It’s been a while since I’ve done a Dear ______ blog post but today prompted one as it’s Disability Pride Month and I’ve had it with places of business deciding it’s acceptable to treat people with disabilities as if we aren’t people too. So on that note…

Dear Bartell Drugs of Mill Creek,

I have tried and tried to be patient with Bartell Drugs, particularly this location, since Rite Aid took over, but I am done. As of today, I am moving all of my prescriptions elsewhere since Bartell continues to be discriminatory to me, a disabled person.

Because of my disabilities, I am completely reliant upon medication delivery from this company OR the drive-thru. This is the nearest Bartell to me with a drive-thru, which is to say it is a 15-20 minute drive one way.

Every store I have ever visited in my life is very clear about posting their business hours.

This Bartell drugs is not.

According to your website, the phone’s voice messaging system, the signs at the store’s doors, and the signs posted on the drive-thru itself, the pharmacy opens at 9 AM and closes at 9 PM.

I have ZERO issues with Bartell wanting their employees to be able to take a lunch break, use the restroom, etc. so when this store recently added to their phone recordings that they would be closing the pharmacy from 1:30 PM – 2 PM for lunch, I had zero issues with this. I did suggest they might want to add that to their drive-thru signs so that folks would know, but otherwise, we’re good. However, that’s not how this store operates at all.

If you arrive at the drive-thru between 9-11 AM, the drive-thru is closed, despite the pharmacy being open. If you call the store, they will tell you that they are “too busy” and “come inside.” When I have explained to them that I’m disabled and can’t just “come inside,” they tell me “come inside.” It’s like talking to a brick wall. I spoke to the pharmacy manager at one point who told me that if I explained my situation to the various pharmacy techs, they would open the drive-thru to accommodate me but this has never happened. Not once.

Today (7/24), I arrived at the drive-thru at 12:49 PM. Plenty of time before their closing for lunch. Rather than delivery, I had to use the drive-thru because one of my medications is a controlled substance and Bartell won’t deliver it. (It’s silly because there is no need for this medication to be ‘”controlled” and Express Scripts, a mail-order drug company, has no issues mailing it.)

There were two cars ahead of me so when I reached the window, it was 1:08 PM. The shutters were pulled down. I pushed the talk button and got told that they were closed. I asked why and was told that they “close the drive-thru at 1 PM.” I asked where that was posted. They stated that “corporate doesn’t allow us to post hand-written notes on the drive-thru window” so it “wasn’t posted anywhere.” I explained that I was in line BEFORE 1 PM and they just reiterated that I could “come inside” or “come back at 2 PM.” I explained that I was disabled and not local, and they just repeated themselves.

For the fifth time, I explained that a) I was disabled and could not come inside, b) I had been in line before 1 PM, and c) there was no voice recording or signage ANYWHERE showing they close the drive-thru at 1 PM, so how was I to know this? They told me and I quote, “Our employees work 12 hour days. We deserve lunch breaks and to go to the bathroom just like you. Come back at 2 PM or come inside.”

I never said they didn’t deserve a break, only that these random hours might want to be posted somewhere. I wish to point out that this store’s drive-thru has a hand written sign posted on the glass stating they no longer provide a certain medication. So much for the rules about hand-written signs… There is literally NO valid reason why they can’t type up and print out a nice sign stating their drive-thru hours or heck, add it to the voice message like they did their lunch break.

What this means is that there is NO way for customers to ever know if the drive-thru is going to be open when they arrive during pharmacy hours. Can’t come before 11. Can’t come after 1. Exactly when IS it open?

It’s even worse that they won’t accommodate my disability and were incredibly rude to me. I’m well aware that employees deserve breaks. I was on my lunch break from work trying to pick up my meds. I can’t just drop things to drive 20 minutes to come back at 2. I may be disabled, but I have a job too. I wasted 50 minutes of my lunch break and never got my meds at all because reasons? She treated me like my disabilities were a huge inconvenience to her and all her coworkers.

Closing time aside, I was in line BEFORE closing. My meds were already paid for. It would have taken her less than 2 minutes to finish the line (my car) at 1:08 PM and hand me my meds. Then she could close the gate. But nope–I was taking up her time and she had no interest in being helpful. Sadly, it’s not just this employee. I run into this consistently at this location.

Also, I shouldn’t have to declare my disabilities every time I visit the store’s drive-thru.

As of today, I’m transferring all my meds elsewhere. Preferably somewhere that isn’t managed by bigots. I wanted so much to support a local pharmacy (which Bartell was before Rite Aid bought them) but since they are now owned and run by corporations who believe I’m a hinderance rather than a customer, I’m out.

Express Scripts will send me my meds just fine…minus the bigotry.

You can read other Dear _____ posts by clicking here: https://www.ravenoak.net/category/dear-series/