Brookshire Grocery Co. announced Tuesday an agreement where Walgreens will acquire BGC’s 120 pharmacies in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas, which includes pharmacy customer prescription files and related pharmacy inventory. The vast majority of these locations are being converted to Walgreens pharmacies that will operate inside of BGC’s stores.

Many East Texas residents were shocked to find out Brookshire’s was selling their pharmacy to Walgreens. This led some residents to switch to avoid potential price changes.

Adrain Hurst immediately switched all her medicine to Rose City Pharmacy once she heard the news. She has had negative experiences using Walgreens and was disappointed Brookshire’s went in this direction. She no longer shops at Brookshire’s and would rather make the drive to H-E-B.

“We really didn’t need to be kicked in the teeth by our grocery store that we thought was really pro community and really for the people,” Hurst said. “Like whoa, you’re definitely not for the people.”

When Hurst realized she was running low on syringes for her medication, she reached out to Walgreens but they would not give her syringes despite having proof. This among other bad experiences made Hurst avoid Walgreens.

“If I wanted to be with Walgreens, I would have been with Walgreens,” Hurst. There is zero benefit for me to be with Walgreens except I’m gonna have so much more hassle. And it’s a frustration that I don’t want to pay more money for the brass tacks, I don’t want to pay more money for the sheer insanity.”

During an emergency Angel Lege had to get medicine from Walgreens for her daughter who has type 1 diabetes. She went through the drive through and the teller argued with her about the medication being a controlled substance. “What are you talking about?” Lege said. This is not a controlled substance.” She looks at the pharmacy worker and goes, “This isn’t even my medicine. You just handed me someone else’s medicine.”

She also had to pay out of pocket and found the cost tripled. When she heard Brookshire’s was switching to Walgreens Pharmacy, she immediately switched to Sam’s Club and outsourced to Dallas and Houston for other medications.

“Because even doing all of that it’s still going to beat the hassle of Walgreens due to how long it takes them to even process the medication,” Lege said.

Lege has worked with HIV/AIDS patients and would be in charge of calling pharmacies to figure out prescriptions. She found Walgreens to be unresponsive and would guide patients away from them.

For other East Texas residents, they had no issues with Walgreens. Courtney Reaves has been using Walgreens for four years and thinks this change is good. Reaves had to switch Walgreens locations due to long waits.

“I think that is actually a pretty good idea because I’ve heard things about Brookshire’s before they got bought out by Walgreens,” Reaves said. “Brookshire’s was not really good, especially when it comes to accepting certain insurance plans. Since they are now owned by Walgreens, you’re actually accepting different insurance plans.”

BioMatrix pharmacist Jessica Sasser has used Walgreens and Brookshire’s without any issues. As a pharmacist, she feels people do not understand the work pharmacists do. They are not paid enough, she adds

“So when you’re already shorthanded, you have to receive the order,” Sasser said. “You have to input medication, you have to run it through insurance and when someone [that does not] have insurance, you try to find the best deal.”

When asked for comment Walgreens and Brookshire’s sent the following statements: 

“Walgreens and Brookshire Grocery Company (BGC) are committed to meeting the community’s health and wellness needs as we work to support pharmacy patients, team members, and customers throughout our acquisition of BGC pharmacies. Patients can contact us any time at 1(800) 925-4733 with questions, as we look forward to bringing Walgreens expanded pharmacy care and health services into Brookshire’s Grocery Stores.”

“Brookshire Grocery Company (BGC) and Walgreens are committed to continuing to meet the community’s health and wellness needs as we listen and learn how to best support pharmacy patients, team members, and customers throughout this transition. We encourage patients to contact Walgreens with any questions. BGC remains excited for the future ahead with Walgreens offering expanded pharmacy care and health-related services in our stores.”