Prescribing You The Ability To Listen
JERK, MINNESOTA, PHARMACY, USA | HEALTHY | AUGUST 9, 2018
(It’s Memorial Day, and my pharmacy is one of the few within a twenty-mile radius that is open. My coworker is on break and I am managing the front of the pharmacy.)
Me: “Hi, sir. How I can help you today?”
Customer: “I’m here to pick up two prescriptions for [Customer].”
Me: “All right, sir, it looks like I have one prescription ready for you, but the other prescription — your [Prescription] — we’re still waiting to hear back from your doctor for more refills.”
Customer: “WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THEY’RE NOT DONE?!”
Me: “There is one prescription done and ready for you to pick up, sir. The other prescription you requested — [Prescription] — isn’t, because we haven’t heard back from your doctor yet.”
Customer: “I HATE THIS PLACE! YOU GUYS NEVER HAVE ANYTHING DONE! I BROUGHT TWO PRESCRIPTIONS IN ON FRIDAY, AND YOU’RE TELLING ME THEY’RE STILL NOT DONE?!”
Me: “Sir, I have one prescription ready for you right now.” *pause* “The other one is still waiting on your doctor for approval, and since it’s Memorial Day, we may not hear back from your doctor until tomorrow.”
Customer: “You guys are horrible! You never have anything done for me! I hate it here!” *walks off*
(After he walked away, I looked back at the screen to see when he brought in the prescriptions. And turns out, he brought them in yesterday, not Friday. But either way, we still had one he could have taken home with him.)
Clearly They Need Drugs
IMPOSSIBLE DEMANDS, NEW YORK, PHARMACY, USA | RIGHT | AUGUST 2, 2018
(A customer comes up through my pharmacy drive-thru and hands me a script for Oxycontin, 30mg, which we do not carry.)
Customer: “I’d like to fill this script here.”
Me: “I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t carry this particular medication.”
Customer: “But I want it.”
Me: “We don’t carry this, though. There’s a pharmacy a few blocks from here that does carry this; have you tried filling there?”
Customer: “I don’t want to fill it there. I want it here. You know what? I’m not going to argue with you morons. I’ll come back in an hour to pick it up.”
(I have had no chance to verify any information for this patient — no date of birth, no phone number. The patient comes back in about twenty minutes
Customer: “Is it ready yet?”
Me: “No, and we don’t carry this medication.”
Customer: “But I want it now! You had a whole hour to figure it out! Let me speak to your manager!”
(I bring my manager over, and she tells him the exact same thing.)
Customer: “Oh, really? I didn’t know that. Maybe your employee should have told me that before wasting my time.”
No Spoonful Of Sugar Is Helping This Medicine Go Down
BAD BEHAVIOR, FLORIDA, JERK, PATIENTS, PHARMACY, USA | HEALTHY | JULY 31, 2018
(When you come to pick up a prescription, I have to make sure it’s going to the right person or I get written up and, if I get written up enough times, lose my job. This particular pharmacy asks that we verify the address on file, but if they don’t know it, I’ll usually take some other manner of verification if necessary. It’s late, and there’s an hour and a half left to go of a seven-hour day, and all I want to do is go home, so I admit I’m a bit tired. A guy comes up who couldn’t be more than 22, I’d guess, and I smile and go to the register, asking him who he’s picking up for.)
Guy: “My girlfriend.”
Me: “Okay. What’s her name?”
Guy: “[First Name].”
(I need a last name in particular to search, and unfortunately most of the younger crowd usually never give their last name unless prompted. I have no idea why.)
Me: “What’s her last name?”
Guy: “[Last Name].”
(I go over to get it, which doesn’t take long, and return.)
Me: “And what’s her address, please?”
(He gives me this look like I’ve told him that the sky is green or that he’s standing on his head.)
Guy: “I’ve picked up before and they’ve never, ever asked me for her address before.”
(Then he clearly hasn’t picked up for her before at this pharmacy, because we always ask for the address. I say it so often that even when I’m doing things that don’t require it, I sometimes end up saying the words. Sometimes I end up asking them their address before I ask their name, before I can stop myself.)
Me: “Um… We always ask for the address.”
Guy: “No one has ever asked me before!”
Me: “Well, sometimes if you don’t know it, we’ll try another way to verify. Do you know it?”
Guy: “No!”
Me: “Okay, what’s her date of birth?”
(That, he knows. He tells that to me and I’m assured that I have the right person. A new law was passed in July that on certain types and classes of medicines, I now have to ask for a form of ID and enter it into the computer. What he’s picking up falls into that class.)
Me: “I need to see your ID, please.”
Guy: “Why?”
Me: “It’s the law as of the first of July. I have to have an ID.”
Guy: “Does that mean I have to get hers from the car?”
Me: “No, I need yours, since you’re picking it up.”
Guy: “But… does that mean I have to get hers?”
Me: “Um… No. I need yours.”
Guy: “I don’t have mine.”
Me: “Then she has to come in and pick it up.”
Guy: “Why can’t I just go get hers and give it to you?”
(Now I can understand his hesitancy. There’s a big storm that has been going on all day, but neither weather nor annoying teenagers are going to make me break the law.)
Me: “Because it’s her license. Whatever license I have has to be for the person picking up. It’s the law.”
(We go back and forth about this for another minute, to the point that my pharmacist has to come over and back me up, telling him that we have to follow all rules and regulations, and if it’s her license, it has be her. He finally goes out to get her and comes back in. I think this is a wonderful opportunity to do my job right now that she’s here.)
Me: “What’s your address?”
Girl: *throws her ID on the counter* “On file.”
Me: *blink*
(I’ve never had a customer refuse to give their address. Sometimes they’ll pretend to give me a hard time or forget some of the numbers, but I’ve never had someone give me a smart a** remark about it being “on file,” because most have the intelligence to realize that there’s a reason I’m asking for it and it’s most certainly not to hear myself talk. I want to keep my job.)
Me: “I’m sorry; we ask that for verification. If you don’t know yo—”
Girl: *interrupts snottily* “I know my address. It’s [address].”
(She picked up her license from the counter and proceeded to throw it again. I decided I’d had enough of dealing with the twat that was clearly just too lazy to come in and sent her boyfriend in for her, since I could see no legitimate reason for her not to come in besides the rain. And part of me wanted a little bit of revenge for these people half my age giving me a hard time, so I took my time, every bit of it that I could, prolonging the transaction just because they were antsy. As they left, she shot me a glare, snatched up her prescription, and then went to the industrial scale nearby that people use to measure weight and proceeded to jump up and down on it once or twice before leaving.)
This Policy Has Gone To The Dogs
CANADA, EMPLOYEES, GROCERY STORE, JERK, ONTARIO, PETS & ANIMALS, PHARMACY, REVOLTING | WORKING | JULY 31, 2018
(I’m at common, nationwide pharmacy and grocery store when I see a woman walking a small dog down one of the aisles. While the woman is distracted, I watch the dog pee on a shelf filled with cereal boxes. The woman never seems to notice, so as I am heading to the cash, anyway, I decide to tell the cashiers about the dog. There are two cashiers and a supervisor at the front when I get up there.)
Me: “Hi, do you guys know you have a lady in here walking around with a dog?”
Supervisor: “Yeah, it’s fine.”
Me: “Really? So, I can bring my dog in with me next time?”
(Pointing at my dog sitting outside the glass window watching for me.)
Supervisor: “Ah, no. She’s just a friend, so it’s okay.”
Me: “Not really. Your company policy says no dogs except service dogs, so I should be allowed to bring my dog in if that woman can; it’s clearly not a service dog.”
Supervisor: “No, but it’s a really good dog! So, it’s okay for her, but uh, your dog can’t come in. “
(I see nothing wrong with dogs in stores as long as the owners are responsible, clean up if there’s an accident, and carefully watch them. I also have this view of parents with kids. My dog loves her pet store and hardware store walking trips, but this attitude annoyed me. Guess what I didn’t tell them?)
Trying To Pay With A Photo Finish
LEBANON, MATH & SCIENCE, PENNSYLVANIA, PHARMACY, STUPID, USA | RIGHT | JULY 30, 2018
Customer: “Excuse me, can you help me with this photo machine?”
Me: “Yes, what’s the problem?”
Customer: “It printed all of my photos, but it’s telling me to bring the receipt to the counter, and it’s not printing a receipt.”
(Our kiosk’s receipt printer hasn’t worked in years, so we frequently have to give this explanation.)
Me: “The summary it printed after the last photo is what we use. It tells you how many pictures were in the order, and we can figure the price out from that.”
Customer: “But I don’t know how much photos cost!”
Me: “Well, they’re 29 cents each, and it says here there were 13 photos, so with that—”
Customer: “But it doesn’t tell me how much it’ll cost, or how many photos there are!”
(She begins counting the photos by hand, so I grab the calculator and work out the cost.)
Customer: “…twelve, thirteen. Now to get the cost. Thirteen times 29 cents…”
Me: “It’ll be $3.77 before tax, ma’am.”
(The customer ignores me and continues to write out the multiplication.)
Customer: “Okay, it’s $3.77! By the way, you don’t sell photo postcards here, do you? Or any of the stores in this square?”
Me: “I’m afraid we don’t; if anyone here does, it would probably be [Other Store], so I’d check there first.”
Customer: “Thank you. I’ll do that!”
(The customer immediately turns from the counter and starts toward the exit.)
Me: “Ma’am, you need to— Ma’am, you need to pay for those!”
Customer: “I did!”
Me: “No… you didn’t.”
Customer: “I paid it right over there, you can check my balance and see!”
(Fearful that she might have tried jamming her card into a slot on the kiosk, I rush around… only to find her pointing at the ATM next to it.)
Customer: “I slid it right here, and it says here you can check my balance to see.”
Me: “This is the store’s ATM, not part of the photo machine.”
Customer: “Well, can I check my balance?”
Me: “Uh… Yes?”
(With another customer waiting, I leave to ring them up while keeping the first customer in earshot while she uses the ATM.)
Customer: “It wants a PIN? It’s never asked for that before!”
(I finish checking the second customer out, right as the first customer walks back up to the counter.)
Customer: “Since when does it want a PIN for anything? Anyway, I guess I’ll trust that I still need to pay for these. But I’m using cash this time, not a card!”
Me: “All right, after tax, that’ll be four dollars even!”
(The customer pulls out a small wad of bills with a twenty and three ones visible. She returns to her purse, and I assume she’s getting a fourth dollar bill.)
Customer: “Feels like it’s been forever since I paid with cash!”
(She does pull out another wad of cash with another dollar bill, only to drop it and continue digging for two more handfuls. By the time she stops, I can see a five, a ten, a twenty, and far more ones than needed to pay for the pictures.)
Me: “Ma’am, you… have enough to pay for this…”
(Paying no attention to me, she begins straightening out some of the ones, the five, and the twenty. After she’s stacked twelve of them up, she sighs and slides me the ten.)
Customer: “Oh, just take it out of the ten, then.”
The Couponator 7: The Forgotten Coupon
AT THE CHECKOUT, COUPON, KENTUCKY, PHARMACY, USA | RIGHT | JULY 24, 2018
(I’m a cashier at a pharmacy. Unfortunately, due to its rewards program, our chain is a haven for “Coupon Queens” to come buy a cartload of products for $3.00. I mean, do what you gotta do, but sometimes, the couponers get way out of hand. The customer in this story is a notorious regular, and he and his wife always make my coworkers and me go running when they come into the store. The customer, sans his wife, has been chatting to me while I ring him up, going on about saving this and saving that, occasionally snapping at me if I even look at one of the items he’s set aside for a third or fourth transaction. It takes fifteen minutes before I finally get it all rang up.)
Customer: “I’ll bring your cart back in when I get these out to my car. I just… Oh, s***!”
Me: “Is everything all right, sir?”
Customer: “I forgot to use my coupons on this stuff. Oh, my God, my wife is going to kill me. Here, you need to refund all of these so I can do it again and use my coupons.”
Me: “I… I’m sorry, sir. I can’t do that.”
Customer: “Well, why the h*** not? I have the coupons right here; there’s no one else in line right now.”
Me: “Sir, it’s against company policy. I cannot refund your items for full price, and then sell them back to you when you’re using coupons.”
Customer: “Well, I’m going to tell my wife you did this!” *storms out*
On A Check Trek
BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, EMPLOYEES, LAZY/UNHELPFUL, PHARMACY | WORKING | JULY 16, 2018
(I am at the pharmacy picking up my prescriptions, when the pharmacy technician gestures to the bag of syringes that come with.)
Pharmacy Technician: “Are you wanting these, too?”
Me: “They are part of the order, so yes, please.”
Pharmacy Technician: “I’ll have to check on the price.”
Me: “Okay.” *waits for her to go, she stands there*
Pharmacy Technician: “Do you want me to check the price?”
Me: “Um… Yes?”
Pharmacy Technician: “Okay.” *goes to check price and comes back holding the bag* “$1.49!”
Me: “For all of them?”
Pharmacy Technician: “No, only for one.”
Me: “What’s the price on them all?”
Pharmacy Technician: “I’ll have to check that.”
Me: “Okay.” *waits as she stands there*
Pharmacy Technician: “Do you want me to check that?”
Going To Have A Date Of Death If You Don’t Get It Right
BAD BEHAVIOR, COLUMBUS, OHIO, PHARMACY, STUPID, USA | RIGHT | JULY 14, 2018
(I work in the pharmacy of a regional grocery chain. We require the person picking up a prescription order to give us the patient’s name and date of birth; if they don’t give us the date of birth, we cannot release the prescription order to them. I am doing my scheduled counter rotation when a baby boomer who looks like a redneck Santa approaches. He is talking away on his cell phone.)
Me: “Hi there. Picking up?”
Customer: *pulls his phone away from his face* “Yeah I’m picking up for my mother-in-law. Wife’s after me to get this stuff.”
Me: “Sure thing. What’s her name?”
Customer: “Her name is [Mother-In-Law].”
Me: “And her date of birth?”
Customer: *scoffs* “I don’t know. She’s my mother-in-law. I don’t pay attention to that s***.”
Me: “Unfortunately, our system requires we enter the patient’s date of birth to help prevent prescription theft.”
(The customer quite literally turns very red. I steel myself for an angry tirade.)
Customer: “This is bulls***. Simple mother-f*****…” *storms off, ranting and raving to his wife*
Boss: “[My Name]… what was that all about?”
Me: “He didn’t react very well to me telling him I needed his mother-in-law’s birthdate to release her meds to him.”
Boss: “He was on the phone with his wife, wasn’t he?”
How Dare You Stop To Eat?!
ILLINOIS, INSTANT KARMA, JERK, PATIENTS, PHARMACY, USA | HEALTHY | JULY 6, 2018
(I go to the pharmacy department of a larger than normal location of a major retailer. It’s about 2:25 pm, and the gates to the pharmacy counter are down with a sign apologizing for being closed for lunch. There are about four people ahead of me in line. Though I am in a hurry, I decide to stay since the sign states that they will reopen in five minutes. Four minutes later, the gates reopen, and the pharmacist is at the counter alone, since her support staff hasn’t returned yet. She greets the first man in line.)
Pharmacist: “Thank you for waiting. How may I help you, sir?”
Man: “I’m here to pick up my prescription, under [Man].”
(The pharmacist verifies personal information with the man.)
Man: *as the pharmacist is ringing up the order* “I had to wait ten minutes for you guys to open! It’s just ridiculous that—”
Pharmacist: *cutting the man off, in a tone that is both mockingly concerned, and professional* “Yes, sir, it is ridiculous that I have to work a ten-hour shift, and am only allowed twenty minutes to sit down and eat in the back of this store. I’m so sorry that you had to wait that short amount of time. Your total is [amount].”
(The man said nothing further, refused to make eye contact with anyone, paid, and left. By then, her staff had returned, and the pharmacist went to the back of the work area, immediately answering the phone. The staff made short work of the rest of the people in line, who all were friendly to the workers. I was out the door before 2:40 pm.)
How To Treat Dog-Breath
CANADA, ONTARIO, PHARMACY, STRANGERS, STUPID, TORONTO | HEALTHY | JULY 6, 2018
(I am a veterinary technician and sometimes I leave work still wearing scrubs.)
Cashier: “So, you work at the dental office in this plaza, right?”
Me: “Nope, I’m a veterinary technician. I work at the vet clinic over there.” *gesturing*
Other Customer: “What’s that?”
Me: “I’m a nurse for animals.”
Other Customer: “Oh. There’s this mouth-wash I’ve been meaning to try. The stuff from [Human Brand]. Can you tell me if it’s any good?”
Me: “Um… I’m a veterinary technician. I nurse animals.”
Other Customer: “It’s all the same. So, can you tell me if the mouthwash is any good?”
They Need New Glasses As Well As Their Drugs
DALLAS, IGNORING & INATTENTIVE, PATIENTS, PHARMACY, TEXAS, USA | HEALTHY | JULY 5, 2018
(I pull into a drive-thru pharmacy to pick up my prescription, and there’s just one car in front of me. It’s ten full minutes before the car in front of me drives off and I can pull up to the window, but I’m not in a hurry, so I don’t really mind.)
Me: “I’m picking up a prescription for [My Last Name].”
Pharmacist: “Okay, let me just pull that up.”
(She’s gone for a few minutes, and I’m starting to think that this is why the line was slow. Obviously, I think, they must have new people there who don’t know what they’re doing. When she comes back
Pharmacist: “I’m sorry, but I don’t have any filled prescriptions listed under your name.”
Me: “But I got an email saying my prescription was ready.”
Pharmacist: “I don’t know what to say. We have you in our system from about two years ago, but there’s nothing recent.”
Me: “Can you check again? I got the email, so I know it’s ready.”
(The pharmacist is gone even longer this time, and I’m starting to feel pretty righteously indignant.)
Pharmacist: “No, we don’t have anything ready for you.”
Me: “Look, that just doesn’t make sense. I don’t understand how I can have an email from Walgreens right here saying that my prescription is ready, but you guys apparently don’t have it.”
Pharmacist: *blank stare* “Ma’am, this is CVS.”
(I felt like such a complete moron that I just drove away in embarrassment. Pharmacist, if you’re out there, I’m really sorry I didn’t apologize!)
They Must Get Lost Driving To The AMC
NEW JERSEY, PHARMACY, STUPID, USA | RIGHT | JULY 3, 2018
(My aunt works at the pharmacy in a CVS, and often comes home with hilarious stories about customers or doctor offices. This one in particular I find incredibly stupid.)
Aunt: “Hello, this is [Aunt] from CVS. I need to order a refill for [Medication] for [Patient].”
Doctor’s Office: “Where are you calling from?”
Aunt: “CVS.”
Doctor’s Office: “Can you spell that?”
Aunt: “Um… C-V-S.”
Doctor’s Office: “Where? Spell it?”
Aunt: “C as in ‘cat,’ V as in ‘Victor,’ S like in ‘Sam.’”
Doctor’s Office: “Where?”
(According to her, this went on for five minutes before she finally got the medication ordered. The customer even warned her that the office was awful before she made the call.)
You’re Boxing Me In Here
AUSTRALIA, HOBART, PATIENTS, PHARMACY, STUPID, TASMANIA | HEALTHY | JUNE 27, 2018
(At my pharmacy, we commonly take orders by phone so that a customer’s medications can be ready to collect when they arrive. This phone order, however, is a little different.)
Me: “Good afternoon. This is [Pharmacy]. [My Name] speaking. How can I help?”
Customer: “Yes, I’d like to order some medications, please.”
Me: “Sure. What do you need?”
Customer: “I can’t remember what they’re called, sorry.”
Me: “That’s okay. We can figure it out. Do you remember what they’re for?”
Mayor Of Candyland Shouldn’t Mix Up His Candies
BIZARRE, EMPLOYEES, IGNORING & INATTENTIVE, PENNSYLVANIA, PHARMACY, PITTSBURGH, USA | RIGHT | JUNE 26, 2018
(I work in a pharmacy. I have a regular customer who is rather eccentric, and usually wears the same clothing: a raccoon fur cap — complete with tail — and a denim jacket covered in buttons and patches depicting his niche interests. He also usually rides a store-provided mobility scooter. This day, he comes in wearing a pinstripe suit, a faux velvet top hat, and a plastic pendant on a red ribbon of the sort you might find in a child’s Dracula Halloween costume. He is also walking with a cane, not riding the scooter. It’s the end of a long day, and his outfit is so different from usual that I don’t recognize him at first.)
Me: “Hello, sir. May I have your name?”
Regular: *stares at me for a second* “[Regular].”
Me: “Oh! Mr. [Regular]! Sorry, I didn’t recognize you at first. You’re wearing a different hat!”
(I pull up his profile on the computer while exchanging pleasantries.)
Me: “I’m afraid you don’t have any prescriptions ready. Was there one you were expecting?”
Regular: “I just thought I’d stop by and see if any of my automatic refills were ready.”
Me: “Well, let me see…”
(I look at the relevant page of his profile and see that all of his maintenance medications are indeed set to auto-fill, but it’s still a few weeks before they’re due to be filled again.)
Me: “Looks like you should be good for a while. You should get a call when your prescriptions are filled. Do we have your correct phone number on file?” *repeats number*
Regular: “Yep, that’s the one.”
Me: “All right, then you’ll get a call letting you know when your prescriptions are ready. Thanks for stopping by, Mr. [Regular]. It was good to see you!”
(The regular walks away, making quite the picture with his top hat and suit. The next customer in line comes up to my register and stares after the regular for a moment.)
Teenage Scream
CRIMINAL & ILLEGAL, PHARMACY, SOUTH CAROLINA, TEENAGERS, USA | RIGHT | JUNE 22, 2018
(I work in a pharmacy. I am filling in as an over-the-counter floor manager while our salaried management is out to meetings. Since I am an hourly supervisor, I am not allowed to do some things, like cash pulls or theft stops, but everything has been smooth throughout the day. It should be noted that at the time of this story, I am several months pregnant, but I am still getting around normally. I am crouching behind the counter for supplies when I hear a customer walk by.)
Me: *popping my head just over the counter* “Good morning!”
Teenage Boy: “Jesus! Uh… hi…”
(The kid looks a bit startled, but I don’t think much of it since I kind of came out of nowhere. I come out from behind the counter to see him flipping through the pegs of condoms. He is acting very sketchy, so I try to stay out of sight but where I can still watch him. Sure enough, he pockets a small pack of condoms. I cut the corner just as he is about to put another pack of condoms in his coat pocket. He drops them on the floor and I exaggeratedly struggle to bend over picking them up.)
Me: *poking my belly out* “Man, let me tell you from experience, I would not recommend this kind.”
(The kid practically ran out of the store, ditching the condoms in his pocket onto a nearby display on the way out.)
Big Spender Is Actually Big Whiner
BAD BEHAVIOR, MASSACHUSETTS, PHARMACY, USA | RIGHT | JUNE 20, 2018
(It is a somewhat quiet evening. A customer comes in, and I greet her. My manager is standing nearby, and once the customer is out of earshot, she informs me that the customer is well-known for being rude and to call her if I need help. Sure enough, once the customer finishes shopping, she starts.)
Customer: *slams the first of many items onto the counter* “You need to get the manager up here now, because I need a discount.”
Me: *surprised* “Yeah, sure, let me page her now.”
(I page her and ring out the rest of the customer’s items as quickly as I can. My manager walks up from the back.)
Manager: “Hi, what can I help you with?”
Customer: “I need a discount. I have a coupon on my card, but it doesn’t show up when I try to print it, and you need to do something about it.”
(When this happens, it is almost always customer error; either the wrong email is linked to their store card, or they never set one up at all. We will generally input the coupon as long as the customer can show us the email that contains the coupon. Even if the customer can’t get the email up, we will still put it in under special circumstances — if they are buying a decent amount of stuff, are a regular customer, etc.)
Manager: “Okay, that’s fine. Can you pull up the coupon on your phone? I need to see the coupon to be able to put it in.”
Customer: *raising her voice* “WELL, I can try but I don’t know if it’ll work. You need to give me a discount because I spend a lot of money here, and this is unacceptable!”
Manager: *I can tell she is getting agitated* “All right, well, just try to pull that up, because we cannot give discounts without actually seeing the coupon in some form.”
Customer: “Well, I spend a lot of money here!”
(She clicks around on her phone for a minute or two and is able to bring the coupon up, and my manager puts it in and the customer finally pays and leaves.)
Manager: “You know, it’s a good thing she had her coupon, because I wasn’t going to give her the discount if she didn’t. She could have flipped out all she wanted, but I’ll be d***ed if I’m going to reward her s***ty behavior. Oh, and as for spending a lot of money here, she comes in maybe once a month…”
Unfiltered Story #114601
NEW JERSEY, PHARMACY, USA | UNFILTERED | JUNE 15, 2018
(More often than not, customers come in through our registers wearing headphones or talking on the phone. As such, communicating with them becomes a hassle, but it’s tolerable. This is not the case this time. This customer is not wearing headphones, nor is he on his phone.)
Me: How can I help you, sir?
Customer: (says nothing, but drops his items for me to scan)
Me: Do you have your rewards card?
Customer: Yes I do. (He immediately swipes his credit card even though I have not yet started scanning his items)
Me: Sorry sir, the register isn’t ready for that yet.
(I scan his items fairly quickly and he swipes his card once more, again the register isn’t ready to accept payment yet, at this point I can see it’s a chip card so swiping won’t do it any good either way)
Me: Would you like to use your rewards card for this purchase first?
Customer: Oh! Yes. (at this point he puts in his phone number, bringing up his rewards membership, discounts, etc.)
Me: Okay sir, there we go! Now if you could just put the chip in the reader down below
(The customer AGAIN swipes his card through, prompting the card reader to display the “PLEASE INSERT CHIP” message for him to see. He’s not paying attention and I am screaming internally)
Me: Sir, please use the chip reader below.
Customer: Oh okay. (He puts the chip in, and the machine takes his payment)
Me: Thank you very much, sir, and have a good night
(He ignores me once again as he walks out with his purchases)
Medical Bills Paid By Friends’ Bills
ALBERTA, CALGARY, CANADA, INSPIRATIONAL, KIND STRANGERS, PHARMACY | HOPELESS | MAY 30, 2018
(I stop in the pharmacy to get some medications for my husband, who recently lost his job because of a medical condition. We were already on income support because I am physically disabled and this has been a hard hit to our income. We just found out the income support system is about to revoke our benefits unless we can prove that he does not willfully leave his job by the end of the month. With a toddler and both of us needing the medical coverage, this is terrifying. Our normal doctor is on maternity leave until January of next year and her covers won’t help us because they don’t want to deal with the system. The same story goes with every doctor we see. They all insist they need to have been seeing us for at least three months before they’ll even consider it. Neither of us have any family or support, as we were both runaways from abuse. By this point, I am counting change, trying to figure out if I have enough to get the medication we both desperately need.)
Stranger: *taps me on the shoulder* “Hey, let me get that for you.” *tries to shove a ten dollar bill in my hand*
Me: *close to tears* “Oh, no! I really can’t. Thanks, anyway.” *tries to give it back*
Stranger: “Nah, keep it. Or, hey, tell you what…” *hands me a twenty and takes the ten back* “There. Fair trade.”
(By now I was seriously crying and didn’t notice the older man’s mother coming up beside me. Gently she took me by the elbow and they both lead me away from the pharmacy counter. They started asking me questions and I admitted that we were struggling and how scared I was. They started brainstorming between the two of them and gave me numbers to doctors they trusted. They took my email and gave me their phone numbers just in case. As a last thing, they took the twenty-dollar bill, and the man shoved a bunch of money into my bag, saying he wouldn’t take no for an answer and just to pass it on when I had the chance to help someone else. I realized that yes, I needed that help right then. I stopped fighting, figuring it was at most forty bucks but would help pay my kid’s school fees. When I got home and took the money out, I was shocked to see that instead of just a small amount, he’d put five hundred dollars into my bag. That money did help keep us afloat for the next week as we paid bills. We finally found a doctor willing to help us and our income has since stabilized. I told the stranger, who is now a supporter and friend, that we’d pay him back. He refused and told me to help others, instead. I plan to.)
Those Poor, Poor, Dolphins
BIZARRE, PATIENTS, PHARMACY, USA | HEALTHY | MAY 28, 2018
(It’s my second day working for a pharmacy at a local grocery store. We have a display near the register that has animal-themed thermometers like dolphins, seals, whales, etc. A woman walks up and picks up a dolphin thermometer, looking at it for a good minute or so.)
Butt-Hurt About The Butt-Cream
BAD BEHAVIOR, OHIO, PATIENTS, PHARMACY, USA | HEALTHY | MAY 26, 2018
(I work in a pharmacy in a large box store. On Sundays, when only one pharmacist is on duty, the pharmacy shuts down for them to take a lunch break. This story is related to me by one of the pharmacists. The gate is down, but can sort of be seen through, and the pharmacist can be glimpsed through the holes.)
Lady: *at the top of her voice* “HEY! HEY, YOU! ARE YOU OPEN?!”
Pharmacist: “Uh, no, ma’am, we reopen in ten minutes. Please come back then.”
Lady: “IT’LL ONLY TAKE A MINUTE! I NEED SOME BUTT CREAM!”
Pharmacist: “Ma’am, we’re closed! Please come back in ten minutes.”
Lady: “BUTT! CREAM! JUST GIVE ME SOME G**D*** BUTT CREAM!”
Pharmacist: “Ma’am, we’re closed! We’ll reopen in ten minutes!”
Lady: “THIS IS RIDICULOUS! I JUST NEED SOME BUTT CREAM!”
(She finally stormed off… two minutes before we reopened for business.)
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