I shouted at the pharmacy staff today and I feel really shit about it

[lboogy]

I went to boots to buy some lemsip and calpol for me D.C. and DH who are sick with cold.

The rule about not selling more than 2 paracetamol items applies. I've got 2 packs of lemsip, calpol and one pack of cold and flu tablets. Fine. In the past the staff just do 2 transactions.

I get to the till which is long. They call another member of staff to help out. Lady on the beauty counter tells me to come to her for service. Scans the calpol and lemsip and says I can't buy anything else since I've exceeded my 2 paracetamol limit. I said just split the transaction in 2. She says no she can't do that. If I want more than 2, I need to go to the pharmacy. I said if I left the store or even left the queue and came back I'd be able to buy those items again. She's like, I don't make the rules.

Fuming, I walk to the pharmacy. Pharmacist isn't there. Waited for 7 minutes. Even more annoyed I go back to the original queue. New staff says can't buy more than 2. I politely asked her to do 2 transactions. Nope, can't do she says. Before I know it, I'm shouting at her about this ridiculous rule and how I've now been in 3 different queues / tills trying to buy some bloody lemsip.

Anyway, she refuses to serve me. Walks off😡

Now new staff at the till: I said I'll pay for these 2 lemsip and re queue. I paid and walked back to the pharmacy with my 2 other lemsips where the pharmacist or possibly manager is serving. She said she was really sorry the staff are allowed to split the transaction. She doesn't know why they didn't. At this point I started crying - I guess being ill and the stupid staff not using their brain plus finally being validated set me off.

Anyway, now I'm gone and I feel really shit for shouting at the staff. I remember being on the texting end of terrible customers and it's awful. I want to go back and apologise to the staff member but at the same time I'm pissed that 3 different people lacked the ability to use their brain over some bloody lemsip!

I want to go back and apologise to the staff member but at the same time I'm pissed that 3 different people lacked the ability to use their brain over some bloody lemsip!

Apologise. Your attitude is awful. They are only doing their jobs.

I want to go back and apologise to the staff member but at the same time I'm pissed that 3 different people lacked the ability to use their brain over some bloody lemsip

They could lose their jobs and their livelihood.

Go back and apologise. You’re out of order here.

I imagine they're probably so cautious because if they did as you asked, and you were a mystery shopper, they could lose their jobs.

Aren't the rules around paracetamol to help suicide prevention? They're there for a reason and asking someone to break them is unfair and unreasonable. I too think an apology is warranted.

You were incredibly rude. Send the store a message apologising via Facebook messaging.

Working in retail is probably difficult enough without awkward customers screeching at them like a fishwife.

However, I hope you and your family feel better soon.

They aren't supposed to do separate transactions though. There is a reason there is a limit, whether you think that's stupid or not, the staff were just following the rules.

I work with the public and some people are so horrible and rude to me. No one has ever come back and apologised to me but if they did, I know I'd really appreciate it and respect them.

What's the point of having a rule to restrict the sale of painkillers if it's that easy to flout? Where would the manager stand if someone was allowed to do multiple transactions and bought enough paracetamol to cause themselves serious harm or worse?
I've had staff refuse to sell me more than two products in the past but it hasn't bothered me, it's a rule and it's there for a reason.

Just because she's done what you've wanted, doesn't mean she's in the right. It may have been against company policy but she's given into you to stop you making a scene.

There's a rule for a reason and trying to bend the rules by splitting into two transactions made the other 3 members of staff feel uncomfortable. They're well within their right to refuse to serve you on this basis.

Why can’t you do what everyone else does?

Buy them in separate shops

Sorry you’re feeling ill but rules are there for a reason

Go back when you’re feeling a bit better and apologise. They know that people feeling ill can make them upset and shouty, but it’s always nice when someone comes back and acknowledges that, on that occasion, they took it out on the shop staff.
Hope you’re all on the mend soon.

Similar happened to me once. DH and I both full of the stinkingest of stinking colds, DS needed Calpol, paharmacy assistant said no. I just burst into tears and bought the Calpol!

Of course they shouldn't split the transaction otherwise there is no point having the restriction. Being ill with cold is very little excuse for shouting at retail staff for obeying the law.

I'm pissed that 3 different people lacked the ability to use their brain over some bloody lemsip!
You were rude and continuing to be, maybe they didn't want a warning just over some lemsip. Go back and apologise. If the rule is no more then two why would it be common sense to split the transaction, that's breaking the rule not applying common sense.

Depends. I buy tablets for me and calpol for the kids. The medication is for different people.

Shouting isn’t you best option.

Why didn’t you go to two stores?

Just so you know, it's not allowed where I work to do 2 transactions for paracetamol based products for the same customer.
We have even refused sales on the basis that they tried to get their parent or partner who was doing a separate transaction after them, because it was for the same customer. They have tried going to other tills, and had the sale refused.

You’re hardly going to overdose on calpol

So these people work for a company and are told, very explicitly, very clearly that they cannot sell more than 2 items containing paracetamol to a customer. It's probably all there in their training.
A secret shopper comes in and makes a fuss about this policy- split transactions etc. They knowingly split the transaction.
What do you think happens then?

It really is the most ridiculous rule though. If you want to overdose on paracetamol you’d go to several pharmacies and buy multiple packets anyway. Doesn’t stop anyone from doing it or even inconvenience them much if that’s their intention.

You absolutely can overdose on Calpol. And some people would.

The medication is for different people.

That doesn’t matter. It’s how much paracetamol is in the transaction.

They're not supposed to split the transaction. Don't really know why you couldn't have gone to 2 different shops, you can buy Lemsip anywhere.

I'm not sure apologising would help much tbh. Someone made me cry at work last night because they were absolutely horrible to me. I'm a 49 year old woman and I'm not usually affected by them so much. This morning he asked a colleague to apologise to me and I still hate him.

You sound frazzled. Everything is twice as stressful and irritating when you're tired and feeling ill. Rather than risking a row I'd have gone to two separate places to buy all the bits I needed. You'll know for next time. Get well soon!

YABU. The rules may be irritating, but they are rules for a reason. It’s not just some quirk of the till, or like splitting a transaction so you can sneakily use two discount codes.

The rules are ridiculous. It’s meant to prevent people committing suicide by overdosing. As if people who actually wanted to overdose would choose to live because they were forced to buy their paracetamol in a couple different shops. As it is though, those are the laws and they were just obeying them

Lots of people overdose accidentally by taking several medications together not realising they're all paracetamol based.

You were rude and out of order. You should feel bad. That rule is important and Is there for suicide prevention - to protect people. They shouldn't be selling them in separate transactions. Don't pressure them to risk their jobs and then be rude and aggressive to them when they quite rightly refuse. You should apologise to them.