During my freshman year in high school, my science teacher assigned us to interview people in the community about how they use science in their careers. Although I don’t remember most of the people I spoke with, I can tell you that I spent meaningful time with a local community pharmacist who changed my life.
What I saw was a man who loved his career and truly cared for his patients. In an instant, I knew that I wanted to become a pharmacist, and I never wavered from that goal throughout high school.
Knowing what you want to be when you grow up at age 14 is unusual, but it is very liberating. I simply had to work backwards to figure out how to achieve my goal of becoming a pharmacist.
After high school, I chose to attend Ohio Northern University (ONU) because it had a unique pharmacy program. Rather than attending college for 2 years and then applying to the pharmacy program, ONU students were admitted to the College of Pharmacy from day one.
Although it was expensive, being in pharmacy school from day one and avoiding the risk of rejection made it worthwhile for me.
In college, I spent a lot of time in the library. Although the classwork was difficult, I did well with one exception: organic chemistry.
I did fail organic chemistry—a notorious “weed out” course—but I successfully retook the class over the summer and graduated on time with the rest of my classmates. Failing a course is a difficult stumbling block, but I stood strong and persevered.
Today, I’m thankful for the wonderful pharmacy profession for so many reasons.
First, I’m thankful that community pharmacists are the health care professionals most accessible to the public. If my local pharmacist wasn’t accessible to me, then I likely would have taken a different career path.
Second, I’m proud of the work we pharmacists do, the diversity of our career options, and the relationships we share with our patients and fellow health care providers.
Pharmacy is a profession that makes a real difference in people’s lives. It certainly has made all the difference in mine.
Pharmacy | Yorkshire, England, UK | Right | July 11, 2013
(It is a Sunday, so not many pharmacies are open. I’ve come in with my friend, who is rather unwell. The staff know my husband and I quite well, as we’re in there for our regular medication. Additionally, I have multiple piercings, a rather large tattoo on my nape of my neck, and teal green hair.)
Pharmacist: “Won’t be long; please take a seat.”
(We do, and I give the tech I know well a smile and a nod in greeting. Another customer enters.)
Customer: “How long will it be for my medication?”
Pharmacist: “About 20 minutes. We have a few people in front of you.”
Customer: “Fine. I wouldn’t come here if you weren’t the only pharmacy open on a bloody Sunday; you’re always slow!”
(The pharmacist brushes it off and goes to make up medications.)
Customer: “I’m only having to wait this long because of stupid drug freaks.”
(My friend turns to say something, but I put my hand on her arm and shake my head.)
Customer: “Yeah, I mean you, green freak! What, come in for your methadone early, and they won’t give it to you?”
(I’ve deliberately turned my back on him at this point.)
Customer: “F****** druggies! We pay for you to get f****** high.”
Pharmacy Tech: “Sir, can you watch your language please?”
Customer: “No I f****** won’t! That stupid b**** is the reason I have to wait so f****** long! She’s strung out, look at the f****** circles under her eyes; they’re all bloodshot!”
Pharmacy Tech: “I’ll have you know that young lady there is a full-time carer for her husband, who is disabled. And all this whilst being disabled herself. She looks like she hasn’t slept in a week because she probably hasn’t; between caring for him, volunteering with [national advice organization], and helping out her friend here who is rather unwell. And I don’t personally care if my taxes are being used to help her out; I wish there were more people like her out there!”
Customer: “I… I… I demand to see a pharmacist!”
Pharmacist: “Sir, I am not going to reprimand my tech for handling that much better than I would have. Do not insult my customers. Here is your prescription back; please fill it somewhere else.”
(The customer stomps out.)
Me: “I’m really sorry I caused that.”
Pharmacist: “Eh, don’t worry; he’s always an a** when he comes in here. Besides, he has an exemption certificate, which means our taxes are paying for his meds too!”
(I am filling out a form to refill my medication. A fellow customer, here for a flu shot, sits down next to me. Note that I’m left-handed.)
Customer: “Woah! How are you doing that with your left hand?”
Me: “I’m left-handed.”
Customer: “Don’t you people like, flip around letters?”
Me: “No, can’t say I do. I think you’re thinking of dyslexia, which some left-handed people have.”
Customer: “Huh…”
(The customer notices that I’m writing with a gel pen.)
Customer: “Wait… you people can’t use gel pens! How do you write with that?”
Me: “Carefully.”
Customer: “What would happen if you used your right hand? Would it, like, work?”
Me: “Well, for most of us, no. My left hand is like your right hand, and my right hand is like your left hand. You could probably use your left hand if you had to, but it’s not ideal. The same goes for me with my right hand.”
Customer: “That’s so weird! I’ve never seen anything like this!”
Extra Stupid, Jerk, Patients, Pharmacy, UK | Healthy Right | January 24, 2019
Customer: “I need something for allergies.”
(I show him the selection and he chooses.)
Me: “Are you on any other medication?”
Customer: “None of your business. Give me my tablets.”
Me: “I’m not allowed to sell them to you if there is a chance they could interact with something you are already taking.”
Customer: “Well, f*** you!” *storms off*
Colleague: “You would think he would be wiser after the last time.”
Me: “What happened?”
Colleague: “Our last pharmacist gave in and sold them. He took them while shopping and crashed his car the second he left the car park. He was taking codeine and had a bad reaction.”
Pharmacy, UK, Wales | Unfiltered | January 19, 2019
Customer: Do you have any of those Nicotine sprays?
Me: Sure!
(I grab one off the shelf and scan it through the till, tell him and the price and wait. He starts going through an obviously empty wallet and card holder).
Customer: Sorry about this.
Me: It’s okay.
Customer: i was just thrown out of the mobility shop because I was wasting his time.
Me: Oh, right.
Customer: I don’t have a bank card. My brothers won’t give it to me until I sort myself out because I ended up in (town) infirmary again.
Me: Oh what happened?
Customer: Well, I was on the bus to (small town) and I didn’t fall in the pond in (small town) but I fell in the river in (large town, 20 miles south of small town) and ended up in the back of the police car for two hours and in (large town) infirmary.
Me: Oh, dear….
Customer: Well, I won’t waste your time anymore.
Me: That’s okay and maybe your brothers will let you have some money for the nicotine spray. We’re open until six.
(Customer nods and tries to grab the spray but I take it from him smiling).
Me: Don’t worry, I’ll put that back for you.
(I smile, watch him go, and then collapse on the floor in the fit of laughter).
Pharmacy, UK, Wales | Unfiltered | January 18, 2019
(Customer walks in, says something I can’t here and my boss – who was by the door – gives me an odd look as he walks up to the counter).
Me: Hello sir, what can I get you?
Customer: I need something for schizophrenia.
Me: Oh, okay….
(I really don’t know what to say at that point and he starts looking at the hand sanitizers on the stand by the till).
Customer: Is this really only £2.00?
Me: I’ll check.
(I run it through the till, it is indeed £2.00. He pays for it, puts it in his back and leans forward to read my name badge).
Customer: Thank you (name) it was nice to meet you.
Me: Nice to meet you too Sir. Have a nice day.
(He leaves and my boss walks over to me, where I am collapsed on the floor laughing.)
Boss: When he walked in he said “Welcome to British Airways!”
Me: Oh, well he asked me for something for schizophrenia.
Boss: Oh God.
Me: That’s two in a week. Where are they all coming from?
Health & Body, Parents, Pharmacy, Singapore | Right | January 12, 2019
(A young mother pushes her baby over in a pram and tells me that her baby took some “warm” water and splashed his face with it the day before. I look at the baby and he seems bubbly and happy. There is barely any sign of redness of his skin and there are no blisters, either.)
Me: “There’s isn’t any redness at all. He seems fine.”
Mother: “There’s a mark here.” *points under his eye*
Me: “Well, it’s not that obvious. You shouldn’t need to do anything about it. It’ll go away on its own.”
Mother: “The water got in his eyes.”
(I look at the baby’s eyes. There is also no redness.)
Me: “He looks fine. He’s not crying, either.”
Mother: “He cried for ten minutes yesterday. Will it leave a scar?”
Me: “No… his skin did not even get damaged. You really don’t have to do anything.”
(The mother looked a bit relieved yet doubtful at the same time but she thanked me anyway. Later she came back and asked if sun protection was needed to prevent scarring. Just to satisfy my curiosity, I asked if she really meant “warm” water or if she meant “hot” water. She told me that it was freshly boiled water with a triumphant expression. Well, either this baby has skin made of steel… or she left the boiled water out longer than she thought and it had cooled down already!)
Australia, Employees, Hobart, Language & Words, Pharmacy, Silly, Tasmania | Working | January 10, 2019
(We’re short-staffed and it’s been a busy, chaotic morning with customers practically lined up out the door as they wait for their prescriptions. Eventually, we get through the queue and stop to catch our breath in a brief moment while there are no more customers in the shop. We’re all a bit tired when yet another customer enters and looks around, appearing confused. My coworker approaches her and blurts out this gem
Coworker: “Can I point you in the wrong direction?”
(Fortunately, the customer had a great sense of humour and was soon successfully served.)
Awesome Workers, Berlin, Germany, Jerk, Non-Dialogue, Pharmacy | Hopeless Right | January 10, 2019
I’m a customer in a pharmacy in Berlin, behind an older man. I don’t speak German as I’m just a tourist, but he is very obviously driving the cashier crazy, pointing to everything five times and asking the price, wasting her time by debating the price, raising his voice, and flailing his arms about. Even though I can’t understand a word he is saying, his rudeness is clear! The cashier is doing a great job of staying calm, but he is visibly upsetting her.
When he finally leaves — some five minutes later, only having purchased one thing — I approach the register, smile, and roll my eyes. As she serves me, she chats away about the customer — made obvious from the things she points to while talking — and it’s clear from the relief on her face that she just needs to unload on someone who understands. I smile and nod and laugh when she laughs, and say, “Ja,” a couple of times, and she seems much calmer and happy by the end of the transaction.
Dear cashier, even though I didn’t understand a word you said, our conversation was wonderful and friendly; we both speak the universal language of “hating bad customers”!
Bosses & Owners, Jerk, Lazy/Unhelpful, Pennsylvania, Pharmacy, USA | Working | January 3, 2019
(I have stopped at a chain pharmacy near my home. I need to pick up makeup for my mother. On my last trip, the manager told me he would order the shade I wanted. Today I overhear a new manager explaining to the cashier that the old manager was transferred to try to fix serious problems at another store. The new manager is covering until the old one comes back. The makeup is still not in stock. I select my other items and approach the cashier.)
Cashier: “Did you find everything today?”
Me: “No. [Old Manager] said he was going to try and get some [Brand] makeup in shade 1C. You still don’t have it.”
Cashier: “We have [Brand] makeup.” *wanders over to shelf*
Me: “Yes, but I need shade 1C. You don’t have it.”
Manager: “What seems to be the problem?”
Me: “[Old Manager] was going to try and get [Brand] 1C makeup for me. You still don’t have it.”
Manager: “Oh, I saw that order. I canceled it.”
Me: “Why?”
Manager: “Because we have [Brand] makeup in a lot of shades. We don’t need that one, as well.”
Me: “But he was ordering it especially for me. You even have a space on the shelf for it.”
Manager: *grabs a much darker shade* “We have 4C.”
Me: “Yes, and I’m sure that’s helpful for someone who needs 4C. I need 1C.”
Manager: “So, you don’t want this?”
Me: “No. Can you replace the order for the 1C?”
Manager: “No, I’m not going to stock that. We have plenty of other shades.”
Me: “Okay, I’ll get it at [Competitor], as well as everything else I need.” *turns to leave*
Cashier: “So, you don’t want this?” *points to items I left on the counter*
Me: “No, not anymore.”
Manager: “It’s racial, isn’t it?”
(I stared at him for a second. He’s the same race I am, but [Old Manager] is a minority in my area. I decided it wasn’t worth the effort, so I just walked out without answering. I’m really hoping [Old Manager] comes back soon.)
At The Checkout, Bad Behavior, Pharmacy, Retail, USA |
Right | January 2, 2019
(I’m working in a pharmacy, and we are absolutely slammed and understaffed. There is a register up front for people to check out with items if they aren’t picking up a prescription, and it’s a common courtesy to do so, rather than bother a busy technician. A customer approaches the counter with a full cart of items. I tell her I will be with her momentarily and finish counting the prescription. She huffs and sighs audibly while I finish. I approach the counter and smile.)
Me: “Are you picking up a prescription today?”
Customer: *rolling her eyes* “No, I’m not. I just finished shopping and waited a very long time for a lazy employee to finally check me out.”
(It took me all of about thirty seconds to get to her.)
Me: “I’m sorry about your wait, ma’am.”
Customer: “Good. Now check me out.”
(She unloads her entire cart, and it takes about ten minutes to ring everything out. During this time, a sizable line forms behind her. I only have one coworker in the pharmacy, and she is running back and forth helping customers in the drive-thru and drop-off areas, so production has completely stopped.)
Me: “Do you have a rewards card? I can take a phone number, as well.”
Customer: “No, I don’t feel like digging it out. Just finish the transaction.”
Me: “Are you sure? You won’t get the sale prices without it.”
Customer: “DON’T QUESTION ME! JUST FINISH THE TRANSACTION!”
(She mutters something about incompetent employees while I finish her transaction, which comes to over $300. She pays in cash.)
Me: “Thank you. Have a nice night!”
(She takes a minute to look over her receipt, and comes to the conclusion that she’s been cheated.)
Customer: “Why didn’t I get the sale prices?”
Me: “You refused to let me scan your reward card, remember? I told you that you wouldn’t get the sale prices without it.”
Customer: “But I have one! You should have just given me a discount!”
Me: “Ma’am, unfortunately, we have to actually scan it or type in a phone number in order to give you the sale prices.”
Customer: “Well, then, redo it.”
Me: *astonished* “I’m sorry?”
Customer: “Redo the transaction. RIGHT NOW!”
Me: “Ma’am, I would have to refund the entire transaction and re-ring each and every item in order to do that.”
Customer: “Fine. You should have done it correctly to begin with.”
Me: *defeated* “Will you at least step to the back of the line? There are people here who are sick and need their medications.”
Customer: “NO! HOW DARE YOU? I DEMAND THAT YOU TAKE CARE OF ME, NOW!”
(I begin the long process of refunding her, item by item, and re-ringing the transaction. We’ve now been at this register for so long that many customers have given up and left.)
Me: “The total comes to $290. You saved $10 today.”
Customer: “See, now, that wasn’t so difficult, was it? Next time, do it right.”
(She leaves, smirking at the other customers in line as she goes.)
Customer #2 : “What in the blue f*** was her problem?”
At The Checkout, Bad Behavior, Pharmacy, Retail, USA |
Right | January 2, 2019
(I’m working in a pharmacy, and we are absolutely slammed and understaffed. There is a register up front for people to check out with items if they aren’t picking up a prescription, and it’s a common courtesy to do so, rather than bother a busy technician. A customer approaches the counter with a full cart of items. I tell her I will be with her momentarily and finish counting the prescription. She huffs and sighs audibly while I finish. I approach the counter and smile.)
Me: “Are you picking up a prescription today?”
Customer: *rolling her eyes* “No, I’m not. I just finished shopping and waited a very long time for a lazy employee to finally check me out.”
(It took me all of about thirty seconds to get to her.)
Me: “I’m sorry about your wait, ma’am.”
Customer: “Good. Now check me out.”
(She unloads her entire cart, and it takes about ten minutes to ring everything out. During this time, a sizable line forms behind her. I only have one coworker in the pharmacy, and she is running back and forth helping customers in the drive-thru and drop-off areas, so production has completely stopped.)
Me: “Do you have a rewards card? I can take a phone number, as well.”
Customer: “No, I don’t feel like digging it out. Just finish the transaction.”
Me: “Are you sure? You won’t get the sale prices without it.”
Customer: “DON’T QUESTION ME! JUST FINISH THE TRANSACTION!”
(She mutters something about incompetent employees while I finish her transaction, which comes to over $300. She pays in cash.)
Me: “Thank you. Have a nice night!”
(She takes a minute to look over her receipt, and comes to the conclusion that she’s been cheated.)
Customer: “Why didn’t I get the sale prices?”
Me: “You refused to let me scan your reward card, remember? I told you that you wouldn’t get the sale prices without it.”
Customer: “But I have one! You should have just given me a discount!”
Me: “Ma’am, unfortunately, we have to actually scan it or type in a phone number in order to give you the sale prices.”
Customer: “Well, then, redo it.”
Me: *astonished* “I’m sorry?”
Customer: “Redo the transaction. RIGHT NOW!”
Me: “Ma’am, I would have to refund the entire transaction and re-ring each and every item in order to do that.”
Customer: “Fine. You should have done it correctly to begin with.”
Me: *defeated* “Will you at least step to the back of the line? There are people here who are sick and need their medications.”
Customer: “NO! HOW DARE YOU? I DEMAND THAT YOU TAKE CARE OF ME, NOW!”
(I begin the long process of refunding her, item by item, and re-ringing the transaction. We’ve now been at this register for so long that many customers have given up and left.)
Me: “The total comes to $290. You saved $10 today.”
Customer: “See, now, that wasn’t so difficult, was it? Next time, do it right.”
(She leaves, smirking at the other customers in line as she goes.)
Customer #2 : “What in the blue f*** was her problem?”
Bad Behavior, California, Pharmacy, USA | Right | December 15, 2018
(I’m a cashier at a pharmacy. One day I come into work and the line is halfway around the store. Two of my coworkers have called out, and when I clock in, one of the two cashiers there goes on a lunch break. It’s just me and the manager trying to get everyone rung up as quickly as possible. The phone rings, so I answer while still helping my customer.)
Me: “Hello. This is [Pharmacy]. How may I direct your call?”
Caller #1 : “Yes, I’m looking for [Medicine]. It’s for hot flashes.”
Me: “Okay, ma’am, what kind of medicine is it?”
Caller #1 : *getting irritated* “It’s called, ‘[MEDICINE].’ It’s for hot flashes!”
Me: “Yes, ma’am. I mean, is it some kind of painkiller?”
Caller #1 : “It’s called, ‘[MEDICINE]’! It’s for hot flashes!”
Me: *still trying to ring up customers and getting annoyed* “Ma’am, we don’t have a section for menopause. I need to know if it’s a painkiller, or a vitamin, or is it in the cold section — something like that.”
Caller #1 : “Okay, listen to me. You know what menopause is, right? You know that women have hot flashes, right? It’s called, ‘[MEDICINE]’! Just look for it—”
(I admit I am annoyed. I’m not about to look all over the floor looking for some medicine I’ve never heard of. I hang up on her and finish ringing up my customer. I think that is the end of that… until a couple of hours later, when another customer calls.)
Caller #2 : “I’m looking for [Medicine]; it’s for hot flashes.”
(I ask her the same question.)
Caller #2 : “It should be in the same area as the birth control or the feminine products.”
(I tell her I’ll send someone to look for it.)
Caller #2 : “Thank you. Actually, my sister called earlier, and she spoke to someone who hung up on her.”
Me: “Would you like to speak to a manager, ma’am?”
(She says yes, so I call my manager to speak to her. Meanwhile, my coworker finds her medicine and brings it to the front. She speaks to the woman to confirm it’s the right one. They speak and she hangs up. My manager asks why she hung up and didn’t transfer the call.)
Coworker: “She said she didn’t really need to speak to him anymore. She just wanted to say sorry for her sister’s behavior.”
Canada, Ignoring & Inattentive, Pharmacy | Right | December 10, 2018
(There is a pharmacy in the same building as my doctor’s office, but it opens at 8:30 rather than 8:00 as the office does. It has a metal gate across the entrance when closed, just like most stores in a mall do. I come in just after 8:00 and am waiting for my turn when a woman comes out from her appointment with a prescription sheet and starts hovering right in front of the pharmacy gate.)
Woman: *to the employee inside who is obviously trying to set up to open* “Excuse me… Excuse me!”
Employee: “Yes?”
Woman: “Are you open yet?”
Employee: *slight pause* “No. That’s why the gate is closed and the lights are off.”
Woman: “Oh.” *wanders away*
(Everyone else in the waiting room was trying not to laugh. Really, how much more obvious do you need it to be?)
Bad Behavior, Houston, Pharmacy, Texas, USA | Right | December 8, 2018
(I work at a retail pharmacy. I get a call from a patient.)
Customer: “I just came by the drive-thru, and you f****** idiots screwed up my prescription. This is completely wrong!“
(I apologize profusely and confirm the medication she was supposed to pick up.)
Me: “You certainly did pick up the correct medication for yourself. What exactly was wrong with it?”
Customer: “Last time I got ninety pills, and this time I only got thirty! What kind of business are you running here?!”
Me: “I’m sorry, that is a bit peculiar. Let me see why that was done.”
(I look up her prescription, which is a quantity of thirty with three refills.)
Me: “I see your doctor only prescribed a total of a hundred and twenty pills. On your preferences, you request ninety-day supplies. We did indeed fill it for ninety days previously, meaning only thirty were remaining on your prescription, which is what you received today. After this, you will need a new prescription from your doctor in order to get a ninety-day supply. I’m sorry for the confusion.”
Customer: “No f****** way. You guys f****** shorted me. I’m going over soon, and you guys had better give me my d*** pills. I know you offer that service, since y’all are f****** useless.”
Me: “Ma’am, we did not short you. You were meant to get thirty pills. You don’t have enough pills on your prescription to fill for ninety. I can send a refill request fax to your doctor, and perhaps she can approve for more. If it’s within seven days, we can reimburse you and get you ninety days when it’s approved.”
Customer: *scoffs* “Seriously?! What the f*** am I supposed to do without my medication?! I need this stuff to live. Just give me my f****** pills.”
(I am going around in circles, so I cut her off.)
Me: “No. I’m sorry, I cannot invent a new prescription and give you pills you do not have. You have no refills. Zero. You have thirty days’ worth you just picked up, and thirty entire days to get more. I can get you my pharmacy manager if you want a second opinion.”
(I put her on hold before she could protest or swear at me anymore, and the pharmacist who had been listening to her in disbelief picked up the call. The customer hung up, and we thankfully haven’t heard from her since.)
Health & Body, Jerk, Pennsylvania, Pharmacy, USA | Right | December 6, 2018
(I’ve just had to have minor surgery on my tongue and the roof of my mouth. My mouth is packed with gauze. We have to stop at the pharmacy to pick up antibiotics before heading home. My mom does some other shopping, but I sit in the waiting area. I’m miserable and still reeling from the drugs, and I’m texting friends. An older man comes and sits across from me in silence for a half hour. Then, suddenly, he rages out at me.)
Customer: “You know, back in my day, we would talk and not just sit with your phone in front of your face. Ignoring people! We used to dress to go shopping, too, not just pajamas in public!”
(He continues on, raging that I’m wearing PJs and that I’m on my phone. I ignore him. When my mom comes back around, he rages at her, too.)
Customer: “You need to teach your child some manners! She hasn’t even said hello, just sat there on her d*** phone!”
(Finally, I just turn and open my mouth, full of bloody gauze, and muffle out a hello. He looks horrified and backs away from me.)
Pharmacist: “Just ignore him. He comes around and never buys anything, just harasses our customers.”
Bad Behavior, Money, Pharmacy, Tennessee, USA | Right | December 4, 2018
Customer: “Excuse me, I see in your ad that you have this sale. I was wondering if I could use this coupon that expired only almost a week ago. Will that be all right?”
Me: “I’m sorry, but [Store] can no longer take any coupons past expiration date.”
Customer: “Oh? Well, that isn’t right. Are you sure?” *she then props herself against the counter and says this* “You know, I also work at [Store, but different location] and [Their Manager and Employees] took them all the time, and I know for a fact that you guys do so here also. Who is the boss tonight? Let me speak to them and I’ll show you.”
Me: “Yes, ma’am.”
(I find the store manager, tell him the situation, and he comes up after finishing helping another customer. When he walks up, she gives him a grand greeting and explains to him the situation. Though I had to help another customer and did not get to stay for the conversation, I did get to see her leaving the store saying
Customer: “Oh, well, I guess I’ll just have to try somewhere else that actually tries to make customers happy!”
(I ask my manager what he did.)
Store Manager: “I know her from another store location, but it’s good you stood by our policies. When I mentioned to her about which stores are on the naughty list for accepting bad coupons and giving unnecessary store credit, of which her store was in second place, I asked her how she was dealing with that. She said never mind, and left! If we allowed it, who knows how many more customers would have come expecting this if they heard they could pull that stuff here!”
(Moral of the story: you are not there to sacrifice values and bend rules to give someone an ego boost or sense of entitlement. Stick to what you know, and keep the truth because anything can happen in retail.)
Criminal & Illegal, Health & Body, Pharmacy, UK | Legal | November 28, 2018
(I am full of a chest cold and have struggled to the pharmacy to stock up on decongestants, so I can go back to bed for as long as possible. My spouse has texted to ask me to pick up extra, as he’s starting with the same cold. As I look through the shelf of cold and flu medication, I notice that everything contains either paracetamol — acetaminophen — or ibuprofen. There are laws limiting the sale of those medications in the UK, which have significantly reduced intentional and accidental overdoses.)
Me: *pointing at shelf* “Excuse me. How many packets am I allowed to buy?”
Assistant: “Only two, I’m afraid.”
Me: “Oh, bother. For two of us poorly, that’s only two days’ worth. Never mind. I’ll just have to come back again.”
Assistant: “Well, unless you have a consultation with the pharmacist…”
(Fortunately, the pharmacist agrees to authorise sale of two packets each for me and my spouse, and after thanking her, I pay.)
Assistant: “People are so rude about the limit, though. You should hear what they’re like when we have to say no.”
Me: “What? But they do know it’s actually the law and not just [Pharmacy] policy?”
Assistant: “Yes. One man shouted at me for several minutes because I wouldn’t sell him ten packets of paracetamol in one go. Then he said, ‘I’m just going to come back in fifteen minutes to buy more and you won’t remember me.’”
Me: “I’m not sure that’s how that works.”
Assistant: “Yeah, he was pretty memorable by that point.”
Me: “And instead he could just have gone to [Shop twenty metres away] and [Shop fifty metres away], which both sell that kind of medicine.”
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