Understands The Condom Minimum
PHARMACY | RIGHT | APRIL 21, 2016
(Working in a busy pharmacy, a teenage boy and his girlfriend came up to the counter.)
Boy: “I’m looking for the condoms.” *smiling at his girlfriend, she’s looking embarrassed*
Me: “Aisle 10, right hand side.”
Boy: “Yeah, but you see, I need some extra-large condoms. The regular ones are way too small for me.” *smirking at his girlfriend*
Me: “Seriously?”
(I stand back, heave my leg up on the counter and point to it.)
Me: “See this ankle? I recently broke it, and had a cast on. I used regular-sized condoms on it to waterproof it when I had showers. If your penis is larger than this—” *pointing to my leg still up on the counter* “—then I seriously suggest you keep it away from her—” *pointing to girlfriend* “—as it’s going to do some serious damage!”
(Both boy and girlfriend walked away without saying another word.)
Trash-Talking Hits The Bottom Of The Barrel
CONVENIENCE STORE, PHARMACY | RIGHT | APRIL 8, 2016
(I work in a city where the people have to buy city trash-bags that are expensive. We had to get rid of our trash barrel from outside the store because people started throwing away their home trash in it.)
Customer: *walking in with bag full of trash* “Do you have a barrel so I can throw away my trash?”
Me: “I’m sorry, but we had to get rid of it.”
Customer: “Well, why?”
Me: “Because people started to bring their home trash to our store and leave it around our barrel because they didn’t want to buy city bags.”
Customer: “Well, that’s stupid. Where am I supposed to throw away my trash?”
You’ve Got Me In A Box Here…
PHARMACY | RIGHT | APRIL 7, 2016
Customer: “Hi. I need some tablets. You know the one I got last time? I didn’t come here but it comes in a box.”
I Can Hear You Dumb And Clear
PHARMACY | RIGHT | MARCH 29, 2016
(I have just started working at my local pharmacy. It’s my first time answering the phone and I’m really nervous.)
Me: “Pharmacy, this is [My Name]. Can I help you?”
Caller: “HELLO?? HELLLOOOO?”
Me: “Can I help you, ma’am?”
Caller: “HELLOOOOOOOOO. ”
Me: “Hello… ma’am?”
Caller: “CAAAAAN YOUUU HEEEAR MEEEE?”
Me: *holding phone away from my ear at this point* “Loud and clear, ma’am.”
Caller: “Oh, good. I just wanted to make sure my phone was working.” *click*
Drive-Thru Is Not Your Calling
PHARMACY | WORKING | MARCH 27, 2016
(At our store we have a voice over that is triggered when someone pulls up to the drive-thru. To stop it from repeating, you have to pick up the phone and press the drive-thru button. This button is next to the regular phone button.)
Me: *after hearing someone pull up at drive-thru* “Thank you for calling [Store]. How can I help— You know what? Never mind. I’m on my way.”
Didn’t See The Smoke Signals, Part 2
PHARMACY, RETAIL | RIGHT | MARCH 12, 2016
(I work in the front end of a pharmacy retailer that recently stopped selling cigarettes in an effort to promote customer health. It’s been almost two years, but exchanges like this still happen regularly.)
Customer: “Hi, I’ll have a carton of [Brand] cigarettes.”
(I look behind me to where the cigarettes used to be stored, where there is now a large sign with a crossed out cigarette and a slogan that reads: “Quitting starts here.”)
Needs Change And A Change Of Cashier
PHARMACY | WORKING | FEBRUARY 19, 2016
(My mom has gone to a well-known pharmacy for a prescription. Her co-pay is $74 dollars. She’s given the cashier four twenties.)
Cashier: “Ma’am, I need another twenty.”
Mom: “No. I gave enough.”
Cashier: “No, I need another twenty.”
(After minutes of bickering the cashier calls her manager over.)
Cashier: “This woman refuses to pay for her medication.”
Mom: “What? I gave her enough money.”
Cashier: “No, you owe me another twenty!”
(The cashier is flustered by this point and giving my mom an evil look.)
Manager: “Let me count this.”
(He counts the twenties to find that my mom is indeed correct.)
Needs Poster-Board To Smash Your Head Through
PHARMACY | RIGHT | FEBRUARY 19, 2016
(A customer is making a purchase, which has been going normally until the end.)
Me: “All right, that’ll be [amount].”
Customer: “What? That poster-board was supposed to be $4.99.”
(I go with her to check the price marked on the shelf.)
Me: “This is where it was supposed to go; someone put it in the wrong place.”
(I indicate the $8.99 shelf tag; assuming that she wants a $4.99 pack, I grab one and return to the front, to which she does not object. I void out the more expensive pack and ring up the other. After I finish ringing it up…)
Customer: “That’s not the poster-board I want.”
Me: “It’s the pack that’s $4.99.”
Customer: “Well, you don’t have to be so rude about it. Just void that and I’ll pick out the poster-board.”
Me: “All right, your other items will be six—”
(I’m cut off by the customer walking away to pick out her poster-board without finishing the sale for her other items, with three customers waiting in line behind her, and no other cashiers on duty. Fortunately, the other register hasn’t been closed out yet, so I can still ring them up somewhere. She finally returns with the poster-board she wants, but I need manager approval because of all the voided items.)
Me: *over the PA, right in front of her* “Manager approval at the front, please.”
Customer: “Why isn’t the sale going through?!”
Me: “I need approval because of all the voids.”
Customer: “You could have said something!”
(Finally, my manager can pass the sale through, with the customer complaining about my service the whole time; my manager promises to have a talk with me over it. Once the store is empty…)
Manager: “So… from how she was acting, I’m guessing she was already in a b***h-fit when she came in?”
Talking Out Of Their Asthma
PHARMACY | WORKING | FEBRUARY 6, 2016
(It is just after daylight savings and the clock in our work room has not been changed yet. My coworker decides to take matters into her own hands and stacks up boxes to be able to reach it. She then makes a face about how dusty it is.)
Coworker: “Oh my! I’m gonna have an asthma attack. I don’t have asthma but I’m gonna catch it from this!”
(This coming from someone who works in a pharmacy and knows how this stuff works!)
Not A Very Product-ive Answer
PHARMACY | WORKING | JANUARY 29, 2016
(Our store has recently been purchased by another independent chain and has undergone a massive remodel. All of our stock has been moved to different locations and some things we used to have are not available anymore. As the staff is learning the new layout, we inevitably have this conversation with customers three times a day…)
Customer: “I’m trying to find [Product].”
Staff: “Well if you need any help finding it, let us know and we’ll be just as lost as you are!”
Discharged And Distasteful
PHARMACY | WORKING | JANUARY 26, 2016
(I work in the call center of a pharmacy that takes care of long term facilities such as nursing homes. As such, we speak mostly with the nurses taking care of the patients.)
Me: “Hello, I am calling from [Pharmacy] and need to know if a patient was discharged from your facility. We see another patient has been admitted into their room.”
Nurse: “All right, who was the patient?”
Me: “[Name of patient].”
Nurse: “Oh, yes she was discharged to the hospital this morning. She isn’t doing too well.”
Me: *typing her answer without thinking* “Oh, wonderful, thank you so much!”
(The nurse was silent until I said goodbye and I didn’t even think about my response until I had hung up. I promise I am not that cold!)
An Anxiety-Inducing Fact
PHARMACY | WORKING | JANUARY 21, 2016
(An extremely rude customer has just left our pharmacy after we refused to fill his prescription. We legally couldn’t fill it without his doctor’s permission because another pharmacy had filled the same medication the day before. The tech who helped him is telling us what happened.)
Tech: “…and so then he said, ‘I make more money in a day than you do in a month!’”
Pharmacist: “Well, what you should have said is, ‘Yeah, but I have ninety Xanax back here and you don’t.’”
No Pain For This Refill
PHARMACY | RIGHT | JANUARY 20, 2016
(I work as a pharmacy technician. A lady needs her medication refilled but has no refills left. I offer to call the doctor for her but she is mad that we won’t just fill her prescription then and there. Her medication is used for blood pressure.)
Customer: “Since you won’t give me my medication, can I just take this in the meantime?” *holds up aspirin*
Me: “Uhm… no. Aspirin is not the same as your [blood pressure medication].”
Customer: “Why? It’s the same size and color as my medication.”
Sick Of Your Parenting Assumptions
PHARMACY | WORKING | JANUARY 4, 2016
(I’m a 23-year-old woman who moved away from home over four years ago. I have no significant other or kids, so I’m only fending for myself. Because I rarely get sick, I have never gotten around to buying a thermometer. Finally I do catch a cold, so I decide to pick one up. I’m not feeling entirely clearheaded because of my cold.)
Pharmacy Assistant: “Hi, how can I help you?”
Me: “Hi! I’m looking for a thermometer. Where can I find them?”
Pharmacy Assistant: “They’re here.” *shows me a baby thermometer* “This one is really good if your kids are really young, because it has a soft tip and it gives results fast.” *shows me two more baby thermometers* “These are also good for kids.”
(A long silence follows, as I try to figure out in my woozy head why I should be using it on kids, not myself.)
Pharmacy Assistant: “Oh, and here’s our basic model. But those are all really good for kids!” *looks at me expectantly*
(Feeling like a bad mother to my non-existent children, I picked up the basic model and thanked her. Don’t adults take their own temperature any more?)
Not Thinking Inside The Box
PHARMACY | WORKING | NOVEMBER 26, 2015
(My wife has a bad eye infection and after a trip to the doctor, we take her prescription for antibiotic eye-drops to a pharmacy to be filled. They tell us we can pick it up in an hour. A little more than an hour later I go back to pick it up.)
Me: “Hi, I’m picking up a prescription for [Wife].”
Pharmacist: “We don’t seem to have that here. When did you drop it off?”
Me: “About an hour ago.”
Pharmacist: “Oh, here’s the record… This won’t be ready for three days. We don’t have it here.”
Me: “What? She has an infection and needs her medicine now, not three days from now. Why didn’t you tell us it would take so long when we dropped it off so we could go to another pharmacy?”
Pharmacist: “Well, we just got the shipment in today, but we haven’t opened the boxes yet to take out the medicine.”
Me: “It takes three days to open a box?”
Pharmacist: “Well, I guess if you want to wait 10 or 15 minutes, I can get it for you.”
Me: “…Yes. Do that, please.”
Pharmacist: *sighing* “Fine, I’ll go get it. I hate having to open the boxes.”
Weeding Out The Irresponsible Users
PHARMACY | RIGHT | NOVEMBER 6, 2015
(I am working the closing shift one evening, with my only other company being my boss, the head pharmacist. A man comes in to pick up a fairly mundane prescription.)
Me: “Before I ring this up, do you have any questions for the pharmacist?”
Customer: “Yeah, will this have any interactions with marijuana?”
Me: *looking to the pharmacist* “Um…”
(My boss comes over to the registers and makes a show of looking through the printed information pamphlet that comes with every prescription.)
Pharmacist: “I don’t believe so…”
Customer: *picking up on our unease* “Oh, don’t worry. I don’t go out on the road or anything when I get high. I just stay home until my trip ends.”
(He then paid his bill and left.)
Me: *to pharmacist* “…Well, at least he’s being responsible about it.”
Unfiltered Story #219137
CONNECTICUT, PHARMACY, USA | UNFILTERED | DECEMBER 25, 2020
(I work as a pharmacy technician, and usually am working the pick up counter. It’s slow one day, so I start answering the phones, as the phones are ringing off the hook. This is one of the calls)
Me:[pharmacy name], [My name] speaking, how can I help?
Customer: Hi my name is [gives name and address] and I want you to stop calling me.
(Our pharmacy is known for sending out a lot of calls, both automated and in person, so this isn’t an unusual complaint. As a result we mark certain profiles with a non-outreach message so techs and pharmacists will know not to call)
Me; I’m sorry to hear that, now what’s your date of birth so I can make a note not to call?
Customer: It’s not for me, you keep calling for a foreign name, **says some odd and long name, that I have no hope of spelling**, and that person has never lived here, and I haven’t used your pharmacy in years!
(Due to HIPPAA laws, I can’t just look up the patient profile, since that would be giving out personal health information, and is against the law.)
Me: Alright, so I can’t access the patient profile, but if you call [helpline that deals with customer service, including automated calls], they’d be able to remove your number from the calling list.
Customer:**now irritated** why do I have to call, when you’re the ones making the mistake?
Me: because we can’t just look up a profile based on a phone number, especially where you don’t have a full name, or date of birth, that’s accessing unnecessary personal health information, and it’s against the law.
Customer: But why can’t you just remove the number from the calling list?
Me:**realizing I’m not getting anywhere** because even if you did have the personal health information, it still wouldn’t stop any automated calls, the only way to stop those would be to call [customer helpline]
Customer:**groans** fine, I guess I’ll have to answer the phone and tell them I don’t use their drugs anymore. (note, answering the phone would only stop non-automated calls, this wont remove all calls. I also glance at pick up, and realize there’s a line forming.)
Me: Alright sir, have a good day.
Customer: Thanks for nothing! **hangs up**
(Fortunately, most other people I’ve dealt with this problem have been more understanding, and do call the helpline).
Let’s Hope This Isn’t A Repeat Problem
EMPLOYEES, IGNORING & INATTENTIVE, PHARMACY, STUPID, UK | HEALTHY | DECEMBER 21, 2020
Our general practitioner sends any prescriptions straight to our local pharmacy for us to pick up. For repeat prescriptions, we pop the request into the GP and then the medications are ready for pickup three days later.
Today, I have a telephone appointment and my GP prescribes some medication to start taking straight away and sends the prescription over to the pharmacy. I dropped a repeat prescription request into the GP two days ago, but I know those meds should not be ready yet.
Me: “I’m here to pick up a prescription for [My Name].”
The pharmacist assistant checks the computer.
Pharmacist Assistant: “I’ve got a few different items on here for you. Did you put in a repeat?”
Me: “Yes, but I don’t mind if they’re not ready. I just need [medication].”
Pharmacist Assistant: “Did you see your GP today?”
Me: “Yes, I had an appointment about two hours ago; he said he’d send the prescription over.”
Pharmacist Assistant: “Okay, hold on.”
She goes to speak to the pharmacist.
Pharmacist: “[My Name]? Your repeat prescription has only just been sent to us. It takes three days.”
Me: “Yes, I know. I saw my GP today and he gave me [medication]; that’s what I need to pick up.”
Pharmacist: “We can’t issue your prescriptions today, I’m afraid. We haven’t processed them yet.”
Me: “I don’t want my repeat prescriptions today. I’ll come back for them. I just want [medication].”
Pharmacist: “Your repeat will be ready tomorrow. If you’d like to come back we can issue everything together.”
Me: “Look, I spoke to my GP today, he sent the prescription for [medication] today, and he wants me to start taking it today. Can I please just pick up [medication]?”
Pharmacist: “You don’t want to wait for the repeat to be ready?”
Me: “No. I want [medication]. I do not want to wait for the repeat. I will come back tomorrow for the repeat. I want [medication] today. Can I pick up [medication], just [medication], only [medication], right now? And I will pick up my repeat tomorrow!”
Pharmacist: “Uh… let me get that for you.”
A few minutes later, the assistant calls me over.
Pharmacist Assistant: “[My Name]? I’ve got a prescription for you here. Would you like to pick it up now or add it to your repeat for pickup tomorrow?”
Unfiltered Story #219021
PHARMACY, USA, WISCONSIN | UNFILTERED | DECEMBER 20, 2020
(Phone call)
Me: Thank you for calling [pharmacy], how may I help you?
Pt: (obviously already angry) you messed up my prescription. You didn’t give me enough.
Me: okay, let me take a look at your file. (There are several reasons they may not get the full quantity, due to insurance, doctor restrictions, short stock, etc…) What is your date of birth and name?
Pt: (give me his info and while one looking home up) I was supposed to get 60 pills but you didn’t give me enough [sounding angrier]
Me: okay which prescription?
Pt: you didn’t give me enough [medication]. I was supposed to get two weeks worth.
Me: (find the medication on his list, and sure enough he got 2 weeks worth) yes, we gave you two weeks worth.
Pt: no you didn’t I only got 56 pills.
(Now I am super confused as 56 pills is a two week supply of his medication)
Me: yes that is two weeks worth.
Pt: no I should have gotten 60. If I get 120 for a month I should get 60 for two weeks.
Me: well you get 4 pills per day and there are 14 days in two week. Which mean 56 pills.
Pt: no it a 15 day because there are 30 days in a month.
Me: sir a month had more that 4 weeks typically.
(I explained math to him for 5 minutes before he hung up)
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