mart, very poor and rude customer service, I was a frequent shopper at this location...not anymore.