Drugstore Dolt

[RetailActress]

I was waiting in line at the pharmacy drop-off counter behind a man in his late 60s-early 70s. Does his age really matter? I dunno, whatever. Listen in ......

DD - the man
PT - pharmacy tech on other side of counter

DD: [hands PT paper prescription]
PT: [at computer] Sir, have you filled prescriptions here at XYZ Pharmacy before?
DD: Not here but I been to the one in Doltsville.
PT: OK, then you're probably in our system. May I have your name?
DD: Donald Dolt.
PT: [checking database] .... I'm sorry, Sir, but I don't have you here.
DD: I haven't been here before.
PT: Yes, but you said you'd been to our Doltsville store?
DD: That was Mary.
PT: I'm sorry, I beg your pardon?
DD: Mary. My wife.
PT: Oh, OK. But this prescription is for YOU, so we need to have YOU in our system.
DD: But we're married.
PT: Uhhhh, Sir, we treat each person as an individual, so I need to enter YOU in.
DD: You can't do this under Mary?
PT: No, Sir, it has to be YOU.
DD: [disbelieving] hhhmmmpphh [grudgingly gives needed info]
PT: Do you have your insurance card?
DD: Yeah, but I'll pay cash. [??? why?]
PT: It'll be $14.00.
DD: [taking bills out of wallet]
PT: Sir, you can pay when the prescription is filled.
DD: When's that gonna be?
PT: In about 20 minutes.
DD: You can't give it to me right now?
PT: No, I'm sorry, Sir.
DD: [disgusted] I gotta wait?
PT: We have chairs right over there, if you'd like to have a seat.
DD: [heaves momentous sigh; lumbers over to waiting area]

OMG! I do not think I would last one day as a pharmacy tech who has to deal with people like this. (And I'm sure there are worse types.)

Sending supportive vibes to all pharmacy workers,

R.A.

[theredbaron47]

Contrary to popular belief, those kinds are people are few and far between, at least at my CVS. 99.9% of customers know how the pharmacy works, or at least have some kind of general knowledge so that I don't feel the striking need to club them over the head with a blunt object.

Also, we have to remember the "jist" of a pharmacy. Most of its customers don't want to be there at all, don't want to wait, at all, and especially don't want to pay the sometimes exorbitant co-pays and related costs. . . at all. For all we know, that man could have just been told he has herpes, which would have, understandably, upset him. Assuming an empathetic attitude with people like this will usually defuse them, or at least shift their anger off of you.

I still have yet to master the art of "empathy" ( but I'm working on it! ).

Now, you also have your run-of-the-mill, garden-variety assholes, naturally. To those folks: don't let the door hit your ass on the way out. Actually, no, I take that back; I'd like to see that happen.

And get it on film.

[marasbaras]

Yeah, rarely am I thrilled to be at the pharmacy. Last time I was there I was picking up some hard-core antibiotics for a virus that had me down for a month and was causing my body to dispose of and eject necessary bodily fluids and waste products in ways that it shouldn't.

Fortunately, the pharmacistas where I shop are the best. They looked at the prescription and just "oh, I'm sorry". It's funny ... now.

[Anakah]

I always wondered how this was possible: My fiance went and picked up a prescription for me. I wasn't there, we're not married and we do have different last names... They've done it several times. I wonder if Walgreens just doesn't care or what but I was grateful.

Same as them saying "but I'm married" when they try and use their spouses credit card. Nope, regardless of marriage you are still an individual. He didn't haveta be sucky about it though. I always expect a wait at the pharmacy.

[tropicsgoddess]

There's a CVS right across the street from my house and when I would to go there for my pills, they were usually pretty quick. Sometimes I did have the occasional wait, but no big. I would just browse around or whip out my Gameboy and then get to the counter before X amount of minutes is up.

[theredbaron47]

Most pharmacies don't care if husbands or family members pick up medicine for people. They should ask for ID or something along those lines, but they rarely ever do, in the interest of saving time.

[Bright_Star]

Wow. Did he think you were gonna pull his prescriptions right there out of thin air?

[bainsidhe]

Maybe it depends on the prescription as to whether or not they allow someone else to pick it up? The day after I had surgery, my sister went and picked up my painkillers and brought them home to me. I wasn't in real good shape to be picking up a prescription. I could have, but I was sleeping for most of the day and in pain. As far as I know, she had no troubles picking it up in my place. She had the paperwork, after all.

[Becks]

I always wondered how this was possible: My fiance went and picked up a prescription for me. I wasn't there, we're not married and we do have different last names... They've done it several times.

From the beginning, I've always been able to pick up my fiance's meds from the local pharmacy.

Did the future MIL show them my picture or something?

[Misanthropical]

My husband usually picks up my or our children's prescriptions and never had a problem.

I pick up his and/or our children's and never had a problem either.

The pharmacy usually warns me if my insurance won't pay for a prescription, so I know ahead of time. I pay for them anyway, because I need the prescription, even if my insurance doesn't think I do. That is a whole rant in itself.

I lost my prescription card and am waiting for a new one, so I go the pharmacy that has my information on their system.

[Greenday]

Working at a pharmacy is fun. I'd say it's about a 50:50 mixture of people who are understanding about how pharmacies work and people who don't understand any standard pharmacy procedures. Most common misunderstood concepts include:

Some prescriptions cannot be refilled without a new script from the doctor. This is a law, not our rules.
Some prescriptions cannot be filled UNTIL they are being picked up. They begin to lose potency as soon as they are made so this way, they are most effective when you get them.
When a doctor says they will call in a prescription for them, what they really mean is their receptionists will call it in when they have free time. So it may take longer than five minutes for their receptionists to get around to it. Don't blame us.

One thing I never understood was why anyone could pick up someone else's prescriptions? We never had to ID anyone for prescriptions. Though we never did have any problems with stolen meds or anything.

[BookstoreEscapee]

One thing I never understood was why anyone could pick up someone else's prescriptions? We never had to ID anyone for prescriptions. Though we never did have any problems with stolen meds or anything.

It's not always possible to pick up your own, though. After my car accident my dad brought me home then went to the (only) 24-hour pharmacy nearby (which, ironically, we passed on the way home from the hospital) to fill my pain and muscle-relaxer prescriptions. I wasn't in much shape to be going to the pharmacy. I also used to pick up my grandmother's many prescriptions all the time. She didn't drive, and couldn't always get out of the house at all. Even on a good day, we still had to deal with her walker and everything. It wasn't always worth the trouble for her to get out just to run an errand when one of us able-bodied family members could go do it. (They also gave us non-childproof caps if we asked for them.)

[tropicsgoddess]

One thing I never understood was why anyone could pick up someone else's prescriptions? We never had to ID anyone for prescriptions. Though we never did have any problems with stolen meds or anything.

the only time I ever had anybody else pick up my prescriptions for me was after i broke my foot and my fiancé went in the 24 hour pharmacy on our way home from the hospital.

[theredbaron47]

You'd think it would be a problem, but it's not.

[myswtghst]

I think as long as you have the prescription, it shouldn't be a problem. Especially since often times the fact that you need the prescription means that it's better you're not out exposing other people to your germs, or you're not in any shape to be running around town. My mom has often picked up prescriptions for me after surgeries and such, and I do my daily meds by mail.