Have A Heart, Use Your Brain

Failed The Pregnancy Test
HEALTH & BODY, JERK, LGBTQ, PHARMACY, UK | WORKING | NOVEMBER 1, 2017
(I’m picking up a prescription along with a couple of purchases.)

Cashier: “Here you are, sir. Also, would you be interested in our pregnancy tests?”

Me: “Uh, I’m male, so, no.”

Cashier: “Perhaps for your girlfriend?”

Me: “No?”

Cashier: “Come on, now. A strapping young man like yourself? It’s always good to be safe.”

Me: “I’m really not interested. I doubt a pregnancy test would even be effective with me. A condom sounds more reliable.”

Cashier: “Ah, but they can fail!”

Me: “It’s still a no.”

Cashier: *suddenly furious* “WELL, WHY NOT?”

Me: “Because I think it’s doubtful my boyfriend will come up to me and say he might be pregnant.”

Cashier: *pauses* “Oh, well, you didn’t have to be so rude!”

(After I paid and before the receipt printed, the cashier just walked away. The kicker: I go there every year for gay sexual health checkups. He actually knows my boyfriend and me well, and he has always known that I’m gay.)

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The Workforce Is Strong With This One
DRUG STORE, PHARMACY | HEALTHY | OCTOBER 31, 2017
(We have a giant inflatable ghost on display for Halloween. It doesn’t quite sit right and tends to lean to the side, so we frequently adjust it.)

Coworker: “[My name]! The ghost is falling again.”

Me: “Okay…”

(We spend about five minutes fiddling with it, until we get it to sit up right.)

Coworker: “Oh, no. His ascot got flipped backwards.”

(We proceed to grab boxes and stick-like things, trying to flip the ascot back around to no avail.)

Me: “OH! I’ve got it!”

(I run away with no explanation and return with a toy extendable lightsaber. I make the “vwing” noise and I flick it and extend the lightsaber. I succeed in straightening the ghost’s tie on the first attempt.)

Coworker: “…You just fixed the ascot of an inflatable ghost with a lightsaber.”

Me: “I love this job.”

How To Be A Divorcee By Five
BIZARRE, PHARMACY, STUPID, USA | WORKING | OCTOBER 28, 2017
(We have just switched to my husband’s insurance. He provides our information to HR, and it’s HR that actually provides it to the insurance company. I have a monthly-renewing prescription for birth control and this is the first time trying to pick it up under the new insurance.)

Me: “Hi, I’m [My Name] here to pick up a prescription.”

Pharmacist: *looks at computer* “Okay. Can I get you to verify the address for me?”

Me: “It’s [address].”

Pharmacist: “Um… I’ll go ahead and give it to you today, since I see you all the time, but you need to contact your insurance, ASAP. They listed your date of birth as [correct month and day], 2016.”

(I have no idea how his HR managed to list me as his spouse at less than one year old.)

There Are Prescribed Lunch Breaks
CALIFORNIA, PHARMACY, USA | HEALTHY | OCTOBER 26, 2017
(I work in a pharmacy as an intern, and on the weekends, we only have one pharmacist on duty. It is company policy that employees have to take their unpaid lunch by the fifth hour on the clock. This happens when our pharmacist is out to lunch.)

Tech: “Hello there. Are you picking up or dropping off?”

Patient: “Picking up.”

Tech: “I’m sorry, but our pharmacist is on lunch. We can’t sell any prescriptions without a pharmacist here.”

Patient: “Why the h*** not?!”

Tech: “I’m sorry, but it is against the law for us to do that.”

Patient: “Just give it to me! I drove all the way here!”

Tech: “I can’t; it’s against the law, and we have to have a pharmacist here.”

Patient: “There should always be a pharmacist here; it’s a pharmacy! Why the h*** aren’t they here?!”

Tech: “She’s on her lunch right now. She’ll be back at 1:30, but I can’t do anything until then.”

Patient: “I want to talk to a manager!”

Tech: *calls manager*

Manager: “I’m sorry, ma’am, but we can’t do anything until the pharmacist comes back from lunch. She has to take her lunch, too.”

Patient: “I’m complaining to corporate. What is their number? This is ridiculous!”

Manager: “It’s [number].”

(The patient storms off as the manager just shrugs.)

Manager: “Call all you want. What are they gonna do? Fire me for following the law?”

Suddenly Anti-Antibiotic
CANADA, MONTREAL, PHARMACY, QUEBEC | HEALTHY | OCTOBER 26, 2017
Customer: “Hi, I’d like to fill this prescription, please.”

Me: “Very well, I’ll need your birthdate.”

Customer: “[Birthdate]. Hurry up, please.”

Me: “Any known allergies?”

Customer: “What? No! Look, it’s not my first time taking these pills. Just give it to me.”

Me: *taken aback* “Okay, sir, you may go in the waiting room.”

(A few minutes later the pharmacist explains the treatment to the customer.)

Pharmacist: “So, those pills are penicillin combined with another antibiotic—”

Customer: “Penicillin? What? I can’t take this! I’m deathly allergic to penicillin!”

Suddenly Anti-Antibiotic
CANADA, MONTREAL, PHARMACY, QUEBEC | HEALTHY | OCTOBER 26, 2017
Customer: “Hi, I’d like to fill this prescription, please.”

Me: “Very well, I’ll need your birthdate.”

Customer: “[Birthdate]. Hurry up, please.”

Me: “Any known allergies?”

Customer: “What? No! Look, it’s not my first time taking these pills. Just give it to me.”

Me: *taken aback* “Okay, sir, you may go in the waiting room.”

(A few minutes later the pharmacist explains the treatment to the customer.)

Pharmacist: “So, those pills are penicillin combined with another antibiotic—”

Customer: “Penicillin? What? I can’t take this! I’m deathly allergic to penicillin!”

1 Part Bleach To 100 Parts Stupidity, Part 2
PENNSYLVANIA, PHARMACY, PITTSBURGH, USA | HEALTHY | OCTOBER 25, 2017
(I am a pharmacy technician, not qualified to recommend drugs or dispense advice. Any questions about actual medicine, I am required to pass off to a pharmacist, even if I think I know the answer.)

Me: “Hello, how may I help you?”

Customer: *mumbling* “Um, I think I—” *mumbles* “—contact with bleach…”

Me: “I’m sorry, what? Could you repeat that?”

Customer: “I think I might have swallowed some bleach and was wondering if the pharmacist could recommend anything.”

Me: *trying not to look alarmed* “Well, if I were you, I would call the Poison Control Center, but I’ll check with the pharmacist.”

(I go back to the counter where the pharmacist is working.)

Me: “This guy says he might have ingested bleach and wants to know if you can recommend anything. I told him he should call the Poison Control Center.”

Pharmacist: “Yeah, that’s about it.”

(I go up to the front counter and repeat this advice to the customer.)

Customer: “Well, I drank some fluids and I’m feeling better now. I had some [soda], and some water, and some lemonade. My chest was hurting before but now it’s better. Do you know if bleach can make your chest hurt?”

Me: “Um… probably. If you swallowed bleach, it could hurt on the way down. You should probably call the Poison Control Center.”

Customer: “Eh, maybe I’ll call them tomorrow. If I’m not feeling better then, I can go to the emergency room, too.”

Me: “I would call them tonight if I were you, just to be safe. Do you want their number?”

(I write it down on the nearest piece of paper and hand it to him.)

Customer: “Yeah, thanks. I might call them tomorrow.”

(He wanders away, but comes back later. My coworker is an intern, studying to become a pharmacist, and gets to the counter first. I overhear their conversation.)

Customer: “I was wondering about water pills. What do they do?”

Coworker: “Um, they make you urinate.”

Customer: “Can I get some of those?”

Coworker: *realizing why he’s asking* “They don’t flush out your system; they’re used to lower blood pressure. And you would need a prescription.”

Customer: “Can I get one of those?”

Coworker: *bewildered* “We don’t give prescriptions here; we just fill them. You would need to go to a doctor.”

(The customer wanders away, apparently still confused about a lot of things.)

Me: “I hope he’s going to be okay.”

Pharmacist: “If he had really swallowed bleach, his throat would be burned. I don’t know what’s wrong with him, but there’s nothing else we can do.”

1 Part Bleach To 100 Parts Stupidity
PET STORE | RIGHT | FEBRUARY 22, 2012
Me: “How are you today? I’m told you needed help with fish?”

Customer: “Yeah, all my fish died after I cleaned my tank yesterday. My husband says that it may have had to do with me using bleach, but I told him he was wrong.”

Me: “Well, actually he is right. Bleach leaves residue on the glass. Even after rinsing it, that can kill the fish.”

Customer: “But I didn’t even rinse it.”

Me: “What did you do, then?”

Customer: “I just added it to the water. How could that kill them?”

Unfiltered Story #97694
NEW YORK, PHARMACY, RETAIL, USA | UNFILTERED | OCTOBER 11, 2017
(Certain Allergy medicines have to be purchased back in the pharmacy due to New York State law. You can get a script for them, but most people just buy it over the counter. At this time, Allegra-D 24 hr is completely unavailable.)

Customer: “I need to get Allegra-D 24-hour for my daughter.”

Cashier: “I’m sorry, but it’s currently unavailable right now. All we have is the 12 hour.”

Customer: “Really? You don’t have any?”

Cashier: “Yes. I’m sorry.”

Customer: “What is my daughter going to do? She needs it!”

(The Cashier shrugs sympathetically. The customer starts to walk away, but turns around.)

Customer: “If I call her doctor and get a script for it, will you have the Allegra-D ready for her then?”

Cashier: “No. It’s unavailable.”

Unfiltered Story #97624
CALIFORNIA, PHARMACY, USA | UNFILTERED | OCTOBER 10, 2017
(I am around eight months pregnant, well into my last trimester and am dealing with a bad cold. Needless to say, I am miserable. I go to my doctor and she prescribes me pseudo-ephedrine. I go downstairs with my husband to the pharmacy. I give my prescription to the pharmacist.)
Pharmacist: “I can’t give this to you.”

Me: “Why?”

Pharmacist: “Because you are pregnant.”

Me: “But the doctor prescribed it to me. I am sick and can’t get any relief from [popular brand].”

Pharmacist: “I am sorry but I can’t give you something that might cause you to miscarry.”

(My husband at this point is getting fed up and goes upstairs to talk with the doctor. I continue to argue with the pharmacist who keeps on insisting the doctor didn’t give me the right prescription. He pulls down this War and Peace book of pharmaceuticals. He flips to the section showing the medication we have been arguing about.)

Pharmacist: “See, read right here.”

(He helps another customer while I read the section. When he gets finished, I flag him over.)

Me: “It says right here that it is dangerous for woman who are in the first trimester, not their third which I am in. Please, can I have my medication?”

(He reads the book and agrees with me.)

Pharmacist: “Sorry about that, I didn’t read this section. I’ll call you up when it is ready.”

Me: “Thank you.”
(I go and sit down to wait for it and my husband who has yet to come back from talking with the doctor. He finally hands me my prescription and I sit down to wait for my husband. My son is seven now but I still remember that pharmacist who had good intentions but didn’t take into account that his timing was way off and that the doctor approved prescription.

Unfiltered Story #96667
PHARMACY, TEXAS, USA | UNFILTERED | OCTOBER 6, 2017
A woman approaches the counter and asks for a consultation from the pharmacist. The patient inquires about vitamins, and the pharmacist counsels her for about 15 minutes, and ensures there are no interactions with her medications. She proceeds to shop more, then asks to check out with me. She proceeds to throw her items on the counter, and drops a 12 can coke pack on my left hand. I say nothing, since no damage was done. I finish the transaction and notice she has 2 other packs on the bottom of her cart out of my sight until she started to retreat. I call after her and she proceed to say “Seriously, you didn’t ring these up?”
Me: “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t know those were in the bottom of your cart. I can ring them through really quick, one moment.”
Her: “This is ridiculous, I’d assume you’d knew I’d have three since they’re on sale.”
Me: “I didn’t know they were on sale. It isn’t a good idea to charge you for items I don’t know you are purchasing. Your total for the 2 packs is (amount).”
The woman scoffs and says: “What? You mean I OWE you money?!”
Me: “Yes ma’am, if you want the additional two packs, you have to pay for them.”
She mutters under her breath and reluctantly puts in her chip card. I bid her a good day and she goes on her way. I heard from the manager that she caused a scene up front claiming that I overcharged her (I didn’t) and that the pharmacist didn’t help her in any way with vitamins. She also claimed that we refused to write her a rain check which she didn’t ask for.

A Clear Stamp Of Admitting Their Mistake
AUSTRALIA, IGNORING & INATTENTIVE, NORTHERN TERRITORIES, PHARMACY, STUPID | RIGHT | SEPTEMBER 29, 2017
(I work in a small pharmacy that is located about three shops away from a post office. Despite being small, it has obvious advertising.)

Customer: *walks straight up to the counter* “Hi. I can’t find your stamps.”

Me: “Uh, sorry, ma’am; we don’t sell stamps here.”

Customer: *immediately becomes frustrated* “What kind of post office doesn’t sell stamps!?”

Me: *indicates to medications surrounding the entire counter* “This is a pharmacy. The post office is just down the hall.”

Customer: “SO?!”

(She then stormed out the door as though we had offended her.)

Just Slide Right Past Your Instructions
CALIFORNIA, IGNORING & INATTENTIVE, MONEY, PHARMACY, STUPID, USA | RIGHT | SEPTEMBER 25, 2017
(I work at a pharmacy where patients are asked to give their signature for insurance purposes, indicating that they have picked up their prescriptions, before they make their payment. Here is the basic conversation, all day, every day, at the pick-up counter.)

Cashier: “Before you swipe your card, can you please press ‘next’ on the screen and sign that you are picking up your medications?”

Customer: “Okay!” *swipes card anyway, then presses ‘next’ and signs*

Cashier: *annoyed* “Okay, you can slide your card now.”

Customer: *angry* “I already slid my card!”

Cashier: *rolls eyes* “Yes, but as I was saying, you need to press ‘next’ and sign first, and then slide your card. If you slide before signing, the terminal will not read your card.”

Customer: “Oh, okay! Well, I hope I don’t get charged twice!”

Cashier: *even more annoyed* “You won’t; trust me.”

(Customer slides card.)

Cashier: “Okay, now I need your signature for the purchase.”

Customer: “But I already signed!”

Cashier: *deep sigh*

Not Sure If They Need Less Medication Or More
HEALTH & BODY, PHARMACY, STUPID, USA | RIGHT | SEPTEMBER 21, 2017
Me: “Good evening, and thank you for calling [Big Name Pharmacy]. How can I help you?

Customer: “I need to identify a pill.”

Me: “Absolutely. Can you give me a description?”

Customer: “It’s a yellow, round pill with an ‘A’ on it. It’s pretty dirty, though.”

Me: “Oh, I really wouldn’t take any medication that appears damaged or contaminated.”

Customer: “No, it’s okay. I found it on the ground outside.”

Me: *professionalism waning* “Uh… what? You found it where?”

Customer: “I found it on the… the street just now, and I want to make sure it’s okay to take.”

Me: *professionalism out the window* “Do you usually eat random s*** off the street?!”

Customer: *hangs up*

Raising A Monster Versus Monster Parenting
BAD BEHAVIOR, CHILDREN, PHARMACY, USA, WILD & UNRULY | RIGHT | SEPTEMBER 21, 2017
(Around the holidays, the tension is really high for people to get their prescriptions on time before going on vacation, so the pharmacy area is packed with close to forty people. I overhear this exchange as I’m ringing up a customer with an especially rude son.)

Me: “That will be $4.50, please.”

Customer: *digs in her purse for her wallet*

Customer’s Son: “Geez, stupid b****. Can’t you hurry up!? I want to go home, now!”

(A lady a few people back snaps her head towards him with a face that is the essence of “Oh, HELL no!”)

Customer’s Son: “God, Mom. Every time we go somewhere, it takes you for-f***ing-ever!”

(The lady a few people back is now breathing very loudly through her nose.)

Customer: “Sweetie, if you wait a minute, we can go get you a burger.”

Customer’s Son: “You bet like hell you are.” *points finger in her face* “You owe me big, woman. I could have been home hours ago out of this s*** heap with you. I’m bored out of my f***ing skull.”

(The lady a few people back is now looking anywhere but at the teenager, shaking her head violently, tapping the side of her purse, and muttering, “Mm-mm, mm-mmmm,” to herself.)

Customer: “Okay, look, honey. We’re done.”

Customer’s Son: “ABOUT D*** TIME, B****!”

(The customer and her son just pass around the corner, when the lady a few people back suddenly swings around, grabs both her teenage sons with one hand, and starts hitting them both with her purse.)

Lady: “DON’T.” *smack* “YOU.” *smack* “EVER.” *smack* “TALK.” *smack* “TO.” *smack* “ME.” *smack* “LIKE.” *smack* “THAT!” *smack*

(Some people are staring open-mouthed, others are cheering her on, but I am face-down on the counter, laughing hysterically. When it is the lady’s turn, I am still choking down tears.)

Me: “Yes, ma’am. How can I help you?”

Lady: “You’re laughing, but I’ll do the same to you if I ever hear you talking like that.”

Me: “Yes, ma’am. You’re a great woman.”

Lady: “That’s because I was taught how to respect my parents.”

(Faith in humanity restored. Thank you, purse lady!)

Won’t “Let It Go” To Delivery
MOVIES & TV, PHARMACY, USA | RIGHT | SEPTEMBER 14, 2017
(I work as a pharmacy technician and, as part of verifying a patient’s identity, I ask them to verify the address we have on file. A man with three rows of skulls tattooed on his forearm is picking up for someone else.)

Me: “Can you verify the address?”

Customer: “[Street number], uh, gosh, it’s the snowman from that Frozen movie!”

(The street was Olaf. I laughed and sold him the prescription.)

Unfiltered Story #93136
PHARMACY | UNFILTERED | SEPTEMBER 8, 2017
Unfortunately, the postcode of where I live doesn’t always show up correctly with all the auto-address fill-in databases in common use. I live on a small private road (let’s call it Minor Avenue) just off a main road (let’s call it Main Road). My address is 6 Minor Avenue, Main Road, Coventry, Postcode. Some databases have it as 6 Main Road, Coventry, which does not exist. Where there should be a building is actually an open plot of land sometimes used as a temporary car park.

When I give my details over the phone, I always double check the person filling in the details has the correct information.

A few months ago, I wasn’t very well, and could foresee me needing a lot of medicine. As such, it was necessary to buy myself a pre-payment prescription card, which I did at the pharmacy. It was them that contacted the company that issues the cards, rather than me, by using their website.

Two weeks later, and I still hadn’t received my card through the post, so I rang up the prepayment people. My card had been dispatched, and when the person I was talking to double checked the details, he saw the problem and burst out laughing.

Him: I see the problem – your card has been sent to the address 6 Coventry. That was all they put!

Unfiltered Story #91985
PHARMACY, WISCONSIN | UNFILTERED | AUGUST 29, 2017
This woman pulls up to the drive through pharmacy and says there is a prescription ready for her. I look up her name and when I find nothing, I then verify her address and date of birth to see if it has been filled at a different location. There is nothing.
Me: “Sorry ma’am, I do not currently see anything ready for you. What were you expecting?”
Woman: “Well, I got a text message saying that I have something ready.”
Me: “I understand that ma’am, however as I don’t see anything in the system it may have been sent in error. We do not have control over the automated system unfortunately so this happens every now and then.”
Woman: “Well I got a text message so I have a prescription here!”
Me: “Ma’am, I currently do not see anything that is ready at any location.”
Woman: (snarling) “Then WHY would I get a text message?! It HAS to mean I have something ready. I’ll even show you!”
Me: “Alright, I’ll gladly take a look at the message for you.”
She thrusts her phone into the drawer we use to hand out prescriptions through the drive-through and looks smug as I pull it back in to look.
Me: “Ma’am, it reads “Prescription due for refill. Reply “REFILL” to submit request.” I do not see your reply.”
Her demeanor changes all of a sudden like she wasn’t just snapping at me. I return her phone.
Woman: “Oh, well, it must happen all the time! (*laughs*) Can I get a refill?”
She didn’t have any refills left on her prescription anyway.

Unfiltered Story #91955
NEW JERSEY, PHARMACY | UNFILTERED | AUGUST 26, 2017
(I work in a popular drug store full time. I also have PTSD and an anxiety disorder, and one of the effects of this is that Im extremely touch averse: people touching me makes me extremely nervous, and if I cant see them before they touch me it often triggers a panic attack. This particular day I am building an endstand display with my back tutned to the center aisle of the store)

Customer- *comes up behind me and roughly grabs me by the shoulder* Hey, can you help me-

Me- *Immediately panics and jetks away from her, loosing my balance and falling backwards into thr display I was building*

(At this point, while I was on the floor trying not to have a full- blown anxiety attack, the woman starts laughing.)

Customer- “Awww, I scared you!” *Laughs*

Me- *Speechless*

(As luck would have it, it was me and my manager at the register when she comes up to pay.)

Customer- (to my manager) “You know, I scared her in the aisle. I thought she was gonna cry!” *laughs*

(My manager was livid and, thankfully I was allowed to go on my break after that…)

Unfiltered Story #91908
BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, PHARMACY | UNFILTERED | AUGUST 21, 2017
I drop off a prescription at the pharmacy counter.

Pharmacist: We’re pretty busy. Do you want to wait or come back in about an hour?

Me: I have some other errands to run. I’ll come back around 1:30.

Pharmacist: That should be fine.

I come back about 1:40. The woman ahead of me in line at the pick-up counter is obviously angry and snarking at the shy young pharmacist. Eventually she steams off.

Me: Hi, do you have a prescription ready for (my name)?

Pharmacist: I’m so sorry. We’ve been really busy. It will probably be another 15 minutes or so. Would you like us to deliver it to your home?

Me: Oh, no. That’s fine. I’ll just run over to (supermarket) and come back.

About 20 minutes later:

Pharmacist: We’re just getting your order together. Do you mind having a seat for a couple of minutes?

Me: No problem.

A few minutes later, she calls me up to get my prescription.

Pharmacist: Thank you so much for being so patient. I’ve already had two people yell at me today.

Me: No problem. It’s not like it was your fault.

Pharmacist: They don’t seem to care about that. Thank you so much again.

Me: Hope your day gets better.

Getting Stupider By The Generation
OHIO, PARENTS/GUARDIANS, PHARMACY, RETAIL, USA | RELATED | AUGUST 9, 2017
(I’m pregnant and recently started showing, which has lead to many comments from customers. Also, the pregnancy has lead me to make lots of silly mistakes which I largely blame on pregnancy brain.)

Me: “Sorry about that. My daughter stole my brain cells and she won’t give them back.”

Customer: “I’m sure she’ll give them back eventually. I feel like I’ve just started to get back some brain power from my daughter.”

Me: “Oh? How old is she?”

Customer: “14.”

Me: “…”