WASHINGTON — Thousands of pharmacists and staff at Walgreens stores across the country are reportedly expected to walk out of their shifts in the coming days, citing poor working conditions and a lack of ample employees.
WUSA9 spoke to customers Tuesday outside of a Walgreens pharmacy in West End where several voiced their support for the employees.
"I have a lot of sympathy for them because they’re very busy, always," said Esther Jones, who frequents this location. "Every time I come, they’re busy, and I get excellent service."
Jones lives on Capitol Hill and was trying to get a prescription filled after a doctor's appointment earlier in the day. It wasn't ready by the time she arrived, but she said she'll hopefully be able to come back on Wednesday to pick it up.
Meanwhile, Skip and Debbie Singleton were spotted waiting for their COVID-19 and flu vaccine appointments, after arriving on time.
"We thought we were going to go right in so it was a little bit of a wait but not bad," Skip Singleton said.
He did note that the pharmacy was busier than usual.
"While we were in there, they were doing double time," he said. "So it did seem like they were really working harder right now."
When asked for comment, a Walgreens spokesperson sent the following statement to WUSA9:
"A small number of our pharmacies are experiencing disruptions and we apologize for any inconvenience. We are working to return these pharmacies to regular operations as quickly as possible. Nearly all of our 9,000 locations continue to serve our patients and customers.
Our pharmacy teams work tirelessly to serve our communities — from administering life-saving vaccines, to helping patients receive prescriptions and health screenings — especially this time of year, during which we see some of the highest rates of respiratory illnesses and seasonal vaccinations.
The last few years have required an unprecedented effort from our team members, and we share their pride in this work — while recognizing it has been a very challenging time.
We also understand the immense pressures felt across the U.S. in retail pharmacy right now. We are engaged and listening to the concerns raised by some of our team members. We are committed to ensuring that our entire pharmacy team has the support and resources necessary to continue to provide the best care to our patients while taking care of their own wellbeing. We are making significant investments in pharmacist wages and hiring bonuses to attract/retain talent."