13 Things Your Pharmacist Won't Tell You

I would also like to add that I agree that communicating to customers is essential. That is why a quality retail pharmacy values every member of the pharmacy team and appreciates their contribution. That said, WE ARE HERE TO SERVE OUR CUSTOMERS and it is highly inappropriate to suggest how a customer should behave toward the pharmacist. Pharmacists and techs must respect that most of our customers do not feel well. Stop spreading ill will! I have served in the retail setting for 20 years.

Please consider describing pharmacy techs in a more positive manner. Indeed, techs are "less qualified" because they do not have the same level of education. However, I would like to remind all pharmacists that techs in a retail pharmacy are qualified to take in prescriptions, process prescriptions, process insurance for the prescriptions, take the medication from the pharmacy shelf, count or mix the medication, label the bottle that will be dispensed to the patient, and ring it up!

Wonderful article...a MUST read!

Pay attention to the pharmacy hours. If you come in at 5 mins after closing on a Saturday or Sunday with a rx to fill, it will not get filled. We will take it and have it ready the next day. If we are ringing people up at 5 mins after closing that means they were there before closing time. The pharmacy hours are clearly posted and it's not our fault if you waiting until we closed to come in and get your rx filled or refilled.

We don't price the drugs, we just sell them. We have no clue what your insurance or discount plan will pay for until the prescription is processed. If you have questions about your coverage or co-pay, call your insurance company and yell at them. Yelling at us won't do anything. If you talk to any of my pharmacy staff in a condescending manner or harrass any of them you will be asked to take your business elsewhere and your refills canceled.

our techs are running around as fast as they can trying to count out your prescription while dealing with technical issues, and the phone will not stop ringing. Don't ask us when your doctor will call us back or when the computer will be back up again, we don't have a crystal ball. We don't want to hear your sob story about how your drug addict brother stole your oxycontin, get a police report and the dr to write a new rx. Some people should not be allowed access to drug references. Continued

cussing and/or beligerent behavior. None of us get paid enough to take that. Don't gripe if there's 10 cars lined up in the drive thru, you can always come inside. Most people will wait in line at a McDonald's drive-thru, oh wait... WE'RE NOT MCDONALD'S!!! We can fill your prescriptions fast or we can fill it right, which is it? Don't complain that we're too slow when you can clearly see that there's 20 other people that came in the same time you did with 3 scripts each, continued

I want to print this out and hand it out to all of our customers, but I think my large drugstore chain company would frown on that. I just want to tell people "if you think you can do our jobs faster and better, then get the necessary training and come work back here!" I've been working in retail pharmacy for 11 years now (4 as a tech, 5 as a pharmacy student intern, and 3.5 as a pharmacist) and have been made to tolerate alot of things but decided that some I will not such as.... continued

I have been a retail, clinical, pharmacist for 26 years and I sincerely like it. I get to know my patients and custom fit the product (packaged drug) to their needs. My patients respect and appreciate me. Yes, I work for a chain. I refuse to work with a drive in window. I pay attention to you. How you walk in, if you are limping, everything about you. I could NOT do it without highly qualified technicians doing the grunt work. I am the only one responsible for the final product. continue

What I sincerely don’t understand is non-Rx customers Yelling into the pharmacy while I am clearly engaged in something else. We are NOT Flipping hamburgers! Yes, I see you. Yes you will have to wait until I’m finished what ever I’m doing. Why? Because it’s someone’s life I’m working on. I don’t care if you said “excuse me”. It’s incredibly rude, dangerous, and just plain wrong. Continued.