Thursday, January 16, 2014

1.16.14 Bee-otch of the Day: Meijer



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Name: Meijer
Age: 80
Occupation: retail juggernaut
Last Seen: Walker, MI
Bee-otched For: piss-poor pharmacy service


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Heredity sucks.

For years, my late grandfather battled Meniere's Disease, an inner ear infection that causes everything from vertigo to anxiety to loss of hearing. It can be passed down...

...And I might be it.

For the past year and a half - and maybe more - I've noticed my anxiety levels rise at times to the point where I start to shake. Last year, I cut out caffeine from my diet altogether, but I still feel like shit a lot.

When I was on my trip to Kentucky last Thanksgiving, I woke up feeling like I had slight vertigo. I made the eight-hour drive home and around Midnight or so, I was shaking and dizzy. I went to bed and thankfully, I was well-rested the next day. However, my near-panic attacks came back and at times I felt like fainting. On the day before New Years' Eve, at work, I was running back to my station and I just had that feeling that I walked off an elevator. I told my family my problems, and my aunt - an RN at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans - told me that I might have Meniere's Disease. I talked to my father about it, and he recommended that I see a doctor.

Well, on Tuesday, I did. Guess what? Yep, I have an ear infection alright. No wonder why I feel like I'm going to fall down a lot. So, he gave me two prescriptions: one was for an antibiotic for the ears and another was Celexa for my anxiety. I was thinking about going to the Walgreen's across the street from the doctor's office, but my doc told me "Fred Meijer's giving away his antibiotics for free". So, since there was a Meijer another 1.5 miles or so down the road, I figured, "why not?"

Now, I prefer Walgreen's over Meijer because in recent years, Meijer has gone downhill in regards to quality. Yeah, Wally's slightly more expensive in some areas, but with my anxiety, I'd rather shop at a smaller store instead of dodging total strangers for 1/2 a mile just for a gallon of milk.

But as they all say, "doctor's orders".

I got to the Meijer pharmacy department, and checked in for the first time. They told me that they would call or text me within the next 30-40 minutes. So, since I had errands to run, I went all the way down to Madison Ave. to deliver my broken TV to the repair shop. I got back, and they STILL weren't done with my meds. I checked in at 4 p.m. and it was now about 5:00. I was hungry, so I went to Qdoba for dinner. During my dinner, my phone didn't ring once. I was starting to get pissed. So, after woofing down my burrito, I headed back there, waited and waited and waited. I finally got back to the consultation section and asked if my meds were ready, and they were. No text, no phone message. Nada. The good news was that my meds were less than $4. The bad news? I WAITED TWO FUCKING HOURS FOR TWO SMALL BOTTLES OF PRESCRIPTIONS.

Ya know, I get pissed when I hear about small mom-n-pa drug stores being forced to close all because they can't compete with Wally's, Wal-Mart or Meijer. I have a great aunt and uncle who live in northern Michigan, and they went to a Walgreen's in (I think) Florida not long after my great uncle had surgery. The people there were rude and didn't work fast enough to get him his meds, and yet, he was on the verge of puking his guts out. Yet, the small pharmacy in the small town they live nearby has been in business since the early 1900's and in the middle of the night, if there's an emergency, the owner - who lives upstairs - will kindly come down to make up a prescription. You can't get that kind of service, even at a "24-hour" pharmacy.

But, that's Meijer for ya. Their owners live in huge mansions and are worth over $6 billion while the small pharmacy owner lives in the upstairs apartment. Thanks, but even if he charges for drugs that the other guys give out for free, I might change my mind next time I need a prescription.

Bigger isn't always better.

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