Being quizzed by chemist's assistant in Boots.

Well, the actual word was ‘old’. Which normally precedes the ‘bovine’ insult. I agree, they are lovely so long as they don’t have calves to protect.

Germanshepherdsmum

Thank you all. Please don’t be upset, Maddy - my skin has thickened a lot over the years (not literally, unfortunately!). I was a little surprised to be called an elderly bovine animal on another thread yesterday, but I always think that anyone who has to resort to personal insults has run out of valid arguments (if they ever had any in the first place!).

I was a little surprised to be called an elderly bovine animal on another thread yesterday



... just rude and unnecessary.

And says more about them than ever it does about you!

Thanks Dickens.

Callistemon21

Germanshepherdsmum

Thank you all. Please don’t be upset, Maddy - my skin has thickened a lot over the years (not literally, unfortunately!). I was a little surprised to be called an elderly bovine animal on another thread yesterday, but I always think that anyone who has to resort to personal insults has run out of valid arguments (if they ever had any in the first place!).

Call me a cow if you like (they are generally lovely creatures but defensive of their young - that's me!) but elderly???

Certainly not, that's offensive.

completely childish and pathetic...

grandtante our pharmacy still has such a line and screens, introduced for the pandemic, they’ve remained.

Seriously - did someone use offensive language to you germanshepherdsmum

pascal30

Callistemon21

Germanshepherdsmum

Thank you all. Please don’t be upset, Maddy - my skin has thickened a lot over the years (not literally, unfortunately!). I was a little surprised to be called an elderly bovine animal on another thread yesterday, but I always think that anyone who has to resort to personal insults has run out of valid arguments (if they ever had any in the first place!).

Call me a cow if you like (they are generally lovely creatures but defensive of their young - that's me!) but elderly???

Certainly not, that's offensive.

completely childish and pathetic...

Who - me?

Mooooooo!

In my early teens I was sent to our local chemists for some indigestion tablets for my Mum. They were called Tums
The assistant, a fair haired very young man blushed to his roots, when I asked for a packet of “Tums”, reached under the counter and handed me a package in plain brown paper.

Two supporting votes, the first for GSM, whose input I always find helpful.

The second is for my local branch of Boots, which has a regular turnover of pharmacists, all of whom I have always found competent and helpful. It also has a pharmacy assistant of long standing, who is an absolute treasure. She is very efficient, and knows and is sympathetic to all her regular customers. I shan't reveal the branch; I don't want it swamped by Gransnetters looking for a better service.

Luckygirl3

*This is a slippery road. Exactly the same as the use of Physician Associates* Just today the BMA have asked for a halt to PAs to reevaluate.

IMO Physician Associates are the present government's idea of doctors on the cheap.
No wonder there is trouble with fully qualified doctors just now. The government is trying to replace them with a part trained less expensive version.

Not only part time and less expensive, but unable to prescribe!

Callistemon21

pascal30

Callistemon21

Germanshepherdsmum

Thank you all. Please don’t be upset, Maddy - my skin has thickened a lot over the years (not literally, unfortunately!). I was a little surprised to be called an elderly bovine animal on another thread yesterday, but I always think that anyone who has to resort to personal insults has run out of valid arguments (if they ever had any in the first place!).

Call me a cow if you like (they are generally lovely creatures but defensive of their young - that's me!) but elderly???

Certainly not, that's offensive.

completely childish and pathetic...

Who - me?

Mooooooo!

No of course not Callistemon.. I was talking about the insults to GSM

Oh, sorry, misunderstood 😁

Chemist's assistants can be a bit of a liability. I asked for some OTC eardrops once & assistant checked the box & told me not to put them into my ears "just on the outside because they're for external use only" !!

I misunderstood too.

valdavi

Chemist's assistants can be a bit of a liability. I asked for some OTC eardrops once & assistant checked the box & told me not to put them into my ears "just on the outside because they're for external use only" !!

I had an ear problem and was sold a nasal spray. When I went back and queried it, I was told "Yes, just spray it in your ears, it should clear them"
🤔

I’m sorry, but valdavi and Callistemon, your posts made me chuckle.
However, there is a serious point there, and it’s don’t believe a word of anything a sales assistant in a chemist tells you.
The worrying thing is that some people may believe them!

RunaroundSue

A GP, health assistant or pharmacist should never ask you about your health problems in front of other people. There is a thing called patient confidentiality. I know there is now a new protocol where there are posters on the wall of the surgery telling patients that assistant will have to ask patients about their medical problems so they can be triaged but it dies not give them the right to ask personal questions in front of other people, you should have been taken into a separate room.

There seems to be no such thing as confidentiality any more!
The rules used to be so strict and the penalty for staff was instant dismissal.

Any chemist that assumes I am stupid, as some seem to do, is boycotted by me. There are plenty around. I have a lovely local one who is just helpful and respectful and I wouldn’t change her, she is sensible and knowledgeable.

Pharmacists, like doctors and nurses, are extremely busy. The counter assistant 's duty is to get information from you in a concise form so the pharmacist will not have to spend unnecessary time getting the info they need to answer your problem.

That said, the counter assistant should not have to ask personal questions where others can hear. The shop management is at fault if this is not done.
There is no excuse for not installing a small plain space for the counter assistant -receptionist's initial questions.

If a counter assistant says put ear drops only around the outside of the ear, or to use a nasal spray inside the ear, then clearly no one should ever take any notice whatsoever of anything they say. These counter assistants were talking rubbish and possibly dangerous rubbish in the case of the one who said to spray the nasal spray inside the ear. Take advice only from the actual pharmacist.

My daughter had a p/t job in a chemist when she was 16. I hope she didn’t try to advise anyone !

I can sympathise with Netherbyg - I know exactly what she means. It happened to me the other day when I went to get an over the counter pill - been to the same place for years - and the assistant fussed around finding the boxes and then proceeded to quiz me about what other medication I took. Had I taken them before - yes - lots of times- this went on and on - I have bought them there many times in the past - There were quite a few other people in the shop - it didn’t really annoy me - it was a bit like an episode of Fawlty Towers or a Ronnie Barker sketch. They were all grinning😂😂 Anyway, I refused to name all the stuff that I regularly have to take - none of her business or of all the other customers behind me. Sometimes I’m afraid, the law is an ass.

So what do you think to a dr when giving me the wrong dose of my tabs recently a repeat one ( I picked her up on it ) then tells me she is not going to give me another prescription they are very expensive ! And told me I’m to wait and see my consultant yet I’ve been having these tabs on repeat ongoing since last year! I will be telling my consultant when I see him

i have had this before and before they start asking questions i ask them if we could go into the side room (it is for addicts to get there daily medication) i have only had a problem once and that was at a boot's chemist, i take 15 pills in the morning and another 12 at night, i can't take anything with ibuprofen in it but have been told it will be fine.