Why are (some) pharmacists so grumpy and rude

[bluetongue]

I’m in London on holidays at the moment from Australia and I’m short on some medication I take. According to my Google search this particular medication is available over the counter in Superdrug. I tried a couple of different Superdrugs yesterday and both pharmacists were pretty rude to me. Even after I showed them the relevant page on Superdrug’s own website on my phone they still looked at me like I had two heads and said they’d never come across this before and basically bad luck, try an online doctor for a prescription.

I’ll be honest that I’m not even sure I can even use a UK online doctor as an Australian and this isn’t some obscure drug (it’s Norethisterone). One pharmacy assistant even asked what the medication is for and looked at me like I was crazy when I told her it was for delaying periods. I was polite to these people, I swear.

I’ve come across this a few times in Australia with grumpy pharmacists too. I know part of it is just the whole health system being under huge strain but it’s a shame they can ‘t be more helpful. They are meant to be in a customer service job.

This contrast hugely with the interactions with pharmacists in France. They were extremely helpful and instantly knew what I needed for the issue I had. I can imagine it cuts down on GP and A&E visits there massively.

Nope. In my job if you tried to tell me how to do my job you'd be swiftly escorted out of the room.

I don't find them any different to any other group of people.

It's still prescription only, it's just that they must have a clinic with a prescribing nurse or pharmacist rather than going to a doctor. The articles about these things rarely mention the fine details.

They're human not one entity, some are grumpy and some are not. It's quite challenging to go between checking prescriptions and serving customers to be honest, going from being deep in concentration to perky and cheerful isn't always easy. Personally I'm not really arsed as long as their advice is decent.

The chemist I use is mega busy, has snotty members of the public being unnecessarily rude to them and yet they are always so lovely and helpful. I think it can be a case of the culture of a place runs from the top. If the manager is good and has a good attitude the other staff will follow, and vice versa.

Oh god this thread has me cringing 😬 I'm a hospital pharmacist but have to agree that sometimes I find community pharmacy staff (counter assistants, dispensers and pharmacists) rude whenever I request something. I don't tell them I'm a pharmacist.
I worked for a few years in community before moving to hospital and it was the most stressful, awful few years of my life. Working on my feet all day, dealing with medicines and terrified I give the wrong advice or wrong medicine, chucking shoplifters out, managing the shop, trying to sort out arguments between female staff members, dealing with urgent requests for medicines ugh! It's bringing it all back to me. This was years ago and I think it's even more stressful now that patients perceive GPs more difficult to access so contact the pharmacist first. This is no excuse though as most jobs are stressful!
I'm so glad I work in a hospital now in a big pharmacy team on the clinical wards.

@Ciri Nope. In my job if you tried to tell me how to do my job you'd be swiftly escorted out of the room.

If you were licking your fingers and touching things at the height of the covid pandemic I wouldn't need escorting off the premises, I'd be gone. Yes I know it wasn't you, but why are you supporting such a disgusting thing to be doing, especially when there's an exceptionally contagious virus on the loose. Maybe the pharmacist should have been escorted off the premises if they have so little knowledge of cross-infection!

I can't say that I've noticed that pharmacists are a grumpy group. I try to be polite and they reciprocate.

I'm married to a pharmacist.

He gets shouted at many times a day.

Lots of foot stamping from patients who want things now and pressure.

They have to check lots of things to make sure people don't die and GPs can make errors, which must be flagged up.

You have to have a thick skin as with all public facing roles.

Any Boots Chemists I walk into invariably has Jesus himself behind the counter. I don’t know how I do it but every time there He is (can be a female reincarnation). Last Jesus told me with a big smile that my conjunctivitis might not in fact be conjunctivitis and the way to be sure was to come back and see Him in 5 days, if it hadn’t cleared up by then (me bathing with sterile water meanwhile) then He would give me the eye drops. I am always polite, I never argue, am in my 50s. Taken to sending DH in as he gets whatever we need without any questions asked, but then he doesn’t conjure up Jesus like I do, that’s life though, swings and roundabouts.

Your own link says you have to book a consultation either online or via phone. It doesn't say you can just show up to a store. Maybe they are grumpy because people don't follow even the most basic of instructions.

I work as a counter assistant in a pharmacy. Many people on holiday think they can turn up to the counter for some drugs, because they can at home or have seen something hopeful on line.

The people who do so are often ill, in pain or worried about not having life changing medication.

We try to signpost the right way to go about getting their needs met. It could be an online service, a local private GP or an alternative stop gap medication.

Some will tell us we are wrong (hey ho, we STILL cant just give you drugs without a prescription, except in some very controlled circumstances), some will do the "oh, I'll just go away and die then" talk (helpful). Others are grateful to be helped.

We are sooooooo busy nowadays the shifts pass in a blur. But we still remember the rude customers. (and the lovely ones)

Not all, but I agree. I have a private prescription for a “controlled substance”, anyone would think I’ve been prescribed heroin by some back street dodgy doctor by the way I’ve been treated recently.

It’s so incredibly humiliating to be questioned loudly about reasons for your prescription in a busy pharmacy, only then have to provide ID to confirm my identity. Going by various online forums my experience isn’t isolated. Only issue is if I go to another pharmacy they may not stock my medication.

@Noonesperfect - thank you! Yes I agree it's disgusting. If someone had politely told me not to lick my fingers when getting a customer a bag when working in the shop I would have apologised and taken the advice on board.

Maybe some pharmacists should be doing scientific research instead as they are clearly too important to serve customers

He gets shouted at many times a day. Lots of foot stamping from patients who want things now and pressure.

Yep. That sounds like a typical day for my DD.

I find that I don't have a problem with pharmacists or any kind of retail staff, and I suspect that those who do maybe aren't as polite as they think they are towards them or are quite confrontational. You always get far more out of people if you are nice to them. It is entirely possible to be assertive to get what you want without being rude.

I used to be in a low paid NHS job but it was during the recession and I valued having a job.

I did an admin/reception job and encountered lots of difficult patients. If a patient had politely asked me to not lick my fingers before touching their script I would have apologized and left it at that.

I found that if I was friendly and helpful the patients were less difficult.

I have found some pharmacy staff to be rude but others have been fine. I now have a job I enjoy and I am under stress but I wouldn't get away with being rude to colleagues.

I that pharmacists are highly qualified but part of their role is to provide customer service.

Update to the story is I decided I was happy to do the Boots online doctor thing and went online to sort it. Only problem
is it won’t let me register because I’m Australian and don’t have a UK number. Pharmacy suggested I go to A and E at the hospital around the corner (I kid you not) or a walk in centre.

What a logistical nightmare!

Me, too! I still remember a kind pharmacist who recommended an effective cough syrup when I had tried just about everything.

Thank you, NHS people. I appreciate all of you and your hard work.

That's my experience, too. I honestly cannot think of a group of professionals who are consistenly grumpy.

Customer service and people skills aren't pharmacists strong points. It fascinates me how poor they are at it.

Update number 2. Success.

Superdrig let me register for their online doctor without a phone number.

I went into boots for a prescription at 5. They close at 5:30.

I had a prescription for string anti biotics for my daughter for a uti which we really needed.

She suffers from these and we are waiting for a referral to the hospital.
She is 9.
She's had this uti for three weeks and I was scared it would reach her kidneys.

Pharmacist said we haven't got time to do this prescription and just handed it back. I explained all of this and she shrugged and said they didn't have time for it.

Is that usual practice?

People who walk up to the counter often imagine they are the only person in the queue.

But they probably had half a dozen prescriptions to make up for people told to return at quarter to, the prescriptions to make up ready for the morning delivery, end of life meds which go to the front of any queue, a couple of daily meds people... maybe a booked consultation, morning after pill etc... in the queue ahead of you. They have to close the queue sometime. Would you rather be told to wait til 5.30 and then be told, sorry we're closed now.

No that's fair enough. I understand all of the points you have made thank you.

Maybe I took it too personally which it sounds like I did.

I've seen this pharmacist before for thrush. I've been made to explain why I wanted a thrush treatment before which is fine but I've Been refused a private room when they were available by her to explain as I didn't want to explain in front of a packed shop. I've seen other people treated the same way by the same pharmacist. I've had a couple of what I would say bad experiences with them previously.

I didn't mention any of this before because I just wanted to see it this was standard. It's not a drip feed.

I will just use another chemist where possible now I think and avoid her.

@BeyondMyWits also I didn't. Just walk up either. I was in a queue of one person in front of me.