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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU - Tesco and the sale of Hedrin

72 replies

WideWebWitch · 12/11/2010 09:29

I went to Tesco for a newspaper and as the pharmacy is on the way out thought "oh, we've just had a head lice letter from school, I'd better check hair and buy some Hedrin just in case."

The conversation went like this:

Me: Can I have 2 bottles of 1 hour Hedrin please?
Asst: Have you seen live lice?
Me: No
Asst: Then I can't sell it to you
Me: Why?
Asst: Because you need to see live lice
Me: Well, I haven't checked their hair yet but have had a letter home from school
Asst: Well I can't sell it to you then
Me: OK, I've seen live lice
Asst: But you just told me you haven't
Me: Are you seriously not going to sell it to me? It's hardly a controlled drug!
Manager: (who comes over, having heard this) Sell it to her. What she's trying to say is that if you use this all the time they get resistant. Combing through with conditioner works well.
Me: Yes, I am fully aware of that, my son is 13. I have combed through many times over the years. I doubt my children have live lice but we have had a letter home from school so I need to check them and if there are live lice I will need to treat them.

The assistant handed over the Hedrin with a heavy sigh and a stroppy look and demeanour. I handed over £23.

Fucking fuck right fucking OFF was what I was thinking. So:

AIBU? Was she BU?

Interested if this is general Tesco policy - shall I email them to complain? Not that I go in there often but it's Boots for me in future

Do people really mainline Hedrin? I've probably used it 3 times in ten years ish.

All views welcome. Thanks.

OP posts:
Original poster
WideWebWitch · 12/11/2010 10:20

Yep, I make mistakes.

But people who work in customer facing roles really ought to be trained to be professional and polite. And she was neither.

As I said, even if she had been wrong, had she been friendly / polite / professional I wouldn't have minded quite as much.

As it was I left the shop feeling pissed off. I think it's fair enough to expect basic courtesy in a store.

OP posts:
Tortington · 12/11/2010 10:20

complain, its a staff training issue surely.

i think if you tell tesco customer complaints that you were unhappy with the girl, but recognise that she is only telling you - what she herself has been taught.

then she won't get the sack, and everyone should get re-trained in customer skills and take a look at the information they are using wrt products

LilyBolero · 12/11/2010 10:21

thesecondcoming - I used to work in a pharmacy, and tbh, a mistake can be a disaster. For example, selling the wrong strength of aspirin could have bad effects. Forgetting to check if a customer is taking any other medication before selling them certain medicines could have catastrophic results. Pharmacies have a responsibility to get it right.

LilyBolero · 12/11/2010 10:22

I wrote to Boots once after they mis-sold dh some medicine, I outlined precisely what they had got wrong, and what they should have done, they responded really well by saying that I was quite right, and they had scheduled an extra training day for all the staff in that branch to ensure it didn't happen again.

badfairy · 12/11/2010 10:24

secondcoming.......I think the issue here is it is not an isolated incident. It's not a one off "oops sorry I got that wrong" There have been a steady stream of threads recently about supermarket staff that either seem to have got the wrong end of the stick or worse still have completely misunderstood their company policies and then trying to unreasonably enforce their incorrect view.

Original poster
WideWebWitch · 12/11/2010 10:24

It is a staff training issue.

Because:

She was rude and unprofessional
She was wrong
She didn't even read the label
She made an assumption about the product
She left a customer pissed off
That customer is now telling other people she's pissed off (to find out if IABU)
I won't go back
I will continue to do my substantial weekly shop elsewhere
She potentially lost the store a £23 sale
She has cost the pharmacy any future sales of anything, I will go to any other one in future (there isa Boots, a Lloyds, an independent, I do have choice where I live)

And if I was the easily embarrassed type (which I'm not) I would have been embarrassed.

OP posts:
AbsofCroissant · 12/11/2010 10:26

The problem is, IMO, that the role of pharmacists has been downgraded somewhat, by having them in the middle of supermarkets. They're handing out drugs and medicines that can be potentially fatal - the role no longer has the gravitas it used to.

CrazyPlateLady · 12/11/2010 10:29

You can hardly refuse to set foot in Tesco again because of 1 poorly trained shop assistant. Hmm

I think you are being OTT with that.

Original poster
WideWebWitch · 12/11/2010 10:34

Er, I can! I can shop wherever I like!

I don't shop there anyway generally, I just went in for a newspaper. But this has just reminded me why I don't.

OP posts:
badfairy · 12/11/2010 10:38

Err...... I second that Wickedwaterwitch If you don't want to give Tesco your money then don't....can't stand the place myself.

ilovemountains · 12/11/2010 10:40

I tried to buy Hedrin in Boots last week, and was told that "It's very expensive you know, perhaps you should buy a cheaper one?" What! I know I wasn't wearing make-up, but I wasn't dressed in rags...

notso · 12/11/2010 10:41

I have been questioned about seeing live lice at all pharmacies.

I can't quite understand why you would spend £23 on the off chance your DS has lice though, seems a bit excessive but that should be up to you though.

watercress · 12/11/2010 10:44

I'm sure the assistant (and manager) would be upset to know you left feeling she was rude. However, as lily says, pharmacists and pharmacy staff have to be quite cautious in what they do when selling medicines. If the assistant hadn't asked anything, that would have been wrong. And everyone is human - maybe the person before you was a difficult customer and so she didn't appear as professional as she could have done.

My main objection was the outrage expressed at pharmacy staff asking questions of those purchasing medicines. It has to be done to ensure that people are buying products appropriately, and using them properly so they are effective.

I just don't think it's worth this much angst.

badfairy · 12/11/2010 10:49

I don't get outraged about the questions but I do about the attitude.... which once was the preserve of school and medical receptionists! Wink

Original poster
WideWebWitch · 12/11/2010 10:49

I don't mind being asked questions, not at all. I've been asked about Benelyn day and night, about Piriton, about prescriptions - I don't object at all. But there are ways of conveying information and this was a bad way IMO.

Because, as I have explained, she was rude and wrong and I am a grown woman.

It's not "loads of angst" - I'm not hugely upset or wrining my hands or intending to spend all day thinking about it or worrying about it but I was interested to know if I was BU or not and the consensus seems to be not really.

And yes, I have £23 spare to buy Hedrin, don't really see why that's an issue tbh! If they haven't got any lice I'll keep it in the cupboard.

OP posts:
Original poster
WideWebWitch · 12/11/2010 10:50

And gosh at being asked are you sure you want to buy something expensive! She was a sales prevention assistant, clearly!

OP posts:
Original poster
WideWebWitch · 12/11/2010 10:54

Thanks for all these comments though, very useful and interesting.

I'll come back later in case anyone has any other comments but I have to go now as my lovely lovely Ocado shop is about to arrive/.

And in contrast they will be polite and professional, will put the bags on my kitchen table, give me my receipt showing when everything goes out of date, they will have sensible substitutions (if there are any, which often there aren;t) and then they may send an email later asking for feedback on the driver and questioning whether they can do anything to improve their service.

THAT'S how a retailer should treat its customers imo.

OP posts:
GrimmaTheNome · 12/11/2010 10:54

I tried to buy Hedrin in Boots last week, and was told that "It's very expensive you know, perhaps you should buy a cheaper one?"

I thoroughly approve of being offered a cheaper generic. I don't think its done in a 'you look poor' way, just some assistants don't like ripping people off.

ilovemountains · 12/11/2010 10:58

I wouldn't have minded if it had been a cheaper generic one that did the same thing in the same way, that would have been useful! But instead the shop assistant tried to sell me an overnight use one which was £2 cheaper than the fifteen minute use one I wanted. Never mind, I'll dress up next time I enter the pharmacy section of our Boots!

thesecondcoming · 12/11/2010 11:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DamselInDisgrace · 12/11/2010 11:06

I think there are better ways of wording the suggestion that you could buy a (cheaper) generic alternative though.

I absolutely don't mind being questioned or advised about stuff in the pharmacy. That's why I go to the pharmacy in the first place, so they can give me what I actually need and tell me how to use it. I wouldn't mind at all if a pharmacist/assistant told me that I'd be best waiting until I saw live/crawling lice, or explaining that I can achieve the same results by combing. That's their job and I'd see that as a sign that they were doing it.

I do object to being given incorrect information. It's fine with something like nits where no one's going to die, but that's not always the case. I like to feel I can have confidence in my pharmacy to know what they're talking about (as in most cases, I haven't a clue, which is why I'd be asking them in the first place).

I had a great experience with a pharmacist who listened carefully to my description of the symptoms of DS's persistent cough, asked questions, and then refused to sell me anything and directed me to the GP who diagnosed asthma. It'd've been a bit crap if the assistant I'd originally asked had just sold me some cough syrup and sent me on my way, rather than referring me to the pharmacist who then took the time to actually do his job.

LilyBolero · 12/11/2010 11:09

thesecondcoming - she gave wrong information though, which is almost worse than none I think.

Good luck with the email www!

LilyBolero · 12/11/2010 11:13

It is tough sometimes in a pharmacy (I remember very clearly serving an elderly lady who wanted aspirin, I said;
"Which strength aspirin would you like?"
"What?"
"Which strength would you like?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, there are two strengths of aspirin, a stronger one for relieving pain, and a weaker one to be taken daily to thin the blood."
"Listen to me....I am 85 years old and as far as I'm concerned there is only ONE strength of aspirin".
"Ok - what are you planning to use the aspirin for...?"
"What?"
"Is it for headaches, or to take every day."
"I don't need to tell YOU that"
"Erm, actually I do need to know that otherwise I can't sell you it"
"Hmmph. Aspirin is for headaches girl, HEADACHES."
"Ok, you need the stronger strength then. Erm....(at this point I really quaked) - would you like soluble or insolube....?"

But I was taught to be polite, and helpful, and if in doubt, ASK someone senior, and definitely definitely not to give out wrong information. Www you are definitely nbu.

Ormirian · 12/11/2010 11:14

"What she's trying to say is that if you use this all the time they get resistant. "

No it doesn't

What a fuss about nothing.

DamselInDisgrace · 12/11/2010 11:18

Oh, Lily, I can imagine that poor pharmacy assistants have to deal with difficult customers all day long. You must have to develop the patience of a saint!

I pity the poor buggers that have to deal with me attempting to describe or explain things when I haven't a clue what I'm talking about.