It’s An Emergency! But It Can Wait. JERK, MEDICAL OFFICE, NURSES, USA | HEALTHY | SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

Robbed Of Their Chance To Rob The Place
CRIMINAL & ILLEGAL, MEXICO, PHARMACY, STUPID | LEGAL | JANUARY 6, 2020
One day, while I am standing on the sidewalk, waiting for my ride, I see some junkie pull a knife on the cashier of a nearby pharmacy. Now, this wouldn’t be that surprising, except for the fact that there’s a police station right across the street from said pharmacy, just behind me.

I don’t even get out my cellphone; I just tap on the window and point when a couple of the officers inside look up from their paperwork.

They realize what’s happening, bolt out of the door, run seven yards, and tackle the would-be robber. Idiot.

It’s All In The Broken Wrist
BIZARRE, GEORGIA, HEALTH & BODY, PHARMACY, USA | RIGHT | JANUARY 3, 2020
(I am a pharmacy tech. A man comes up to the counter cradling his right hand.)

Customer: “Can you tell me which of these braces would be best for this?”

(He gestures to his hand, which is bruised, swollen, and has a large cut between two of his knuckles.)

Me: “I’ll be honest; it looks pretty broken.”

Customer: “Yeah, I think it is. It feels like there are rice krispies in there. The wrist ones don’t really help much, so I need one that goes all the way up. So, which one do you think would be best?”

Me: “I recommend going to a doctor and having it professionally set. None of the braces are going to do anything except help it heal wrong.”

Customer: “So, none of them?”

Me: “No, you need to be seen by a doctor.”

Customer: “Okay.”

(He then wandered back over and looked at the wrist braces some more, all the time holding his broken hand limp by his side.

Cruella De Pink Causing A Stink
BAD BEHAVIOR, BIZARRE, PHARMACY, USA | RIGHT | JANUARY 2, 2020
(My store is situated in an upscale part of town, within a five-minute drive of two hospitals, so we receive business from people of all walks of life. A woman of older-middle-age comes in, attired in a hot pink cocktail dress, a white fur stole, and matching pink stiletto heels and purse. On a — yes, hot pink — leash, she leads an immaculately groomed Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy, who valiantly attempts to keep up with her pace as she marches up to the pharmacy drop-off window as intently as one would approach an enemy soldier. The look on her face as she glares steadily into my soul from across the store plainly tells me that she is itching for a fight. She ignores my typical customer-service greeting, strikes a regal pose, and slaps a prescription for an infamously addictive sort of painkiller onto the counter in front of me.)

Cruella: “Your drive-thru is not open, and I need this immediately.”

(Our drive-thru is broken and has been for months. It is an inconvenience, yes, but most people get over it and come in.)

Me: *cheerfully* “I can certainly get that for you. I am going to need to take a picture of your ID with this medication.”

Cruella: “Well, I never! Do I look like a criminal to you, little girl?”

Me: “It’s not a reflection on you, ma’am. Our policy is to get a copy of the ID with certain medications, and this happens to be one of those.”

Cruella: *scoffs* “How ridiculous.”

(She rummages in her purse theatrically, produces the ID with a flourish, and holds it up so I can see it. Instinctively, I reach to grab it and she reels back.)

Cruella: “How dare you?! I did not give you permission to touch my personal effects!”

Me: “Ma’am, it is policy that I need to attach a copy of your ID to the prescription. It is to prevent anyone from pretending to be you or a family member and stealing it to sell on the streets.”

Cruella: “What’s stopping you from stealing my ID?”

Me: “My boss and all of my coworkers watching to see if I screw up, ma’am.”

(And there are a lot of coworkers there. It is flu season, after all.)

Cruella: “FINE!”

(She throws the ID at me, which I catch and scan in the copier. She mutters for the entire three seconds that takes.)

Me: *handing her ID back to her nicely* “So, did you want to wait for this today? We have a wait time of about fifteen to twenty minutes.”

(It’s actually much longer than that on a busy day like today for patient customers, but she obviously isn’t feeling that virtue and I already want to see the back of her.)

Cruella: *suddenly screeching* “FIFTEEN TO TWENTY MINUTES?! I’VE NEVER HAD TO WAIT THAT LONG FOR ANYTHING IN MY LIFE!”

Me: *biting back a sassy remark along the lines of, “Yeah, I can tell.”* “I apologize, ma’am, but that is the standard wait time.”

Cruella: “THIS IS RIDICULOUS! I NEED THIS IMMEDIATELY! I WOULDN’T HAVE TO WAIT THAT LONG IF YOU LAZY LITTLE PRINCESSES WOULD JUST FIX THE DRIVE-THRU! I’M NOT EVEN WELL ENOUGH TO BE ON MY FEET THIS LONG! GET ME YOUR MANAGER! THIS IS THE MOST BADLY-RUN PHARMACY I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!”

(My manager, who has been listening from his station on the other side of the drop-off window and gauging how well the newbie can handle this lady, heaves a sigh, rolls his eyes, and answers the siren call of retail. She continues to scream at him for a good five minutes, reiterating everything she has just said as if he hadn’t just heard the whole d*** thing, and receiving the same answer I gave. Meanwhile, I type up the prescription, label it as high priority, and look back at the tech who is on pill counting duty to warn her to get this lady’s painkiller first.)

Cruella: *to my manager* “YOU’RE JUST AS USELESS AS SHE IS! WHERE’S YOUR BOSS? I’M MAKING A COMPLAINT!”

(My manager casually picks up the intercom and calls the store manager.)

Manager: “Please wait right there for them to arrive, as they are busy up front and need to break away.”

(The lady waits roughly fifteen seconds and then sets off to hunt down the store manager herself, yanking on her little dog’s leash so hard that he lets out a pained yap. Over the next ten minutes, I watch as this woman stalks up and down the pharmaceutical section aisles, muttering darkly to herself

Cruella: “My doctor said I’m not even supposed to get out of the car!”

(When we can’t see her, we can still mark her progress, as periodically she jerks her poor puppy’s leash and we hear it yelp in pain again. Over that amount of time, not one, but two upper-level managers appear in the pharmacy, both of them wearing equally confused expressions as this woman leads them in a merry chase throughout the store. Meanwhile, we finish the prescription with time to spare and wait for her to come back. Finally, the general manager wrangles Cruella and brings her back up to our waiting room. Cruella has apparently decided to treat this manager as a confidante, and she is “weeping” — suspiciously without tears — on this woman’s shoulder as they approach. The prescription is ready, and she takes ten minutes to check out, sniffling pathetically without once smudging her perfect mascara. The tech checking her out says nothing but

Tech: “Have a nice day.”

(And then, as swiftly as she appeared, Cruella DePink flounces away, never to be seen again.)

General Manager: *to my manager* “Phew. Thanks for dealing with her! I don’t know how you guys handle people like her!”

Manager: “Alcohol. And sarcasm. Sorry to put you through that.”

(Even when our drive-thru was finally fixed, that woman never returned. Here’s hoping that she hasn’t turned her dog into a coat yet.)

Management Versus The Couponator
AT THE CHECKOUT, BIGOTRY, COUPON, PHARMACY, RETAIL, USA | RIGHT | DECEMBER 30, 2019
(I’m a male working as a cashier in an area where that’s normally a job for women. Of course, our store is unusual in that all but one of our management staff members are women. Today, I am working and this very rude, elderly customer with all the sense of entitlement and arrogance that come with being a retired professor from a Christian college insists on me accepting his coupon that he knows expired two weeks ago. I agree to call my manager to the front.)

Old Man: “Yeah, get the manager. Bring him out.”

Me: *pages* “Manager to the front.”

Manager: “How can I help?”

Old Man: “I didn’t ask for another cashier. I wanted to speak to the manager.”

Manager: “I am the assistant store manager and lead for this shift, which my vest and badge both show. How can I help?”

Old Man: “That’s sweet, hon. I said I wanted to talk to the manager of this store about getting this young kid—” *I’m thirty* “—to do his job and accept my coupon. Where is he?”

Manager: “I am the only manager at this store right now. If you want to speak to someone and get your matter resolved, it will be me.”

Old Man: “I’ll come back when there’s a man to talk to, not some little girl.”

Manager: “I’ve had enough and tried to be nice. I was watching and listening from the cameras in the back office, so I can take care of this now.”

Old Man: “Good, I want the coupon for half off plus some for my troubles today.”

Manager: “One, you’re not getting a discount because this coupon expired already and there’s no way to honor it, so stop trying to bully my cashier into giving you a discount you don’t deserve. Two, your behavior is clearly unprofessional to a level that I’m banning you from entering this store for 24 hours. If you come back and bully my cashiers or act in the derogatory manner you’ve displayed today, it will become a permanent ban.”

Generation Sex
BAD BEHAVIOR, HEALTH & BODY, INSTANT KARMA, PHARMACY, STRANGERS, USA, UTAH | FRIENDLY | DECEMBER 19, 2019
(For context, I’m a 26-year-old woman, and I guess I look somewhat young for my age. I’ve had people confuse me for a teenager in the past. This is something that I generally joke about being a good thing that I’ll love once I’m older. My boyfriend and I have just had a condom break on us, and even though I’m on birth control, we decide that the smart move is to drive over to the pharmacy to pick up a morning-after pill. Neither one of us is remotely ready to have children and we figure it is better to be safe than sorry, so we want to exercise all available precautions. Once at the pharmacy, my boyfriend leaves me to wait in line behind a middle-aged woman while he goes in search of a new box of condoms. He has become so paranoid about this situation that he has thrown out the box that the broken condom came in and wants to replace it with a new one. The lady in front of me finishes dropping of her prescription and sits down in some chairs nearby to wait for it to be filled.)

Me: *to the pharmacy worker* “Can I get the morning after pill, please?”

Employee: “We have two options: [Name Brand] or [Generic Brand]. They are equally effective; the [Generic Brand] is just $20.00 cheaper.”

(The middle-aged woman humphs heavily behind me as I indicate that I’ll go with [Generic Brand]. I ignore the lady and proceed to pay for my medication.)

Middle-Aged Woman: “That’s the problem with today’s youth. None of you are responsible because your parents didn’t raise you with any values. Now you’re racing to give yourself a miscarriage because you don’t want to face the consequences of your actions. You shouldn’t be allowed to buy that without your parents’ consent.”

Me: “That’s not how this medication works. Do your research before you open your mouth so you don’t sound so stupid and ignorant. I’m a 26-year-old adult and don’t need my parents’ consent, let alone yours, to take care of my body the way I see best. It’s your generation and not mine that’s fluffed up. It is because of people like you that women are afraid to speak up about their bodies, learn about their bodies, and seek help when they think something is wrong. There is no shame in my choice to look out for my body in this way and no stranger in a random pharmacy is going to change my mind.”

Middle-Aged Woman: “Well, I never! You are so disrespectful talking to me like that.”

Me: “You chose to enter into a conversation with a stranger in a rude and condescending manner. You should not be surprised when the same type of response is thrown back in your face.”

(I thanked the pharmacy worker and walked off to find my boyfriend so we could buy the rest of the things we needed.)

They Need To Self-Prescribe Some Common Sense
ARIZONA, EMPLOYEES, PHARMACY, STUPID, USA | WORKING | DECEMBER 18, 2019
(We have been getting wrong number phone calls for several days straight informing us that a prescription is ready at the pharmacy. I call the pharmacy hoping they might be able to fix the error.)

Tech: “This is [Pharmacy]; how can I help you?”

Me: “Hi. There seems to be a mixup; you keep calling our house and it’s the wrong number. We don’t have a prescription with your pharmacy.”

Tech: “Okay, what name is the prescription under?”

Me: “I don’t know. It’s not our prescription; you’re calling our number by mistake.”

Tech: “Okay, can I have the last name?”

Me: “It’s not our prescription; we use [Other Pharmacy] across town. We aren’t even close to you. You are calling our number by mistake. I can give you the number.”

Tech: “I can’t look up anything by number; I need a name.”

Me: “Okay, it’s [My Name].”

Tech: “Huh, I don’t see you in our system at all.”

(We’re still getting phone calls.)

Dial One For Karen
CALIFORNIA, JERK, KAREN, PHARMACY, USA | RIGHT | DECEMBER 16, 2019
(I am a customer filling a prescription for my daughter. A middle-aged woman comes up to the drop-off desk and waits for someone to come over to her.)

Customer: “I want to speak to the manager.”

Pharmacist: “I’m the pharmacist; we don’t have a manager back here.”

Customer: “Well, I want you to change your phone system. Every time [Pharmacy] calls me, I have to call back and dial one and it won’t let me, so I don’t know what you’re calling for.”

Pharmacist: “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do; that’s an IT issue.”

Customer: “Well, this is the second time I’ve had to talk to someone. How am I supposed to know what you’re calling about and what I need to do?”

Pharmacist: “Well, ma’am, you can call [1-800 number] and speak to someone in IT, but this is how our system works. I’m sorry you miss the phone calls and that your phone doesn’t work, but there’s nothing I can do.”

Customer: “You need to fix it or I’m going to take my business somewhere else. I need these prescriptions and if I can’t get through, then I have to go somewhere else.”

(At that point, I had to chase after my child, but when I went back to pick up my daughter’s prescription twenty minutes later, she was still standing there arguing with the pharmacist. And the pharmacist kept his cool and composure the entire time. I would have lost my s*** after ten minutes.)

Deck The Halls With Bouts Of Nausea
LAZY/UNHELPFUL, NON-DIALOGUE, PHARMACY, TEXAS, USA | HEALTHY | DECEMBER 16, 2019
I have chronic nausea. I take a prescription nausea medication to keep it under control so I can eat and function. The nausea is related to stress, as well as my diagnosed depression and anxiety.

Six days ago at the time of writing, two days before Thanksgiving, my grandmother, who has to handle most phone calls for me due to my hearing issues, called the pharmacy to request a refill of my meds because I was almost out. Later, we got a call telling us that the refill request had been denied because my doctor’s office said I had to see the doctor before I could get a refill. I called the doctor the next day and was told that they had sent in an approval, but they would send another one to be sure.

Pharmacy still said they had no approvals, only a denial.

Thanksgiving came and the office was closed. I checked the pharmacy again, and they still said they only had a denial and couldn’t fill it.

Black Friday, same deal, but we got a call from someone at my doctor’s office informing us that they’d be closed until Monday. I only had enough of my meds to get me through Black Friday. I ended up skipping my second dose so I would have one for Saturday morning, and was unable to eat dinner on Friday.

Same deal with the pharmacy on both Saturday and Sunday. No approvals received, only one denial, and they still couldn’t fill it even though I was unable to eat or drink without it at this time. I even got on the phone myself and cry and beg the pharmacist to give me an emergency three-day supply that the law allows, and was told no because of the “denial.”

This morning, Cyber Monday, after going the entire weekend feeling like I was in Hell since eating was pretty much impossible, my grandmother called my doctor’s office to set up an appointment for the first time slot they could fit me into today.

She was informed that they absolutely did not send in a denial, I did not need to see my doctor before getting a refill, and that their system says I don’t have to see my doctor for a refill on my medication until sometime next year. My doctor knows that I need the medication every single day to be able to eat, and I’m about twenty pounds underweight right now due to stress-induced illness that lasted for three months solid, so I need to be able to get a refill at any time until I gain some weight back.

It turns out that someone at the pharmacy put it on my file that they were sent a denial and got no approvals whatsoever. A few hours ago, I got a text saying that I had a prescription ready for pickup, which would be done first thing in the morning because we couldn’t get to the store.

I have filed a complaint with corporate for the store the pharmacy is in, and my complaint has been forwarded to the store manager with the assurance that the incident will be investigated and that this absolutely should not have happened. The person I conversed with — via chat — was horrified about it.

I hope that pharmacist gets fired and feels proud of themselves for giving a disabled woman no less than five panic attacks over the course of three days and causing her a lot of unnecessary stress that has likely set back her recovery from illness. I won’t be able to fully enjoy Christmas with my family now because I’ll still be recovering and having trouble eating much food.

Dispensing With The Pleasantries
AUSTRALIA, BAD BEHAVIOR, PHARMACY | RIGHT | DECEMBER 15, 2019
(I work in a pharmacy and occasionally, due to computer errors or just because the dispensary staff are being flooded with customers, there is a mistake in a customer’s script.)

Coworker: “Hi, how are you today?”

Customer: *cheerily* “I’m good, thank you!”

Coworker: “That comes to [total].”

Customer: *getting more agitated by the second* “No, that’s not right!”

Coworker: “I’m sorry, did you not want to take one of these scripts?” *gestures to medication*

Customer: “No, this is bulls***! I always get these scripts and they never cost this much!”

Coworker: “I apologise for the inconvenience; sometimes we do have system errors. I’ll call up the pharmacist and sort this out.”

Customer: “This is f****** stupid. I just want my medication. Just let me have my medication! I want my s*** for the normal f****** price!”

Coworker: *now calling the dispensary to get the issue sorted, replies calmly* “I understand, ma’am, but I can’t fix it from here; I can only bring up your script from your file. However, I am calling to get this fixed right now.” *manages to stay composed and continue smiling*

Customer: *now in a frenzy* “Just change the f****** s***! I’m never going to f****** shop at [Store] again! I’ll go to [Other Store — actually our sister store with same owner]!”

(The customer then turns to me, standing at the next till over doing a few jobs.)

Customer: *to me* “I can’t f****** believe it, and he says he can’t fix it!”

Me: “I am really sorry for the inconvenience, ma’am, but he can’t do anything from the tills. He is trying to fix it up now, though. The dispensary has to fix it up, but don’t worry; we will get everything sorted! It is actually quite common for this to happen.” *gives her the warmest smile I can muster*

Customer: “This is bulls***!”

Coworker: *hangs up from the call with the dispensary* “Okay, that’s all sorted. Sorry about the inconvenience. That comes to [new total].”

Customer: *smiles* “That sounds better!”

(My coworker finishes the transaction and apologizes yet again for the inconvenience, giving the customer a tired smile.)

Customer: “Oh, no, no, it’s not your fault! Thank you so much! Have a wonderful day!”

Coworker: “You, too, ma’am.”

Customer: *to me* “Bye!”

Me: “See you later!” *to my coworker* “Guess it’s that time of the month for her, too.”

Unfiltered Story #179774
DETROIT, MICHIGAN, PHARMACY, USA | UNFILTERED | DECEMBER 15, 2019
(I work as a cashier at a well known retail/pharmacy chain)
Me: Is there anything else I can help you with today?

Customer: Actually yes…I need you to cash this check for me.

Me: I’m sorry Ma’am, we can’t do that here, but there’s a bank across the street that should be able to cash it for you.

Customer: But I don’t want to make another trip! Can’t you just do it for me?

Me: Our store doesn’t have the ability to cash checks. Even if I got my store manager, or someone from corporate, they wouldn’t be able to because it’s impossible.

Customer: Well can’t you tell me a location that will cash this for me?

Me: Ma’am, our company does not cash checks, so no location can cash it for you. However, there is a bank across the street, which should be able to provide that service.

Customer: But the customer is always right! So cash this check, now!

Unfiltered Story #179127
AUSTRALIA, PHARMACY | UNFILTERED | DECEMBER 9, 2019
(In the pharmacy I worked at they had a sign that said medications are up to 80% off of the regular retail price. A customer comes to my till to pay for his purchases.)

Me: You’re total is (total).

Customer: Where is my discount?

Me: What discount sir?

Customer: The 80% off that it says on that sign!

Me: Oh the discount is already added. What we sell you is already up to 80% off the regular retail price.

Customer: No, it says it’s 80% off, I want my discount.

Me: The discount is already included, it’s off the regular retail price not our current sale price.

(Customer continues to get angrier. He yells at me and won’t let me explain how it works and how it clearly states on the sign what it means. He then starts to blame me personally about the false adversiting in the store even though I have no say as it is a chain store. Eventually he leaves, leaving me to take a break to compose myself.)

Getting The Tattoo Was Too Painful To Remember
PHARMACY, STUPID, USA, WASHINGTON | RIGHT | NOVEMBER 27, 2019
(A man covered in tattoos walks up to the pharmacy window to pick up a prescription for his son.)

Cashier: “What is the person’s name?”

Customer: “[Child].”

Cashier: “What is [Child]’s birthday?”

Customer: “Um, is it [date]?”

Me: “No.”

(While the customer is trying to remember his child’s birthday, the cashier notices that a large tattoo on the customer’s arm is the child’s name… and birthday.)

Cashier: “Is [Child]’s birthday [date]?”

Customer: *wide-eyed* “Yes! How did you know?”

Cashier: *speechless*

(I would have thought that if you spent a couple of hours under a tattoo needle, you’d remember what was imprinted into your skin, but I guess I was wrong.)

One Ring To Rue Them All
BAD BEHAVIOR, DOCTOR/PHYSICIAN, PHARMACY, USA | HEALTHY | NOVEMBER 13, 2019
My mom has an accident at work and spills boiling water directly on her hand, badly burning several of her fingers, one of which happens to be the finger she wears her wedding ring on. Her boss drives her to a nearby pharmacy clinic where she is seen by the on-call doctor.

At this point, her fingers have swelled a lot, locking her wedding ring on her finger and causing painful constriction. It’s clear that the ring needs to be removed. My mother is assuming they will cut the ring off of her finger, which she is sad about, but at this point, she’s much more concerned about relieving the intense pain she is in. The doctor comes into the room and quickly examines her hand, saying, “What a beautiful ring! It would be such a shame to damage it by cutting it off!”

He then proceeds to forcibly yank the ring off of her finger past the swelling, putting my mother in even more pain and tearing open the blisters that have started to form.

She has since healed and is relieved to be able to wear her ring again and not need to pay to have it fixed, but she isn’t sure it was worth all of the pain and the extra time it took to recover due to the blisters being torn.

We’re In Our Thirties And That’s When His Attitude Is Stuck
BIGOTRY, CRAZY REQUESTS, EDITORS' CHOICE, GERMANY, PHARMACY | RIGHT | OCTOBER 28, 2019
(I work at a pharmacy. My coworkers and I are female, all in our thirties. One day, an old man walks in. He carries a dirty bag. He has a pair of trousers in there, which he grabs and puts on the counter.)

Old Man: “Please fix it. The zipper is broken.”

Coworker: “Sir, you’re at a pharmacy.”

Old Man: “So?”

Coworker: “We sell prescriptions. We don’t fix clothes here.”

Old Man: *angry now* “But you all are young women in here! You have to be able to fix my pants!”

All Of The Above
PHARMACY, STUPID, USA | HEALTHY | OCTOBER 23, 2019
(One of my medications is delivered to my home through a specialty pharmacy. Every month they call to verify my information and see if anything has changed. At the end of our conversation, the Home Delivery Pharmacist — HDP — reverifies my medical history before finalizing the order.)

Home Delivery Pharmacist: “Okay… I see here this is from [Hospital Doctor]. Did you see him recently?”

Me: “Yes, while I was in-patient at [Hospital] last month.”

Home Delivery Pharmacist: “Okay. Have you been to the ER, had an infection, or been hospitalized in the last 90 days?”

Me: “Yes, all three.”

Home Delivery Pharmacist: “Which one?”

Me: “All of them.”

Home Delivery Pharmacist: “No. ER, infection, or hospital. Which one?”

Me: “Um… all of the above. All three.”

Home Delivery Pharmacist: *annoyed* “No, ma’am. Were you in the ER, did you have an infection, or were you hospitalized in the last 90 days?”

Me: “Yes! I went to the ER because I couldn’t breathe. I found out I had a lung infection and I was hospitalized for 21 days.”

Home Delivery Pharmacist: “Oh.” *sour tone* “You could have just said yes. We’ll ship this tomorrow.” *hangs up*

Unfiltered Story #172114
COLUMBUS, OHIO, PHARMACY, USA | UNFILTERED | OCTOBER 22, 2019
(Note: I’m the bad customer here)

Recently, I got sick with a very bad cold that among other things, caused me to lose my voice for an extended period. My mother then proceeded to catch this cold, along with a pneumonia, and had to be hospitalized in the ICU with a tube down her throat. My dad has been by her side the whole time and left his phone charger at home, so I go out to get him a new one. It’s Halloween when this happens, which happens to be my mother’s favorite holiday, and I’m very aware of her condition on her favorite day of the year, so I’m not in the best of moods. I eventually find a CVS and buy a phone charger, in the process ruining the night of the cashier.

Me: (hands cashier items)

Cashier: “How are you tonight?”

Me: *Raspy and irritable* “Not great”

Cashier: “Is it because everyone else is ‘too cool for school’?”

(Note: We’re right next to a major university on Halloween, he probably thought I was having a bad night for more normal reasons.)

Me: ” No, it’s because my mother is intubated in the ICU.”

Cashier: (says something about how the ICU here is very good, but is clearly not expecting my response)

(That was a bad night for me, and as I walked out, I felt really bad about ruining that guy’s night as well. If you’re reading this, I’m sorry.)

Mosquitoes Are Satan’s Creation
OHIO, PHARMACY, RELIGION, SILLY, USA | RIGHT | OCTOBER 16, 2019
(A man is buying some insect repellent.)

Me: “Did you find everything okay?”

Customer: “Yeah, thankfully. Listen, I’m a good Christian and I know God wants us to love our neighbor and forgive others of their sins, but… f*** mosquitoes. Seriously.”

Me: “…” *hands him a receipt* “Have a nice day, sir.”

Customer: *suddenly smiling* “You, too!”

Unfiltered Story #195948
CONNECTICUT, PHARMACY, USA | UNFILTERED | JUNE 8, 2020
(Pharmacy worker here. On some prescriptions, especially high cost prescriptions or ones deemed a controlled substance, the insurance will put a block on the prescription and the phrase “Prior Authorization needed,”or PA, will pop up. This means the prescribing doctor has to call the insurance company and explain the need of the medication for the insurance company to cover the cost. It’s a hassle, especially if it’s a maintenance medication, and usually takes a few business days to clear. Though once a PA is acquired, it’s deemed good for 3-6 months, so is only really necessary a few times a year. I’m working at the register one day when this happens to a woman.)
me: I’m sorry ma’am, but your [prescription] has a PA, and we can’t fill it right now.
Customer: what’s a PA?
(I explain what it means)
Customer: So can’t I just pay for it out of pocket? How much is it?
Me: I don’t have the price, but if you go to drop-off, they can help you with that. Though the PA will only take a couple days to work, and it lasts for a few months.
Customer: So does that mean I have to call the doctor?
Me: No, we’ve already contacted the doctor, but if you want to talk to him to speed things up, that’s your decision.
Customer: Can’t you just tell me the price and I pay it here?
Me: I physically can’t process the prescription here, this is a register computer, it only does what’s filled as of right now.
(We go back and forth like this about PAs, price quotes, insurance, at least 2 more times)
Customer: But why do I need a PA for this? I take it all the time!
Me: I don’t know why the insurance company decided to, but possibly your previous PA ran out, and we just have to renew it.
Customer: So do I call the insurance company?
Me: No, the doctor should be fine. Really, it goes through in less than 3 days most of the time.
Customer: This happens all the time! They NEVER fill my PAs!
(Note: I just had to explain to her what a PA was a few minutes ago, so I highly doubt this happens as often as she makes it out to be.)
Me **exasperated and I want out at this point** then you might want to take that up with your insurance company.
(She seems to get what she wanted to hear at that point, we finish checking out her prescriptions, and she goes presumably to yell at the insurance company. The line has gotten long at this point, and the customer behind her, who has heard the whole thing, rolls his eyes and gives me a sympathetic look.)

Unfiltered Story #195926
CONNECTICUT, PHARMACY, USA | UNFILTERED | JUNE 7, 2020
(I work in a pharmacy that has a drive thru. We have 2 lanes, and while we can service just about everything from the first lane, the second lane we can only do certain things, due to size limitations on the carrier tube. Another major rule we have is that everyone has to stay in their cars in the drive thru for safety reasons. This is a Sunday afternoon, and my co-worker is servicing a pregnant woman with children in the second lane. Unfortunately, half way through the transaction, we realize we won’t be able to send the prescription by the tube, because it’s a glass bottle. Note: The first lane is empty, as the car that was there previously has jus)
Co-worker: Ma’am, I’m sorry to inform you, but we can’t send your medication through the drive thru, as it’s a glass bottle and could break. If you could just pull into the first lane, we can serve you there.
(The customer instead gets out of the car, runs ACROSS the barrier, and into the first lane. The pharmacist, listening to the exchange while she’s mixing the prescription, panics and runs to the window to meet her)
Pharmacist: Ma’am, please get out of the lane!
Customer: (annoyed) What are you talking to me like that for? But he just told me to come to the first lane.
Pharmacist: He meant to DRIVE into the first lane. It’s dangerous for you to be standing in the first lane.
Customer: Why can’t I be in the first lane?
Pharmacist: If a car comes around the corner, they won’t see you. Could you please at least wait with your car while we finish the prescription?
(The customer walks back across the lane, and waits on the barrier, but doesnt move while we finish her prescription.)
Pharmacist: For god’s sake, that psycho b**** is crazy! She can’t even really run while pregnant.
Me: Never mind she left the car full of kids unattended…
(We finish her prescription, nervously checking that there aren’t any cars coming, and that she’s staying on the barrier. She’s glaring at us annoyed the whole time, and walks up to the first window AGAIN, even though we’ve now told her twice not to do that.)
Pharmacist: Okay, here’s your [prescription], remember to shake it before dosing, and refridgerate.
Customer: You didn’t have to talk like that to me.
Pharmacist: I was just worried, I didn’t want you getting hit by a car.
(She’s still glaring at her when she finally walks away, get’s back in the car, and drives away)

A Rewarding Reveal
AT THE CHECKOUT, PHARMACY, RETAIL, USA | RIGHT | JUNE 6, 2020
I am ringing up a customer and her husband. Our chain’s rewards card gives customers the sale prices and points they can redeem like cash on purchases.

Me: “Are you a rewards card member, ma’am?”

Wife: *Makes a face* “No.”

Husband: “I am!”

He fishes our blue card from his pocket.

Wife: “Why do you have that?!”

The wife turns back to me. I am a little confused.

Wife: “I work for [Competitor]. We’re from Florida.”

Me: “Oh!” *Laughing* “Well, there are three of [My Chain] and just one [Competitor] in our city.”

I gave them directions to “her” chain, describing how close it was to the newest location of my chain; they left while discussing the closeness of the two chains’ stores to each other across the country.