Boots the chemist

I would assume that they do not have enough staff, they would not close a profit-making department unless necessary.

I agree. It happens in small shops - staff or their children are ill, staff take holidays. Opening on a Sunday has obviously stretched them as staff won’t work seven days a week.

We have one below our apartment here. Over the years the shelves have become pretty hollowed out. Such a shame since the American conglomerate Walgreens bought it out. They kept the Boots name though as a ‘trusted brand’. I don’t think it’ll be on our high streets much longer. It’s pretty basic now.

Boots is now an American owned company and has been rubbish for years. They are in financial trouble and closing some stores in the new future. If you can, choose a local chemist for your prescriptions and go to Superdrug for everything else.
Also, if you eligible for a free flu jab book it at your GP because the NHS pays for other suppliers to give the jabs, even if it is free for you, it is more expensive for the NHS but they won't tell you that.

We only have a small Boots in our nearby town, in addition to the pharmacy at the doctor’s surgery which has limited opening hours Mon to Fri only.

There's a shortage of pharmacists, certainly in this area. To compound the problem, many of our local chemists were Lloyds, many of which have now been taken over, or are in the process of being taken over. We have two in our local village and everyone is concerned that one of them may well close.

We have a small Boots where DH and I collect our prescriptions. You have to give them 5 working days notice for a repeat prescription. I ordered mine on a Monday, went to collect them on Saturday morning only to be sent away for half an hour as they weren't ready. It's a shambles and you never see the same Pharmacist twice.

We have a small Boots too their rubbish, every time I go to pick up my prescription I have to wait until it’s made up.
I’ve just been on the phone to midway chemist for my mum, she gets her Dossett boxes delivered every Wednesday, mums only just told me they haven’t arrived ,apparently their still on the shelf 🤷‍♀️ I’ll have to get in the car now and go get them before 6pm Grrrr.

Our local boots are rubbish, it took me a fortnight to get my medications, visiting almost every day. 30 minute queues only to be told that “they hadn’t received” something, etc.
And I agree with Urms that the shelves are empty.
I have found an independent pharmacy about 1/4 mile further up the road who dispense there and then…. Guess where I go now?

I have finding this very surprising that people are having these difficulties, as you can arrange to have prescriptions delivered, at least you can where I live. Have you enquired about this service?
Maybe things are just better where I am because the pharmacy attached to my GP is very good and I never have to wait- they message me when my script is ready and I just go and pick it up!

We are fortunate enough to have a Well Pharmacy here. They are fantastic. We don't even have to order a prescription. They have it all on record and send us texts when they are ready. They do vaccinations too. We have booked our flu jab there for this year.

Our local Boots pharmacy is excellent with friendly and helpful staff. So they'll probably shut it down soon.

I live in a small market town and our Boots looks so unloved. The shop itself looks very grubby and the shelves have very little in the way of stock. The prescription queue is always long. Staffing seems a bit of hit and miss and the shop often doesnt open until 11. Years ago a job in boots was difficult to get. Sad times.

I’ve always used our independent pharmacy too grandMattie even when the Boots was good when we moved here, 13 years ago. I like supporting our independents - I always think they need us more.

Not surprised they are closing so many stores. They have made no attempt whatsoever in recent years to modernise or keep up to date.

Most small market towns around here have a Boots and they have all been understaffed for years.

I’m afraid I signed up to Pharmacy 4U to have my meds delivered - just one lot, every couple of months. My GP with Pharmacy next door is quite a drive away, but very difficult in bad weather, so I signed up to have it delivered.

There is a small Boots chemists in the same building as the local doctors surgery. It is useless with queues outside the door. My husband and I, and the elderly in-laws, use a local independent chemists about a quarter of a mile away. The independent chemist always have our repeat prescriptions ready four days after I order them at the surgery. If the doctor/nurse practitioner sends an urgent prescription to them after a consultation they are available immediately. There is never a queue.

keepingquiet

I have finding this very surprising that people are having these difficulties, as you can arrange to have prescriptions delivered, at least you can where I live. Have you enquired about this service?
Maybe things are just better where I am because the pharmacy attached to my GP is very good and I never have to wait- they message me when my script is ready and I just go and pick it up!

I know you can get prescriptions delivered but I would be in dire straits if for some reason the delivery didn’t arrive. I can’t afford to take chances so use the pharmacy at the doctor’s surgery, bad though the service can be sometimes. Thank goodness when I was working the doctor’s pharmacy where I lived then opened on Saturday mornings. I don’t know how working people where I live now cope.

We are very fortunate to have a dispensary within our village GP surgery. 3 working days for prescriptions and texts sent when ready. Boots branches in the two nearby towns are very rundown and tatty, often have gaps on their shelves and less and less staff every time I go in. Contrast that with the branch where my DD is, recently refurbished and very well stocked. The staff however were unhelpful, inexperienced in customer care and rude when I shopped there (once). There is, fortunately, an excellent independent chemist along the road.

I must add that the reason we don't have our prescriptions delivered, but go and collect them, is that there is no way that my husband's prescription would fit through the letterbox.

I have to use Boots as our Lloyds has closed down. I got told in no uncertain terms not to phone to see if my tablets were in as I was wasting her time. We drove into town 6 miles both ways and they weren't so I told the head pharmacist exactly what I thought of their service. They have you over a barrel as the other Pharmacy is only open part-time.

Salti the prescriptions don't go through the letterbox- they have to hand them to you in person, or someone who will sign for them.

keepingquiet

Salti the prescriptions don't go through the letterbox- they have to hand them to you in person, or someone who will sign for them.

And I l'm not prepared to stay in waiting for them!

Salti Do you mean the actual written prescription or the meds themselves. I get my meds (tablets) delivered by Pharmacy2U and I’m never at home to accept or sign for them - the packet is just posted through the letterbox. As I explained upthread, just one small box, every couple of months. The meds usually arrive 2 days after my ‘phone request at the Surgery which is actually quicker than the 72 hours needed by the Pharmacy beside the Surgery.