CVS Pharmacy

This CVS is conveniently located for local Princeton residents. The downside of it is parking if you have to drive. There aren’t designated CVS customer parking spots.
In general, I think CVS is overpriced for a lot of items, but they have everything you could need on a whim, so that’s the benefit.
Nowadays, doctors can send prescriptions directly to the pharmacy, which makes pick up very convenient.

Not sure why all the bad reviews. Honestly people, it’s a CVS! What sorts of luxurious comforts were you looking for that they didn’t have? Must be all the nearby pharma corporate headquarters inspire high standards for drug stores in the Princeton populace…
This is the closest CVS to where I live and I have been here many times as a result. The store is always well-​stocked and clean and the employees are very helpful and courteous. The square-​footage of the store is on the smaller end and the layout and overall «feel» is more similar to what you would find in a city CVS than at a typical suburban outpost of the franchise. Which makes sense, given this is right on Nassau Street in downtown Princeton. Unlike a lot of other CVS stores, they always seem to have ample weekly flyers available in the front to help scope out the current deals.
The pharmacy area is likewise top notch. My prescriptions have always been ready within half an hour of placing them, which is staggeringly impressive! This store receives heavy foot traffic and the pharmacists work quickly and efficiently to serve the customers.
All in all, an excellent CVS and one which I will be patronizing as long as I live close by. Again people, it’s a CVS, so not something to get overly excited about. That said, I’ve never had anything less than a positive experience here and am baffled by the amount of poor reviews this store has on Unilocal

Pharmacy needs serious improvement. Messages for prescriptions are left on voice mail, but the voice mail is not checked. Most of the time when you call the pharmacy the line is busy.
More than twice, prescriptions were called for me, and not filled. A prescription was left on voicemail twice last Friday, was called in again this morning, and when I got there it was not yet filled. They could probably do a better job if they had another person working there and monitoring the calls. Disappointing because Rite Aid is no better.

I had a single great experience here: I walked in one evening and explained that there was a prescription waiting for me in California but that I was visiting Princeton and needed a change of delivery site. No problem! The pharmacy dude went into the CVS database and snagged the prescription for me. He told me that it would be ready for pickup the next morning. Right on cue, I got a text message from CVS: «your order is available for pickup at 172 NASSAU STREET, PRINCETON.» I walked by a few hours later and acquired my package without a wait.
My story may seem unremarkable — that’s how things are supposed to work. We all know, however, that pharmacy pick-​ups (especially in CVS pharmacies, actually) can be harrowing. Lines tend to be long, terminals can be down, orders get misplaced, people turn into monsters. The Princeton CVS did everything right for me – at least on this one occasion.
Needless to say, your mileage my vary.

I’m a little bit confused with the format of the store… The staff is pretty nice, but everything in the store is so tight and awkward. They do have the express checkout lanes, but it’s weird because the staff just stand there and watch you without saying a word. I think they stopped using the regular cashier counter too. I mean, it’s not the best CVS but it’s also not the worst. The location is mad convenient though, so you have to give it that.
Fun fact: there is one random bike rack in front of the store, but it’s always filled with bikes. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s super busy in the area or people just forget their bikes even exist and leave it there for weeks on end.

This place is a poor excuse for a pharmacy. I usually love CVS, but I have had nothing but bad experiences here. Every single time I come for a refill, there is a new event that happens on their end. While I do usually like to give people the benefit of the doubt, and the pharmacists are not rude people, the lack of competency is beyond inexcusable. If you ever need to pick up an rX here, leave yourself 30 minutes. At least. This place needs a serious wake up call. Do yourself a favor and take your business elsewhere.

Worst CVS ever! Pharmacy is a joke! I wouldn’t be surprised to find out they are minimum wage store clerks and not actual pharmacists. I will be moving all my family’s prescriptions to Walmart. It is farther but I am sure they are more capable. Someone is going get sick or worse yet from the wrong meds.

I have to give this pharmacy an A+ for effort. The staff couldn’t be friendlier and more helpful with each one welcoming the customers with unforced geniality. Although I’m still not used to self-​service cash registers, a staff person is always eager to help when I get stuck (which is every time). Good job at doing a complete 180!

There are always extremely long lines here. If you think picking up a prescription will take 5 minutes, be sure to leave at least 30. The last time I was there they messed up my prescription and I had to wait on line for 20 minutes to talk to someone who could correct it. They will never fill a prescription while you wait.

I live in a city and when I go to a suburban CVS I expect it to be vast and roomy. This one was, to be fair, in «downtown» Princeton, but it was long, narrow, and crowded-​feeling. The aisles were cut in half and «stacked» in rows, so half the aisles were in the front, and the rest were behind them. So it took me a while to figure out where to go to find what I needed (pens, they were in the far back corner).
A weird thing about suburban CVS is that there are no humans at the register. There’s a register counter but it’s deserted. There is just one human, a greeter, and three automated self-​check-​out registers — this they don’t have in the city because they don’t trust people not to steal stuff, I guess. I’m not used to this set up and it really bothered me – the human greeter standing there to be this machine of emotion, just producing a good mood by uttering pleasantries, while the actual work of the transaction was done by the customers themselves at the terminals. I felt really bothered about what’s happening with jobs and automation and when I finished paying for my pens and the greeter said «have a good day» I didn’t even turn to look at him, I just turned to the exit and left. I just wanted to try pressing the wrong buttons on the emotion machine to make it feel bad. it was mean, and I knew it was mean when I did it but I did it anyway. I’m sorry.

It’s overpriced here. Not sure if that’s because all CVS’ are or if they’re taking advantage of being so close to campus.

I have been a customer here for 15 years and am giving this 2 instead of 1 stars because the wait time/​hassle of the general store has improved greatly since getting the self check out registers. The general store staff is also very friendly and helpful.
The pharmacy… that’s a different story. Sam, the head pharmacist is helpful, friendly, and all around wonderful. That said, this pharamacy gave me the incorrect perscription a month ago – it was only after I felt «off» for a couple days that I realized my dosage had been halfed. I returned the perscription with little issue and didnt think much more about it. Then, this month, one of my perscriptions was «lost» in their system. I was told no such perscription existed (despite multiple refills listed online). When I brought in their own bottle the next day showing the refills, the pharmacy tech Nicole gave me a look I’ll never forget, pure distain. This tech is consistantly rude, loud, curt with customers, yelling at other staff, and all around acts like she hates your guts. She blamed my insurance company for them having no record of my previous perscription (nonsensical), and was very rude about it. She even mentioned to me how obnioxous my Dr’s office was…
Picking up a perscription is an experience, prepare to wait at least 10 min if there is even one person in line in front of you. This pharmacy has a captive audience being the only one downtown, and between the wrong perscriptions, lost perscriptions, misnamed perscriptions (they once insisted my perscription was my brothers), and rude main tech I dread my next refill… if they find it.

Cramped space, high turnover, public restrooms.

Pretty small CVS. Their housewares section is only one aisle, but it’s better than taking the bus to Highway 1. Good value if you buy things when they’re on sale.

The customer service is absolutely REVOLTING. They will have a few dozen people in line and management will be chatting away instead of going and working the cash register. I DREAD GOING INTO THIS STORE.

I always put 15 minutes worth of coinage in the meter, and I always think it’s enough because, hey, I’m just running in to pick up my prescription. Then I’m ALWAYS checking my watch like it’s a race against the clock. For the most part, they are friendly and nice (there is one back there, I think a tech, not a pharmacist, who is always yelling at other staff people and is curt with the customers and generally unpleasant to deal with), but they are pretty slow. And the checkout procedure at the pharmacy in the back is a mess. There’s a big pole in the middle of the 2 registers, which is awkward, and there are usually 5 people waiting in a tiny cramped area, to boot.
I keep my prescriptions with them because it’s easier to just have them refill my monthlies than have them transferred elsewhere. And it is close to my office. And one time I was in line behind Jeffrey Eugenides, which is kind of cool. But otherwise, I’d be totally outta there.

I’ve had to downgrade CVS because each time we try to get something from there, they don’t have it and it’s become a waste of time.
Recent list of what they haven’t had in stock which made me give up:
–Sewing kit
–Pineapple juice
–Crystal Light Peach Iced Tea
–Insoles
–Ginger caps
–Charcoal lighter fluid
–Hot dog buns
–Juice Organics
–Seltzer or club soda
–Eco Tools brushes
–Jack’s Pizza
–Feline Pine cat litter
–Christmas Barbie in the Cameron plaid (I had to drive back to the other CVS on 1)
–Kitten Chow

Unfriendly service

The store itself is a little cozy and cluttered, but in terms of the pharmacy! WOW! Hands down, they have been the easiest I have ever worked with. And the head pharmacist, is amazing! He was so willing to share names of some great doctors in the area, since I was a transplant here. The staff is really patient and friendly, and they don’t try to push name brands or try to push generic, which is refreshing. They are always prompt and when they say your drugs will be ready, they will be. Anyhow, I found them to be really professional and efficient.