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 went in boots and asked for some paracetamol the big box was on a 2 for £x deal if I want those she said. Okay I will. Then she says can I ask why your buying so much paracetamol today

1stmumma can you really see no difference between someone who works in retail with no medical training whatsoever and a GP?! Obviously a GP signing a prescription for 50/100 paracetamol will know the taker's condition/ history/ mental health status. You literally sit on a checkout and think you should be able to do the same? Do you understand what happens to the body as a result of an accidental paracetamol overdose? Never mind a huge deliberate one?
For those saying it's ok because a pharmacist can agree a larger transaction- you do realise that a pharmacist also can dispense Methadone? Should Boots/ Sainsbury's/ savers workers just be up there doing the same as they see fit?

Another reason for the decrease is, you can no longer buy a bottle of 50 or 100 tablets. Yet it's possible to buy boxes of 50 1g paracetamol in Europe over the counter without any problem. Seems like the Nanny state in UK really.

Years ago I used to suffer from migranes. They used to completely disorientate me and I did accidentally overdose on paracetomol because I didnt realise I'd taken some and took too many. Luckily my DH who was then my boyfriend came round to look after me and said I was unconscious. I threw them all up and luckily was fine, but its quite easy to overdose on them.

It's a stupid rule - but the staff didn't make it.

@lovedarkchocolate splitting the transaction is a clear breach of the guidelines. Here’s an article showing some test purchases and one of the circumstances shows the person at Tesco offering to put it through in 2 transactions:

www.chemistanddruggist.co.uk/feature/paracetamol

Tesco clearly aren’t happy and their staff got “further training” (AKA a bollocking and possibly a disciplinary) when they found out.

I agree it's a daft rule but also get it and why companies/staff have to follow this.
You were ill and emotional, if they saw you cry then they'll appreciate how you were feeling.
Stock up in advance for future so you dont get in that position again. And maybe you could phone or email a msg of apology?

@RosesAndRaindrops thank you!! I kept thinking "passive aggressive"

I work in retail, and I think your attitude was horrible.

I have to deal with people like you on a daily basis. People that think it’s ok to shout at me, people that take their anger and frustration out on me, people that think it’s ok to treat me how they like because I work in a shop. I am always polite and helpful. I try to sympathise when customers are ranting. I assist people who have been downright rude to me. I rarely get a please or thank you.

People blame me for the rules that my company sets. People blame me for (like in your case) the law.

You were in the wrong. I don’t care that you were ill. Many shop workers have to go to work sick themselves, to earn a living. It does not give you the right to behave like this towards people.

You should know that they will be talking about the psycho lemsip woman for months to come. You lost the right to their sympathy when you shouted at them.

You sounded like a self entitled arse, but don’t worry, you won’t be the first one they’ve encountered, and you certainly won’t be the last.

I don’t think you should go back and apologise to the ‘lowly’ retail staff. You are still insulting them for ‘not using their brain’.., so it wouldn’t be sincere.

I’m think YOU might benefit in future from using YOUR brain op. That way you won’t end up looking so stupid.

You’re hardly going to overdose on calpol

You do know it is paracetamol?

Dont go back and apologise. because you still think youre right . Send a letter instead.

You can buy huge packs of paracetamol at a pharmacy if you explain that it is, for eg an office.

The transactions limits are for a person. If you are buying for several people they should allow it.

if they saw you cry then they'll appreciate how you were feeling.

I’m sure they would have had all the sympathy in the world for her BEFORE her tantrum....not so much after that 🤨

You are wrong for several reasons:

1. Pharmacists are allowed to sell larger quantities of paracetamol and medicines containing it than other staff.
2. Pharmacy rules DO NOT allow splitting transactions and the store could be prosecuted for doing that
3. Deaths from paracetamol numbers have reduced dramatically since these rules came in, ridiculous or not.
4. It is never OK to be rude to people trying to just do their job. Pharmacy is a hard area to work in with very low satisfaction rates among staff, in part due to the rudeness they face regularly from customers.

Do go back and apologise. It may not make things better but it might and you will probably need to go there again

Your family are sick and you're stressed and then you met staff who need to follow rules they didn't make.

If you're guilty about the way you were, it's because you're probably normally a nice person. Try to understand that staff need to follow rules or their job is on the line.

Thing is OP, not only were the staff correct in refusing to.split the transaction, even if they were wrong the store still has the right to refuse to sell something, for any reason..,You have no right to buy anything in a shop.

fucken weird rules your place has... my doctor gives me a 1000 in each prescription and 3 boxes of brufen ( 800mg ibuprofen)
over here paracetamol and ibuprofen are both sold in supermarkets they only limits are the boxes are 12 or 24 pill sizes, and all the lemsip varieties are sold in supermarkets too, even the cold n flu tablets

WOW.

I wouldnt bother going back in to apologise, you was bang out of order and the members of staff you shouted out wont want your apology , if you do go back into the store again those staff will definately remember you and won't want to serve you again.

Also as a manager myself I would have 100% backed my team and would certainly not be serving you in seperate transactions either.

fucken weird rules your place has... my doctor gives me a 1000 in each prescription and 3 boxes of brufen ( 800mg ibuprofen)

My GP prescribes me 2 different controlled drugs - should I be able to.buy them in Tesco too?

Of course a doctor can prescribe more or different drugs to the.ones that you can buy OTC , although saying that our GPs have now been stopped from prescribing paracetamol.

Paracetamol is extremely dangerous in overdose - that is why there are rules. Staff are doing their job to protect vulnerable people.
I would phone and apologise - you where out line.
Lemsip is a crock of shite anyway - just squeeze lemon, hot water and honey and take 2 paracetamol - job done.
Hope you all feel better soon - colds are awful!

Does anyone really think this stupid rule prevents someone committing suicide when they're in that frame of mind?

No?

All it actually does is make it a pain in the arse for everyone else.

If I wanted to kill myself I'd use self service tills in 2 separate transactions or go to a different shop, so it wouldn't delay me by much, and it certainly wouldn't change my mind.

It's a ridiculous, 'nanny state' rule that serves no real purpose.

Saying that, your behaviour wasn't great; the staff were just doing their jobs.

@Nottrueatall it has reduced the number of people who have committed Suicide by taking paracetamol. Is that 'no real purpose'?

All retail outlets have this rule. It's a government thing

Btw, the guidelines are actually voluntary (as it says in an earlier link), I'm pretty sure that shops don't have to abide by it, rather that they choose to.