To think a pregnancy test is an essential item?

[FluffyKittensinabasket]

I popped to the local pharmacy today. There was a sign on the door saying two customers at any one time. So I waited outside.

A pharmacy assistant came to the door.

“You have to wait outside you know, you can’t just barge in!”

I looked at her, a bit confused. “Yep I know, that’s why I’m waiting here.”

She asked me what I wanted. I said a pregnancy test. She took real umbrage to that. “THAT IS NOT AN ESSENTIAL ITEM! You can pick up a prescription or medication ONLY.”

I just looked at her. “Well I would like to see if I’m pregnant or not, please can I buy one or can I speak to the pharmacist?”

“I’ve just told you no. You shouldn’t be trying to conceive at a time like this anyway.”

I walked away at that point, came home and ordered one on Amazon to arrive tomorrow. I am left dumbstruck by this interaction. I was polite, I stood well back from her, I didn’t raise my voice. But it’s okay to be shouted at now? And being told I shouldn’t have a baby? Very bizarre.

Bet you a tenner they're cheerfully selling Viagra...

Essential items...hmm I wonder what prescriptions and medications the 100 people queuing round the outside of Primark Manchester were picking up this morning.

I brought cotton buds from a pharmacy recently. Just cotton buds. That's non essential as anything.
A pregnancy test is essential IMO.
And she should mind her own business about if you should be "trying" to conceive or not.

Complain immediately, utterly unacceptable.

@GrumpyHoonMain

Our local pharmacy has a sign on the door that because pregnancy tests can be obtained next day from Amazon they will not be stocking them for the foreseable future, then refers to NHS guidance for pregnant women. Perhaps that’s what she meant?

Wow. Some people may not want other people in their house to know they have a pregnancy test. This is so shortsighted.

I would definitely complain. I had a miscarriage recently and due to some retained product had to let my gynaecologist know if I was still having positive tests after a couple of weeks. Her attitude probably would have tipped me over the edge during a very stressful time to be honest.

The thing about buying them on Amazon is particularly depressing. Imagine being a teenage girl who didn't want to tell family reading that sign. Absolutely terrible.

Wow this person needs an official complaint put against them. As others have said they could be speaking to vunerable people! Can you imagine if a frightened teen came for a test and hadn’t told anyone - the first person she had to tell was this woman? Scar her for life! Please please report, people in these roles have a responsibility!

@GrumpyHoonMain I would vote with my feet and not return to that chemist.

There's a million and one reasons why a person might not want/be able to buy a test online. Abuse/DV, teenage girls feeling worried sick, people who don't/can't use the Internet, people who don't want to use Amazon..
Misogynistic and short-sighted.

Out of curiosity do they still sell condoms or Viagra?

Please please report her op this is not ok at all. For one she has no right to make personal comments on other peoples life choices and for many women pregnancy is not a choice. For several other reasons amazon gets delivered. Some women its dangeeous or they simply dont want anyone to know. For another a pregnancy could be dangerous to their health and delaying them getting an abortion. For another thing as a pp mentioned when i had a mc i had to test again 3 weeks later to see if the hormone was gone. If i had been denied an essential test i would have lost my mind.

I'm not a particularly big complainer but I would definitely complain about that. She had no right to treat you like that.

I keep reading about people being shouted at in various places by staff and it's not good.

Jesus. People are crazy right now, make no mistake.

That's shocking.

Just asked my ds who works at a pharmacy and he said of course it's essential.

If this actually happened then you need to complain.

For all she knows, you have underlying medical issues that would require urgent treatment if you became pregnant. A pregnancy test absolutely is ’essential’.

God I went into the pharmacy the other day and bought toothbrush heads and suncream ffs.

That's bizarre. What if you have circumstances that meant you needed to know asap? Medication etc?

I went to a pharmacy today and bought nappy rash cream and some highlighter make up (my eldest has been asking for some for ages.) I could have got the one actually important item elsewhere to be fair. But I needed a particular brand and knew they sold it.

Sometimes people love the power trip I think. Apparently halfway through lockdown someone on a local Facebook page tried to buy some specialist baby formula (not typically available in supermarkets) from our local branch of a big chain pharmacy and was turned away and told it wasn't essential. I'm still baffled by that now. How is the one thing a bottle fed baby needs not essential? If it were me in that situation I would have made a huge complaint.

Went to my local chemist recently

Yep huge sign promoting Viagra, available without prescription !

Honestly what is it about pharmacies during this crisis.

I would be making a complaint OP.

And this is also why I am not such a fan of independent shops. There is somewhat more accountability with chains.

I did notice that my local Superdrug had plenty of pregnancy tests in stock yesterday.

I thought we were beyond the policing essential items but clearly not. So I can go to Primark and buy a non-essential top (because I have 20 in my wardrobe) but I can't have a medically necessary item? Stupid woman.

That is awful, I would definitely complain. I have two local chemists, independent, near me and you can get whatever you want following the rules.

I’d phone the ship up and ask to speak to the manager and see their take on it

I’m sorry, I scrolled down and clicked YABU. You aren’t BU.

Not only was the woman rude and wrong (it’s perfectly ok to ttc right now) but some people need to have pregnancy tests to either confirm a miscarriage is complete or because they need to see their doctor if they don’t wish to continue. Let alone those for whom it’s great news and they need to know to book in with a midwife and potentially start taking certain medication.

Obviously I wouldn’t phone the ship up however I would phone the shop up!

@GrumpyHoonMain

Our local pharmacy has a sign on the door that because pregnancy tests can be obtained next day from Amazon they will not be stocking them for the foreseable future, then refers to NHS guidance for pregnant women. Perhaps that’s what she meant?

This really isn’t okay. Many people cannot or choose not to use Amazon (who have no ethics at all). For victims of DV or younger women, having a pregnancy test delivered is unthinkable.

Also the RCOG guidance says nothing to suggest that women can’t go into shops so this is madness.

I would complain. I'm on meds which aren't safe to take during pregnancy and would need to know asap if I had had a contraception fail. Of course it's an essential item.

"Shouldn't be trying to conceive". Because no woman has ever fallen pregnant without trying, or been raped.

I could order a test on amazon. But it's not safe for all women and girls to do so if they need to hide their sexual activity from someone they live with, or would need to abort in secret if pregnant.

She's not medically trained and shouldn't be dishing out advice.
Women need to confirm they are pregnant for a number of reasons not just TTC.
Sometimes if a woman has miscarried they are advised to do a test by the maternity unit/their GP before doing anything further.
You could have been a rape survivor for all she knew.
Complain to the owner.