In a popular pharmacy, a student was refused to sell a cold medicine without immigration status

CVS executives are investigating a lawsuit by a student at Purdue University who said he was refused a purchase of over-the-counter cold medicine because a Indiana pharmacy looked at his driver’s license with the flag of Puerto Rico and said he needed a valid U.S. ID . Writes about this USA Today.

Фото: Depositphotos

The situation occurred on October 25, but immediately became viral in social networks. Jose Guzman's mother Payano told this story in a post on Facebook. This post has been shared over 5 500 times.

Arlene Payano Burgos wrote that her son "is actually a citizen of the United States."

“What made this employee ask him for a visa? — Payano Burgos wrote in her Facebook post. Maybe the accent, skin color, or the Puerto Rican flag on the license? Whatever motivated her to discriminate against my son is precisely the epitome of what is illegal in the United States today.”

Payano Burgos said he has not heard back from CVS after contacting the national pharmacy chain's office to see if what the store told him was true - that his Puerto Rican driver's license did not comply with the company's policy on U.S., Canadian and Mexican ID cards.

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But CVS apologized.

“We are committed to ensuring every customer receives friendly service in our stores, and we apologize to the customer for their recent experience,” CVS spokeswoman Amy Thibault said. “We are fully looking into this matter to find out more about what happened.” While our employees must comply with laws and regulations that require identification to purchase over-the-counter medications, we expect all customers to be treated professionally.”

Regarding Puerto Rico identity cards, she said: “Yes, Puerto Rican ID is considered a valid form of identification at CVS Pharmacy. All employees were reminded of the company's policies. ”

It all started when Guzman Payano, feeling a cold coming up, went to sleep. He woke up from a stuffy nose and sore throat so strong that it was difficult for him to breathe. Later that day, at Purdue University Student Medical Center, bronchitis was diagnosed. However, he was prescribed an over-the-counter medicine. Mucinex, which was supposed to help.

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Guzman Payano said he was a weekly customer at the CVS pharmacy on the first floor of the Fuse building, which is close to campus and easy to walk to.

The identity card that the guy showed the employee seemed to her insufficient.

“She said I needed a visa,” Guzman Payano said. “I tried to explain that Puerto Rico is part of the United States. I don't need a visa or anything. She just repeated the same thing three times.”

The guy showed his passport, but this did not help either. A pharmacy employee demanded some kind of immigration document before he could buy a cold medicine.

“Then I realized what was happening,” he said. “There was no point in continuing the conversation.”

He left and then returned a few minutes later to see if the shift manager or manager could help him.

Guzman Payano said he has not experienced similar situations in West Lafayette since he arrived at the university where 71 is a student from Puerto Rico.

“I don’t think it happened by accident,” Guzman Payano said. “It’s weird because we have such a wide campus.” There are people from everywhere. But I can't use my Puerto Rican ID. Even my passport! It should not be".

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The guy asked a friend with a car to take him to Meyer's store. There he was sold medicine without any problems.

Payano Burgos said she wrote her post in the hope that other Puerto Ricans would not be confronted with similar situations.

“It was outrageous to me,” Payano Burgos said. - He caught a cold. He needed cough medicine. I couldn't let it go unnoticed."

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