Trying to buy painkillers

[Sterristripoff]

DP and DS have a stinking cold so I was sent to the local shop to buy painkillers this afternoon. Tried to buy ibuprofen, calpol and lemsip. I was told by the lady on the checkout that store policy was to limit to 2 packs of painkillers per customer. So I left the lemsip and paid for my items.

Phoned DP on the way home who said he really needed the lemsip and asked if I could go back to buy some.

I went back into the store paid at a different checkout. The girl on the first checkout saw me and started talking about how what I had done was illegal and she would have to inform the manager.

Now I’m worried. I normally would have just gone into the pharmacy but it was closed today and DP is being a total baby about his cold.

You haven't broken the law FFS. If anyone has, they have for selling you the stuff so it would hardly be in her interest to dob checkout staff in.

Also the restriction is that in paracetamol. No more than 32 tablets or equivalent at a time. The ibuprofen is irrelevant. If the supermarket includes ibuprofen in their policy that's their decision, not the law.

Just ignore the jobsworth. You've done nothing wrong.

Ignore them. It's illegal for them to sell it, not for you to buy it.

They said it was to due with coronavirus stockpiling not the rules on paracetamol when I queried it the first time.

It's not even illegal to sell ibuprofen, lemsip and calpol together. Provided the total paracetamol didn't exceed 32 tablets worth.

The checkout woman was clearly being ridiculous - you’ve absolutely nothing to worry about! Yes, the two packs of painkillers limit is a thing, but it’s one extra pack of Lemsip, FFS! Sounds like she was just one of those irritating and slightly dim over-officious types.

So it's store policy then! Nothing to do with the law. Jeez. Report HER to the manager for being a twat.

She's being a jobsworth.

Calpol and lemsip are the the two paracetamol products but yea, she was being silly.

Oh just ignore them, some people just love the power no matter how small.

It's irritating but please bear in mind that suicide by paracetamol is probably one of the most horrific methods out there and, while it doesn't stop the most determined, it has reduced the numbers of overdoses since purchase limits were introduced.

DD (22) was refused paracetamol at Sainsbury's because she looked under 18 and didn't have ID.
DH went in to buy it for her but they wouldn't sell it to him because they suspected he would give it to DD.
He pointed out that she had the headache, not him, and that it's suitable from age 12+, but they wouldn't let him buy it.

Im so glad I can buy 500 Acetaminophen at a time. What a ridiculous law

@Gronkey it takes hundreds of pills to die of Acetaminophen poisoning

What are you worried about?

We bought nurofen and paracetamol together last week and were questioned, we just said it was on the advice of the hospital and they let us buy it, we weren't questioned today though,

The checkout girl was ott. Why are you worried?

Leaannb are they weaker in your location? I asked because of your use of 'acetaminophen' rather than 'paracetamol'. They're 500mg here, meaning (roughly) 20-30 could be fatal.

@Leaannb actually you can die from 20 paracetamol.
It's very toxic. If you take hundreds you're more likely to be sick- which can save your life.

I think OP is annoyed, rather than worried.
Last week (before this all kicked off) I spotted a 3 for £1 offer on paracetamol in a pound shop. I use paracetamol as a base for stronger painkillers every day, but find most shops won't sell more than two of any type of painkiller together, whether the purchase includes Calpol, ibuprofen or whatever. It's a PITA to get enough so that I don't need to keep trundling back all the time. So I was interested to see what would happen at the till with 3 x 16 paracetamol. In fact, other than the usual checking I appeared over 25, the purchase went through with no issues.
I looked it up when I got home, and it seems that stores are allowed to sell up to six packs at a time, though most restrict it to two as a matter of store policy. Which is probably just as well in current circumstances.

I really wouldn't worry - it isn't illegal. Someone I know was stopped buying a box of iboprofen, a box of paracetomol and a tube of iboprofen gel. She was like "What am I going to do? Squirt the gel into my mouth?"

*Sorry, I see OP is worried. Nothing to worry about anyway, OP>

Someone I know was stopped buying a box of iboprofen, a box of paracetomol and a tube of iboprofen gel. She was like "What am I going to do? Squirt the gel into my mouth?

What does she think happens to the gel when she rubs it on her skin ?

Lemsip isn't just a lemon drink, most varieties of it contain paracetamol amongst other medications so she was right the first time, people have died taking too much paracetamol as they didn't realise lemsip and other similar items contained it and so took too much, it takes a lot less than you think!
The 2nd time you went in she should just have discreetly called the manager who may have refused the sale as only pharmacists can ignore the 2 packet rule in certain cases, nothing Ng will come of it though, just stick to the 2 pack rule in future and read every box!

It’s not a ridiculous law though, it was brought in to try and reduce the accidental deaths.

Don't worry OP, I think that the drug sqad have better thing to do than than hounding decent peoplewho have a headache.