Duane Reade

WAY overpriced but nearly as bad as the D’agostinos across the street. Just a horrible area for groceries.

Up front I have to say I don’ use the pharmacy section. So i cant vouch for their proessionalosm.
However this is the place for you if you want to pick up shampoo or deoderant after just having left the grocery store.

I feel a little silly reviewing a Duane Reade… but, oh well. This is a pretty small store, but carries most of what your average Duane Reade carries. They don’t have my favorite candy ever — Starburst Unwrapped Minis — and I feel like the hours aren’t Melanie-​friendly (they’re always closed when I want them to be open, so I end up walking to the Duane Reade on 1^st Ave) so I docked two stars, but other than that, I like this location.
The cashiers/​staff are always friendly and helpful. Really, this is probably the nicest Duane Reade.

PHARMACY FRAUD. My mom is a long-​time employee of my health insurance company and has advised me to report this pharmacy to the fraud department of the insurance company.
Where to begin. I went to City MD urgent care by my house (which is great, by the way, and I highly recommend it). They sent my prescription over to the Duane Reade and I went to pick it up, giving them ample time to fill it before I showed up. I go up to the pick-​up counter and stand there for a few minutes while three employees look at me and ignore me. Finally a girl comes up to me and rudely asks why I’m there. I tell her my doctor had sent in a prescription. She looks it up, tells me they don’t have anything under my name, and just walks away from me without another word. I call City MD to make sure I am at the right location. They told me I was and that they had sent them the prescription 30 minutes ago.
I go up to the counter again. And wait a few minutes to be noticed again. This time someone else, only slightly less rude, comes up to me. Looks it up, tells me they did receive it, but that they cannot fill it for me. I ask why. First she tells me it is not in stock at the pharmacy. Then she changes her mind and tells me my insurance won’t cover it. Then she changes her mind AGAIN and tells me I don’t even NEED the prescription (which an experienced and highly recommended doctor prescribed me) and that I should just go buy the generic. I ask what the generic was and she points me to the aisle. I look at it and it doesn’t even have the same active ingredients as my prescription. I double check with them that it’s the right one and they said yes. So fine, I go buy it.
I take it and, of course, it doesn’t work. A month later I’m in California and I go to my doctor here. He prescribes me the same thing the doctor at City MD did. I go to a pharmacy here to fill it. No stories of it not being covered by insurance or not being in stock or any generic substitutes, it’s perfectly fine for me to get the prescription and it’s completely covered. But wait… the pharmacist tells me that the insurance company says I cannot fill the prescription for another week because it is too soon since the last time I filled it. Wait a minute, I never filled it because DUANE READE WOULDN’T LET ME. She calls my insurance company and they said that the Duane Reade already billed them for my prescription on August 23^rd. My mother informs me that even if they made a mistake and the prescription is there waiting for me at the Duane Reade right now, the pharmacy is not able to receive payment for it from the insurance company until I pick it up… which I never did because they wouldn’t let me. The pharmacist gets the Duane Reade phone number from my insurance, calls, and explains the situation, asking if they could cancel the prescription on their side so I could pick it up there in California. The Duane Reade tells her that they have NO RECORD OF ME EVEN BEING THERE. Funny, since the urgent care center has records of them sending in the prescription and that they apparently already billed my insurance company for it, which they legally cannot do until I physically put it in my hand and pick it up.
My mom says this is a clear case of pharmacy fraud that she sees every day at work. A pharmacy telling a customer they cannot fill the prescription for them and then billing their insurance company for it anyway to get the money. I have never seen such a despicable practice in my life. Profiting from refusing sick people the medication they need.
Please do not fill your prescriptions at this location and if you have had a similar experience, do not hesitate to report it to your insurance company.

Small Duane Read stuck in an awkward location. Only has 4 aisles but contains pretty much what your average Duane Read should carry.
The cashier is super super friendly making conversation with every customer and giving them a huge smile!