Thank you for the phone numbers. I am calling right now.

I'm kind of interested in what they planned to do with a license plate number.

Unfortunately, I'm not surprized at all. I had to buy Plan B recently and I was very concerned about how it would go down at the Walgreens Pharmacy. I live in Chicago which is a pretty liberal city so I was hopeful of there being no problem. I had called ahead to see exactly what I needed in order to get it. All they said was I had to be over 18 and have my license with me. But when I got Plan B (thankfully I was not harrased at all) the put my license number into their computer. I probably should have asked why at the time but there was a line behind me so I didn't. But why did they need my license in their computer saying that I had purchased Plan B? Just kind of creeped me out.

When I called I was informed that the correct number is 1-800-925-4733, extension 4.

Hope this helps!Let's let Walgreens know this is BS!!

Wow. I live in Oxford (I'm in graduate school at U of M), and use this Walgreens as my pharmacy. Not any more. I knew I was moving into an incredibly conservative state, this is ridiculous.

I thought you only had to give your driver's license # for OTC drugs that you could be used illegally...

I make a point of always having Plan B on hand so that I don't have to worry about someone denying it to me when I'm in an emergency situation. I used it once and got another one later that week at walgreens. I didn't have any problems either time I got it, they just looked at my ID to make sure I was over 18, they didn't copy down the number or anything.
I've always wondered what I would do if I ran into one of those pharmacists who refused to give it to me. I'd probably end up getting arrested from the ruckus I'd make.

Earlier this year (around the April or May) I had a similar experience at a local CVS pharmacy here in DC (one of the many located just north of K St South of Dupont Circle). It didn't seem that the pharmacy had this kind of established policy in place, but the pharmacists on duty (two women in their 30's or 40's) definitely made me feel more than uncomfortable when purchasing.

There really doesn't seem to be a defined policy amongst the CVS stores in the area for what to charge when purchasing Plan B. Do you need a Rx? Do they charge you less if you have an Rx? How much will they charge you? Is it covered by my insurance? etc.

I ended up paying OOP and getting just one (I had originally planned to purchase two and keep one at my apartment in the off chance I'd need to use it again in the next 6 months). But I haven't been back to the store since.

I am a manager for a walgreens and I have to say I am deeply sorry for anyone who was harassed. I live in IL so it is against the law here to refuse birth control. The putting a birth date into the computer is a standard way to make sure that employees are checking IDs and it happens with any product that you have to be a certain age to buy(cigarettes, diet pills, etc). Quite frankly if any of my own employees tried something like this I would definitely take action to reprimand and educate them. It is completely unacceptable. I am not speaking for the company as a whole, because I am in no way authorized to do so, but simply as a regular Feministing reader, who works for the company in question. I have worked for Walgreens for almost a decade and have never encountered this sort of thing, but I have always lived in liberal areas and have never even thought that my own pharmacy staff would behave like this (thankfully, I've been right about that).

I have always taken pride in the fact that Walgreens tends to be fairly progressive for a huge company and did not partake in the same shenanigans that I have heard of at other places.

Boo on this particular Walgreens :-P

I have to say, last year when I had to pick up some Plan B, I had a very pleasant experience at a Walgreens in Ypsilanti, MI. I asked for it, the pharmacist got the box, asked if I had any questions about it, and let me pay. I was in and out in five minutes. That tells me either policy has changed over the last year, they don't actually have a policy for pharmacists to follow regarding Plan B, or someone is violating company policy.

This may be a little off topic, but I was once harassed at Walgreens for buying a pregnancy test. The clerk who rang me up kept asking me very personal questions like, "If you're pregnant will you be happy?" and "Are you planning on keeping it?" I was so shocked that I didn't even know how to respond. It didn't help that the woman behind me in line was buying a box of diapers. I paid for my test and left, but I wish I would've complained.

Called. Was immediately disconnected upon hitting "4" for customer service.

Hey, I got nothing better to do.

If you want to call, press 2 for non-pharmacy, then press 0 and you'll get the general store. Ask for the manager and cite a customer service issue.

I work for a company that does a lot of business with Walgreens. That's the best way to get the manager- I doubt the pharmacist will give a crap what you have to say, but getting them in deep with the manager is a good way to make them change their holier-than-thou ways. ; )

I wonder what I can do from a business standpoint? Hmmm.

I have actually been denied EC at a local CVS- and this is mutherfucken New York. They told me they were out and when I asked when they'd have it they said in a week (obviously that would be too late). They were LAUGHING AT ME as I left. It makes me angry just remembering it. I was on my lunch break and therefore in a rush, but also got too upset to do anything constructive. Instead of being a strong feminist I started shaking and then called my boyfriend crying from the parking lot. The CVS a couple blocks away gave it to me just fine, but since I couldn't prove they were lying, I wasn't sure what to do. Pharmacists like this really piss me off.

This is outrageous. It's one thing to try to stop women from aborting (I guess) but it's quite another to try to stop them from choosing NOT to get pregnant in the first place.

What's next? Are they going to give the stink eye to everyone who buys condoms??

After speaking with the Portland Office, it was suggested that I also call
The Walgreens District Office at 601.932.2773

Write down the pharmacist's name, and complain to their professional association.

Complaining to the headquarters of the store, as Jessica suggested, might help. If the store thinks they'll lose more business from women than from the religious right, they should be willing to change. The pharmacist's association, though, should have a duty to serve the public rather than the bottom line, so you might get a better response from them.

This is insanity, in so many ways.

I have to say that this spring when I went to the Walgreen's that I use in the Boston area and asked for Plan B (to have on hand, just in case), the pharm tech (who appeared to be in her mid-20s, like me) didn't even raise her eyebrows, and just rang me up. I had mentally prepared myself for a fight, and was pleasantly surprised when it was like any other purchase. On the other hand, I was already getting refills for my other meds, so she had all my regular info in the computer, I assume. I felt a little uncomfortable with that idea, but whoever looks at my info already knows more about me than I'm really comfortable with, anyway.

It's one of those things that makes me so glad to live in what is arguably the bluest area of the country. I wonder what would happen in my very small hometown in rural Minnesota, though. It makes me so angry that we even have to wonder about whether we're going to have trouble or harassment getting LEGAL and OTC medicine!!

The correct number to call is the dist. office at 601-932-2773. I spoke with a rep. and she was unaware, but concerned, about the situation. She did say that a complaint and call to the manager would be made about this situation. She assured me that Walgreens does not condone this type of behavior and action would be taken. The manager from this branch has a note to call me and the dist office will do a follow-up for me about the situation.
Guys, don't jump to a conclusion until you have all the facts. Always call to address you concerns, and find out if the company is aware of the problem. I will post a reply when I hear from Walgreens and let you know their side and what they plan to do.

while it is completely shitty when this happens, i just ***love*** when the free market bites back against companies like this.

***sighs with happiness imagining the store/district manager crapping her/her pants under the weight of all the complaints***

OK first of all I work at that Walgreen's in oxford. This NEVER HAPPENED. The story is completely fabricated. We encourage people to get Plan B. I have worked there for 3 years and this has never occurred. A patient has never had to wait an hour for PLAN B or been harassed. We even sell it through the drive through. We ask for your driver's license to verify the patient is over the age of 18. We enter the date of birth into the computer. That is all. We do not record any information into the computer regarding a license number. Only the date of birth. To Jessica, I would like specific dates of when this incident occurred. Thanks

A worker

Coincidentally I live in English Oxford and several women have reported having to answer personal questions in front of a queue of waiting people at one of the main pharmacies in town when buying Plan B. The questions are required by law but it is extremely bad practice to refuse to ask them in private and women have been so embarrassed as to leave the pharmacy rather than expose their private lives in front of other customers.

I was pretty impressed when I was at CVS and saw a clearly visible sign saying "We carry Plan B." And I live in very conservative South Louisiana.

the first time i ever had to get plan b, it was back when you had to get a prescription for it (in canada), so i went to a walk-in clinic. the doctor wasted an entire hour of my time by being a demeaning asshole. he refused to write me a prescription until he had explained to me the birds and the bees, despite the fact that i told him numerous times that i knew that pregnancies happen because a sperm gets to an egg, and ovulation makes it more likely, etc, etc, etc. at least he wasn't handing me literature on adoption, but it was incredibly offensive to me that this man assumed that i knew absolutely nothing about the way that my own body worked.

this whole post just reminded me about that... it certainly scares me to hear about pharmacists taking driver's license numbers for women buying plan b!!

I'm also not very shocked by this.

Last year, before getting on the pill I messed up and decided to go buy Plan B the next day, just to be safe, thinking... No biggie, it's sold over the counter now. Unfortunately it was a much bigger mission than I was anticipating.

So, I went to the Walgreens down the street from my house and asked the pharmacist for Plan B, but they were "out of stock". I ended up going to 6 different pharmacies (5 Walgreens and 1 CVS) before finding one that had EC in stock! I was completely on edge by the time I found a Walgreens that had it, but they were very nice and professional about it which was a huge relief.

I understood when I was told the first time, “Sorry, we’re out of stock”. But 5 times?! Maybe there was a freakish epidemic of careless sex and coincidental condom breakage in Katy, Texas the night before… but I have my doubts. Luckily, I live in a mega-suburb with a Walgreens at almost every intersection, so I knew I was bound to find it somewhere. But the added stress was SO not welcome.

I called, they directed me to the number 1800-925-4733, option 4.
all the best!

I'm also not very shocked by this.

Last year, before getting on the pill I messed up and decided to go buy Plan B the next day, just to be safe, thinking... No biggie, it's sold over the counter now. Unfortunately it was a much bigger mission than I was anticipating.

So, I went to the Walgreens down the street from my house and asked the pharmacist for Plan B, but they were "out of stock". I ended up going to 6 different pharmacies (5 Walgreens and 1 CVS) before finding one that had EC in stock! I was completely on edge by the time I found a Walgreens that had it, but they were very nice and professional about it which was a huge relief.

I understood when I was told the first time, “Sorry, we’re out of stock”. But 5 times?! Maybe there was a freakish epidemic of careless sex and coincidental condom breakage in Katy, Texas the night before… but I have my doubts. Luckily, I live in a mega-suburb with a Walgreens at almost every intersection, so I knew I was bound to find it somewhere. But the added stress was SO not welcome.

I'm also not very shocked by this.

Last year, before getting on the pill I messed up and decided to go buy Plan B the next day, just to be safe, thinking... No biggie, it's sold over the counter now. Unfortunately it was a much bigger mission than I was anticipating.

So, I went to the Walgreens down the street from my house and asked the pharmacist for Plan B, but they were "out of stock". I ended up going to 6 different pharmacies (5 Walgreens and 1 CVS) before finding one that had EC in stock! I was completely on edge by the time I found a Walgreens that had it, but they were very nice and professional about it which was a huge relief.

I understood when I was told the first time, “Sorry, we’re out of stock”. But 5 times?! Maybe there was a freakish epidemic of careless sex and coincidental condom breakage in Katy, Texas the night before… but I have my doubts. Luckily, I live in a mega-suburb with a Walgreens at almost every intersection, so I knew I was bound to find it somewhere. But the added stress was SO not welcome.

Whoops!
Sorry for the repeat post.
Whenever I try to submit a comment it tweaks out on me.

I keep a shortcut on my phone to "Record Audio" for various things like this. In this case, if they really don't have it in stock they shouldn't mind me recording them giving me that bit of info and the date and time. It might not work for managers, but for pimply-faced employees who know it may get them in trouble...it'd probably work pretty well.

The first time I ever needed Plan B, two years ago, all of the Pharmacies I went to told me that the Pharmacist was "not on duty" that day and so they referred me to other pharmacies (coincidentally I lived in a town where there was a Walgreens on every corner so the first two pharmacies that I went to were both Walgreens pharmacies). When the third pharmacist I went to referred me to the first pharmacist I'd seen, I gave up and got a prescription through my gynecologist. I was livid that I had to do it that way because I was 18 and should have been able to obtain it over the counter.

I get so pissed when I hear about stuff like this. I will definitely be giving Walgreen's a call tomorrow.

I just received a call from Walgreen's corp. office. They did investigate the allegations, and found that they were unsubstantiated.
The pharmacist does have to check ID to insure that the person is 18 or older, but no other info is needed.
Please do some research before you believe anything you read online. It isn't always true and stories are fabricated and exaggerated -- as in this case.
I have never had a problem with Walgreen's, in fact I switched to them due to a snippy old man at Publix.

I just received a call from Walgreen's corp. office. They did investigate the allegations, and found that they were unsubstantiated.
The pharmacist does have to check ID to insure that the person is 18 or older, but no other info is needed.
Please do some research before you believe anything you read online. It isn't always true and stories are fabricated and exaggerated -- as in this case.
I have never had a problem with Walgreen's, in fact I switched to them due to a snippy old man at Publix.

speaking as a returning southerner but new-to Ms-girl, this doesn't surprise me a bit. Fuck it, guys, there are counties to my north and east that won't sell even the lowest proof beer to legal adults. This is called the bible belt for a reason, and bush's BS of recent gives these people a sense of backing, of strength, of "reason" to not actually do their job(if i took a job where i was required to lift 100lbs, and could not, would i be fired? yes. If my job includes dispensing OTC drugs, offending paint colors, or poorly made food, i should still have to execute it well to get paid.)
. The sad this is, i drive every three months to - laugh all you like - Alabama - to get my birth control outside of a pricey private clinic. This is not surprising, even if it it disgusting. I adore my home geography(Though at least louisiana, from whence i hail, despite its sodomy laws, allows abortion, birth control, and participates in federal free programs to prevent too many kids) but am no longer amazed by the intolerance of my fellow residents.

So Sad. A gorgeous, productive, proud place has been reduced, decade after decade, to the the home of the hater, the pusher of religion, of the ignorant, the taker of freedoms for us all.

Did it occur to anyone that the Pharmacist actually could have NOT been at fault here? Maybe things weren't as awful as we've been told. We don't know, we weren't there. Maybe he or she was following store policy and the customer blew it out of proportion. If the pharmacist is told to hold Plan B for an hour, there's not much they can do. They're not going to give it to you to be your friend and put their job on the line. Why should they? Because you want it right this second? Next time they want to fornicate they can be prepared, maybe they just got angry because they had that feeling and NEEDED to have sex.

I wrote all that because no one seems to feel like considering the other side of the story. I'm not trying to defend anyone, just consider that maybe the customer can actually do wrong once in a while.

Please people. Your most powerful weapon is cheap. ALWAYS carry a pen/paper with you. The second you start getting hassled -- anywhere about anything -- write down their name and "title" if any (store manager, pharmacist, photo shop, whatever), very pointedly look at you watch and write down the time and date and location of store/office. If you have anyone with you tell that person OUT LOUD that you are listing her/him as a witness, ask for that person's supervisor and if they refuse write down that they were asked and refused to give you the information (repeat the refusal OUT LOUD to your witness). Do not be trying to recreate scenes later. By the way, when you write down the time, do it EXACTLY, i.e., 10:32 a.m.

As angry as this story makes me, it comes as no surprise. They've been doing this for years. I am from Nebraska originally and at 23 I had an abortion. On top of traveling 3 hours to our state's ONLY abortion clinic, being harassed by protesters on the way in (one of them actually stood in front of my friend's car and then came around and grabbed my arm from outside the car), TWO separate Walgreens refused to refill the pills I was given to take after the procedure. My friend had taken me to get something to eat and I had left my pill bottles on the table. My doctor had to call and force the third place to give them to me, which they did, following a lengthy lecture on my "responsibility to God and to myself to learn this lesson about the ramifications of carelessness." I will never forget that person's face as long as I live.