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!

Was there not a young girl in the last couple of years that died from overdosing on lemsip?

Indeed, Noise. I also bothered to read her responses.

You still seem to think they were wrong and that they weren't using their brain so I wouldn't bother going in to apologise if that's your attitude.
It was a really shitty thing to do though. Were you not mortified behaving like that?

Are you sure you’re reading the right thread? The op still doesn’t think the shop assistants were right not to split the transactions

Ahh, I see.

I was referring to the OP knowing she was wrong to shout. I see that pp’s were referring to the OP not acknowledging that the staff did the correct thing by not splitting the transaction.

You are definitely BU of the highest degree, and rude to boot. Splitting the transaction is definitely not a thing, it's flouting the law, and I'd be highly surprised if you were told you could do it.

Aha, Noise. I see. However, she did rather ruin the start of the last paragraph with the end of it.

Can't find the boots policy but Sainsbury's clearly says
'Our policy states that sales are restricted to a maximum of 2 packets of a combination of any paracetamol, aspirin or ibuprofen based products in a single transaction. Sales are also restricted to customers aged 16 and over.

Yes, one transaction - as in one transaction/person, deliberately splitting the transaction makes a complete mockery of the rule and not much point having it in the first place if any staff did that!
If they're not allowed to sell more than a certain limit, they're not allowed to and they'd get into trouble if they were caught.
Not surprised they didn't want to, and it's pretty shitty of the manager to completely undermine their decision.
Just because they've split before, doesn't make it right.

I bet the staff members have already forgotten about it.

As you can see from some responses here, people do remember specific incidences of customers being particularly rude or entitled. I know I do, and I left my retail job several years ago.

My sister managed to walk between multiple pharmacies in the hour or two before her overdose so I am really quite pissed off at how flippant you are being about expecting the shop to flout policies that are supposed to protect people. Disgusting entitlement and lack of regard for others.

If you've the balls go in and apologize, if not phone. Explain you were feeling horrendous and you know you were totally out of line. I'm sure they'll understand and appreciate the call. Hope you're feeling better

I work in a shop and have had customers come back and apologise. It's nice when they do. We are just doing out jobs. We don't go out of our way to annoy you.

Op, I had some sympathy for you for being under stress due to family's illness.

But reading your your post completely tells me you are very disrespectful to people not doing things your way.

the stupid staff not using their brain

same time I'm pissed that 3 different people lacked the ability to use their brain over some bloody lemsip!

Horrible attitude for calling staff stupid and saying they were incapable of using brain.

It's best not to apologise as you still call them stupid.

They were doing their jobs, they weren't in the wrong to not split the transaction; the policy is there for a reason and could have serious implications if they breach it. The pharmacist either used professional discretion or is perhaps a locum unfamiliar with policy. I really enjoyed working in retail, until I encountered customers like you.

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.
So you burst into tears for being validated? wow being right really does matter to you op!

I am never failed to be amazed about the attitude of people on here. How can you not see that your whole attitude is wrong, not just the shouting.

You need to apologize, you could have got some Ibuprofen and 2 paracetamol products instead. My friend used to nurse people who were going to die from Liver failure due to paracetamol overdoses and they weren't even always deliberate.
Sometimes people just took too many by accident and you can get liver damage really easy from too many. They died a few weeks later when their liver totally packed in.
Shame OP.

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

No they are not. The pharmacists stated that they can split the order so they were not doing their jobs properly.

We've deleted a few PAs from this thread - please do keep TGs in mind when posting.

YABU. She was doing her job. The job she could lose if the broke the rules. They may have had some recent training on the matter. I hope you are feeling better soon, and I understand things seem twice as bad when you're not feeling 100% but I do think you were out of order I'm afraid.

It's people like you that make retail workers hate their job

I hope you are embarrassed and ashamed of yourself

The rules are there for a reason and for everyone. You can't just flout them as you please. Disgraceful

@doublesheesh they told OP that to shut her up and stop making a scene!

Besides, pharmacists have different rules to sales assistants. They can sell more paracetamol products than a regular sales person.

As someone who works in a pharmacy (may or may not be boots) that normal staff on normal tills can not sell more than 2 and cannot do separate transactions . Only healthcare trained members of staff but there's still a limit which I'm unsure off . You can be fired or fined for selling them more than the 2 if your by healthcare trained

What would be the point in the rule if it could be done over multiple transactions? It would be a completely pointless rule

The staff were just doing their job and following the rules. No they can't flout them for you. It's completely unacceptable, to shout at anyone in public.

The pharmacist was probably just placating you because they could see that you had just shouted at another member of staff.

You cant take Lemsip and cold and flu anyway. Just pick one paracetamol product and Calpol. In future make sure you have paracetemol and Calpol stocked up, or go to any other shop to buy paracetamol as well

My DD worked in Boots.
She is far from stupid, she has a first class honours degree.
She also has far far better manners than you.
Her friend is a medical student who works in an Asda pharmacy over the holidays, she isn't stupid either.
If you had behaved like that in the hospital where I work we would have asked you to leave.
I wouldn't bother going back to apologise, If I were you I'd move to another city.

@SophieLMumsnet PA? TG? Respectfully, admin comments/warnings would be much clearer without acronyms. I've got no idea what your post means!