August 10, 2017

Larry Merlo – CEO

CVS Corporation

1 CVS Drive

Woonsocket, RI 02895

RE What a way to start the day at CVS, 1700 South Federal Highway Ft Lauderdale, FL 33316, Store #3285 

Mr. Merlo,

“I Just Wet My Pants”

There are many “rules” governing retail but the one that makes the most sense for both parties is when the buyer says “I am profit and everybody else is overhead”.

I tried to pick up a prescription this morning that I had dropped off for filling Wednesday afternoon around 3:00 PM. I was told it would take 60 minutes. I pulled into your drive-thru lane around 3:00 AM, Thursday. If you check my pick-up history, you will see that most of my pick-ups are pre-dawn.

There appeared to be a computer problem and let us stipulate that I did not cause said problem.

Time went by sooooo slowly…

The pharmacist made several attempts, from different phones and from different terminals, to fix it. Alas, it was not to be.

Then, a woman appeared, visible through the glass, and gave me renewed hope. Alas, it was not to be.

The only thing of which I was apprised was that the prescription was entered into the system incorrectly on Wednesday afternoon. Again, the entry was something over which I had no control.

The woman, grim visaged and stridently voiced, took the attitude that it was my fault. It wasn’t. Is it possible to pray that there is a photographic record of this?

I stressed to both employees that I was having a renal stent removed at 11:00 AM. Renal stents, whether they be coming or going, can and have caused involuntary physical reactions.

I know this because this is my 3^rd.

That was when I asked for my license and cash to be returned. That was when the lady told the pharmacist that “she couldn’t talk to me anymore”. That was when I said “I wet my pants”. OK! OK! It wasn’t “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” but to me it was memorable.

The pharmacist called at 4:45 AM to tell me that the prescription was ready. I told him that I was not, what with a full load of laundry half way through the wash cycle.

I will pick it up today, probably pre-op.

Kevin Smith

PS – Silly me! I’ll bet you thought the prescription was written by the urologist, today’s designated stent fetcher. It was not. It was written by my orthodpaedist. The 1:30 PM x-rays taken at Holy Cross Hospital confirmed that indeed I had fractured my left hip. And how did you start your day?