Retail Pharmacy

[VCU07]

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So, being a new graduate for X pharmacy, I have noticed a few things. First, the pharmacy has been moved into this new very open style were we are basically face to face with patients. While this may be seen as a benefit, it seems as if people just take the opportunity to bitch about things...such as how long it takes to fill a Rx or why it takes more than a few seconds to have someone come ring them up. To those of you who have more retail experience, how do you deal with this? I didn't go through 8 years of college to get yelled at about running a cash register. I know retail is a service orientated profession, but its a pharmacy, not Mcdonalds. I had another pharmacist put the situation in perspective. Patients would never yell at their physicians like this, but us, well we are another story. Do you guys think this will change? It seem like a very different profession than when I even began school. I know it's too early to become cynical, but just had to vent.

 

[Rumplestiltazepam]

You can always just take the parent's answer to the child....

Hostile Child/customer-"Why?"

Parent/pharmacist- "Because I said so"

 

[omnione]

For retail, I think the "McDonalds treatment" has always been around. I just think it's more prevalent now with the drive-throughs, the prevalence of signature waivers, the shift of pharmacies to chains, etc.

The uninformed public around me perceives retail pharmacists to be like McDonald's workers where instead of asking if the customers want fries, they expect pharmacists to ask "Would you like Tylenol with that?"because...you know...I would like some after meeting you.😉

 

[sdn1977]

Yeah - it really is in your delivery. If you say something apologetically - that opens the door to being pushed.

If you say the same thing with authority, then there is no discussion.

Try it at home - have your SO or roommate give you some grief & practice that same "professional" face - no anxiety, fear, frantic, hurry & learn how to say something with authority. Learn the phrases, what you'll say back when they give you their standard gibberish, etc...

If they ask why - tell them you are not the only patient you are helping right now - there are others who have been promised medication ahead of theirs & they are now shopping (or whatever).

Trust me - when you become a parent...the authority comes easy to your voice.

 

[12345]

just tell the patient it is taking awhile bc you are making sure the medication is not going to kill them.

It sucks that everyone complains about how long it takes and then when someone dies from the wrong drug or interaction or whatever people want to know why something wasn't done to prevent it.

 

[gaba101]

the pharmacy has been moved into this new very open style were we are basically face to face with patients.

Let me guess--you work for Wal-mart too. Thank god my store isn't like this yet but I went to some other Wal-mart recently that was remodeled and it was exactly the way you described it. The tallest "barrier" between a pharmacist and a patient was at the hip level (depends on how tall you are) along the entire perimeter of the pharmacy. Geez. Makes me feel so naked. I depend on those shelves of OTC products or just a stupid wall in front of part of our pharmacy as a small area where the pharmacist could hide and just catch his/her breath without being hounded with stupid questions like "can you check the price on this for me" (and it's some fat lady's xxxl underwear).

PS--to answer their question about why it's taking so long, just ask, "do you want it done right or right now?" of course, occasionally, you'll have some idiot who responds, "I want it done right AND RIGHT NOW." 😉

 

[gaba101]

Yeah - it really is in your delivery. If you say something apologetically - that opens the door to being pushed.

If you say the same thing with authority, then there is no discussion.

Try it at home - have your SO or roommate give you some grief & practice that same "professional" face - no anxiety, fear, frantic, hurry & learn how to say something with authority. Learn the phrases, what you'll say back when they give you their standard gibberish, etc...

If they ask why - tell them you are not the only patient you are helping right now - there are others who have been promised medication ahead of theirs & they are now shopping (or whatever).

Trust me - when you become a parent...the authority comes easy to your voice.

Ah, is that why a sweet pharmacist I'd be working a minute ago would sound "mean/abrupt/authoritative" 5 minutes later w/ someone stopping by to ask something? 🙄

 

[dgroulx]

Yesterday, I was at the out window and a coupon would not scan. I said, "Sorry about that, I went to college for 8 years to become a pharmacist and they didn't cover how to scan in coupons."😀

 

[sakigt]

IMO (as in any job) if youre doing the best you can do all the time, you should never feel bad about a customer complaint. Dont let it get to you 😉

I second the person who said its about delivery as well. An empathetic voice is what 99.9% of the people that complain want anyway. "I can understand you dont want to wait but..." works most of the time for me.

 

[pion]

The only thing that's ever worked on me was when someone said to me yesterday -- quite calmly I might add -- "I have diarrhea and I've been sitting here waiting in dirty underpants so could you please hurry?"

I rushed their script along a bit.

 

[Shmy2008]

Effective patient management is all about proper conditioning... you have to train your patients on what to expect from you when they come into the pharmacy. It all goes back to what other posters have said about "parental controls"... think about when you were a kid and you threw a fit because you didn't get candy at the checkout lane. When your parents didn't pay you any attention for your tantrum, you eventually learned that that behavior didn't obtain the outcome you wanted. Eventually you learned (ideally) that good behavior got you rewards. Its the same way in retail pharmacy... condition people to expect from you only what you are willing to provide them. This "plan" works astoundingly well in my pharmacy... I would say that 75% of the patients that drop off prescriptions, when told there will be a fifteen minute wait (because you've conditioned them to expect nothing less by ALWAYS saying at least 15 minutes, even if you're staring at the wall doing nothing), will reply "No problem, I've got shopping to do." The other 25% say they'll be back DAYS later to pick up their scripts. We've TAUGHT them to plan their shopping around their prescription and not vice versa.

I've also found that the passive-aggressive "You're a *******" route works very well... an example...
Random customer not getting an Rx filled: "Can you tell me how much this garden hose costs?"
Me: "Sure thing, but you know there was a price scanner out on the main aisle where you just were? Its $19.99."
Customer thinks to self Damn I'm a *******.

You can see it in their eyes. Its glorious.

 

[MindOverMatter]

just tell the patient it is taking awhile bc you are making sure the medication is not going to kill them.

It sucks that everyone complains about how long it takes and then when someone dies from the wrong drug or interaction or whatever people want to know why something wasn't done to prevent it.

While this approach is effective, I feel that it's a little unnecessary. To me that portrays a sense of ineptitude. Just assure the patient that we will get it out as soon as possible, and that's it.

Part of choosing to work in a retail setting (especially a busy one) demands that you have thick skin.

Edit: I hope I didn't come across the wrong way in this post. I meant no disrespect.

 

[grincheola]

I've also found that the passive-aggressive "You're a *******" route works very well... an example...
Random customer not getting an Rx filled: "Can you tell me how much this garden hose costs?"
Me: "Sure thing, but you know there was a price scanner out on the main aisle where you just were? Its $19.99."
Customer thinks to self Damn I'm a *******.

You can see it in their eyes. Its glorious.

HAHAHA, that's awesome.

 

[Smilescali]

Effective patient management is all about proper conditioning... you have to train your patients on what to expect from you when they come into the pharmacy. It all goes back to what other posters have said about "parental controls"... think about when you were a kid and you threw a fit because you didn't get candy at the checkout lane. When your parents didn't pay you any attention for your tantrum, you eventually learned that that behavior didn't obtain the outcome you wanted. Eventually you learned (ideally) that good behavior got you rewards. Its the same way in retail pharmacy... condition people to expect from you only what you are willing to provide them. This "plan" works astoundingly well in my pharmacy... I would say that 75% of the patients that drop off prescriptions, when told there will be a fifteen minute wait (because you've conditioned them to expect nothing less by ALWAYS saying at least 15 minutes, even if you're staring at the wall doing nothing), will reply "No problem, I've got shopping to do." The other 25% say they'll be back DAYS later to pick up their scripts. We've TAUGHT them to plan their shopping around their prescription and not vice versa.

I've also found that the passive-aggressive "You're a *******" route works very well... an example...
Random customer not getting an Rx filled: "Can you tell me how much this garden hose costs?"
Me: "Sure thing, but you know there was a price scanner out on the main aisle where you just were? Its $19.99."
Customer thinks to self Damn I'm a *******.

You can see it in their eyes. Its glorious.

This works very well at places like Target where people tend to use the pharmacy because they shop there, but it doesn't work so well at places like Walgreens where the primary purpose for people to come into the store is to use the pharmacy not to shop. Good points though🙂

 

[Moxxie]

This works very well at places like Target where people tend to use the pharmacy because they shop there, but it doesn't work so well at places like Walgreens where the primary purpose for people to come into the store is to use the pharmacy not to shop. Good points though🙂

This is precisely why, if I decide to do retail, that I will avoid working for a stand-alone pharmacy at almost all costs. Plus, none of the Sav-Ons (inside Albertson's) that I have worked in so far have drive-thrus. 😀