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 ?

You've really helped me with this post (albeit unintentionally). I had a wisdom tooth removed last Thursday and 8 x 500mg Paracetamol plus 6 x 200mg Ibuprofen per day aren't keeping the pain at bay - inbetween crying I'm wondering if I have the strength to rip my own head off!😭Thanks for your post - DH will be going out early tomorrow to buy me some! 🤗

She thought you were thick.

It's already been explained on this thread that the difference is one is 8mg, and the other 12.8mg.

Nothing to do with caffeine

I would have said "What the fuck do you think the difference is?!". Which is why I don't work in retail.

Given the bad written English skills the OP has (and inability to communicate verbally what she means), she wouldn't be wrong.

As the assistant herself said one was max strength and the other wasn't, surely she was switched on enough to know that the follow up question asking what the difference was actually referred to the strength ? Not a hard conversation to follow

I would be expecting the price difference 70p madam

@ERthree "She really should be able to explain the strength of each tablet, if she can't then working in a pharmacy is beyond her"

There is a difference between working in a pharmacy and being a pharmacist.

And if you've got an English degree then I've got a degree in Pharmacy 😄

when they sell the drug there are safety questions about the useage that she absolutely should be aware of and exemptions of use to be explained. It is a highly addictive drug, that isn’t on her though it is on the store that hasn’t trained her properly.

@ERthree yes and the OP said she didn't even bother to actually give a follow up question and just bought one type and left.
She can't have been that bothered about the difference then.

Yeah but her reply was thick as shit. It's like replying "This is a blue box and this is a red box." Obviously the OP wanted to know the strengths

It's a reasonable question. Max often means it's got added caffeine.

You have a degree in English Language AND Literature (do they even do that as a degree? Or do you have two separate degrees?) and you're writing "I'd of"? And you have the audacity to accuse the woman you laughed at of being an "unknowlegable retail worker", whilst being unable to spell the word "unknowledgeable"?

This thread is the gift that keeps on giving.

But please don't be over-sensitive and get offended, OP, I'm being light-hearted!

I don't know whether or not you were unreasonable, a bit rude perhaps, but the normal one is 8mg codeine and after that you get 10 or 12 mg. Some is with paracetamol and some with Ibuprofen. I have both in my cupboard, Solpadeine Max is quite good (Plus is only 8ng), and Nurofen Plus or the generic version of that.

If you've got a lot of swelling then in boots they also do the ibuprofen and 12.8mg codiene. I've used both of them at different times when the 8mg won't touch it. If you're in agony tonight do you have a pharmacy anywhere nearby that your DH can get to for you because they all do the solpadiene max. Completely empathise, tooth pain is the worst 😊

Yes, it certainly is and the PL (Product Licence) code has to be printed on the boxes so its easy to check one brand with another to ensure you buy the cheapest. My DH buys 16 x 500mg paracetamol for under £1 in Co-op that has the same PL code as a certain well-known brand of the identical product costing more than twice that. It always makes us chuckle when we hear people say "Oh, only N works for me" when the products are identical! 😂

Why laugh at her response when you could just have proceeded to ask her for the exact information you required (the difference in active ingredient)? I guess because that wouldn't be any fun and you’d rather humiliate her. AND start a thread on MN asking for other peoples ‘unknowlegable retail worker’ stories.

Perhaps you don’t understand that you don’t know anything about this person. It could have been her first day on the job. Find some common sense and empathy. Here’s what you do next time: ask for the exact information you require or ask to speak to the pharmacist.

Yes. One is 8mg strength and the stronger is 15mg. (If you want 30 you have to get it on prescription). So she was right. What an odd thing to think you’ve gained the upper hand over

Thank you, that's kind of you. 🤗We've got a couple of local pharmacies so I'll check their closing times now. And yes, I do look like a chipmunk who's stored their nuts in only one side of their face! 🐿😂

It's quite a well known and popular degree choice.

www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/course-listing/english-language-and-literature

@Shmee1988 my dh went to the local casino with his brother for a meal and the steak was awful! he told the waiter and the waiter said he was sorry. hubby reiterated that it was real awful so the waiter said he was really, really sorry!!!

Wonder if the OP did hers at Oxford?

😂 been there too many times to count😅 hopefully you can get some tonight 🤞many a night I've hit Tesco pharmacy in agony 😂

I’d also expect someone with an English A level, never mind degree, to know that an ellipsis is made up of three dots (full stops) not a random number that changes each time it’s typed ;)