To have laughed out loud at this retail worker

[Shmee1988]

Today I went to a highstreet branch for some painkillers. I asked the lady behind the counter if they had some cocodomol. She said 'yes, we have our normal cocodomol and our max strength'. I asked if I was allowed to come and read the box and she said no (behind the counter so fair enough) I then asked if she could please explain the difference between the 2, I obviously meant the difference in strength in the active ingredient. Her honest to God, genuine response was 'yes of course, this one is our max strength version...... and this one ....is not'😂I was so taken aback by the utter ridiculousness of her explanation that I had no idea to respond, I just laughed. Anyone had anything similar or did I just encounter a particularly unknowlegable retail worker ?

I asked to go behind because in my local brach the tills are on little islands. There is one for the perfume counter which you can freely walk behind to look at the boxes. I asked if I was able to look and she said no, with no offering as to let me see the box. Max strength of anything usually has a higher dose of the active ingredient. I truly did believe that the question was obvious. And for the record for all of those assuming I have no experience in this, I also work in customer service and if I'd of given a customer such a stupid response to a question I'd of fully expected to be laughed at.

Yet another thread about people that can't seem to do a normal things like go to a shop and not act weird.

Now what we have here, Mumsnet, is a classic case of a poster backtracking because their thread hasn't gone the way they wanted.

Or the OP could have just asked the question properly.

Not true.

I worked in Cohens chemist for 2 years, I didn't get any dispensary training. Not even in OTC meds.

I was just a basic till girl and was definitely on min wage.

There was talks at interview about courses etc, but never materialised.

Sorry above is in response to this...

That's actually very funny.

I remember ordering a meal in a restaurant once. I asked the waitress if I could have salad with my steak instead of chips, as I don't eat carbs. She said if I'd like a baked potato instead 😋 🤪

I dont remember writing that i laughed in her face. Did I type that without realising? Laugh/giggle/chuckle same thing. It wasn't a berating laugh, it was just funny. She laughed too. God people are so sensitive 🤔

Yes, totally obvious. The sole material reason that there is a maximum strength version of the medication is that the dosage is different.

What were you trying to ascertain with that information though? If she'd have told you 8/500 or 12/500 what did you want to get from that?

I agree. She was polite. You were rude but I expect you posted expecting everyone to endorse what you did

Please explain how I'm backtracking. God, why do people interpret 'laughed' as 'laughed rudely in someone's face'. When I said laughed I meant I literally laughed, like it was funny, not in an insulting way. Jeez. It was just meant to be a funny, light hearted thread at the funny situation. Crikey.

I obviously wanted to know how much grams of codeine was in each one as the normal ones were £3 and the max ones were £10. I wasn't going to pay 3x as much if there was barely any difference and just added caffeine.

100% this

I was laughed at when I worked in shops, pubs etc. on occasion and it was horrible. You have no recourse to reply because "the customer is always right" even if they are a total ass 🙄
I wouldn't dream of asking to go behind the counter in a pharmacy; maybe her hilarious reply was because she was taken aback or she thought you were gonna nick something

Yeah, you don’t come off well in this, OP.

This was not meant to be offensive. This post was light hearted. I didn't laugh in her face, I just laughed because she'd given such a blunt answer to my question.

People are objecting to OP laughing at someone who was just trying their best . Although miraculously, after a few responses, now it was just a chuckle

Weird to ask to go behind counter

You sound like a bully. Laughing in someone’s face like you’re proud of it.

Could you have stepped away from the counter and quickly Googled the difference instead of laughing in someone’s face?

It was boots and not the pharmacy section. It was the bit where they sell the OTC medicine, which is completely separate. Right next to that is the perfume counter and customers are allowed to wonder freely. The medicine was in cabinets so I just wanted to read the box lol

You sound quite unpleasant. I bet she could spell it.

Totally agree. My mum married 'above herself' in the 1930's and her future MIL (a dragon by all accounts) took her to a posh London restaurant for lunch to make sure she knew how to conduct herself. The main thing my mum took away from it was always be considerate and polite to people who wait on/serve you as they are not allowed to stand up for themselves - as her MIL put it, be extra kind to those beneath you!

Very very rude !!!!!!

You've now watered down your thread title to a chuckle.

Ambiguity appears to be the key thing you can take from your day 🙂

I think the question was completely clear, and as a previous worker in retail, i think it's a reasonable one for a staff member to know!

Staff working on the counter in pharmacies are trained for the work they do, and even if she was a standard retail worker, there's a lot of reverse snobbery here from pps being shocked that somone could expect a retail worker to have sense at all.