My pharmacy sends out text messages as a reminder to order refills. You can answer “YES” to have the refill placed or “NO” to opt out. I don’t like the side effects of a certain medication, so my doctor switches me to a new medication. 

Text Message: “REMINDER: Your medication [first three letters] is due for a refill. Reply YES to order a refill or NO to skip.”

Me: “No.”

Text Message: “You have opted out of refilling your medication [first three letters]. If this is an error, please contact [Pharmacy] at [phone number].”

Shortly after, my phone rings with the pharmacy number. 

Me: “Hello?”

Pharmacy Tech #1: “Hi there, this is [Pharmacy Tech #1] at [Pharmacy]. I’m calling in regards to your prescription for [medication #1].”

Me: “Yeah, I just cancelled it. The doctor—”

Pharmacy Tech #1: “Oh, you really shouldn’t. We can go ahead and schedule a refill for you over the phone.”

Me: “No, the doctor said—”

Pharmacy Tech #1: “You need to take your medication as prescribed by your doctor.”

Me: *With a point-blank tone* “And he prescribed switching to [medication #2].”

Pharmacy Tech #1: “Oh.”

I hear the mouse clicking.

Pharmacy Tech #1: “Thank you for your time.”

Ten minutes later, I receive another text. 

Text Message: “REMINDER: Your medication [first three letters] is due for a refill. Reply YES to order a refill or NO to skip.”

This is the first medication again.

Me: “NO.”

Text Message: “You have opted out of refilling your medication [first three letters]. If this is an error, please contact [Pharmacy] at [phone number].”

My phone rings again. It’s the pharmacy … again.

Me: “Hello?”

Pharmacy Tech #2: “Hi there, this is [Pharmacy Tech #2] at [Pharmacy]. I’m calling in regards to your prescription for [medication #1].”

Me: “My doctor switched me to [medication #2]. I just spoke with [Pharmacy Tech #1] and told him all about it.”

Pharmacy Tech #2: “Um… Our system shows you’re due for a refill.”

Me: “I know, but I’m not.”

Pharmacy Tech #2: “I don’t… um… you’re due. We need to schedule your refill.”

Me: “What do I have to do to get out of this loop? My doctor switched my medication. I am not filling [medication #1].”

Pharmacy Tech #2: “But… you’re due.”

Me: “No, thank you. Please remove this medication from my file.”

Pharmacy Tech #2: “Okay.”

Me: “Thank you.”

Ten minutes later, I received a third text for the same medication. I didn’t answer that time and they didn’t call back. When I went to pick up [medication #2], both technicians were there but they didn’t say anything.

It was 7:30, and I’d dropped into my local pharmacy in order to grab a prescription on the way home. I went back to the pharmacy counter and saw a woman hovering around the counter, wearing a mask, so I did as I always do and stayed a safe distance back to wait. She turned to me, immediately, and I realized I was in for something interesting, as she immediately asked me if I was there for a vaccine. I simply replied that I was there to pick up a prescription, and I could tell from the way she turned from me that she was trying to find someone to complain to. Her attitude radiated impatience and a little entitlement, so I was ready for fireworks.

After a moment, a man came around the corner and started talking to the woman; it turned out that he was her husband. He had been looking for something on the shelves and couldn’t find it but was going to check again since they were still waiting; she requested he stay at the counter because he was “better at talking” than she was. He told her to just call for him when the pharmacists got to them and headed back off to go find whatever it was he needed.

She then proceeded to start making “ugh” huffing noises, like she was scoffing at the wait already, but she did it so often there was hardly a second between her scoffing noises. It was like a mini-tantrum to herself. I don’t know how long they’d waited before I arrived, but I had only been there for maybe two minutes, and I’ve been to the pharmacy enough to know their wait times at the counter didn’t tend to be long if there wasn’t a line, so there was almost no way she’d been waiting more than a few minutes before I arrived, as the counter and back half were empty except for a car or two outside.

After another second, the head pharmacist/doctor in charge approached the counter to ask what they needed, and she called for her husband in a clipped tone before starting off anyway without waiting for him to get back to her. 

Woman: “We’re here for our boosters.” 

Doctor: *Not unkindly* “We don’t take walk-ins after 1:00 pm, and we don’t have appointments after 7:00.” 

He could tell they didn’t have an appointment without having to ask, considering the hour, and his tone was mostly confused and a little concerned, like maybe they’d managed to book an appointment anyway and he was about to have to deal with a massive system issue. He was clearly anticipating fallout, either way. The woman opened her mouth, and I could hear the complaint starting in her throat through the half-second of tone she got out.

Then, her husband cut her off, emphatically and in a volume and tone that were almost teacher-voice-like. 

Husband: “No. He is telling us what he can and cannot do.” 

He then turned to the pharmacist and, in a pleasant tone, asked again about walk-in times so he knew when best to come back. The pharmacist walked him through using the app to make an appointment and clarified what vaccine they needed the booster for. The husband seemed almost pointedly pleasant when he talked, like he was making a point to his wife about how you talk to people when you can’t get your way. She didn’t say anything else except to ask what vaccine they had because, apparently, another of the same pharmacy carried the other kind, and when they left, they left quietly and with no further tantrums.

It is just after a state law changes requiring us to record IDs for any and all purchased controlled prescriptions. To comply, a screen now pops up before we can complete the transaction and we cannot bypass it. We can only go back and take the controlled medicine off. Several customers/patients are unhappy with this new law.

Customer #1: *In the drive-thru* “I have never had to show my ID before!”

Me: “It’s a new law, ma’am. Sorry for the inconvenience. I just need to see your driver’s license.”

Customer #1: “I don’t have it! It’s at home! This is stupid! I’ll have to come back!” *Speeds off*

Later, another customer holds their ID at a hard-to-read angle and snatches it back before I have even a hope of a chance of reading the number or expiration date or checking for a hologram.

The customer quickly rattles off the ID number.

Me: “Ma’am, I need to check your ID in full and need to be able to properly read it per the law.”

Customer #2: “I told you my number!”

This goes back and forth for a bit before the no-nonsense manager/head pharmacist walks up.

Manager: “Ma’am, either let us see your ID properly or leave.”

She huffs and holds her ID at the awkward angle again. My manager snatches her ID, holds it in clear eyesight for me so I can enter the required information, and then gives it back.

Customer #2: “How dare you?!”

Manager: “It’s state law, Mrs. [Last Name]! Your total is total. Pay and leave.”

The customer finally complies.

Later, another customer:

Customer #3: “You new here?”

Me: “I’ve been working here about six months, sir. The law went into effect this week. I need to see your ID, please, in order to progress.”

Customer #3: “The h*** you do, white girl!”

I’m white; he is black.

Customer #3: “Get [Coworker] over here!”

[Coworker] happens to be black.

Coworker: “It’s the law, [Customer #3]. We need your ID.”

Customer #3: “You’re my sister and I’m your brother!”

Coworker: “I ain’t related to you! ID or get out of line.”

I work in a mail-order pharmacy. We ship to several different states, but if we don’t take a certain insurance, then we will transfer the prescription to one of our sister locations. I explain to a patient that her prescription has been transferred to our sister location and that they will process it and contact her once it’s ready.

Patient: “I’ve spoken to your location before and given you the shipping and payment information.”

Me: “Yes, ma’am, we have already transferred that information over to them along with your prescription.”

Patient: “Wouldn’t it be easier for you to just transfer the prescription direction to that pharmacy?”

Me: “…” *Head-desk*

I’m really not sure what she thought I was saying the three times that I said, “We have transferred your prescription.”

We have a customer who brings in a twelve-exposure film to our camera man to be processed.

Customer: “How soon will it be back?”

Coworker: “Thursday.”

Customer: “Boy, I’m glad I didn’t bring in a twenty-four- or thirty-six-exposure film, that would take forever to come back!”

Makes sense to me!