To reply to a rude customer, saying no customers no wages….no workers no benefits

[Isthisfairorwhat]

I felt I was just reply back in the way he spoke to me, mirroring
as we taught to do…..

he was annoyed that he wasn’t attended to instantly
but it’s not the kinda place you can do that instantly
it can take a couple of mins

20 years in a customer facing role here, 'Kill'em with kindness' worked well.

I even had a few apologies from particularly unpleasant people.

Don't be silly OP, you don't mirror the customer.
You sounds either totally burnout or unsuitable for a customer-facing job.

You work on a till in a pharmacy. You're a couple of years from being made redundant like someone who works in a till in a supermarket.

I'd be wary about making comments referencing benefits from that not-very-high horse if I were you.

Our local pharmacy has installed some kind of safe in the outside wall. A bit like amazon lockers. You type in your code and it drops down your medicine. Maybe there’s just someone sitting behind it doing it manually, but it certainly looks like an alternative to your situation.

brw, I’ve never expected to be “greeted” by the pharmacy staff. I say as little as possible in order to not interrupt their train of thought.

One thing though, why do I always have to wait ten minutes even if I’ve come back after the suggested length of time? eg twenty minutes, half an hour.

eta for clarity (I hope)

So he's on sickness benefits? You'd think as a pharmacy worker that would make up a large proportion of your regular customers.

I don't know why you seem to sneer and look down on people who need benefits. You work in a pharmacy. Most people will have at least one health problem else you'd never see them.

With the OPs attitude, a couple of years…?!?! 😂

In our pharmacy we just queue politely and get served when it's our turn.

We don't need to be told they'll be with us as soon as possible as it's obvious.

Do we expect checkout staff to tell us that?

I don't blame you OP. As if he pays your wages! I wouldn't work in customer services though as too many people are just entitled assholes.

How much are you earning in a pharmacy that you think you’re a net contributor? Chances are you’re also taking out more than you put in.

Because if it’s anything like any of my local pharmacies regardless what time you do in there are ten people in the queue. Some have complex questions some just want a pack of over the counter medicine! It’s beyond frustrating standing there for ages. No it does not excuse rudeness but the frustration is very real.

A pharmacy is a business first and foremost. A business needs customers otherwise it will fail. An NHS pharmacist world simply be closed without anyone patronising it.
What others do or don't is their business, how you react is yours

You sound like you're in the wrong job! Empathy is needed in such roles.
You also need to check your posts for spelling and grammar before posting as they are quite difficult to understand.

Well, at least you’re in the right place for some aspirin or Rennies or Anusol to treat whatever’s causing that spicy mood you’re in.

So do you mean the customer said "no customers no wages" and you responded with "no workers no benefits"?
Is that what you meant to say?
Because I'm struggling to figure out what the problem/issue is.

I find it so rude when people do this. In fact sometimes I just leave.

Silly question to ask on a parenting website.

We don't pay your wages. Your boss does, so ask them.

Our pharmacy is often extremely busy……..every prescription has to be made up and checked, that’s the regulated way of dispensing medication safely and correctly. Therefore, there’s often a queue to collect medication or to speak to the pharmacist for advice.
There’s a notice on the counter stating that the staff are not there to be abused or disrespected, any member of the public identified as breaching this request will be asked to leave and allocate an alternative pharmacy to make up their prescriptions.
Yes, we often have to wait but I’d sooner do that than be given the incorrect medication/dosage and based on the fact that I, and many others, don’t pay for prescriptions, a few minutes wait is a small price to pay.

I think calling someone out like that for being on benefits was rude and unprofessional. Yes, your customer was being rude too, but you shouldn't have stooped to his level.

And no, I am not on benefits myself.

Judging from your maturity levels and writing style it seems safe to assume that you’re not the pharmacist, and I doubt you’re earning enough to contribute much - you might even cost more than you put back.
Surely people on sickness benefits must make up a fair proportion of customers in a pharmacy, and you wouldn’t have a job if too many people decided to go elsewhere to collect prescriptions because you’re being a judgmental asshat with a superiority complex because your pharmacy would close?

Which box do you tick if you don't work at all? Is there one for people who don't work and another for those needing benefits because the wages they work for are too low?

I use a service called Pharmacy2U which delivers your meds by Royal Mail as I got tired of long queues and quite often the Pharmacy not having the meds and having to go back for them. You can also order over the counter meds from them. This is the way things are going.

A soft answer turneth away wrath. Proverbs I think.
You are not in a lab dealing with fellow professionals OP.
It is retail, customer facing, you deal with the general public.
Do you want as quiet a shift as possible or are you determined to put the bloody upstart in their place?

Difficult to work out the situation in the pharmacy - were you serving someone else or doing something behind the counter? If the latter then yes, you should have greeted him and explained you'd only be a minute. If the former and he was waiting while you served someone else, then no, you shouldn't have greeted him or even made eye contact - the person you were dealing with should have had your undivided attention and then, when it was his turn, just say 'sorry to keep you waiting.....'. As soon as you make eye contact with someone in the queue they say 'just a quick question.....' and you're tricked into answering and ignoring the person in front of you. Blank everyone except the one you're serving.

Pharmacies are incredibly in-efficient places - back in the day they literally made up prescriptions, now, by in large its stick a label on a factory sealed package.

But the regulations make it sooo in-efficient - for example I always ring ahead to Tesco to check if my prescription is ready, and go to collect, when I get there it is ready, bagged up, but still the pharmacist has to open the package and fucking check it again - its already been fucking checked and stapled in a bag.

And you see why customers get pissed off, because it makes no sense - in most countries the majority of things dispensed on prescription as we do you just go and pick up or the pharmacy assistant sells over the counter.

Its not your fault, its the bonkers system.

Don’t you often find that organisations that put up signs like that know they are providing poor customer service, but rather than address the issue they just take a passive aggressive or threatening stance to people who even think about questioning service levels.

That’s not to excuse the behaviour of some customers, but it’s almost a threat at times. Don’t question us, or we’ll have you thrown out. Often prevalent in council / government / NHS / public transport facilities where people have no choice but to use whatever service provider it is, and where staff know you don’t have a choice and so often don’t bother to provide even the bare minimum of acceptable service. It’s often not the fault of those on the front line, but the managers of the service who get paid regardless and who wilfully understaff or under invest. Because the customers / users have no choice.