Shoppers Drug Mart
This is a lesson in how not to do customer service.
Okay so say you’ve never stolen a thing from anywhere in your entire life. And say there’s a store where you’ve been a regular for 7 or 8 years, spending thousands there in that time. And say they take your full shopping basket and say you can’t buy your products, in fact you’re banned, and they treat you like a robber. Isn’t there a communication/conflict resolution step that investors might prefer? Doesn’t common sense come in somewhere?
I am in my local Shoppers Drug Mart every two or three days, and spend upwards of $100 a week there.
A couple of months ago I was there buying concealer. There was no colour indicator on the package, no testers, and no colour indicator on the display, so I opened the package to check the colour. As I did, a store employee – with the name tag Aris – came up and began yelling. He was correct that packages are not meant to be opened, and I indicated that but also explained it wasn’t possible to know the product colour. He continued raising his voice and demanded the product, I explained that I was buying it, which I did. At the makeup counter, I said that I was shocked by the aggressiveness of the employee – and the behaviour, that immediate accusation with no discussion costs a business customers. I explained that I am a regular. The checkout person explained that there have been problems with thefts in the store, and so staff are very sensitive and angry about anything that might be understood as such, and the staff member therefore reacted inappropriately.
Later, I filled out the Shoppers Drug Mart survey online based on a till receipt with a survey URL. On the survey, I explained the incident and explained my extreme dissatisfaction with the situation. I recommended that staff training include better preparedness for situations like this. In my view, approaching a customer immediately with ‘Can I help you?’ at least allows for the possibility of a miscommunication and not losing a customer. Checking the Optimum card and seeing how much a customer spends there could be another recommendation before deciding that a regular customer is a thief.
I had no response to my online complaints.
Today, perhaps two months later, as I entered the store I saw the employee with the furious temper, whose name is Aris. I was surprised, I had not seen him and thought he may have been been suspended based on the previous incident and his people skills. I had a basket and went around the store getting things from my list, when a security guard identified himself and asked if I had ever been banned from the store. I was baffled, and said I’d never been told that I was. He was persistent. I was extremely offended. This is a dreadful way to treat one of your regular customers. I asked to speak to the store manager. The store manager Vincent Yeung asked for personal ID. I was puzzled, as I was there to complain, but passed it over. The staff member with the past-visit furious temper entered the pharmacy and spoke with the manager who then curtly informed me that I was permanently banned from the store, and could not make my purchases. No willingness to discuss, to look at my store card to see that I was such a regular, or to explain their situation.
The message suggested by staff, security and the manager was ‘the customer is wrong if we say so’.
I’m someone who’s never stolen in my life. I was escorted out by security and treated – well, as though I’m a robber. I was quite shaken, and I still am quite stunned and enormously disappointed that a customer could somehow be treated in this way and at levels up to manager treated as guilty.
I sent the company a complaint with my optimum number encouraging them to look both at my purchasing history, and the amount that not having me as a customer will be costing at this location.
I am enormously offended and humiliated that this happened to me in my community, appalled by how these incidents have been handled, disappointed that an earlier customer complaint was completely ignored, and so enormously frustrated. To be clear – I have never stolen anything in my life. I have been a very regular Shoppers customer, and am known to be an extremely honest person in my career and my charity work.
I feel that I have been accused of a crime I didn’t commit, verdict and punishment with just the humiliation and no recourse.
It’s awful business, and it is not fair.
Disclaimer
This article was submitted by one of our readers. Penciltrick cannot make any claims as to its authenticity but the article was accepted on a good faith belief that it is an accurate and truthful account of the events listed.
November 18th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Wow, and another wow. That is quite a tale of what appears to be a growing and expanding issue in a large capitalist system. There are still these values in people that feel they should be valued by the corporations in the same way that they would be shopping at a local market store.
The fact of the matter is that despite the large corporation speaking volumes about customer this, and customer that, employees making minimum wage working for these corporations simply don’t relate to their job enough in order to provide proper customer care that you get from someone who owns the company like at a mom & pop store. As the writer mentioned, they were concerned with recent theft, that is what their job description entailed at that time…not customer service, or at least basic human service.
I feel for the person who had to go through this and the first place I would go is well beyond the particular store that this occurred at. You go to the corporation because they are the only ones that care enough about actually providing service to you, not the minimum wage employee or the under paid manager that has ‘better’ things to take care of like scheduling around the school schedules of said employees.
November 29th, 2009 at 11:35 pm
Sorry, I understand you’re angry, but I worked in retail for years. Opening products is NEVER acceptable as if you decide you don’t want it the store then has to write the product off.
If you want something opened, ask a store clerk to do it for you. No wonder they thought you were a thief.
November 29th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
I am a District Manager working for another retail chain and in charge of 23 retail outlets. I am appalled at the non-actions of Shoppers, the store manager, clerk and security guard.
First off, in our chain, we absolutely respond immediately to customer complaints. The complaint usually comes via our website, to the Communications Department and then directly to me if it is against one of my employees.
I then contact the customer for the details and begin my investigation from there.
This scenario and how it happened and the non-response has me ashamed against shoppers as well!
If it were under my jurisdiction….
November 30th, 2009 at 4:33 am
That is horrible customer service. I hope Shoppers corporate will contact you for a follow up because I believe you have been wrongfully accused.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Copy and paste this story into a letter and send it to the President/CEO of Shoppers Drug Mart.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
My friend was simply smelling anti-perspirant in A Shoppers Drug Mart, and she was accosted by a security gaurd and accused of stealing, even though she had purchased everything (including the anti-persperant) and had the receipt to prove it.
Shopper’s is very aggresive in their security, and unfortunately, have not seemed to take a pro-active but polite approach about it. They just blame first, and it doesn’t seem to matter if their claim is true or not.
By the way, I am also an anti-perspirant smeller (and not a theif). They change the scents all the time, and I can’t wear something that will make me feel ill if the scent doesn’t agree with me. Smelling a perfumed product should not be a crime.
November 30th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
This is terrible behaviour by Shoppers. The person clearly explained why she opened the product and then bought it. The employee was totally out of line in his reaction and to then ban the person from the store — Shoppers really over-reacted, did not investigate the incident. I think this person should seek damages. The response was way over the top – to the point where this person was mentally and emotionally harmed. Not a professional reaction from the store. There are many drug stores where we can all buy products. I’ll rethink going to Shoppers.
December 1st, 2009 at 11:22 am
I am interested in knowing exactly which store this is (which branch). I too spend a mint at Shoppers Drug Mart…it’s one of my all time favorite stores. I would just LOVE for an employee to try treating me that way! I am NOT a thief, I AM a smeller. However, I have to admit that I probably would not have opened a product that has that blister seal on it. If I couldn’t see the shade, then I would have either just left it or I would have went to the cosmetic lady and got her to open it (complaining all the while about such an idiotic production/marketing decision by that company). But I agree that you should NOT have been treated the way you were and I wouldn’t let this go. Tell as many people as you can about this!
December 7th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
My neighbour works security at Zellers. Their policy states that until you have completely exited the store with unpaid merchandise, you cannot be accused of shoplifting. There is not much they can do if someone takes an item out of its packaging, uses it, and puts it in their purse as there is technically no intent for theft until they walk off the property. They’re saving their butts–a business can get into trouble if they falsely accuse an individual of theft.
December 11th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Chirstine, I am sorry about your faith inn Zellers. This past summer I have been wrongfully accused of stealing of staff that belonged to me. I have been intimidating by a big guy and had discrinating remarks by one of employee. I have been detained with my whole family for hours and banned from the store.
And Zellers had problems with 2 other clients with similar situation.
I have forgetten to tell you that I did not leave the store. I was just leaving the cashier.
Zellers is the worse one. No one should be treated the way they treated me.
Tell me what to do?
December 29th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
I am upset with one Shoppers Drug Mart in Brampton, Ontario. I have spent thousands of dollars over the years at the Shoppers Durg Marts in Ontario. Knowing there are other pharmacies out there that I can shop at, I find shoppers is a bit closer. While out of town on a visit over the holidays, I saw a holiday sale flyer. I went to the store and purchased a few of the products on sale. Then when I drove back to where I was staying I said to myself, I should have bought two more of one product that was on sale. I located the store telephone number and spoke to a lady in one of the departments at the store. I asked her if I could have two of the same product set aside under my name at the sale price and that I would be coming by to pick them up the day after. She replied in a friendly manner and said they would be waiting for me when I got there. The next day, when I arrived at the store, I took a basket and filled it with other items and just before I got to the cashier I asked another girl in the department if I could have the two products that I reserved under my name. She brought the two products to me and I placed them in the basket. At the cashier the man rang all my purchases in and then proceeded to ring in the two products. The products came up with a higher amount than the sale price. The man at the cashier looked at me in a stern manner and said that I would have to pay the regular price. I said I distinctly called to have them reserved in order to get the sale price and at the time I did this that his employee said it would not be a problem and furthermore did so, by reserving these two products under my name in the first place. The man at the cashier who was in a management position asked me if I wanted the two products again. I said yes at the sale price, he refused and it turned into a small argument between customer and store. I told him I would not be interested in shopping at his store again and that I would tell others of this experience as a very unhappy customer, due to the fact the manner in which I was being treated over my purchases. My statement of being upset and informing others did not seem to trouble him at all, he did not care. Well over $100.00 was spent that day in his store and I will not be going back.
January 29th, 2010 at 10:53 am
Here is a copy of a formal complaint I sent to Shoppers here in NB. I am a newcomer to the area, so was blissfully unaware of how they treat people “from away” out here.
In response to my letter, (see below) I received a reply from the store owner, who said it was too bad I wouldn’t be shopping there anymore. No mention of the incident(s), no apology, just a basic get lost. Does anyone else remember when the customer was always right?
These kinds of places can only continue to denigrate customers as long as we let them, by continuing to shop there. Why should I expose myself to the vagaries of some woman making minimum wage, troweled up in makeup, when I can go to about 50 other stores and get great service?
I’m tired of being treated like schmuck because of some sales clerks personal issues. I urge everyone to re-examine their shopping habits, and perhaps try and patronize local outlets, (like Guardian Pharmacy), where they actually give a damn.
Dear Mr. Ferguson
I live in Lower Coverdale, and so the Shoppers closest to my home is the one at 45 Vaughn Harvey Blvd. On January 14 I entered your store with 2 things in mind- to ask a question about who owned Covergirl, and to purchase a face cream and an exfoliant. I am 57 years old, so I have had a lot of exposure to many high-end beauty products. The woman who “served” me, Coraline, was short to the point of being rude when I commented about the Ellen De Generis CoverGirl commercial, which I find offensive, but my goal was to purchase the above mentioned items.
Toward that end, I asked for a run down on the Dr. Haushka skin line, as I have and continue to use their products, in particular the milk cleanser. It seemed to me that ‘Coraline’ found me somewhat of a nuisance, which I find odd, as I was the lone customer in the beauty department, but I had a long day, and I was on my way home, so I just shrugged it off. My error. Coraline then proceeded to take me over to the line and basically just stand there, not asking me any questions regarding skin type, what I was looking for from the product- in short, she was one of the worst salespersons I have ever come in contact with. So, I just took a small $90.00 container of skin cream, and then I asked for an exfoliant, and I specifically stated, 3 times, that it did not have to be the same brand, and could she recommend another choice. Unfortunately, Coraline must have felt that I wasn’t worth the effort, so she just kept insisting that the first container she chose was my best option, so I purchased it, at $44.00, for a total of 2 products at approx $146.00, and a time span of about 10 minutes. (4:10:22 was the time of purchase).
I then went home, put the products away, and when I opened the box containing the ‘exfoliant’, I discovered it was a jar of clay powder. The instructions were to steam my face for 8-10 minutes, mix the clay up myself, and apply for the corresponding time period. This is not an exfoliant, it is a hobby, and I am a very busy woman. I am currently flipping a house, I am setting up an online business, applying for new passport as I am going abroad, etc. So, the next day, which would be Friday, the 22 (I think), I was again out and about, running errands, and on my way home I stopped at your store on Vaughn Harvey to return the item for store credit. As I was in a hurry when I left, I just grabbed the instructions and ‘inner tag” from my cream, thinking that she would surely remember me. This where it gets outrageous.
I explained to the girl at the cosmetics counter, and she had to call the Head Cashier, as there was no manager on site. This woman could not have been nicer, and in fact ran back to the lunchroom where Coraline was sitting, having her break. Imagine my surprise when said supervisor came running back to me and said, very apologetically, that Coraline refused to come out, so could I come back (again) tomorrow when she was on duty. At this point I began to become seriously upset. I have worked in sales in one way or another all of my life, and mostly at the top of that particular food chain, so I have a very specific idea about customer service: the customer always comes first. All Coraline had to do was take a look at me, and then give the go ahead: the Head Cashier was ready able and willing to help me.
Having been in business myself for most of my adult life, I have worked 7 day weeks, put off vacations, given away free services/items…the list of my efforts is long, as is that of any small business owner.Once again, let me state that customer service is perhaps the best tool you have for repeat business, the meat and potatoes of any business. Do you feel that a person like Coraline is the best representative for your store, your brand? I then had to make a special trip again the next day, receipt in hand, but this time I got a refund instead. Shoppers is certainly not the only game in town- quality cosmetics are everywhere. Why would I continue to shop at any of your store when, despite my patience and deceptively easy going attitude, I am treated like the leper with the least fingers? Well, the answer is, I won’t, and I will pass this incident along (and in the blogosphere) to the best of my ability, unless you address this issue.
I have been in that particular store a number of times, shopping, and truthfully I rarely see more than a very few customers present. One reason may be that mock labcoat wearing, minimum wage earning troll, Coraline, in your beauty department. Was I not dressed appropriately? Was I too polite? I certainly was not polite when I returned the third time. I will leave this in your hands and look forward to hearing from you. As a side note, I would like to mention how polite and friendly the rest of your staff was and has been to me. My guess is that they would be happy to get rid of Coraline.
I remain
Outraged,
February 4th, 2010 at 11:17 pm
Yes, I also have had difficulty with exceedingly rude salespeople at Shoppers, particularly the one at the corner of Bloor and Huron in Toronto. Shoppers, you’ve lost another customer.
February 14th, 2010 at 7:10 am
I totally understand the frustration with Shoppers Drug Mart. My family and I moved to Vancouver a few years back and we have a Shoppers that was build close to our area. Clayton – in Surrey along Fraser Hwy between 184th and 188th. My first bad situation there was when I purchased a bus pass for my daughter. Something I have never done before. She was going to be a student at a makeup school downtown Vancouver. I explained this to the clerk and she sold me the bus pass. I took the bus pass home and found out from my daughter and husband that it was the wrong one. So my husband and I walked back to Shoppers to exchange it for the right one. Well the clerk that sold it to me was gone for the day. But the clerk that was there said that I couldn’t return it to them that I had to return it to the bus company to get my money back. I explained to them that it was THEIR clerk that had sold it to me (she had made a mistake) but still it was her advice that I bought the wrong one. Then the supervisor came out – she wouldn’t make eye contact with me – she took the whole situation personally – she was rude and blunt. Finally whoever was above her – refunded the bus pass and we purchased the correct one. My thoughts were “What the heck?”. At the same location I have had trouble returning sunglasses that broke two days later – makeup. And this is the Shoppers that myself and family go to (or did go to) for all our prescriptions, sundries, perfumes, vitamins….But the thing that made us stop going there was my daughter got a job there. The one that three years ago when to makeup school in Vancouver. She got a position working in the cosmetic section. She was thrilled. But within a week her being thrilled was crushed. Her confidence out the window. She was told by other employees that they were short staffed which showed by the lack of training. My daughter ended out making errors on cash but had no one to help her and was never told or corrected until they fired her. We ended out having a family crisis where my daughter called in to say she couldnt make her shift. The supervisor called my daughter back and called my daughter a liar and laughed at her when my daughter started to cry. When my daughter said that she would come in to do the shift because she didn’t want to lose out – the supervisor said that she was going to fire my daughter anyway because of the many mistakes my daughter had made. My daughter asked the supervisor what mistakes?? – and the supervisor said it didn’t matter – she was fired anyway, that she didn’t need an explanation. I know that Shoppers did not have Just Cause to fire my daughter. Especially because she was unaware that there was a problem – a mistake or error in judgement, especially if due to inexperience or lack of training,is not wilful misconduct. My daughter was never given any warning or reason. And never given the chance to meet the required standard of performance. To say the least my daughter left Shoppers feeling like a failure. Shoppers is unprofessional and needs to get extensive training. We will never shop at that Shoppers or any because of these reasons.
March 22nd, 2010 at 7:53 pm
I HAVE JUST EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WITH A SHOPPERS DRUG MART (THAT PURCHASED A GREAT DRUG STORE THAT I HAD BEEN DEALING WITH FOR YEARS). I HAD A PRESCRIPTION RENEWAL, DATED TODAY, AND AS PER USUAL, I GET IT DELIVERED. IT IS FOR PANIC ATTACKS, AS I HAVE GRAVES DISEASE, (HYPOTHYROIDISM), WORK 20 HOUR DAYS IN MY OWN BUSINESS, SOMETIMES EVEN LONGER – STRAIGHT THROUGH TO THE NEXT DAY, AND HAVE ENDED UP IN THE HOSPITAL ON DOZENS OF OCCASIONS PRIOR TO GETTING THIS PARTICULAR MEDICINE. MY HEART PALPUTATES AND I END UP IN EMERGENCY!
TODAY, THE PHARMACIST TOLD ME THAT BECAUSE FEBRUARY ONLY HAD 29 DAYS, I WAS CALLING A DAY EARLY, (EVEN THOUGH THE SCRIPT BOTTLE IS DATED MARCH 22ND – TODAY) – SO HE NEEDED TO CALL MY DR. THIS WAS UNUSUAL, AS I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH THESE PEOPLE FOR YEARS, AND IT IS NOT A PROBLEM. I SAID MY DOCTOR WILL AUTHORIZE IT – PLEASE CALL HER AND CALL ME BACK. THIS HAS HAPPENED ONCE OR TWICE PREVIOUSLY, AS I AM A CHRONIC INSOMNIAC – AND THUS, PERIODICALLY NEED TO TAKE ONE EXTRA PILL A DAY FOR PERHAPS 5 TO 8 DAYS A MONTH, WHICH CAN LEAVE ME SHORT AT THE END OF THE MONTH. IT IS NOT A HUGE DEAL. NOT HAVING THEM IS A HUGE DEAL. I TOLD HIM I WAS OUT!
Warren Van Langenberg, IS THE FIRST PHARMACIST I TALKED TO – AT THE WILSON AND AVENUE ROAD SDM. I CANNOT BELIEVE HOW NEGLIGENT AND UNFPROFESSIONAL HE WAS TO GO HOME AT 3:30 WITHOUT INFORMING ME. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS OUT OF MY PRESCRIPTION. I WAS CLEAR ABOUT CALLING ME BACK AND HE SAID HE WOULD.
NOT ONLY DID HE NOT – HE DID NOT INFORM Estelle Goldberg, THE SECOND PHARMACIST I TALKED TO AT 7:00. NOT ABOUT THE PRESCRIPTION – NOT ABOUT THE OTHER ITEMS I HAD ORDERED! HE JUST WENT HOME.
I WAS VERY CLEAR WITH THIS PHARMACIST AND ORDERED OTHER THINGS TO BE DELIVERED. I ASKED HIM TO CALL ME BACK ONCE HE HAD REACHED MY DOCTOR, AND ALSO TO GIVE ME THE TOTAL OF THE OTHER PRODUCTS I HAD PURCHASED – WHICH I HAVE BEEN DOING FOR YEARS. DELIVERY TIME IS USUALLY AROUND 7:00, AND WHEN I HAD NOT HEARD – I CALLED THE PHARMACIST. ANOTHER PHARMACIST TELLS ME HE LEFT AT 3:30 – NO CALL TO ME AND HAD NOT EVEN INFORMED HER ABOUT ANY OF THIS.
APPARENTLY HE PUT A CALL INTO MY DOCTOR – AND DIDN’T FOLLOW UP WITH HER OR MYSELF. HAD HE CALLED ME, I CAN ASSURE YOU I WOULD HAVE REACHED HER, AND HAD HER OKAY THE SCRIPT. BUT AT 7:00 AT NIGHT – I HAVE NO RECOURSE!
I AM LIVID. I NEVER HAD A PROBLEM IF I NEED IT A COUPLE OF DAYS EARLY – OR A COUPLE OF DAYS LATE. SDM (AND PARTICULARLY THE DRUG STORE THEY BOUGHT OUT)ALWAYS ACCOMMODATED ME. THE PRESCRIPTION BOTTLE IS MARCH 22ND! THAT IS TODAY.
AT 7:00 THIS EVENING, I HAVE TO CALL THEM TO SEE WHAT IS UP AND THE NEW PHARMACIST TELLS ME – SHE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT IT – AND – IT IS ILLEGAL TO GIVE A PRESCRIPTION A DAY OR TWO EARLY AND THERE IS NOTHING SHE CAN DO. WELL IF THIS IS THE CASE – THEY HAVE DONE IT ILLEGALLY SEVERAL TIMES!
Warren Van Langenberg, IS THE FIRST PHARMACIST I TALKED TO INITIALLY – AT THE WILSON AND AVENUE ROAD SDM. I CANNOT BELIEVE HOW NEGLIGENT AND UNFPROFESSIONAL HE WAS TO GO HOME AT 3:30 WITHOUT INFORMING ME OR THE NEXT PHARMACIST! I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS OUT OF MY PRESCRIPTION. I WAS CLEAR ABOUT CALLING ME BACK AND HE SAID HE WOULD.
NOT ONLY DID HE NOT – HE DID NOT INFORM Estelle Goldberg, THE SECOND PHARMACIST I TALKED TO AT 7:00.
I AM HAVING THEM GATHER MY MEDS FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS (VIA THEIR SUPPOSED HEALTH WATCH SYSTEM), AND IF IN FACT IT IS ILLEGAL FOR THEM TO GIVE A PRESCRIPTION A DAY EARLY – PERHAPS I SHOULD SUE THEM! THEY HAVE DONE IT BEFORE.
MY MAIN ISSUE IS THAT HE DIDN’T GIVE ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONTACT MY OWN DOCTOR DURING BUSINESS HOURS. HE JUST WENT HOME AT 3:30 WITH NO REGARD FOR THE CONSUMER. IT IS TRULY UNBELIEVABLE TO ME.
I HAVE ACTUALLY WORKED WITH HEAD OFFICE SHOPPERS DRUG MART IN A PROFESSIONAL CAPACITY. YEARS AGO, THEY WERE A GREAT, WELL RUN ORGANIZATION. BUT IT SEEM’S THAT THEY HAVE BECOME TOO BIG TO CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS. UNFORTUNATELY, I HAVE HEARD MANY COMPLAINTS FROM FRIENDS ABOUT IN STORE EXPERIENCES. IT IS A SHAME.
THANK GOD I AM NOT A CANCER, DIABETIC OR SERIOUS HEART PATIENT. THESE PEOPLE COULD ACTUALLY KILL YOU!
HEALTH WATCH IS BECOMING A SERIOUS JOKE, AND PHARMACISTS ARE OBVIOUSLY NOT WELL TRAINED!
April 4th, 2010 at 11:33 am
I worked for Shoppers for 20 years, I can comment to some of the things here.
First of all . .the customer is NOT always right. They gave up that right when they started having this sense of entitlement and really started treating the retail employees like they are dirt.
That being said, the original incident was handled very poorly. The initial communication from the employee should have been “Can I help you look for something” At which point if there is no tester for the cosmetic product one should have been made available.
The reaction from the Associate and Store manager is just plain absurd, but that’s what you get when you bring in people just because of thier education and not their business sense.
Shoppers has gone way down hill
April 9th, 2010 at 8:45 pm
I HAD AN INCIDENT OCCUR TODAY AS WELL! My wife and I were in our local Shoppers Drug Mart on Hartzel Rd. in St. Catharines Ontario today shopping as we do at least once or twice a week for decades. The store has relocated twice on the same street since I began shopping there in the early eighties, changing from a friendly local drug store to the over-priced corporate meat market it is now. We were looking at some Olay moisturizers when suddenly the p.a. blurted out “CODE ELEVEN” and almost instantly some small minded, over dressed woman came scurrying over to practically screech to a halt right adjacent from us and begin looking at those nickel-free earrings for sensitive skin. (Which just happened to line up her line-of-sight with us perfectly. Now, I don’t know what code 11 means, but I know that we felt very embarrassed and humiliated by what had just transpired. We don’t necessarily look like thieves (if thieves have a certain look) but for whatever reason I believe we spooked the security staff. We finished our shopping and left with whatever dignity we had left, followed out the door by prying eyes all the while. I know we will definitely be taking our business elsewhere, and am saddened by the current state of things. We make more than enough money to shop frivolously where ever we please, and neither of us have stolen a damn thing in our lives. Truly pathetic. Maybe the security staff just doesn’t get enough “action” these days.
April 14th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
Shoppers Drug Mart Store Manager
Dunbar Street, Vancouver, BC
Dear Sir/Madam,
After years of being your store customer, I recently experienced a terrible problem. I am writing to obtain compensation for a huge mistake for which I believe your cashier is responsible.
On Apr13, I used cash to purchase foods from your store and your cashier (Margaret) did not return my $52.37changed back. I’ve realized after I got home and count my money. Just want to let you know your employees are taking advantage of senior people and this is beyond every thing it is the worst thing any one can do. This is not the first time this happened to us.
The bottom-line: I am missing $ 52.37 and lost my respect for all shoppers drug mart stores. My husband and I are both very disappointed and we will send this letter to your superior as well to let them know what kind of operation you are running.
April 17th, 2010 at 12:20 am
Okay for all you hipacrites who obviuosly do not understand retail or business..just stop and think what and ow you would feel if you owned the business.day in and day out people like you who come into the stores and open and damage products then leave it behind and grab a new sealed package cause of coarse the one YOU opened has been tampered by YOU have now put my and many others money into the garbage cause as you know it no longer is sellable and is losses to the store remember day in and day out this goes on….not just the one time you did it but how often we the employees whom get annoyed with you’s.it is our job for the ones who care about our jobs to protect the property we work for.how would you like it if this was your business or someone just happened to walk up to your garage sell and take something apart or damage it where you no longer could get a buck for —not a big deal but if one after another did it to all the stuff your trying to self for extra bucks in your pocket no longer can be sold or given out for free HOW WOULD THAT MAKE YOU FELL BE REAL NOW!!!Look we are trying to run a business we serve you …you serve us even.Besides if you only new the excuses we get for the very little pity raises we get or get refused YOU are the first reason as to why they can not afford it,thats why we get out of hand with taking advenatage of the customer is always right people like yourself.so be and adult ask for assistance and we will do the best we can to make you happy.
April 17th, 2010 at 12:23 am
cUSTOMERS ARE ALWAYS RIGHT…………..iS b.s i will stand up for myself and when i fell you have over stepped the rights i have as a owner or employee you will be told.
May 19th, 2010 at 9:20 am
351 Queen St East phone line is always busy. This is unacceptable when one is trying to fill prescriptions. What are they going to do about it?
May 21st, 2010 at 3:24 am
SDM sucks especially in Brampton and they deserve to be stolen from!
May 25th, 2010 at 9:34 am
If you have a bad experience with SDM – you should call customer service – it took me a while to finally find this phone number.
1-800-746-7737
July 15th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
Outragous treatment! No one should ever put up with that kind of crap from a place where they are a customer. The latest crop of idiots to be employed in customer sensitive areas seem to think that what they think actually matters. I have been talked over by a number of such feebs and had to report them to their superiors in every respect of the word. Looks like one actually posted here with the customer is always right being bs. Good luck; with that attitude you ought to be a minimum wager for life. The reason the customer is always right is competition. After enduring SD dropping the ball on perscriptions 3 times a year and listening to the same self serving excuses again and again I have changed pharmacies. I called around to make sure I was not going to get more of the same from another store. The only place that gave me the creeps was another SD branch where the pharmasist acted like he was doing me a favour talking to me. No wonder so many staff also have the same self serving attitude where their needs and convenience come before yours. Bye bye SD my pharma alone is at least $6,000 a year not including the convenience and other items bought while there.
August 8th, 2010 at 11:11 am
The same thing happened to me at a Dominion. I purchased razor blades and decided that I wanted the ones on sale and went back into the store and my blades were priced higher than the ones on sale. I decided that I was not going to wait in line and seeing as the blades I purchased and put back were higher in price. I thought it was ok. Boy was I ever wrong. Arrested, interrogated, banned for life from the store and police record for 6 years. The store manager refused to investigate and let it go. The cashier who witnessed the whole thing lied.
August 13th, 2010 at 12:22 am
I had a problem continuely with bad service at the Clayton Hills, surrey SDM with poor service and poor management it is all due to the owner who it Betty who does not care about her customers at all…she is seeing the difference though as the drop off is I am sure notable since price smart has come in with the lower cost of prescriptions and their better customer service! I hate shopping there now I was never given the respect of a frequesnt guest who used to use it as a regular corner market for everything…it is a shame you treat people bad and you pay for it…one night I was ill and need cough medicine so I went in there at 11:50 I was strolling with no make up my hair pulled up ( a mess) there were drunk kids in there too but no I was being followed by the security guard!!! I actually let the guy have it when he should have had his eyes on the drunk kids and not some ill mother needing some bubble bath, cough medicine and candies! What an idiot! I come to the place so often to make me feel like some third class citizen I am a Nurse and highly needed demographic purchaser! But no more I can’t even remember the last time I went into Betty Chows SDM she has never cared about any complaints nor does she respond to you about the complaints …she is a women who is about herself and her dollar and I hope her store is down down down this year and next and next with the type of service her store provides!!!! Yuk Yuk and more yuk !!! where is London Drugs!!! or better yet Please pharmasave extend you hours!
August 19th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
I’ve worked at SDM in the beauty department for MANY years. My customer service and that of my colleagues are exceptional, and like I’d to clarify that there are always a few rotten apples in a basket of perfectly good apples.
The survey generated through the register is a CSI survey used mainly to enter you into a draw to win Shoppers Gift Cards. The comments you leave in the survey are given back to the store to review and of course, try to improve. However, it is NOT a “complaint” department so to speak. In fact, it would make for a horrible compliant department seeing as how the surveys DO NOT appear on all receipts (it comes up every 10 or 15 receipts at random).
Complaints about specific employees or locations need to be made to SDM Head Office. Someone said the number was hard to find… but it’s easy.
It’s 1-800-SHOPPERS.
In my experience, they are pretty good at resolving issues, especially issues between a customer and an employee/ store (they mediate well).
It is correct that it is against policy to open a package. I understand that it’s frustrating when vendors don’t send the store testers. However, even in the event that a product will be purchased, it must be done before opening the package.
It would be like going to a clothing store and ripping out all the tags… even if you intend on buying it, it should be purchased first. I agree the employee approached you and handled it the wrong way, ie. aggressively.
October 10th, 2010 at 9:52 am
Well today I went to shoppers at 9651 yonge street shoppers. Since it was in the morning, there were no customers. I bought several medications with was priced very cheap. With a happy mind, I went over to the cashier and she started checking it out. Midway throught the process, I noticed that the medication was priced wrong, so I proceeded to tell her (the cashier). She responded extremely rudely, and spat at me that she will do the “refund”. As there is a policy that if you mark an item under $10 wrong, you will gett that item for free. However, that cheeky women just gave me the refund but not the item!
So when I called Shoppers again, she answered the call and very rudely insisted that she gave back the money and the item! Ugh i was so mad that I am intending to call back, report this to the manager, and check the security camera who is right.
Wish me luck~
October 10th, 2010 at 10:55 am
I am not surprised by your experience. I have a complaint about Shoppers drug mart customer service and I cannot find an email address on there website in order to provide them with feedback on how disapointed I am in their products. I stumbled across your blog trying to find a way to contact Shoppers drug mart and complain.
October 15th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
I too am looking for a way find out how to contact their customer service department and there is no contact information on their website. This tells me that they don’t want to hear from their customers.
TOO bad when Walmart, Costco, PharmaPlus and many other stores sell the same things at much lower prices.
This is not the first time I’ve heard of problems with customer service clerks at SDM. They need to get with it, especially when the economy is not great.
October 23rd, 2010 at 10:10 pm
subject: Bad attitude of your cashier Ms. Christine? At register #1 at Shoppers Drug Mart #1516 located at 747 Don Mills Road, North York, ON M3C 1T2
To
President and CEO
Shoppers Drug Mart
[delivered via webmail box at http://fd3.formdesk.com/shoppersdrugmart/contact_us
Dear Sir,
We are writing to express our disappointment at the rude and obnoxious manner of your female, oriental, pharmacist, with short, dark hair, wearing red-rimmed eyeglasses, displaying NO visible name-tag, but who responded to the name of [Chris? OR] Christine? When addressed by a fellow employee in the store.
We shopped at this Shoppers Drug Mart #1516 located at 747 Don Mills Road, North York, ON M3C 1T2 on 23 October 2010 in the late evening.
In return for our cash payment, this employee who was dawdling at another register [i.e. cash register #2 while she was supposed to be attending to cash register #1, and made us wait for OVER 2 minutes WHILE she PRETENDED to ignore us standing to pay for our purchases], gave us a TOONIE [i.e. 2 dollar Canadian currency coin] that was BADLY DEFACED in return for our BRAND-NEW $20 Canadian currency bill.
We politely requested her to provide us a COIN AND/OR OTHER currency that was NOT defaced, and explained to her that another merchant would be legally correct IF he REFUSED to accept THIS DEFACED coin that she was giving us. FURTHERMORE, WE ARE WITHIN OUR LEGAL RIGHTS TO REFUSE TO ACCEPT A DEFACED COIN AND/OR TORN &TATTERED CURRENCY NOTES FROM HER. THIS IS ESPECIALLY VALID SINCE WE DID NOT provide her ANY DEFACED AND/OR TORN & TATTERED CURRENCY.
SHE REFUSED TO DO SO.
We asked for the store manager. She told us that she was IN-CHARGE.
We asked her for the contact information for the head-office AND told her that we will NOT leave the store UNTIL we get what we are legally entitled to, i.e. AN ACCEPTABLE CURRENCY CHANGE, OR SHE CAN TAKE HER MERCHANDISE BACK AND CANCEL THE TRANSACTION. AND IF NEED BE, WE WILL CALL THE POLICE NOW AND TAKE THE MATTER UP AT SMALL-CLAIMS COURT, EVEN IF WE HAVE TO SUE SHOPPERS DRUG MART FOR HARASSMENT, MENTAL ANGUISH, PAIN & SUFFERING CAUSED TO US, AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THIS UNDUE HARASSMENT AND A VIOLATION OF OUR CIVIL RIGHTS.
AT THIS POINT, SHE EXCHANGED THE DEFACED TOONIE COIN FOR ANOTHER TOONIE COIN.
When she opened her cash-register again, we noted that SHE HAD PLENTY OF TOONIE, LOONIE AND QUARTERS IN HER CASH-DRAWER.
THEREFORE, this was NOTHING BUT AN EVIDENCE OF BAD ATTITUDE BY YOUR STAFF, FOR INCONSEQUENTIAL REASONS AND PURE HARRASSMENT TO US.
Please be advised, that the best advertisement ANY business carries is by word of mouth, irrespective of the dollars spent on promotions, optimum-card-deals, and advertisement. And this employee ON YOUR PREMISES, WEARING YOUR UNIFORM, CONDUCTING YOUR BUSINESS, REPRESENTED YOUR SHOPPERS-DRUG-MART logo and store.
WHAT do YOU think we have to tell people WE KNOW about Shoppers Drug Mart and our experience.
Therefore, we are constrained to observe, that in comparison to your competitors at PharmPlus/ Rexall and Zellers, the quality of your EMPLOYEES is MUCH below an acceptable level.
Sincerely,
Carla Smith
Cc:
http://www.penciltrick.com/index.php/retail/shoppers-drug-mart/
November 8th, 2010 at 4:36 am
wow, i didnt realize that shoppers was so aggressive in ensure that CUSTOMERS do NOT STEAL,,,
do they treat the staff this way for stealing
A SHOPPERS DRUG MART EMPLOYEE STOLE MY OPTIMUM POINTS LAST YEAR AND BOUGHT THEMSELF THEIR XMAS PRESENTS WITH MY POINTS..
I DID NOT SEND THEM SECURITY, I DID NOT GET TO YELL AT HIM OR ACCUSS HIM…
I HAD TO PROVE MY POINT, and through their SILENT INVESTIGATION , they quietly dismissed the person and gave me my points back after i stressed for 2 months over my 200.00 in points.
that was my xmas money and SHOPPERS STOLE FROM ME ….
more and more consumers should start standing up for their rights, and companies should remember about THE WOLF IN SHEEPS CLOTHING
November 8th, 2010 at 4:38 am
DOES ANYONE KNOW IF IT IS LEGAL TO WALK INTO THE STORE WITH MY PHONE CAMERA ON , TO ENSURE THAT HARASSING STAFF GET TAPED.
November 11th, 2010 at 11:03 pm
I just had an incident tonight with Shoppers Drug Mart. I have been dealing with the Shoppers Drug Mart at Danforth and Victoria Park (3003 Danforth Avenue, Shoppers World) for many years. I have filled almost all my prescriptions at the pharmacy there except for one recently.
I ran out of the medication which is crucial that I have every day. This Shoppers is near my house and that is why I usually fill the script there. I called to ask if they would sell me 4 days of pills till I go see the doctor to get a renewal. The pharmacist on duty, Jennifer Judges, says that since I hadn’t filled the same prescription there for the past six months, that she could not give me an emergency ration. I told her that they are my usual store and that I filled the script across the city near my office just once because I was heading out of town and it was the most convenient that time only. She says that I should fill it at the other Shoppers. I tell her that it is across town, that I don’t have a car right now, and I really need her to give me a small ration. I mention that she can call the other store to confirm that in fact I had the prescription filled by a Shoppers recently. She refuses.
I plan to lodge a complaint with the owner of the store as well as head office.
November 26th, 2010 at 1:40 am
Good old arrogant SDM. I am a senior who is involved with a group of about 20 other seniors.
When SDM announced their plan to give a $10 gift certificate to seniors who purchased a minimum of $50 on seniors day, as a result I encouraged our group to avail themselves of this, and as a consequence they transferred prescriptions and business amounting to at least $10,000 per month to our local SDM.
Several days later when I went to the same store, located on the corner of Queen and Parliament streets in Toronto, to redeem my gift certificate I was told it had expired, apparently unknown to any of the recipients the certificates were good for only a few days which of course makes them virtually worthless. On hearing this I insisted on talking to the owner,(never talk to a “manager”, they are only a minimum wage flunky), Once I confronted the owner about this unfair practice he became irate and ordered me to leave the store, when I refused he threatened to call the police. Instead of scaring me off, I encouraged him to call them, saying if they came I would press charges of fraud against him which stopped him cold in his tracks.
I have apologized to my friends for steering them wrong and everyone in our group is pulling ALL of their business from this sleazy organization.
Yesterday was seniors day again, out of curiosity I enquired as to what premium was being offered, it turned out to be postage stamps. Now I don’t know about everyone else, but $10 worth of postage stamps would last me and anyone else I know about 10 years. Obviously they must have a glut of them and are trying to pawn them off as a “benefit”.
Any organization that doesn’t post an email address that customers can access is a business that doesn’t deserve my money!
November 26th, 2010 at 2:01 am
I apologize profusely for calling the organization “sleazy”, I should have said their policies and certainly the above mentioned owner do fit the description.
My friends are so incensed that they all want to start a very public class action suit against them.
December 21st, 2010 at 11:47 am
Wow, some of these complaints make the OP seem in the same crazy boat as the rest of them. A lot of these issues are from misinformed customers who want offers that have expired or some kind of special treatment.
December 29th, 2010 at 7:46 pm
Hi,
My name is Kathy and I came across this blog when searching for the number of Shoppers head office complaint department. I am still shaking from what happened to me an hour ago.
I live in Richmond Hill and like you, I am a very regular customer of Shoppers. I buy everything there..cosmetics, gifts, groceries, pharmaceuticals etc.. For the first time ever, I bought a $100 Best Buy gift card there which will be my very last purchase at Shoppers!
Here’s a quick recap of what happened:
I went to the store on Monday to buy a birthday card and noticed they sell gift cards to Best Buy. I waited in line and when I approached the cashier, I asked her to give me a moment as I was trying to call my husband from my cell phone. I tried to reach him two times with no success and as I was apologizing to her, listening to the phone ring and ring with no response, I explained to the girl cashier that I was trying to reach my husband to see if he had already bought the gift card (for his brother’s birthday) and how we were both running errands and I didn’t want to buy the card only to find out he had already bought it” and so on and that’s when she said, “no problem If he bought one already, just bring it back and get a refund.” I looked her right in the eye and said, “so these are 100% refundable? No conditions or surprise fees or whatever?” and she said, “yup” with a very reassuring smile. Reassured, I bought the card and left.
Just as I had feared my husband had already bought a card from Best Buy directly so I went in today to return the card. I walked up the counter with my other items in hand and before the girl behind the counter scanned the first shampoo I said, I’d like to refund this card first please. She looked up and said, “gift cards are not refundable” to which I naturally replied, “there must be some mistake here. When I bought this I was told I could refund it anytime”. She then yelled over to the girl behind the counter across her and said, “this lady is trying to refund this card”, to which she replied, “gift cards are not refundable.” I looked over at her and said, “but I was told it was before I bought it” to which she replied, “Call Carlos” looking at the cashier assisting me. So my cashier picked up the phone, pushed a button and said “there is a lady trying to refund a gift card”. 5 seconds later, a tall gentleman came out from the back room and moved towards me. My cashier looked up at him and repeated, “I’ve told this lady they are not refundable” and he immediately looked over at me (without introduction or any pleasantries whatsover), repeated “this is not refundable”. I replied, “yes. That is what I hear now but when I bought the gift card, I was afraid this might happen so I asked the girl who helped me and she told me it was refundable”. His response verbatim, “well its not refundable. I responded, “then how come…(Just then noticing he was rolling his eyes and shaking his head back and forth), I said, could you please not dismiss what I am saying before I even say it? He replied, what do you want me to tell you…this is not refundable. Everyone knows that gift cards are not refundable”. I asked, who is everyone and he repeated “everyone”. I said, “Okay, I get that maybe by everyone you mean your staff but I assure you as a customer, I was not aware of that before I bought it or else I would not have bought it and I only bought it because I was assured it was fully refundable.” His response was that all their staff in training are told this rule and know that gift cards are not refundable” to which I responded, I have no reason to lie to you. I assure you that I was told it was but if they needed to be sure, why not call the girl who sold me the card. Just then the girl (previously as the opposite counter but now lined up with my cashier and carlos) said, she is coming in in 15 minutes and we can ask her to which I replied, great, I’ll wait for her to come in and I’m sure she’ll remember me because I was on the phone frantically trying to reach my husband…Carlos interrupted again, it doesn’t matter. That is besides the point. Everyone knows these cards are not refundable. Agitated at his dismissiveness, I said, how is what a salesperson told me besides the point here? And this whole everyone knows, where on my receipt does it say that or anywhere in the store? to which he replied, it doesn’t need to say it on the receipt or in the store or what the girl said or didn’t say, the card is not refundable. Amazed, I responded that actually it does matter because by law I should be made aware of this in house rule and if fact, I was told the actual opposite…you get the drift ow what is going on at this point so I insist at this point that they call this cashier but Carlos and now the other cashier refuse insisting it is besides the point. At this point, the rolling eyes, the blank stares, the interrupting me when I speak and the general dismissiveness and lack of care to even try and investigate is getting to me. I say to them, “ok. obviosuly you all think I am lying here so please, someone call the cashier” to which the other cashier responds, “i don’t need to call her because I can tell you what she is going to say”. I ask,”How can you be so sure when you won’t even call her” and she says, “well if she told you that then the $100 is coming out of her pocket cuz we aren’t refunding it.” I respond, “okay so with the threat that if she tells the truth she is out $100, I guess I see now why you are so sure she’ll deny it…to cover her ass basically. Anyway, not sure what is going on here but I don’t see what I’ve done to get stuck with a gift card I have no use for.” The cashier then says, see this happened to me recently too. She pulls out a cadillac fairview gift card and says, see I tried to refund this and they too said no and they are cadillac fairview. She then swipes the gift card at the register which reads, sale transaction, and she says, “see. even if we wanted to, we couldn’t. The cash won’t let us. It only recognizes these cards as a sale transaction”. I say, I am sure there is a way to override that if the manager wanted to help me at which point Carlos says, “don’t raise your voice” and I respond, “sorry but you can see why I am upset no?” and he says, not sure what I can tell you that I haven’t told you. gift cards are not refundable and I am the manager. Shocked, I turn to him and say, “you are the manager? And you’ve done nothing but repeat what the cashier said to me the first time? You are not being helpful at all.” I guess my challenging him really ticked him off because at that point, he said, “That’s it. I don’t need your f-in business. Get the f out of the store. Get out!!!” I was absolutely stunned. I looked to him and said, you’re kidding? You are the manager? You don’t need my business but I am sure the owner does.” He screams, Get out! as he pulls the other items I wanted to purchase away and points towards the door. I said “I can’t believe this” as I turned to walk out and he proceeded to walk maybe an inch away from me, basically guiding me out of the store with his body.
When I got to my card, I sobbed. I sobbed and sobbed. I was shaking from the humiliation and anger over what just happened. Needless to say, I will never, never, never again go back! All the convenience or optimum points in the world aren’t worth being treated like this. I have been a long time customer of Shoppers and I am just in awe over how they conduct themselves in situations where they are being challenged by a customer. I have worked in retail for 17 years and I have seen almost everything but today really set a record for me. I keep replaying the event over and over again in my mind and can’t figure it out. Did I raise my voice? yes I did and they did because that’s what happens when people are disputing something back and forth but to tell me off and kick me out of the store? If I was being belligerent, violent, hostile, whatever, I could see them interpreting me as a threat and asking me to leave but being told that they don’t need my f-in business and to get the f out???? what is happening here?
I might be too upset to figure this out today but thought I’d share anyway.
Kathy
December 31st, 2010 at 4:59 pm
I found this site trying to find a way to complain about a staff at SDM – Cambie. I dialled 1800-shopper option 1 and 5 as prevoiusly posted by other users here.
It took a while before somebody answered but I was completely satisfied with the response from the other line. They even gave me 12000 bonus points for reporting my concerns!
So i suggest if you want to complain, call the number above!
January 6th, 2011 at 7:35 pm
this is a warning for all gay,bi,lesbian and specially transgender people.shoppers drugmart,londonderry mall edmonton canada,has discriminated,mocked,laughed,called me a freak,and im a battered woman who spent the last 2 xmasses in battered womens shelters for everything from sexual abuse,to broken bones and stitches in my face.im filing complaints with human rights and other groups for hate crie comments from there staff!p.s im 100%fmale right down to my birth certificate
jessica a
January 6th, 2011 at 10:24 pm
I work for SDM, and cannot imagine under ANY circumstances a Manager speaking to a customer like that. You really should contact the Assosiate of that location,also Head Office. Sorry that happened to you.
January 13th, 2011 at 11:08 pm
We have had an ongoing issue with the SDM Pharmacy on Davie Street in Vancouver making errors, double charging or “last minute” mention of prescriptions which need refill from the Doctor.
They have repeatedly relabeled blister packs with weekdays backwards from Sat to Sun when the pre-printed information MON to SUN was correct and just needed to be left alone.
They continually charge for vitamins and misc things added to the blister packs even though we buy them by the bottle and they are stored in a bag, under our name, on a shelf in their pharmacy and Notes in “HUGE letters” are on our file to that effect
This time it is to much.
Every two weeks we pick up filled blister packs
IN December we presented a new prescription to be added to the blister packs for a total of 60 tablets
The first time the pills were in the packs and all was well. My partner picked up his own meds that but did not notice any error in dispensing quantity nor amount charged.
Two weeks later, when we went to pick up the blister packs we asked why the new med was not inside and were told that we had been given a vial for the complete script on the previous pickup
I came home, (because of occasional congitive issues I tend keep a close eye on his meds and had never seen this vial of tablets) talked with my partner “confirmed” there had been no “vial of pills” and went back, with the last couple of days of the previous packs with the new medication inside as well as the new ones without the new med.
The pharmacist on duty went onto the “COMPUTER” and confirmed that the original amount had been dispensed and quite understood that an error had been made (why include 14 in packs and balance in a vial)
He corrected the computer (as it would not allow for dispensing because of the data entry error), inserted the missing medication at no charge and confirmed it would now be fine.
Went back today to pick up the next two weeks (different pharmacist (two weeks on two weeks off)) and saw that we were being charged for the 14 tablets. I explained what had transpired last pickup re the data entry error and about having paid the total script quantity on the initial 14 day supply only to be told “It makes no sense and was impossible for that to have happened”
I tried again to go through it logically (I had been a process engineer and project manager for years so understand logic) explaining the computer entry error and that the computer automatically spits out a bill for the amount dispensed (since the computer had been told the entire script had been dispensed the bill came to a total for the entire script even though the tech counted out only 14 pills) So we had already paid for the entire script even though we had only received 14 days supply – but was told, again, “It makes no sense and was impossible for that to have happened”
Back and forth / back and forth every explanation falling on deafer and deafer ears with the only response being regurgitation of the same “makes no sense” routine
Finally, because my partner NEEDS these medications, I gave up and just paid (planning to contact SDM Corp and came across this thread trying to find a contact number – They do not make it easy, locate this number on any Shoppers Web Site)
Then… Then, perchance, I looked at the individual med receipts. I was being charged not only the additional $37.00 for this mediation (which had been paid for initially because of the error) but also a medication that “we supplied by the bottle” and they only added to the pill pack.
I brought this to his attention… He said “no, I did not charge you for it because the slip has the price scratched out and “no charge” written in.”
I axplained BUT you did not ring the meds up from these labels, you scanned a different set of labels, ones with bar codes.
He said “NO, I did not charge you for it because the slip was scratched out and “no charge” written in.”
By now I am “bloody well determined” it is only $2.92 BUT I have already been overcharged $37.00
Being that this ERROR was FRESH and the person making it was right there, in front of me, I was “DETERMINED” not to leave ’till it had been corrected
Hmmm…. I said, BUT…. You did not even see this slip scratched out when you rang up the sale. You were scanning a totally different set of labels with barcodes and nothing was scratched out….
I didn’t charge you / Yes You did….
Back and Forth / Back and Forth
FINALLY, he took the sales receipt, the barcode labels and the paper labels, went to another workstation and did a cross-tick.
He did not return to me… he went and got another sales person to come over and give me my refund.
I said see, mistakes can happen, just because the “COMPUTER” says something does not mean it is correct. “People” put the information in and “People”, will and do, make mistakes.
I was ignored —– Oh My Gawd…. – two things….
Never “call me Stupid” …..
Never “just ignore me”
Our prescriptions amount to between $$5000.00 and $8000.00 per year (my partner has a “lot” of health issues
, We are in the process of looking elsewhere for Pharmacy Services – Points be damned, Points, while nice, are not worth the aggravation.
BUT I will be contacting whomever I can regarding this over charging issue as he has been ongoing for too long, usually only small amounts every time, but on Limited Seniors Income it mounts up and we simply cannot afford have our money “Stolen” in this manner to a large corporation.
What has happened to Shoppers in the last couple of years. I know this store has changed hands in the last couple of years (it used to be extremely dpendable)
There is an attitude these days at least at some stores that they are doing the customer a favour by letting us shop there.
They need to have a look see into this sort of attitued as “There Are Other Places to Shop”……. Once that attitude is permitted to take over the staff it is difficult as hell to eliminate..
Do they feel that there are so many customers that if a few are lost it is quickly made up for ny new customers
How much bettr would business be if it were built on.
old customers + New Customers = more business than Old customers – Pissed off ex-customers + new Customers
January 18th, 2011 at 10:05 pm
Our complaint concerns the middle-aged, caucasian-white, female, postal
clerk who wore no name tag and declined to provide her name either.
We were in a long line-up at the post office at Shoppers Drug Mart located
at Our complaint concerns the middle-aged, caucasian-white, female, postal
clerk who wore no name tag and declined to provide her name either.
We were in a long line-up at the post office at Shoppers Drug Mart located
at 3003 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, Ontario on January 11, 2011.
The line was moving very slowly. The postal clerk did not seem to know what
she was doing either. She was yelling at customers, particularly the visible
minority customers. Her bad attitude was abrasive and rude.
We checked the price she quoted with the printed postal price, and rightly
discovered that she had overcharged us. We asked her to correct the problem
and refund us the difference. Clearly, she had made an error. Instead of
correcting the problem, she told us to get out of the store.on January 11,
2011.
The line was moving very slowly. The postal clerk did not seem to know what
she was doing either. She was yelling at customers, particularly the visible
minority customers. Her bad attitude was abrasive and rude.
We checked the price she quoted with the printed postal price, and rightly
discovered that she had overcharged us. We asked her to correct the problem
and refund us the difference. Clearly, she had made an error. Instead of
correcting the problem, she told us to get out of the store.
Contacting Canada Post was of no use, since they did nothing at all.
COntacting the CanadaPost Ombudsman Beth Lambert was of no use, since she too did nothing at all.
January 27th, 2011 at 9:36 pm
I work for Shoppers. I pay into the drug plan each and every pay. the super rude girl at my pharmacy told me that desipe the fact that I had called in my renewal 4 days prior to my needing my prescription the did not have my prescription ready and would not for another 2 days. but here take this, 3 days worth jammed into a piece of a bag. the blister pack had been cut up to issue me 3 days worth.
Rude girl then proceeds to tell me, oh and by the way your 33.00 prescription is now 136.00. After a few WTF’s in my head, I moved to the side to allow some other poor soul have their wallet raped at the counter. I made a few quick phone calls and just as I suspected this drug costs Shoppers 12.00 to sell to me.
I waited yet again for rude girl and asked why the huge price increase and why my prescription was not ready, ” I don’t know” was the answer and ” did I want this or what”
Now either this girl is as dumb a dirt or just like many other employees she just didn’t give a rats whole. but it says right there in plain sight on my benefits card that I work for Shoppers, not to mention the Shoppers coat that I am wearing!!!!
I asked for the manager, got some other rude older girl, showed her my I’d, explained what was going on and got the deer in the headlights response.
Asked for my prescription back, packed up my ID went to Walmart, paid 40.00 with my 3 month supply instead of my 3 day supply. As an employee I get treaded like crap so I am not at all surprised to see so many complaints listed here. BTW, no one want a to listen to the complaints from the employees on the complaint line either. Goodluck chuck and shop elsewhere, CEO just quit today so it won’t get any better any faster now either.
February 23rd, 2011 at 4:47 pm
Hi Everyone, guess how i end up here on this Blog? ! YOU GUESSED RIGHT.. YES while looking foR A WAY TO COMPLAIN ABOUT SHOPPERSDRUGMART, i found this…Im not gonna go into details, but i had a huged issed with my MEDS TODAY, rude costumer service, very blunt staff, from clerks to Pharmacist’s x2,…
I F’N HATE SDM AND I WILL NEVER EVER F’N GO THERE AGAIN FOR ANYTHING .. I WILL TELL EVERYONE ABOUT IT AND HOPE THEY NEVER GO THERE AGAIN ASWELL…. I GET MY MEDS NOW AT WALLMART PHARMACY, WHERE I DONT HAVE TO PAY A PENNY . AT SDM I USE TO HAVE TO PAY $4.95×7 FOR EACH MEDICINE.. EVEN THOUGH MY MEDS ARE COVERED THROUGH W.S.I.B.. why is it free at wallmart but not at SDM , why can somebody tell me that?? anyways im so sick of SDM that i will never step in any of their stores again …….. WE SHOULD ALL GET TOGETHER AND FILE A LAW SUIT AGAINST THEM…. LOL THEY SURE DESERVE IT…
February 25th, 2011 at 6:39 pm
Alex
I believe that at one time there was a regulation that all drugstores in Ontario had to be part owned by a pharmacists. If this is still the case it may well be that when customers feel mistreated at Shoppers Drugmart they would be better off to ask to speak to the pharmacist/owner rather than the manager. Managers are still just employees and have not the same interest in the bigger picture that owners do.
I am sure that a shareholder in Shoppers would much rather maintain good customers than to pedantically hold the line on some minor inappropriate behaviour.
Blogs like this one do a good job at providing a voice to those that feel violated by large organizations. Well done!!
February 28th, 2011 at 5:11 pm
Sigh, the utter hypocrisy I have experienced at my local SDM.
I asked the cashier for 20 student bus tickets for my son. She said, “we don’t sell bus tickets here…”. I bought tickets here the last time I came. I went to another cashier and asked the same thing, she yelled across the counter to the cashier I just talked to and sell passed her the tickets. I was thinking inside, “What a hypocrite!”. They should SERIOUSLY hired a better staff group. I mean, come on! It’s 2011! There has to be A LOT of people who are BETTER than these imbeciles!
March 7th, 2011 at 12:37 am
You are not considered a thief unless you attempt to leave the store without paying….unlike what an ex clerk wrote…..maybe if the lazy staff did there job and marked things and had something identifying what the product is it should stop customers from having to open things…
The store you were at should be sued for what they did to you….all because some idiot staffer wanted to cause trouble….
I don’t nor eon shop at this drug store first of all they seem to employ rude staff second good luck finding one who even knows customer service…I am not surprised with hour story…good news though is some other store has not gotten you as a loyal customer…so it is sdm loss…
March 13th, 2011 at 4:47 am
Review: Shoppers Drug Mart
150 Esplanade W
North Vancouver BC V7M 1A3
Phone: 604-904-0150
Hello everyone, I am very sad that the store staff ( store owner, store manager and others ) are live in Canada. They are absolutely not humans. I am 41 yrs well-known professor and surgeon, have great professional and social ethics and international reputation. They were terribly accused me on Feb.18,2011 that I stole something from the store. They followed me outside the store on the sidewalk 3 minutes later approached and accused me intentionally that I stole something from the store and put it in my pocket. I told them that it is incorrect. I asked store guy employee, did you see me by your naked eyes that I stole something from the store and put it in my pocket? He said you were on camera. I told him, OK , you accuse me as a thief so you should call police because theft is a crime. He did not say anything. Then I told them I will call police to come to check all my cloths, pockets, etc. They asked me to go inside the store and I complied. In few minutes, RCMP arrived in few minutes. I undressed all my cloths, shoes and I removed
all contents of my lab top bag. When I tried to undress my underwear, RCMP said I believe you! You do not stole anything. I asked RCMP to watch the store video camera tape because the store staff said that I was on camera. After one day, RCMP told me that the store staff told him that the camera does not work properly. No one gave me immediate apology about this terrible accuse. They threatened and treated me very badly. I have never met such dirty creatures in all my life.
I am wondering is there a good person in this world can tolerate this horrible accuse?
Please do not shopping at this store.
If you want further information you call me at 6046007794
Thanks!
March 15th, 2011 at 12:48 am
I was a shopper at the local Joann Fabrics store in Novi Michigan for 9 years..In all this time I only returned one item and it was with my receipt.
The second time I needed to do a return I lost my receipt, called the store the night before I was going to return the item and store rep told me I would get the last sale price..She checked the upc nuber I told her on the sticker and said it is regular price. So next day I went to the store to return the item, got rude treatment by the return rep, asked to speak to the manager and got treated rudly by him too..So I asked for the corporate phone number, called customer complaints, got a rep who told me the store was wrong and to go back and tell them this and return the item.
So I went back in got more rude treatment, rep called manager who made me wait over 14 minutes at the desk, so I got frustrated said I would leave the item at the desk and look for a replacement item.
After climbing 2 flights of stairs I looked down and saw the manager looking up at me sneering, so I walked down the stairs and told him what customer service said and he sneered at me and said he was only going to give me half of the items price in credit. So I said “whatever” and walked upstairs to look for a replacement item, couldnt find what I needed, walked back downstairs and said I wasnt going to buy anything in that store ever again and before I could finish my sentence the store manager said “GOOD”..Then I got upset and told him he was a lousy manager and just give me the half credit and Im leaving..He said not after how you talked to me your not and get out of my store..I find it disgusting that a manager can treat a customer like that and get away with it..Beware of shopping at Joann fabrics!!!
April 20th, 2011 at 3:23 pm
Shoppers Drug Mart is the worst company to work for. I was a supervisor at the Model Store, and they did nothing but cheat people. They have very poor customer service and only hired a bunch of uneducated people that can hardly do their work properly. My advice to anyone who wants to work there, don’t even bother. And for those who are treated like shit, please do complain. And the Model Store is the worst place to go!
April 26th, 2011 at 1:49 pm
I am done as a customer of Shoppers Drug Mart. I’ve thrown in the towel at supporting a Canadian store and instead plan on buying my products at Walmart instead where I will be saving money (and hopefully be treated more as a customer then a wart on an elephant’s a**).
I recently found out that all the Optimum points I was entitled to were not being properly collected on my Optimum card. I should have been more diligent perhaps at checking my point balance, however at no point did a store clerk indicate that I wasn’t getting points nor was my Optimum card rejected.
When I eventually discovered the lack of points on my card, I called “customer service” (and I use that term very loosely) to complain. They bluntly pointed out that I was at fault for not “bothering” to check my point balance, and accepted no responsibility for the issue. Even their web site only indicated “ERROR” when I attempted to log in (literally the one word with a blank screen). Give me a break.
I spoke to William and Christine by the way, two of the rudest customer service reps I’ve ever had the displeasure of speaking with. I just wish we had spoken in person so I could look them square in the eye as I told them how rude and arrogant they were. Telling them this over the phone just didn’t hit home for me.
In the meantime, as a customer I’m giving them a kick square where it hurts – by immediately shopping elsewhere and telling everyone I know about this miserable experience. Ciao Shoppers, you will not be missed.
April 27th, 2011 at 9:37 am
Shoppers DRug Mart at Don Mills and Lawrence is the worst store for service. Most staff including managers are rude and treat loyal customers as if they were garbage.
May 3rd, 2011 at 8:57 pm
2 weeks ago, I reported Shoppers about a problem with Life brand but Shoppers has not replied me.
3 weeks ago, I purchased 2 boxes of Life brand Pecan Clusters(looks just like Turtles chocolate).
I found a metal piece(.5mm diameter & 10mm length) while I was chewing one of the Pecan Clusters.
Luckily I didn’t hurt myself but it could hurt someone’s teeth or gum badly.
I told shoppers that I will keep the metal piece for them to investigate further.
No one from Shoppers has not contacted me yet.
Where should I report this so nobody can get hurt from shoppers’ products?
May 4th, 2011 at 8:40 pm
If you fill out the online survey the managers get a report back of the comments and deal with staff accordingly so I’m sure they did get dealt with. But as it’s supposed to be anonymously from the customers (so staff don’t know where the complaints are coming from) they don’t usually contact the customers afterwards.
I can understand your frustration but in a company with such rapid turn over I really wouldn’t judge the store by one disgruntled employee. I’m sure they didn’t last long in that job anyways.
May 5th, 2011 at 6:44 pm
On May 5th 2011 at 5.00 pm I visited the shoppers at BCE place – underground path next to longos. Trying out some lip stick, the next thing I know on of the staffers calls another attendant whispers something in his ear, and as I want around the store they have someone following me. I have never felt so humiliated before, did not want to create a scene as I work at the BCE place in a corporate office. maybe because I was brown skinned I have no idea – but I have often experience very rude staff and attendants at all the shoppers, makes me wonder if the corporate does not have some mandatory training for its staff!!
May 10th, 2011 at 7:41 pm
I have almost read all of the comments above and am so disappointed in how all of you have been treated. I have been a SDM employee for 20 years and have seen customer service go completely to the dogs. Customers, are to some staff members an inconvenience. As one employee commended there are always bad apples in a box. It is good to voice your opinion to the company. Whether things change or not is to seen. A number of us staff members have voiced our opinions also and we have not been satisfied with the results. If we collectively continue to let Shoppers know that they have a problem with a lot of their staff maybe just maybe we can change things. Their stores have improved physically but not employee wise. Staff members also have to put up with Management that does not have clue. But that does not give us the right to treat our customers badly. Without you I would not have job. Please don’t stop shopping with us because of one person. The lady who was yelled at and sworn to needs to definitely complain and make sure that this person is either put on leave or out the door.
May 13th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
well i have the same incident , i have bought baby milk for my infant and next morning i foud that i picked the wrong one, went back to the store for exchange at Shopper Drug Mart at Meadowal Town center mississauge was shocked and surprized the way this Manager Christine has treated me, she was not willing to help at all, I have purchased milk for box of milk for $47.99 and was so disappointed and left milk in the store and told that you can keep this milk since i cant use this………i said good bye to shopper for the rest of my life. their sevice is terrible that person does not deserve to be manager or supervisor.
June 12th, 2011 at 1:43 am
Shoppers has no training orientation implemented. They should. They do not have proper security. They expect their employees to do it, untrained. They are as the very first person said, a large corporation that pays minimum wage and does not prepare their staff, or even screen out poor candidates for hire. They simply expect the best from their staff while providing the bare minimum support. That is the situation.
June 18th, 2011 at 12:04 am
We have a 24 hour Shopppers in our city. I went to purchase a sale item on Sat. at midnight since the sales start on the Sat. I drove all the way to the store and found that they would not sell electronics between 10 pm and 8 am. They said it was policy????? I want to get a play station 3 and of course they only have 2 in stock. How can they advertise an item on sale and then not even stock the item. Very poor customer service if you ask me. I guess they don’t need the sales.
June 21st, 2011 at 10:05 am
Shoppers Drug Mart is beyond annoying. Every single week if the colour of the bottle or packaging of the product you normally use isn’t your regular colour it’s no wonder you spend countless moments trying desperately to find the items you use. Now I find out after having to go through that aggravation weekly (one week my shampoo is packaged pink, then white, then red, etc…)that ALL of the makeup products I’ve used for over 30 yrs. are no longer being carried by Shoppers and god forbid you ask their personnel about this and why? You get nothing but attitude! We’re bringing in new items…sure they are to market to the teens and tweens how about us dedicated older people you know, over 40 who were happy with the product it took us so long to finally purchase knowing the colours match our skin tone.
I hate shoppers…they have become a corporate rip off bigwig like the rest of the capitalism going on in this world.
July 4th, 2011 at 3:56 am
o.m.g ..do u want to hear real discrimination!!!im a bigger girl 5,10 over 200 pounds.im ery feminine and girly!!!id moved 1,000 km from victoria b.c to edmonton alberta,after severe physical and mental abuse.im here on fleeing abuse benefeits .i suffered for e.g sexual assault by 4 males inc broken nose,teeth,orbital bone,lost vision,and stitches over my eyes!!!.i must use alot of make up to cover the scars.i use on average 2 foundations per month and live on $1,150 per month i went to shoppers drug mart at city center mall in edmonton.i grabbed the numbr 2 product only to get home to see it had been put in the wrong place.all i wanted was a simple swap!!!i didnt have a receipt but told the se curity guard who pointed me to cosmetics.as soon as i saw the old lady manager i knew just by lookkking i was in trouble!!!she wouldnt even begin to listen to me,i called se curity,then the 2 of them surrounded me ,next it came,as i stood thee in a skirt,pink top,long blonde hair,full maake up,painted nails,and a purse she yelled for all to hear excuse me SIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,i was so upset as this is how my sexual assault and beating started,instead of helping me the security kept saying ill take care of him!!,i had my picture government i.d out in both there faces and both kept calling me he,him,sir!!!!!!!!!!!!!!crying i was yelling for a store manager!!!a man named chris from th pharmacy was awesoe!!!!if not for him id have had a nervous breakdown right ther!!!!!the simple matter was dealt with but i swear i spent the next 5 days in my room afraid to exit into pub lic for fear of discrimination!!!!who gives a person the right to determin gender against whats obviously presented to them!!!!i could have been asaulted outside as well by the people who overheard her and all stared at me!!!!!botto line is i am a female with i.d and this perso took it upo herself to tell me no your a man ,ven though you have breasts female clothes,hair,makeup ec t!!!she de cided what genitals i had!!!and was wrong…does anyone have any comments please
jessica asselin
August 1st, 2011 at 1:14 pm
last night my sister had to fill and pick up a prescription at shoppers. i go to the same shoppers for all of my prescription for years. we went in, filled the prescription and then were given a buzzer which was going to buzz when it was ready. we had about a 15 minute wait which we were told by the pharmicist we could wait in the store and look around. we browsed the store and went into the section with perfume sprays. there was one brand that i buy as a body wash that had a spray which i had not seen yet. there was no tester so i opened the box, which was already opened. and smelled the perfume. i closed the box and proceeded to look at the other sprays. i had a backpack on the entire time in the store as i usually do since i carry it as my purse every single day. i have never been asked to leave it at the front in all my time of shopping at this shoppers. i noticed that a security guard started showing up at the end of each aisle we were in. at first i didnt care but then when i cam to notice that he was following and staring at us i began to become very offended. it was very obvious that he thought we were theives and so i walked out of the aile and stood about 4 feet away from him. when i walked towards him he turned away. i htought this was strange since i had walked up to him to simply ask if there was a problem. after standing there for about 40 seconds i turned around and followed my sister to the make up department. we looked at 2 sets of eyeshadow befor a sales woman walked up and very bluntly asked CAN I HELP U? my sister puled out the buzzer and said no thankyou we are just waiting for my prescription and browsing around. befor we could even finish that sentance she walked away in the direction of the security guard who was still watching us. he then walked over and asked me to put my bag at the front. i was offended but since it was a backpack and not a purse i said ok. i walked to the front and said i would just wait for my sister there since i didnt want to leave my bag with a stranger. he then asked her to leave her purse there as well! this is what outraged me! we are paying and loyal customers who walked into the shoppers drug mat on leila and mcphillips in winnipeg manitoba canada, like we always do when picking up our prescription! and she is asked to leave her purse at the front?! she told him “how come no one else is being asked to leave their ourses?” he wouldnt say a word! i spoke to the manager as well as the pharmacist and nothing has been done. its outrageous that people think they can assume thing…i mean they have cameras! they could easily see we did not and were not trying to steal. but instead they assume and harrass their customers! i will not be shopping there in the future. neither will any of my family. thats what they get for treating customers like dirt.
August 3rd, 2011 at 7:19 pm
Totally agree about the atrocious customer “service” at Shoppers Drug Mart. I was verbally assaulted by the owner/manager of Shoppers Drug Mart, 160 Main Street, Brampton today. Not only did he use foul and abusive language, his parting shot to me was, “and don’t come back!” If Shoppers Drug Mart doesn’t want my business, believe me I’m listening. After reading a lot of these blog posts, it appears that this behaviour towards customers is typical. I certainly won’t shop in this store again!
August 7th, 2011 at 1:39 pm
so I was in my local sdm last week shopping as I always do, looking for deals on top of what i was in to purchase that day. That particular day I was looking for a wart treatment for my young son. I looked at everything on the shelf, reading the labels and price comparison shopping( as im an avid couponer, but thats another story, same store different day). I had a few things in my basket, hair dye, wart treatment, laundry soap etc. So as i get tothe cash, the cashier calls for a supervisor”to be her eyes” quote on quote. so as the cashier is ringing things through, i mention that the posted deal for the hair dye was ringing in wrong” IT WILL correct itself once i hit enter ” she says very snidley and abrubtly. so she rings in the rest of the order. i gave her the coupon that was on the shelf for the wart treatment , and i paid for my purchase and left…..soooo i get out to the car and realized that the wart treatment had scanned at a higher price that the shelf sticker had said. so as i enter back into the store the store manager meets me in the aisle..” iknew you were going to come back in for that” she says and the way shes talking to me, im beginning to wonder who peed in her cornflakes that morning. so i politely explained what the shelf sticker says and it its wrong i would like the scanning code of conduct please. so she has enough nerve to say to me” well i was paged when you cane in the store the first time and i followed you through the store, i knew what you had bought and there IS NO problem with any of the things you bought”.I was applaled that i was being “followed” as i shopped, heck ive been shopping there since i was a teenager buying my first feminine products but hey… So as we get to the spot where the item was shelved, sure enough, the wrong price. to make matters worse, they were not going to honour the shelf price . regardless, i felt that i was treated as a criminal , and being “watched” as i shopped. I complianed to the store head office to no avail. I have switched al my prescriptions to the local independant and shoppers can continue to lose former longtime and loyal customers…see if i care… Walmart price matches anyway and i HAVE NEVER been treated so badly/ rudley in all my life
August 12th, 2011 at 8:53 pm
This is all very sad to hear. I almost have trouble believing half the things written here. I’ve worked in management for shoppers for 5 years and have never experienced this treatment of customers in my store. We all bend over backwards to satisfy. And succeed. Maybe B.C has better custtomer sevice. I don’t know? I do suggest that you all forward your complaints to 1800shopper. And also encourage that customers remember that all these people they speak of are human beings and deserve the same respect you demand. And to all you sucky shoppers employees… If you do not love people get out of retail! I love my job and continue to do to the fact that my customers love and appreciate my efforts and service. Anywhere you shop there will be bad apples don ‘t judge us all the same. That’s not fair. I could share walmart and other store stories that would change your opinion of them to. Take each situation as individual and don’t judge all please. It is a great place with great deals and service. Nobody is perfect…
August 26th, 2011 at 10:16 pm
Wowzers! I’m just starting at Shopper’s this coming Tuesday and because of this letter I’m going to be extra careful and respectful to clients!!
September 8th, 2011 at 11:15 am
Interesting to see all the comments. It is not acceptable to be treated that way by anybody. I do have lots of clients that are employees of SDM.
In order to clarify some situations here are some facts. The stores are franchises and the employees do not work for Shoppers but for the associate. There is some good ones but depending on their cultural background a lot of them treat their employees like dirt, forcing them to work overtime for nothing, write them off for nothing , intimidate them etc…It doesn’t make for a good working environment. The store managers are the spoke person for the associate. When you fill out a complaint about the store, the employee gets the wrap whether they are responsable or not for the problem. You have to complaint directly to the associate because employees are told to tow the line, and tell them about the good employees that try to help you as they will be blamed. If you are refused a discount, a credit etc .. it is the store associate’s policy that kicks in. Not to defend employees when they are wrong, but those people get yelled at by both the store managers and customers all day as they are on the front line to enforced the associate’s aganda. As for the theft issues, i have talked to some associates that told me that some months, they get 5 to 10 thousand dollars worth of theft in the store, from flagrances to baby milk. In one of the store i heard that a female cashier was knifed and seriously cut in her face for asking some crackhead a question about a item they did not want to pay for.
There is bad employees everywhere but also bad customers .
September 24th, 2011 at 12:24 am
I too had a terrible experience today at the shoppers at Bay and Adelaide, Toronto. Long story short, two ‘beauty consultants’ accuse me of undergoing fraudulent activity and refused me of my request to redeem my optimal points there, because I was confused by their points system(which they clearly have no idea either) and tried to refund the same purchase twice and redeem points to buy it instead, all done to maximize my points. I have a professional job and never gotten accused like this. What I did was perfectly legitimate, which was confirmed by calling someone from the corporate office. The ‘beauty consultants’ laugh at me when I demand an apology. I am escalating my complain and I will see how it goes.
October 27th, 2011 at 10:29 am
BE WARNED I have had prescriptions filled at SDM forest glen in kitchener and the dispensing fee was $18.00 I demanded to know why it was so much and was promptly told it is at the discretion of the owner what to charge. I received 3 months worth as usual but the fee was increased by the new owner. I was not satisfied at all and will not be using that store ever again. I have transfered all my prescriptions as well as all of my family to sunrise centre where I am greatly appreciated and they don’t overcharge me
October 27th, 2011 at 12:24 pm
I never get response from SDM online complaint. I feel they don’t care customers’ complaint at all because for some community, SDM is the only convenient store that they can buy articles of everyday use, just like me.
November 4th, 2011 at 12:52 am
I went yesterday November-03-2011 to return a item that I bought at shoppersdrugmart, located at Rimrock Plaza
1115 Lodestar Road, Toronto.
The product was a “LIFE” brand, they have a money back guarantee on that home brand.
Any way, the cashier told me that I can’t return it for some reason, I asked to talk to the manager, he came, he’s name is BARAK, and he started yell at me, it;s open, you cheating, but at the end he gave me my money.
November 7th, 2011 at 5:32 pm
Shoppers drug mart located at 2638 Innes Rd Gloucester On K1B 4Z5 seems to be getting worse & worse especially with the new manager at the cosmetic department!
She is a gossiper & I will never understand why they took her back, since she use to work at this location some 10 years ago.
But this time enough is enough! After hearing from reliable sources what goes on at this location & from also noticing myself, what’s happening in cosmetic & also other department of this location, I’m putting a file together & when ready will be going at the radio station with this.
Enough is enough!
Mr Donato Anderson.
November 23rd, 2011 at 3:14 am
I can only feel for those whose shopping experience at SDM have been nothing but agitating,infuriating and just plain hideous. The majority of employees who work there are rude, have poor attitudes, couldn’t care less about customers and have little knowledge about the products/cosmetics they sell. They don’t even know how to say thank you! They have the most annoying, inconvenient policy about no bottle returns after 6pm?? I would rather pay 3X the price than give them my business. Bad vibes and karma in there.
December 4th, 2011 at 6:22 pm
I have been getting more and more disgusted at the rapid deteriation of customer service and the increasing ripoff attitude at the Denman St, location in Vancouver.Have dealt their many years, and I realise I may not be the perfect customer, the new assosciate/owner seems to view me as another whining senior, and to some degree she is correct, however when I purchase $9,261 worth of prescriptions there each year, plus a considerable amount on other goods, I feel I should have the right to voice a complaint. To top things off I was in the waiting room of a doctors office a short while back when I noticed a laminated card listing the cost to purchase drugs at various drug stores in the neighbourhood, in each case shoppers drug marts prescription fee was much higher than any of the competition. What really through me for a loop though was the cost of their drugs were twenty to thirty percent higher than other pharmacies. I had always been under the illusion that drug prices were regulated and were the same price wherever you went. I feel if one is paying premium prices they have the right to receive premium service, however my experience with this location and owner is this is just a pipe dream. What I can do is take my business elsewhere, and that is what I probably will do, and being associated with some organisations in the area I will make the same reccomendation to many friends in those organisations.Seniors deserve to be treated with a little respect, and not treated as a drag on society, and that is all I ask for.
December 6th, 2011 at 3:08 am
It seem Life brand Pecan Clusters(looks just like Turtles chocolate)still contain a metal piece. I wonder how should i proceed with it. Should i talk to store manager or head office. Some one wrote about same complain 09/2009 can’t find any feedback on that.
December 21st, 2011 at 1:19 pm
I am a regular at Shoppers and spend $75-$100 per week on an average. I had a horrible experience with the store manager Mr. Maher and other store managers from Yonge & King store (toronto).
The issue is I took 2 different varieties of Listerine mouthwash to the store and asked the lady to check the prices. After she did so, I chose the variety with lower price and asked her to set aside the costlier variety. She did that but forgot to remove the product from my bill.
I always act in good faith and never match the receipt. However, I checked the bill accidentally after few months and immediately went to the store, to the same counter where I was serviced. I was asked to go back the next day when the particular person whose registration no. appears in my receipt will be there. I again went back next day at the scheduled time but there was some other lady who called the cash manager but she asked me to talk to the store manager over phone. I called up the store manager next day but he was so rude that he started shouting at me over the phone and kept the phone down.
I even raised a compaints in the online feedback section but no one from Shoppers contacted me.
If this is the kind of customer service to the regulars, then the customer will not have any choice but to move out to another retailer.
I can’t imagine any customer service person being so rude and direcly accusing the customer of telling lie.
Horrible!
December 29th, 2011 at 12:46 am
I recently had a shocking experience at a Shoppers as well. It seemed as though a salesperson from the cosmetics department had a personal vendetta against me (I’ve racked my memory, trying to see if I ever knew her personally outside of the store – no such luck).
My mother bought me perfume. The wrong tester was set in front of it, so she was deceived into thinking it was the one that I wanted. I, being visually impaired, didn’t know until, yes, the package was opened and I was able to smell it. My mother attempted to bring it back, when this salesperson over-zealously shot her down, saying “I already told you once…” and “Are you listening?”. My mother was trying to understand this seemingly arbitrary corporate policy. Mobility is difficult for my mother, so returning would have been arduous, to say the least. Naturally, then, she went to a cashier, who informed her it “wouldn’t be a problem at all”, until she was intercepted by the SAME salesperson – Elisa, at the Bathurst and Rutherford location in Richmond Hill.
I tried personally to not return, but exchange it for the right one at two other locations. Both managers told me the same thing – it would be no problem, but they didn’t carry that fragrance. So, I had to go back to the uncomfortable, unwelcoming, and unprofessional environment of the Bathurst and Rutherford branch. I met another cosmetics salesperson, who happily said she would do the exchange for me right away, and asked me to retrieve the correct one. Not a moment after I walked away, I felt a cold chill rattle me to my very soul. When I returned, who should be there but….Elisa! Prompt to fulfill her daily quota of impoliteness and hatred of people who smile. All of a sudden, my former ally changed her mind, and said she couldn’t do the exchange, while dearest Elisa chimed in, saying “Don’t think I don’t remember you and your mom!”. What??? So, I’m going back a THIRD time tomorrow, to speak to the manager Nicole. Regardless of what happens with the product, I’m going to complain about Elisa’s behaviour, whether it reaps benefits or not. I’m thinking along the lines of “What did I do to you first??? Is it my crossed eyes??? The red-hair??? The fact that someone cared enough about me in my youth to teach me common courtesy and fairness???” Something along those lines. It’ll be interesting, to say the least….
December 29th, 2011 at 9:51 pm
An update – I got it exchanged, and Elisa got reprimanded before my eyes. Justice still exists!!!!
December 31st, 2011 at 12:44 am
This is why I love Rexall better…Better service= better quality!
January 17th, 2012 at 10:25 pm
I am writing to express my extreme dissatifaction at recent events that transpired at the Shoppers Drug Mart facility that I usually ( but no longer ever will ) shop at in Windsor Ontario in the Wyandotte and Pillette vicinity.
Just prior to the Christmas Holiday I purchased gift cards from Shoppers to give to my family and friends.It turns out that one of my cards and two more cards purchased by family members were defective.
The gift card that I had purchased was return to me after the holiday season ( on January 13 ) when it was discovered that the card could not be read and I took the card and my receipt back to the store where I had purchased it to ask for an exchange of the product as it was defective.
I stood in line with other patrons and listened to an extremely surly cashier by the name of Michael be rude and argumentative with several customers before reaching the front of the line for my own turn.It was shocking to hear how he spoke to people,complaining, bitter and rude.One lady tried to engage him in a conversation and he told her that he just asked for the next person in line not a story.When I explained why I was there he very aggressively stated” nothing I can do about it” “no exchanges, no returns on gift cards.I pointed out that the receipt that I had said that items could be returned within a limited time period and that the gift card had been purchased as a Christmas gift.I was not asking to return the card just exchange it for another one that worked.He said that this was not his problem – no exchanges, no returns was the store policy and what did I want him to do about it anyway.I asked to see the manager and he stated that he was the supervisor and he had no intention of dealing with this anymore.He said I should contact the people that issued the gift card.I asked to speak with his supervisor because his attitude was very aggressive and rude and he begrudgingly left to find someone else for me to speak with.After standing around for another 10 minutes a woman named Nicole presented herself as his manager and repeated that the store policy was no exchanges or returns on gift cards regardless of the receipt that said the contrary.She was very rude as well and said that she usually instructs her cashiers to write no returns on the receipt when gift cards are purchased.She said she would not honour my receipt anyway because it was purchased on Dec.10 and I came in to exchange on Jan.13 so the time period had expired by 3 days.I told her that this was unjust because the card had been purchased as a Holiday gift and the store should honour the receipt.A crowd of people were beginning to form and hear what was happening.They were all offended and stated their objections to this policy as well.Nicole said that she was not going to exchange the card and cost the store the $20.00 because she was aware that the card was defective.I explained that she was costing more than $20.00 to the store because I purchased the card in good faith from the store and was not going to shop there again.I spend approximately $50-$100 per week in the store, and my other family members and friends would also be informed of what transpired and were likely not to shop in the store as well which was going to cost a more significant amount.Nicole gave me the name of her manager to speak with about these circumstances however when I call the store I can never get in touch with this manager named Stacy at this phone number 519-945-1107 and just wind up with Michael answering the phone.After recanting this story to my family members it was disclosed that they had similar experience after purchasing two separate gift cards prior to the holidays that did not work and were treated to the same no exchange,no return policy is the same rude manner at this store.It is sickening that Shoppers knowingly is selling defective gift cards and hiding behind a policy to not rectify the damage to the consumer I will never shop in another Shoppers Drug Mart again.
January 18th, 2012 at 7:55 pm
I can attest to a lot of these complaints at Shoppers Drug Mart…
The pharmacy staff at the Shoppers we deal with in Nanaimo, BC are excellent and often go above board in customer service. That being said, I think Shoppers have a problem with their “on floor” and “cashier” staff. They seem to have an excessive “staff turnover”, which leads me to believe that this may be due to lack of training, and low pay. We do, on occasions, go home fuming at this lack of training. As seniors, the only reason we continue to shop at Shoppers is the previous stated exemplary service we receive from their Pharmacy staff….Thank you..
January 21st, 2012 at 3:07 pm
Shoppers Drug Mart has the worse pharmasists-customer service i have ever experienced. During my husbands illness the pharmasist actually laughed at him when he was trying to get information from her and then she hung up on him. On numerous occasions they were rude and totally unprofessional. I met with the owner/manager which was a total waste of time complaining. She assured me she would take care of the issue.
We have finally got all our prescriptions finished at Shoppers and have switched to a friendly professional drugstore.
Today Shoppers left a message saying there is a prescription there for my daughter so i called to see if it was a medication she still required as she had surgery recently and does not take alot of the medications she had been on. They would not tell me what the medication was and when i explained why i needed to know they said “well she’s an adult and can find out herself” then she continued being rude when i asked if she could tell me as my daughter is still recovering from surgery and i was calling for her. She again said no she wouldn’t tell me and then she hung up on me.
I believe hanging up on customers must be part of their training.
So i took the phone to my daughter and she called back and asked to speak to that pharmasist. They put her on hold and then did not come back. So i again called and told her to tell my daughter what the medication is and don’t put her back on hold.
After 4 phone calls we finally got the answer and will be picking up the very last prescription EVER!!!!
We will never step foot in a Shoppers Drug Mart again.
This particular store is in Forest Glen Shopping Mall on Strasburg Rd. in Kitchener, Ontario.
If you expect good professional and friendly service this is the LAST place you will find it.
Complaining to head office is a waste of time as i believe they are ALL trained to provide bad customer service and head office hasn’t proven to be any more professional as store level.
So glad we will not have to be subjected any more to such crappy service!
January 31st, 2012 at 5:38 pm
Hello,
My issue with SDM was actually quite simple, as compared to the above complaints: a price of an item was listed on the shelf for $3.00; cashier ran it through and it came up as $6.99. I asked her to check it; she sent a sales girl to verify. I went with her, pointing out the clearly marked price. She compared the bar codes and said that the item was priced wrong. We brought the item back to the cash and the girl tells the cashier something else (I couldn’t understand their whispers), then leaves. The cashier runs the item through again, still at the wrong price. I politely asked to have the item reduced to the price listed on the shelf, but she refused. I then asked to have the item removed from my bill completely, which she did. In the end, I didn’t get the product at all, but I also didn’t get bent out of shape for a store clerk not knowing what to do when there’s a price discrepancy. In my case, not a huge loss was suffered to either party.
Still…
After reading each of the comments here, one thing seems to repeat itself regularly in most of the experiences that people are having:
The customer is feeling disappointed because of the way they were treated/mishandled. They are often seeking simple fairness and common courtesy, but instead are met with juvenile and unprofessional behavior, usually stemming from poorly trained and hardly motivated employees.
This wouldn’t happen, if owners/associates of each Shoppers Drug Mart took pride in their work, in their business, in their community and in the people they deal with every day. This shouldn’t happen in an area of commerce that deals directly with people’s health, wellness, emotions and feelings.
Sadly, these same people who treat you like garbage are the very same people who make garbage money and are treated like garbage by their money-hungry bosses. The training they are given is minimal at best; they do not know how to deal with even the smallest change in routine, and often revert to some convoluted store policy in the hopes that you will just… let it go and leave.
Too bad for them, you are smarter than that. You can see right through that and inevitably, you take offense to their attempt at trying to convince you otherwise.
When you stand up for your right not only as a customer, but as a human being, the expectation is that you are to be treated as such. However, the name SHOPPERS DRUG MART is about as common these days as Bell Canada or Walmart – everyone knows about them and even if you never shop there again, thousands of others will take your place. The stores know it, the head office knows it and the whole corporate world knows it!
They capitalize on you by putting Shoppers stores every few kilometers apart from each other (thus killing small businesses in the area), by countless advertising of feel-good messages on TV, radio and internet (thus providing a false sense of them caring about you) and by offering all sorts of special incentives to keep you “needing” their products (giving you yet another false sense of missing out on something you didn’t really need in the first place).
While you cannot legally sue a business for poor service, you can make your voices heard in such a way that it affects the business in question:
1. Take the names of every employee, store manager or associate involved. Record all dates and times of every incident.
2. Stop shopping there for any item/service, period.
3. Speak to any and all media that is willing to listen. The more reliable sources of media, the better.
4. Get your local community involved. The more people who are aware, the better the result. Family, friends, neighbors – they all make for excellent support.
5. contact your local MP (Member of Parliament) by email or in writing. This may come as a surprise to some, but if enough communication is sent to your local government figure, they can and often will do something about it.
There are many ways to voice your concerns and at some point, the local store as well as the corporate office will take notice.
HOWEVER.
Keep in mind that you, as a customer, aren’t always right. You have to follow the rules of each business, no matter how dumb you may think they are. You have certain rules (many unwritten, too) about how people should behave in your house, expect no different from the stores you walk into.
Also, you should consider that your expectation of ‘proper customer service’ may differ greatly from others — in other words, you are not entitled to be treated like a king or queen, just because you are a customer and they are there to serve you. The person working the cash might not have received the proper training to correctly assist you, but they are there nonetheless and they are trying to do the best they can. Yet, when you start acting like a spoiled brat who isn’t getting their way, most normal people will treat you like a brat and will show you the door. Some may use colorful language and whatnot, but that’s what makes everyone unique when they react to a stressful situation.
After all, they are human beings too.