Why does Boots gatekeep over the counter medicines?

[Waferbiscuit]

My local Boots has moved all over the counter medicine to behind the counter in the pharmacists section. Items like Nurofen, Calpol or Imodium now have to be obtained by standing in line and requesting it from the pharmacists assistant or pharmacist who then quiz you on need, give instructions for use as if I've never used it before or can't read the label etc. (see photos)

The areas where these items once were available in the main store now are filled with first aid, vitamins and foot files and creams.

The queue at the pharmacy counter is already nuts and all this does is make the queue longer.

Why does Boots do this?

Duty of care? Nanny state?

Concern about customers bulk buying medication?

Genuine concern that staff aren't reading instructions and taking medication properly?

One thing I miss about North America is the easy access to over the counter medicine!

Shoplifting.

Boots these days is awful. Not sure what is going on with them but in our local branch there are hardly any shelves with any products (medicine or not the shelves are bare!) and everything costs 3 x as much as the supermarket. Terrible shop that is focussed on money making well over the customer experience and I think that will be its downfall. Sorry Boots. Just wondering what happened.

Boots has always been expensive it's never been a cheap shop.

Because of abuse and addiction. They’re doing their jobs.

”I hate it when they quiz you about what it’s for. I always say period pain, especially if it’s a man, they often get really flustered at that. Serves them right for asking”. I doubt they do. When I worked there I was given pubic lice in a tissue to inspect and all sorts! Those were the days lol My Saturday job 🫠🤣

Yep, at our local supermarket you can't buy more than one medication containing paracetamol at a time.

You can have 2 paracetamol and 1 ibuprofen it's the paracetamol that you're only allowed two of

According to the government website you can only buy 2 packets of ibuprofen at a time

the pound land packets are within amount regulations my mum gets them and I checked

We have to ask for permission to look at make up in our local Boots now. Not expensive high end makeup either. I just go elsewhere. It's definitely to do with shoplifting which is depressing but no one I know shops there anymore. Who wants to browse for a lipstick with someone loitering with a key or asking what specific colour you want? Madness

It's been this way for years here!

oh that's bad can't even browse no7 !

I wonder why your GP won’t prescribe. I have 2 different types of pain killers and some topical pain relief (diclofenac gel) on repeat prescription for mine. All things I can’t get OTC. It also saves me lots of money as I buy the annual prescription pass, rather than have to keep buying OTC stuff which I’d need a lot of.

Kind of, in high doses it can cause euphoria

https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/over-the-counter-drugs/loperamide-addiction-abuse/

You can gaze longingly through locked glass stands at it

Not where I live.

yeah I suppose they will be taking it by the packet full and not poop for a week!

indoor window shopping 😃

Can I ask, what painkillers does your gp prescribe for regular use? I'm in the same boat, my gp will only give me one prescription for 10 days worth of vitafen (which really works for my arthritis) every 6 months.

Apologies for derailing OP.

Multiple reasons but my DS who was a pharmacist has never been supportive of these things being sold in a supermarket- there are so many interactions you wouldn’t believe it

Shoplifting.

Drugs interaction is possible but you'd have to list all medications you are on - and FIL and Dad are on 8-10 and remembering them all is bloody hard to impossible.

I did in one Boots get told I couldn't have Gaviscon I was pg - it was for pg heart burn and told by MW to do so - also got told I couldn't have hedrin which works by suffocating head lice as I hadn't seen them in my hair only one child's and apparently headlice were developing resistance. I just went to next chemist or went on-line to buy.

Diclofenac and Cocodemol plus the Voltoral Emugel (which is diclofenac in gel form). I did have Naproxen as my NSAID but changed to Diclofenac as that worked better for me. I’ve been told that some people benefit from changing NSAID every so often to maximise effectiveness.

The medicines behind the counter (Pharmacist (P) medicines) require a pharmacist to be present in order to sell them. Its easier to keep them behind the counter at all times on the chance that a pharmacist is not in the store and they cannot be stolen. These include larger sizes and higher strength of General Sales List (GSL) items that are on the shop floor. If you look on the back of the medicine, you will see it is classed as [GSL] or [P].

They are usually classed as [P] if they might be addictive, be abused, or may not be used under certain circumstances/with certain medications.

Oh God yes Boots have gone totally downhill, I refuse to shop there now. Nothing on the shelves, hardly any staff and the staff that are there are grumpy and unfriendly.

They also seem to parrot "you need to see your GP for this" far too often. Drops for a minor eye infection, thrush cream (that I tried to get through buying at the pharmacy because cheaper). I'm sure busy surgery doctors don't appreciate this, surely pharmacists should be helping where they can. Other pharmacies seem to be much better.

This is the case at our local boots and has caused much angst on local Facebook.
to discourage shoplifters apparently.

Another reason to avoid Boots! I loathe that store. There’s never anyone actually manning the medicine counter - they are the most useless staff of any shop I’ve ever encountered!