Thought Provoking Comment

Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as Management, Me being a dick, True Story, Work Sucks

I got this recently from the Quilt Lady — who is a long-time reader:

Hey TAP,
I endured a gruesome 14 hour shift Friday, the worst coming from a female customer who DEMANDED that I price match her 90 VICODIN to $6.00 because the pharmacy mgr said he would. It’s against my better judgment to PM controls, but this woman was incorrigible so I said I would call another pharmacy to check their price ($12.49). She DEMANDED to speak to the store mgr. (obviously she thought he would overrule me), and I smiled and called him to the pharmacy. When she got done complaining about me and my attitude, the store mgr. TOLD ME TO FILL THE Rx FOR $6.00. I explained the rules… but an argument ensued between he and I. He convinced the woman to just buy the Rx for $12.49 and come back when the pharmacy mgr was on duty. HE THEN APOLOGIZED TO HER FOR MY ATTITUDE. I was dumbfounded!
My reason for writing is this… I would like to ask you to run a poll on price matching, especially on controlled substances. I want to know how my fellow colleagues across the nation feel about this practice.
You don’t see Physicians and Attorneys price matching… why should Pharmacists?

This goes right along with the shit that I and Pharmacy Mike have been raising hell about of late — having your nuts taken away by upper management with no control over pharmacy or knowledge of pharmacy law. I’m glad I don’t have any issues like that to deal with anymore…If I did, I’d throw my weight around and they would cease to exist. Who do you think a company is going to want to keep more, a pharmacist or a manager that can be replaced with any other person with decent experience in the store? Pharmacists are too hard to come by — especially in my area. The problem would be gone soon.

If I were you Quilt Lady, I would have completely lost my shit on the store manager…laid it all out there about how s/he had completely removed all your authority in a situation where the manager had none, given positive feedback to this “I want to see your manager” bullshit that Americans pull every day to get their way, and apologized for something you didn’t do (and wouldn’t be sorry for even if you did). I would have asked him/her why he thinks that’s necessary, where he got his authority over my pharmacy, and when he was going to give me the $7 he cost my pharmacy. He’d tell me he was calling my DM and tell him I was rude. I’d tell him I’m not being rude, he’s just an insignificant piece of shit when it comes to my pharmacy. Problem solved.

Tell your manager to go suck on a pork sword…I put up a poll for you - we’ll see how it turns out…hopefully, we can get a good turnout on it - New Years Resolutions didn’t turn out so great…

Tip: When some asshat calls upper management on me. I get the ear of the manager first. The walk to the pharmacy, I interrupt the patient and pull the manager into the pharmacy and into my bathroom. I tell the manager the entire story. I tell her why I am right, what the patient is going to say, and why they are wrong based on ethics and the LAW. I tell the manager that s/he has no say in the matter and the case is closed. However, to appease the person, s/he may give her a gift card or something, but that will come out the manager’s bonus should they wish to do that. They’ll do it the first time — but as that shit continues and the positive feedback is given to the manager-calling-customer, it also gives negative feedback to the manager. Eventually, a balance is reached. The balance is that the manager will butt-the-fuck out and let me run my own fucking pharmacy like the law, my company, and God herself intended…

I’m really easy to get along with once people learn to worship me….:-D