Waiting time at drugstores can be avoided by ordering through its website or through its app to avoid queues.
This was what the context provided by readers said after Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) Director Gilbert Remulla posted about Mercury Drug’s “bad” service.
The government official on Monday said that it was “about time” the drugstore had “some serious competition.”
“I hope a businessman, entrepreneur or conglomerate can put something together. Their waiting time and service [are] so bad,” Remulla wrote on the X (formerly Twitter) platform on January 15.
It’s about time Mercury Drug gets some serious competition. I hope a businessman, entrepreneur or conglomerate can put something together.
Their waiting time and service is so bad. pic.twitter.com/lKKsuCsdci
— Gilbert C. Remulla (@GilbertCRemulla) January 15, 2024
He also accompanied his post with a picture of the certain branch he was in.
Remulla’s comment gained traction as other users aired their comments on the quotes and the replies thread.
Among these was pharmacist and content creator Arshie Larga, who wondered how long the government official queued.
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“What if naghintay ka sa pila dahil maraming bumibili? Or maraming kang binibiling gamot at gusto lang siguraduhin na tama ang ibibigay na gamot sa’yo? Baka sanay po kasi kayo na pagdating [niyo] pa lang, eh gusto [niyo] kayo agad ang iniintindi,” he wrote in a quote.
Larga further explained his perspective on the matter as a pharmacist working in a drugstore.
“As much as possible, sa botika, gusto namin kayo i-serve ng mabilis without committing any dispensing errors. Konting patience lang naman ang hinihingi namin, buti sana kung candy lang ‘yung binibili [niyo]. Kung ‘di naman emergency at hindi kayang maghintay, may ibang botika pa naman,” the content creator said.
Remulla’s post also got a “Community Note” feature from readers who provided more context.
“Mercury Drug’s top competitors include GA2 Pharmacy, The Generics Pharmacy (TGP), Muramed, Watsons Pharmacy, and a few more,” the “Community Note” on his post reads.
“Please note that you could also order online through their website and/or on their App if you want to avoid long lines and for more convenience,” it added.
The “Community Note” also included links to a webpage listing some of the drugstore’s competitors from Owler.com and an online ordering form from Mercury Drug to any of its over 1,000 stores nationwide.
The said drugstore has six options to buy and send any item. It does not have any service fee and markets a “hassle-free pick-up.”
Mercury Drug touts itself as “the country’s trusted and caring health and wellness partner” which provides the widest range of branded and generic medicines.
It also offers a complete line of healthcare and personal care products, including medical devices, and basic everyday needs.
Meanwhile, a “Community Note” on the X platform aims to empower users by letting them provide context “to potentially misleading posts.”
“Contributors can leave notes on any post and if enough contributors from different points of view rate that note as helpful, the note will be publicly shown on a post,” its description on X reads.
The platform said that the “Community Notes” feature does “not represent X’s viewpoint and cannot be edited or modified” by its teams.
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