I’m a pharmacy technician at a national chain drug store. We are a little short-staffed and I am the only tech working this morning for several hours. I am doing my best to handle the line at the front counter, the line in the drive-thru, and the multiple incoming phone calls. The next tech is due to clock in shortly.

I have just finished helping the last person in the drive-thru, turned around to check that no one was at the front counter, and then picked up one of the three phone calls I had on hold at the moment. Not even a minute into the conversation, with a very nice lady who is inquiring about the shingles vaccine, I hear a woman very loudly behind me.

Customer: *Very rudely* “Umm, hello? You know you’ve got people waiting over here? There’s a line forming!”

I turn around to see the woman glaring at me over the counter and a single elderly gentleman behind her. I respond in my customer service voice.

Me: “Okay, I’ll be with you shortly. I’m on the phone with another patient.”

Customer: “Yeah, I can see that. Why don’t you just tell her no and hang up?!”

The pharmacist steps in, speaking very firmly.

Pharmacist: “Ma’am, she will be with you shortly.”

Customer: *Sarcastically* “Yeah, I got that! Where’s your hydrogen peroxide?!”

The pharmacist tells her where to find it… directly on the wall behind her. I have turned my attention back to the phone call, trying to ignore the lady, whom I can still hear complaining to the elderly man behind her that “apparently, we’re less important than the shingles.” I finish the phone call and go to the counter to finish ringing up the woman, who is also picking up her prescription. I am still in customer service mode.

Me: “Do you have a phone number for rewards?”

Customer: “Oh no, I’m never coming back here again! I only came here because you had the better price for my prescription. But I’m not coming back after this!”

Me: “Okay… have a good day.”

A few minutes after she left, the second tech came in. Apparently, as she was walking back to the pharmacy, the angry customer saw her in her uniform and confronted her, telling her that she needed to hurry up and get back to work because there was a line of people waiting! Still don’t know what line this lady imagined was there. The gentleman behind her was very nice.

Me: “Thank you for calling [Drug Store]; how may I help you?”

Customer: “Hi. I was wondering if you had a medication. I forget what it is called but it is aqua-something.”

Me: “Do you know what kind of medication it is?”

Customer: “When you are sniffling or something. Look it’s called aqua-something and you are a drug store. Don’t you have it?”

I happen to watch a lot of television and I remember a commercial for a new product that just came out.

Me: “Did this product have a commercial with a dolphin in it?”

Customer: “Yes.”

Me: “All right. I believe that what you are looking for is called [Medication] and it is an allergy medication.”

Customer: “Well, that’s basically what I said. I don’t know why you had to ask that question about the dolphin and waste my time. Do you have it in stock?”

Me: “Yes, we do.”

She later came into the store and asked a coworker about a product called aqua-something. My coworker had no idea what she was talking about and I came over to show her. As she was leaving, I heard her complain about how difficult we were making it for her to purchase this product.

(I’m a customer in a popular chain drug store looking at their makeup section when [Old Lady #1] and [Old Lady #2] come looking for lipstick.)

Old Lady #1: “Do they have our lipstick shade here?”

Old Lady #2: “Oh, I hope they do.”

(They look in silence for about two minutes and [Old Lady #1] turns to me.)

Old Lady #1: “Excuse me, young lady? Could you help us find [Lipstick Brand] in [shade]?”

Me: “Oh, of course!”

(I scan the lipsticks and find the shade they need.)

Me: “Here it is! This is the one you needed, right?”

Old Lady #2: “No, no! That’s not it! We got it in a different packaging!”

(One of the employees walks up.)

Employee: “Excuse me, ladies, can I help you find anything?”

(Seeing as they’ve been helped, I slither away to another aisle. I come back when I hear some slight yelling.)

Old Lady #1: “No, you dumb twit! I told you that’s not the package our lipstick comes in!”

Employee: “As I’ve told you, multiple times, this is a new packaging but it’s the exact lipstick you’re looking for.”

Old Lady #2: “What don’t you understand? This is not our lipstick!”

(The employee, visibly irritated, pulls the lipstick out of the package and puts a swatch on her hand.)

Employee: “You see, ladies? This is the exact lipstick shade you needed. Is it not?”

(The two old ladies look rather embarrassed, take the lipstick, and scuttle off.)

Me: “Well, that was a handful.”

Employee: “Tell me about it.”

(I just got off work where my uniform is a blue polo shirt and black dress pants. I walk into a drug store there the uniform definitely isn’t.)

Customer: “Sir, can you help me find the hair dye?”

Me: “Sure.” *looking down at my large logo on my shirt that says, “[Company] Gas Station”* “Come with me.”

Customer: “Oh, thank you so much. I wish more employees were as attentive and helpful as you.”

Me: *confused and amused look* “Sure, no problem. Have a good night.”

(The customer went over to the manager at the checkout and pointed to me, talking and smiling. The manager looked confused at me, and I just shrugged my shoulders.)

(While out of state with my boyfriend, my period suddenly starts. My cramps are bad enough that I can’t get out of bed, so my boyfriend goes to get some things for me. He relays this to me when he gets back to the hotel.)

Boyfriend: *at the checkout* “Just these, please.”

Cashier: “Ugh, pads? Chocolate? Should have sent your girl in.”

Boyfriend: “I would if she was able to stand.”

Cashier: “Ew, just dump her, then. You don’t need to be buying her gross s***.”

Boyfriend: “You mean things she needs? Can you please just ring me out?”

Cashier: “Nope!”

Boyfriend: “Can you get your manager, then? I need to get these and get back to her.”

Cashier: “He’s just gonna tell you the same thing.”

(It takes a minute for the manager to get there.)

Manager: “Sir? What’s the issue?”

Boyfriend: “I’ve got a bleeding, cramping girlfriend back at our hotel and this guy thinks I can’t buy her things to help with it.”

Cashier: “It’s nasty girl s***!”

Manager: “[Cashier], we’ll talk in a minute. Sir, give me just a second.”

(He goes into an aisle and returns with a hot pack. He then scans everything and then types some things into the register.)

Manager: “Your total is [low amount].”

Boyfriend: “Are you sure?”

Manager: “Absolutely.”

(He paid and then practically ran back to the hotel room. Luckily, it didn’t ruin our trip.)