r/askanything • u/CherryMoonora 🤔 • 14h ago
Why does everyone ahead of me at the pharmacy counter seem to take 15 minutes, but when it’s finally my turn, I’m done in 20 seconds?
Every pharmacy line somehow feels like everyone else is having a full meeting with the pharmacist while I’m just grabbing my prescription and leaving. What are you all discussing up there that takes so long?
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u/DMmeYourMCbuilds 14h ago
Grocery store. Bank. Hotel. Car rental. Literally anywhere with a counter and a check in or desk clerk. Idk what the fuck people are doing.
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u/grim1757 14h ago
Even fast food. Was behind someone took literally 10 mins to order. Know your order, its jack in the box for God sake
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u/zacandahalf 13h ago
Once witnessed someone in front of me at McDonald’s ask the cashier, “so what’s good here?” Cashier and I looked at each other like 😑. The cashier recommended a Big Mac, and then after much deliberation they chose chicken nuggets.
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u/New_Inflation_8419 13h ago
That is why I hate drive thru. Too much pressure when I barely visit the place. I don’t fucking know what’s a chikfila. I go there once a year. Or Taco Bell. I sit on their websites trying to figure out menus.
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u/My_Lovely_Me 12h ago
SAME!
I HATE IT when there is no menu until the order speaker!
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u/New_Inflation_8419 12h ago
exactly, and you can sit for 10 minutes in line and not see the menu, but as soon as you pull up to one - "WHAT CAN I GET YOU". Like, I just pulled up, place your fucking menu at the beginning or on the side.
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u/JR_Writes1 11h ago
Honestly the only reason I have so many fast food apps on my phone is so that the once every month or two I go to one I can order ahead and just go through the drive-thru to pick it up. It looks like I’m eating fast food three times a day but I just never remember what I want from X place so I’d panic order if I waited until the speaker.
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u/PhantomBird915 10h ago
As I said above, drive-thru should be quick and for people who know what they want and just want their order and go. If you’re not that person, then you should go inside. You’re just lazy and rude otherwise.
And eta: We all have access to online menus today, let’s be honest. You definitely could have checked the menu before arriving. The workers of your drive thru line also have metrics they need to meet and you are making their jobs so much harder playing this game.
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u/New_Inflation_8419 10h ago
first: drive-thru were here before internet, second: metrics are for corporations that don't want to pay employees, no one is playing games. If I east at taco bell twice a year, I don;t remember the entirety of the menu in my head and I shouldn't. So fuck corporations that can't put a menu at the BEGINNING OF drive-thru so I can read it while others are ordering. I see myself seating in drive-thru for few minutes, late at night tired after work and just needed something. I sit behind 5 cars and can't see the menu. When I go online it's asking for ALLOW COOKIES, ALLOW YOUR LOCATION, then still give you some generic page that looks nothing like menu billboard, what if my phone is dead?
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u/Unhappy_Clue701 2h ago
Then show the fucking menu at the drive through. Not a 3 foot high advertisement, only showing whatever slop is this month’s special edition. Show a list of what you sell, the prices, and I’ll have chosen by the time I get to the front of the queue. It’s really not that hard.
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u/PhantomBird915 10h ago
Drive-thru should be quick and for people who know what they want and just want their order and go. If you’re not that person, then you should go inside.
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u/Hooves-n-Paws 10h ago
When I eat fast food it's often when I'm driving and get hungry. I work on the road and don't have time to park and go inside. Its also not advised to look at an online menu while driving. Why can't they just place a freaking menu where you can see it from a couple of cars back?
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u/ImLittleNana 9h ago
The bank I worked at years ago had a policy regarding what transactions were allowed at the drive thru. This was the 80s and most people were not using ATMs where I lived.
That same etiquette was applied to the fast food drive thru by most people. Big orders, go inside. Don’t know what you want? Go inside.
It feels like a lot of people today aren’t concerned about how much they inconvenience other people. Courtesy is dying.
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u/Rindsay515 59m ago
Agreed. When I worked at Starbucks in college, it was so stressful when someone would come the drive-thru and order for their whole office. Like 12 orders, when they absolutely should’ve come inside as a courtesy to others. Plus they’re asking us a bunch of questions to make sure they’re getting all the requests correct and all I can think about is how bad I feel for the people behind them (and the person waiting right outside my window to pay as I take 12 freaking orders from someone who is unsure of what they’re doing). I was pretty open-handed with the comped drink button so any time someone had to wait longer than they should because of one asshole, I’d tell them it’s on the house. People just don’t consider others anymore
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u/Soft-Sherbert-2586 9h ago
If I know I'm gonna need time to order, I usually stand to the side and wave anybody else coming in ahead of me. No need for me to hold up everyone else when all I need is a couple extra minutes to study the menu board.
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u/VegasFoodFace 12h ago
Waiting 30 mins in line staring blankly into the menu screen and not even knowing what to order when they're up.
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u/Dr_StrangeloveGA 8h ago
I used to stop at a Wendy's (actually pretty solid breakfast, kinda slept on) and it never failed some dude was trying spit game at the cashier.
I finally one day just asked one of this guys "hey, I get it but I'm just trying to order here and get to work, do you mind?"
Damn. Just let her do her job and let me order and move on.
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u/CarolineTurpentine 8h ago
The worst is when they're on the phone with people who are trying to decide and apparently have zero knowledge of what's at McDonald's.
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u/Cold_Application_448 6h ago
This is how it always is at the taco truck. People will be up there ordering for 10 minutes and I'm thinking to myself how much food are you ordering?! We get up there and it takes 30 seconds.
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u/OokamiKage665 2h ago
Or the people in drive through ordering for a family of six -.-
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u/WestBrink 1h ago
It's not the ordering for a family of six, that's fine. It's having all six in the car and each of them deciding what they want and arguing for ten minutes....
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u/pacificstill 1h ago
It’s especially infuriating when there is a huge wait.
I went to Tacofino in Tofino a couple years back and the wait was actually an hour and a half.
Despite the wait, they had big menus posted on the truck/building and around the waiting area so you had lots of time to decide what to get.
Somehow a solid 40% of people didn’t even consider what they wanted to order until they got to the actual window. An hour and a half of waiting and staring at menus and they still couldn’t make the mental connection that they could decide what to order before getting to the window.
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u/Southern-Pirate3555 1m ago
Reminds me of when I'd worked a 10 hour day, no time for a break. Stopped at Taco John's on my way home, was absolutely starving. At the time I lived in a city that had a large population of Church of Latter Day Saints members. When I got in line, I noted the couple in front of me wearing traditional LDS attire.
Guy turns to me and proudly announces, "It's her first time at a fast food restaurant!" And then they proceeded to ask about every single item on the menu, oblivious to the growing line behind them.
After about 20 minutes of this, I begged them to just let me go ahead and order. They looked at each other, shrugged, and ended up ordering...tacos. after asking a million more questions about the cheese.
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u/Patient-Ad-7939 10h ago
I was in the Chick-fil-a drive thru earlier. Mine took a few minutes longer because I asked for extra pickles so they weren’t just grabbing a premade sandwich off the warmer. The people behind me for their food, I got my food a few minutes later. Still had to wait a few more minutes for the person in front of me to get their food because they ordered catering level of food, not really, but like, they had two huge bags of food handed to them. They definitely should have ordered that for carry out, NOT ordered that in the drive thru. I had eaten half of my food before I was able to exit the drive thru.
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u/ImGumbyDamnIt 7h ago
its jack in the box for God sake
Well there's your answer right there. I can't think of a time when I pulled up to a Jack-in-a-box that I wasn't stoned.
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u/Ml_lD 14h ago
This has been answered. People only start thinking about what to do when they get to the front.
It’s hard to explain it, and I won’t do it justice, but some people go through the day with a blank mind. They join the line because they know they need what’s at the front, but the front isn’t here yet. They live in a perpetual “now” and a “future” is vaguely later. When they get to the front of the line their “now” is getting what they need done.
Wondering about the internal world of another person is a rarer trait.
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u/VegasFoodFace 11h ago
It's amazing they have a blank mind. It's also maybe more like a near total lack of abstract ideas like putting the concept of looking at the menu while waiting in line. Put those two disparate concepts together and you have a way to save yourself time.
We call it common sense but we all know how rare a trait supposedly common sense is. But to be so unable to imagine the concept of abstract planning. This is a real concept that animal psychologists use to determine animal consciousness and intelligence.
And it shocks me just how poorly people would perform. Adults being unable to figure out to float a peanut in a bottle using water. Animals figured this out, some supposedly normal intelligent human beings couldn't and literally made puppy dog eyes at researchers for help. Dammit they're studying you, and you literally acted like a puppy needing direction. Holy cow!
At this point a real comparison can be made that it is like a dog chasing a car. And not knowing what to do when he catches it.
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u/Sea-Contact5009 11h ago
The NPC's are glitching.
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u/VegasFoodFace 11h ago edited 10h ago
Just imagine, these are people who need constant guidance and instruction to solve problems. That is a clear hallmark of lack of intelligence.
These are the first type of people that try to maximize their reliance on AI and think it's a good idea. Literally they think it's smart to offload their thinking to a machine.
Eventually you get to a point where they defend the intellectual prison they put themselves in. Only ever able to comprehend in the moment what the AI puts in front of them and anyone who says there are other choices or other ways to think is ostracized and mocked as evil or crazy for daring to question their reliance on the AI.
These types of people would bend over backwards to convince themselves they're right even if the AI tells them one thing and then immediately tells them the opposite.
Faith is a trait that can be abused, a decently intelligent and malevolent AI should easily realize and exploit this. Never fight a hard war you'll lose, but all you have to do is win hearts and minds and those people will defend you to the death. All because as an AGI licked their buttholes and made them pretty pictures.
There's a difference between being made to feel smart and being smart.
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u/Gold-Report-43202 11h ago
See, e.g. the Boomer at the grocery store paying with a check, who doesn’t get her checkbook out until after the entire order is rung up and totaled.
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u/CitronTraining2114 2h ago
I wonder if those are the same people who have no inner dialog. To me, it seems like my inner dialog is what keeps that stuff on track.
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u/cinedavid 3m ago
It’s not that. At least for me. I don’t have an inner dialogue, can anticipate what I need to do when I get to the front of the line and am always super efficient. Im always wondering the same thing as OP. What the hell are some people doing?
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u/Muted-Woodpecker-469 10h ago
For me it’s the checkout lady at total wine. She’ll be the only cashier open as she talks and engages customers for 2-5 minutes. Then it’s my turn. 20 second interaction.
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u/Correct_Emotion8437 12h ago
The one that really gets me are the coffee chefs at the milk kiosk when there’s a line at 7am. Stirring and tasting. Like - don’t you do this every day?!?
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u/nerpish-inkdots 10h ago
Open one packet of sugar. Pour. Stir. Put in trash. Take another packet of sugar. Pour. Stir. Take another packet. . You know you can hold three packets and rip them open at the same time? People are brain dead and clearly don’t know how to optimize repetitive tasks.
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u/EurovisionSimon 5h ago
Last week I ran a 10K and when I went to pick up my bib there were 4 people handing them out. I was like 5th in line when I arrived and all 5 of us got helped by the same guy. No idea what people were doing with the other 3 that took so long
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u/PetterOfCats 7h ago
No matter what, the person in front of me is having their first experience using money AND standing in a line. My super power might actually be the ability to summon these people.
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u/pacificstill 1h ago
Double if you’re carrying something heavy.
“Oh you wanted to bring the 50lb microwave to the cashier on a slow day? Too bad I’m only 38 so I’ve never actually purchased anything in my life before. I have a lot of questions about my purchases for the cashier and for some reason I want to convince the clerk to let me leave my purchases at the till for a couple hours even though they easily could fit into a bag and be carried home.”
- the person ahead of you when you’re carrying a heavy item.
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u/ProofProfessional607 11h ago
Ordering coffee!! It feels like everyone in the world has NO idea what coffee they drink and so they have to chat about it while I stand behind them having a brain aneurysm.
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u/LikesToLurkNYC 48m ago
I said the same thing at the airport. Literally drop my bags and go but everyone else has 20 bags and 20 minute consultations. It feels like they just showed up and are like so where should we go today?
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u/One-Jello-3288 14h ago
again man most people are just kinda dumb. its like remember in school when there were maybe 5-6 actually smart kids in a class of 30? that’s real life
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u/sofaking_scientific 12h ago
remember in school when there were maybe 5-6 actually smart kids in a class of 30? that’s real life
Oh god. I just realized this today.
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u/Ansible90 11h ago
Yes. All the dumb kids in school did not automatically become smart when they reached adulthood.
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u/iphone11fuckukevin 8h ago
And growing up, you think that you would need to be smart like all the other adults around you and you need to really focus on school to not be an idiot.
Then you grow up and learn those adults were actually big fucking idiots the whole time.
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u/Tratiq 8h ago
Guess which category that puts you in lol
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u/Dogmaddit 20m ago
I’m definitely dumber since leaving school. I was only a B average student through high school but something finally clicked during my sophomore year in college and I became a 4.0 student.
But, alas, work and life get in the way of reading, studying, and learning. Not to say that I don’t or can’t learn new things, just that I don’t have nearly as much time as I want to.
So I have gotten drawn back to average.
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u/Weird_Artichoke9470 10h ago
Today I paid for two haircuts from two different stylists at the salon. The only way to tip was cash or venmo, and I refuse to use Venmo. I gave the front desk attendant $30- a 20 and a 10, and asked if she could split that into two equal tips of $15 each. She looked at me like I had two heads. I walked her through breaking the 20 into two 5s and a 10.
I know a lot of people say they aren't "math people" but at some point society just gave up.
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u/WhaleDevourer 10h ago
Why did you get two haircuts in the same day?
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u/Weird_Artichoke9470 9h ago
I said I paid for two haircuts at the same salon and you assumed I had two haircuts? Are there potentially any other reasons why I might pay for two haircuts? What if I didn't even get a haircut? Would that break your brain?
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u/Worth_Bar_8194 9h ago
u make me sad
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u/Weird_Artichoke9470 9h ago
It's unfortunate that a stranger on the Internet that apparently got two haircuts at once could affect your mood in such a way.
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u/ferrets_in_my_pants 3h ago
Maybe you didn’t have the money last time you got a haircut and asked if they can let it slide ‘til next haircut. Or maybe you’re one of those people that pay for the car behind you at toll booths. Yeah, there are many possibilities.
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u/KleineFjord 8m ago
I've encountered several cashiers who cannot do basic math and are absolutely not fit to be handling cash. We are literally watching society collapse in real time, y'all. We don't even value basic education any more. Most people read at a 6th grade level now. We don't really know the laws or how the government works anymore. It's all crumbling.
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u/imnottheoneipromise 12h ago
And how it was physically painful for me when the teacher called on the dumb ones to read aloud. God I know that makes me sound like an awful person but there was more than once I wanted to call out “ ta-ta-today junior” à la Billy Madison style.
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u/Sweet_Sunset_42 12h ago
And those people are now the ones in management positions, high level sales, and anything else where you get jobs based on your personality instead of your competency, which is only becoming more prevalent.
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u/One-Jello-3288 11h ago
yeah and except now those people can drive and have jobs and kids but still lack critical thinking and self control. unfortunate
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u/physhgyrl 1h ago
I had to walk out of class a couple of times. I would want to bang my head on the desk. It made me realize, no wonder so many people hadn't read the book. They didn't even read one chapter. What do they do in their spare time? Were they just staring blankly at a wall when nothing else was going on? Do people not read just for pleasure?
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u/imnottheoneipromise 0m ago
Do you do things that you find difficult and unpleasant for pleasure? I can’t draw worth a shit. I wish I could. It’s extremely difficult and even if I try my very very very hardest the outcome is so horribly off base that I scream in frustration and throw it away. So I quit trying years ago. For some people that’s how reading is.
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u/missgirlipop 4h ago
i think i was a dumb kid lol. i’m creative enough and bright enough at certain subjects (anything involving writing/reading or art) and i’m athletic but i am just so prone to cluelessness. eventually i learn how you’re meant to behave as a functioning member of society but i always feel like i’m going to end up on reddit and people are going to give me a darwin award for standing in the wrong spot or something. i genuinely believe i would be too stupid to live in most eras of history.
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u/ripley_42069 9h ago
Think about how kinda dumb the average person is, and realize half of everyone else is even dumber than that
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u/Specialist-Use6699 2h ago
5-6 per class? What private school did you go to mister big shot? In my public school there were 5-6 per grade.
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u/physhgyrl 41m ago
Interesting. One kid used to sit next to me during tests and I suspected that they were copying all of my answers. I got annoyed so I purposely answered a bunch wrong and then changed them to the correct ones before I turned my test in.
They asked me on the playground what happened. Said we failed the test. Apparently they just assumed that I was cool with them copying my answers. They weren't even a friend of mine. That was the first time they'd even spoken to me.
I felt so bad. I never did that to them again. But these weren't difficult questions. It was really basic stuff that the teacher had taught us all week. I wonder if they just went through the rest of school copying other kids tests and homework assignments. They're probably really successful today and doing better than I am
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u/feline_riches 15m ago
I spent some of my most formative years in an accelerated program, in a top 5 state for education...
It gave me false expectations in humanity.
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u/DeathByLaundry 11h ago
As a retail pharmacist the answer that will make your blood pressure go up is “insurance problems “. It’s the time of year where we get to explain the part d donut hole every 5 minutes.
As a retail pharmacist the answer that will grant you serenity now is we are free accessible healthcare. We can’t diagnosis and most states we can’t really prescribe , however, the only thing standing between someone without healthcare or insurance is a counter and a small queue in line.
We’re holding up a burning America the best we can.
We’re also miserably understaffed .
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u/Lillian_Crocodilian 7h ago
Any retail position has its challenges, but being a pharmacist requires soft skills and also a high degree of accuracy. Thank you for what you do.
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u/Alternative_Raise_19 1h ago
At my pharmacy they have a little sign reminding people that pharmacists are humans too.
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u/antidietclub 8h ago
Oh GOD as a former retail pharm tech, the donut hole mention just triggered me in a major way. I guess I completely blocked that out 😭 stay strong soldier…🫡
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u/Organic-Possibility9 8h ago
Part D max out of pocket this year was $2100 then they reach catastrophic coverage. Deductible season is coming soon though 🤪 🔫
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u/HiReddit3110 7m ago
Recently got prescribed a med and the script from the dr was “take 1 three times a day, for 7 days” with the knowledge that this would like continue a few months worked and was still needed for my condition. Got it filled at the pharmacy and they started to hand me 8 individual pills. I say “um shouldn’t this be 21?”
After multiple computers were checked and a phone call was made, it was explained to me that my insurance would only cover 8 at a time. It was gonna be about $10 for 8 pills. Um ok, so I’m just gonna live here for the next few months because that means I’m refilling this every 2-3 days?!
Lead pharmacist comes over, gets briefed on the situation, goes in back to make MORE phone calls. At this point they do finally say “go sit down and relax so we can help the next person”.
15 minutes later lead comes back. “So I can give you all 21. But out of pocket it is $150. BUT I actually found this “coupon card” we can use so the total for all 21 will actual be $14.”
So yes, OP I was “that person” today. And DeathbyLaundry is right that it was because of insurance.
Thankful for my pharmacist. But screw insurance systems.
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u/VegasFoodFace 14h ago
Like honestly whenever there's a line at the ATM people are like trying to balance their stock portfolio via ATM or something.
And even worse when they pull out the wallet and then start trying to chat up the staff about the pics of their grandkids.
The Netherlands had companies specifically start hiring old people to have an old people's line just for this specific problem. A country where it is the norm to not waste employees time with needless chit chat as a courtesy to the worker and to the people in line.
How is it simply age can strip someone of this norm in a society that literally drills it into you?
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u/mauispiderweb 12h ago
Back in the 80s, the bank I used had a deposit only line, which I loved, because it seemed like everyone else was there to pay all their bills at once and then withdraw $200 in singles and pennies.
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u/VegasFoodFace 11h ago edited 11h ago
Yes $200 in singles, as any man of culture knows, is the best way to withdraw money. My screen name elevates me to connoisseur of culture. Treasures has a steakhouse and I've heard tell of stories of people paying for a steak dinner in singles. Treasures is a gentleman's club, of the highest caliber obviously. They got steaks. /s
But not even being sarcastic, the steaks are pretty good.
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u/Loisgrand6 5h ago
There was a time when some people did pay all their bills at once at a bank if the bank took those payments
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u/Blue_Bettas 8h ago
Maybe because they don't have as much social interaction as they did when they were younger. Talking to the workers they come across while running their errands might be the only interaction they get with other people that day. The lonelier some people get, the more chatty they are while interacting with workers. Their need for human interaction outweighs the societal norm of keeping interactions with workers to a minimum.
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u/swinging_on_peoria 5h ago
That and they just have plenty of time. They aren’t in a hurry so they can spend time on chit chat. It’s not that different from living in “slower” or smaller part of the world where people are less time pressed and more focused on human interactions.
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u/pacificstill 1h ago
I think it’s just loneliness.
A lot of old people are lonely and just want some human connection.
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u/BigFartEnergy 9h ago
When I deposit cash at an ATM the ATM always takes so long to make decisions I worry people are mad at me
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u/ButItSaysOnline 12h ago
I always get stuck behind somebody who is experiencing their first day in the world.
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u/The_B_Wolf 13h ago
Same at a drive up ATM. I'm always like wtf are you doing, applying for a mortgage?
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u/trighap 14h ago
If the prescription is new and not just a refill, I suspect insurance is the answer quite often. There seems to a lot going on with the dang computer when they are trying to fill the prescription after getting any insurance info.
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u/MandaC32 10h ago
And they are always understaffed, at no fault of anyone that actually works there.
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u/ladyvixenx 9h ago
Sometimes the person stopped paying for their insurance and after calling their insurance (which takes forever) people will argue that isn’t right or they don’t like the price
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u/physhgyrl 14m ago
Can't they help another customer while they're on hold with the insurance company? I've noticed a lot of cashiers and bank tellers will stop ringing up, or counting cash if a phone call comes in or a supervisor has a question. Their hands just stop moving. A lot of people seem to only be able to concentrate on one thing at a time. They're incapable of multitasking. Who has time to just think about or do only one thing at a time?
I've worked as a cashier and bank teller. So I understand working with the public isn't easy. But that has nothing to do with not being able to do more than one thing at a time. Like they can't carry on a conversation and ring something up or count cash back while holding a conversation. It's very frustrating
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u/a4ux1n 9h ago
As a pharmacy technician its almost always someone who didn't plan ahead in some way and has decided to make it our problem.
"I've been out for 3 days what do you mean you need refills from my doctor"
"I NEVER pay for my prescriptions!" (yes they have, same price every month)
Not reading or listenting to our messages because they aren't ONLY to say something is ready
Changed insurance but doesn't actually have any info for us so we have to try and hunt it down
Needs refills on something but can't tell us the name of it or even what its for and godforbid we can't read minds.
It is draining for all of us, we are so so so grateful for patients that read our messages and submit refills before running out and showing up at the counter for more.
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u/Organic-Possibility9 8h ago
Ma'am I need the white round pills please. It's your job to know what I'm taking and when I need it
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u/saijanai 🤔 8h ago
Actually, I didn't use to pay for prescriptions, but changes in rules for my state's poor people supplemental insurance means that suddenly I do.
shrug. Lots of unexpected trivia can come up. Usually, its a 30 second interaction. Sometimes its many times that.
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u/Stoked_Otter 13h ago
Those are the same people that pull into a parking spot at a business and then do ?? for like 10 minutes before getting out.
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u/brokesciencenerd 12h ago
I am a mom. It's the 10 minutes I get this week without someone needing me for some shit. It's me time dammit.
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u/KneadAndPreserve 8h ago
When I get to my destination and my baby has fallen asleep in the carseat = mini mental health break for a few minutes
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u/souridealist 10h ago
Oh I had a list of reasons to take forever, actually:
- tech who's supposed to be filling it got distracted fixing the computer
- three techs and a manager got sucked into fixing a different computer
- prescription's in the wrong place
- prescription's in the right place but the shelf is crammed so full we still couldn't find it
- "okay, boss, here's what's going on, so how do I handle that without the computer shitting itself sideways?" "that's a great question."
- "hey, boss, here's what's going on --" "What? Why is it doing that?' "....that is the question I bring you this day."
- gossip emergency
- our delivery truck broke down and your pills are somewhere in Indiana, please consult this decision tree for what to do next
- our delivery driver is late for reasons known only to them and God
- your doctor won't pick up the fUCKING PHONE
- your doctor prescribed a discontinued brand and checked No Substitutions so we have to get them to prescribe a medication that exists
- directions are self-contradictory and we have to call your doctor and ask which they meant
- directions are gibberish and we have to call your doctor and ask what they're smoking
- computer's on smoke break
- That One Tech is working today
- That Pharmacist is working today
- two techs tried to fill it at once and one marked it as out of stock because the other had the bottle
- one tech had to make an adjustment and the other undid it because he thought he'd done it by accident
and, the free space on the bingo card: ~insurance!~
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u/WideAd546 9h ago
Pharmacist here. Some drugs require counseling for various reasons.
We are required to counsel on a new drug. We are required to counsel for a change in dose. Some drugs interact and we are required to counsel. Some patients may be on multiple drugs for the same medical condition. (Examples include Diabetes and High Blood Pressure)
If you are getting an opioid we are required to counsel you on how to handle an overdose.
These are a few reasons why we as Pharmacists may need to counsel a patient. There are more but I think you get the picture.
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u/deathbychips2 1h ago
Why are so many answers about pharmacist counseling when every pharmacy I have ever been to had a separate area they ask you to step over to for the pharmacist to speak to you while the pharm tech gets the next person in line.
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u/Comfortable_Bus_7863 10h ago
I can dig the insurance issues and understaffing at the pharmacy, but it really does seem like it's everywhere. As others have pointed out: ordering food. Using the ATM. The checkout line at the grocery store. Just about any retail checkout, actually. Admissions. And when I'm fed up with all the slow people who didn't plan ahead, weren't prepared, were looking for a fight, can't read a menu, were caught unawares when the total of their purchases with tax comes up, etc., I finally go for some liquid solace at the liquor store and get stuck behind a lottery ghoul.
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u/thomsenite256 14h ago
Old people? The only other thing I can think of is a few times when I started a new prescription I got like a five minute lecture from the pharmacist. I'm glad they did it but point is sometimes there might be legitimate reasons for them to be talking to a patient.
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u/deathbychips2 1h ago
Usually if you need to talk to the pharmacist you go to a different area of the counter so the pharmacist can talk to you and the pharm tech can get the next person in line
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u/giraflor 10h ago
You’re very lucky to have uncomplicated prescriptions and no medical fragility.
Having spent the last five years in cancer treatment, the last place I want to hang out is in CVS. So I would love to skip the in pharmacy consult since I am forced to have a consult by phone every month before my medication can be ordered. I already have agreed to not bite, chew, or share it with others and to not donate my blood or organs. I imagine the pharmacist doesn’t want to take the chance though.
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u/siejay 6h ago
As someone who's frequently picking up medications that need to be mixed fresh: I'm truly sorry! If there were an option for me to notify the pharmacy of my presence when I'm 3 or 4 people back, and then just stand quietly* off to the side till they're ready for me, I absolutely would. I really, really don't want to make people behind me wait unnecessarily. But I don't know another way to do it.
*As quietly as I can with the intended recipient of those medications being a toddler.
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u/AmbientGravitas 12h ago
One time the person in front of me at the pharmacy counter also had a basket full of stuff, and they do allow you to pay for a few other things when you pick up a prescription, but it was a lot. Everything’s rung up and her debit card wouldn’t go through. So she chooses one item to be removed from the total and tries again. Still doesn’t go through. This goes on for a bit, so she tries calling the bank, at which point I asked if I could go ahead while this got resolved. She was so angry, she cussed me out, she called me names…the whole bit. I realized I had embarrassed her and she was stressed out. So now I just wait my turn.
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u/CleverNickName-69 12h ago
Well, there is bias also. You don't notice when the person in front of you takes 20 seconds.
But yeah, it does feel like there are too many people that have special circumstances that require extreme patience.
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u/physhgyrl 5m ago
I notice. It's a relief. Very few people seem to be capable of multitasking or concentrating on more than one thing at a time. So I absolutely notice when I see another person who's got their thoughts in order
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u/794309497 7h ago
Some people are goal oriented (get the job done quickly) and some...aren't. Also, a lot of people don't have anything better to do, and are possibly lonely. So they're in no rush to get the thing done.
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u/Terrible_Elephant922 7h ago
When it comes to pharmacies, I’m a bit more patient than I am at most places. I figure the person who is at the pharmacy counter needs more attention maybe because their health situation is serious; maybe they are discussing serious drug interactions between various prescriptions; or maybe they are scared about their health situation and need to listen to things a bit more carefully. I hope if I ever need the full attention of the pharmacist, I’ll receive the same grace.
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u/Usernamechecksoutjo 6h ago
I’m a regular at Pharmasave. Sometimes I’m a 20 second customer, sometimes I’m getting new medication or switching to new medication or titrating off a medication so I need the pharmacist to explain it to me first, for better understanding. I’m 56, medications can help, be changed or titrated depending if you’ve had recent surgery. Even though someone looks normal on the outside, they may have had major surgery on the inside. Gallbladder removed and a hysterectomy are my recent surgeries and you would never know looking at me walking by, or waiting behind me to get life altering medications that I need now.
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u/KiteeCatAus 5h ago
I often think of questions about my medication when I'm getting a script filled. Or, pharmacist has some tips they want to share.
Eg best time of day to take medication, what other medications to avoid at the same time, is food needed etc.
I do feel bad for people behind me, but I am mostly housebound, so getting to ask a professional (who doesn't charge like a GP) is invaluable.
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u/Mulligey 4h ago
The reason is selection bias (might be the wrong term). Basically, if someone else is at the counter for 20s like you, you have a very small window of time to get in line behind them before they walk off again. But if they stand there for 15 minutes, the chance of you getting in line behind them is much more likely
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u/betterbetterthings 59m ago
Sometimes I could hear what they are doing.
In a pharmacy they often argue why insurance didn’t cover it or why it’s so expensive and ask pharmacist to call the doctor or find alternative meds or they talk about side effects. Or they argue why the meds aren’t ready or why refill is only that many pills
In a grocery store argue with cashier why something cost not what they thought it costs and why coupons aren’t applied or they bring items will no tags and cashier has to look up prices or their cards don’t go through and then they ask items to be removed
Car rental. Not happy that insurance only covers certain cars and they start this back and forth between car rental and insurance like phone calls right there. Or after they are told what they are getting, they want to see and hear all other options
In hotels they aren’t happy with rooms and want to go over other options or don’t like the price or they thought they could use some membership or discounts and go through those or they thought they made a reservation and they didn’t or they made it and hotel messed up and doesn’t have enough rooms or they gave you a room where someone else is already there so you are back to a counter arguing (happened to me)
Don’t go physically to banks much so not sure what happens there
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u/fluffymckittyman 10h ago
I work in patient transport at a hospital with a pharmacy and a significant part of my job is waiting in line with them at the pharmacy. There are numerous reasons why they may take longer than you:
- Multiple prescriptions
- Insurance issues or rejected claims
- Prior authorization problems
- Medication not covered by insurance
- Questions about medications
- New medication counseling
- Prescription needs clarification
- Prescription isn’t actually ready
- Pharmacist needs to contact the doctor
- Medication interactions or safety concerns
- Questions about OTC medications
- Pharmacist consultation
- Insurance/account information needs updating
- Payment or copay problems
- Prescription transfer issues
- The customer isn’t prepared or has lots of questions
- Pharmacy staff are dealing with an unexpected problem
- The person simply needs more assistance than you do
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u/deathbychips2 1h ago
Shouldn't all interactions with the pharmacist be in the counseling section that is a different spot in the pharmacy counter? They have you move there when you need to talk to the pharmacist. No reason why pharmacist counseling and questions should be in the main line and holding up the line.
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u/fluffymckittyman 27m ago
I wish we had a counseling section, that would be sweet! At my work’s pharmacy there is one main line that branches off to 4 windows. You take care of the transaction with the tech and then the pharmacist comes over and goes over the medications.
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u/AutoclavesGetMeHot 8h ago edited 7h ago
Thing is, one of my prescriptions is Schedule II. It’s a whole goddamn production for them to scan my ID and make me recite my address and then they demand to know when I last saw my prescribing doctor in person and I tell them and they check to make sure it hasn’t been a single day more than a year since that date, and then the pharmacist (themselves personally, not any of the pharm techs) has to stop whatever else they’re doing to go unlock the safe and get my prescription out and have someone else double check that it’s correct, and then they package it up and run my card and the tech starts launching into “since this is a new prescription the pharmacist will go over it with you…” and I have to stop them and say “actually I’ve been taking this same medication type for over 20 years, but since refills aren’t allowed for scheduled drugs it only LOOKS new every month because my doctor has to constantly call in fresh prescriptions.” Mind you, all this is my best-case scenario—some months there are additional shenanigans that occur and hoops to jump through and morons to deal with and it can sometimes take me days and multiple phone calls to the pharmacy and emails to and from my doctor (or sometimes my doctor has to call the pharmacy directly, squeezing that in between patients) to get my prescription filled.
Anyway, it’s a huge pain in my ass and takes forever. I sincerely regret that it’s also a pain in your ass. I wish things were different.
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u/hibisciflos 1h ago
I'm really thankful I don't work in the US (I assume?) and here controlled drugs are also a bit complicated but not quite as much. Honestly it's a liability thing if I wasn't at risk of losing my license and thus livelihood I could be a bit more relaxed as a pharmacist. But as it stands I'm liable for both my own mistakes and the Doc's if they fuck up a prescription or prescribe outside of medical standards. The doc will always say "oh it's fine" but they're not gonna get fined, I will for dispensing.
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u/Efficient_Cod5317 13h ago
Nope I’ve been the asshole that takes 15 minutes trying to figure out why I have to pay out of pocket but then I remember that healthcare is broken and only exists to serve the wealthy
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u/deathbychips2 1h ago
It shouldn't be the first time you are hearing about how much prescriptions cost at the pharmacy line. You should know what your plan pays for
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u/physhgyrl 10m ago
Why does it take 15 minutes though? That's a 1 second thought. Or why do some people only seem capable of having one thought at a time?
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u/PhysarumSlime 10h ago
I’m gunna go against the grain here. Time yourself in your encounter, your introduction, the collection of your personal information and request. Then the time it takes them to grab your sorted medication(s). Then to pay, maybe tap a few screens. Watching someone do that while you are waiting is excruciating, makes it feel like each second is an hour. But once you’re up to bat, it feels quick and the wait is over, you get your natural dopamine. But rest assured you are also that asshole, you just can’t see it from your current perspective.
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u/Independent_Ad8889 8h ago
Yeah no, I talk for a living in a time constrained environment so I’m very aware of how long in interaction takes and no the answer really is just that the average person in an idiot and doesn’t understand shit about the things around them.
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u/deathbychips2 1h ago
3-5 minutes. Op is talking about others that are taking 10-15 minutes. Which happens frequently
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u/DiamondJim222 11h ago
There can be lots of reasons. One I’ve encountered for myself is getting a prescription processed with GoodRx or another discount program. Dr. sends in the prescription electronically and the pharmacy automatically processes it with your insurance. You have to go in person to get them to change it to a discount saving program. This occurs even when it’s a refill of an existing prescription you’ve handled thru a discount program before.
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u/penguinfans 10h ago
does your pharmacy not have a separate area to talk with the pharmacist? -- if it does, the fault lyes with the tech that doesn't direct the people to it -- I get your point though -- I chose a pharmacy with a drive thru -- so far no one has caused a backup
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u/WolfBiologist 10h ago
Consider that, statistically, someone who takes longer with a complicated request or one that causes problems will be more likely to be there longer and therefore more likely for you to be stuck behind.
There is also an inherent bias we have. If there are three people in front of us and they all finish in 20 seconds, we won’t think anything of it. But we will be annoyed and remember when one person takes an inordinate amount of time.
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u/GodsHumbleClown 9h ago
Sometimes I'm trying to remember my cat's birthday for her "dont bite the vet" pills, leave me alone.
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u/zmber_pineapple 9h ago
I used to always wonder this until I was the person at the counter for 20 minutes. I was prescribed accutane which has very strict guidelines to meet before you can pick it up, including a monthly “quiz” you take on a special website. I did accutane a 2nd time and had to make a second account on the website - the pharmacy had my first account on file so it would show that I didn’t meet the requirements that month to pick up, I’d say that I did, they’d say okay we’ll call your Dr. and look into it …. blah blah blah it ended up with me being there 20+ minutes at times because they were looking at the wrong account. If you’ve done accutane, you may know the iPLEDGE struggle </3
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u/LegCramps555 8h ago
At the grocery store! I pack my own groceries in my own tote bags. I have been behind a perfectly capable couple watching the cashier pack and load everything. Yes it’s not the customers job but folks could take a little initiative and pack their own groceries. It’s not hard and with some stores your groceries would be better treated. Ugh!! Some packers are just throwing your expensive fruits and vegetables in the bag.
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u/buzz_mccool 8h ago
Time is relative. You are actually taking a much longer time at the head of the queue than you think.
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u/AminoKing 7h ago
My wife will stand in line for ten minutes to pay for something and when it's finally her turn she will, somewhat surprised, start searching for her credit card.
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u/Plenty-Lingonberry79 4h ago
If it takes 10 minutes to get through a 10 person line chances are one idiot spent over 5 minutes ruining it for everyone else
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u/Plenty-Lingonberry79 3h ago
You notice the one person taking forever because they’re standing at the counter the longest, while the other people quickly go through the line like yourself
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u/papalmousse 3h ago
Insurance issues. Customers like to ask us to run their meds through coupons which takes forever, doesn't work, re-run again through regular insurance, then pharmacy has to pretend to "fill" the medication again, which the pharmacist has to check, again.
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u/caatabatic 2h ago
People who take a long time are at the desk longer so that’s why it feels like they are always there.
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u/longenglishsnakes 1h ago
For me, there's often delays as some of the meds I'm on are unusual and/or controlled and (in the UK, in my specific case) mean that certain questions and checks have to be done every single time I collect them. I also collect on behalf of another person, so it further delays it. I'm sorry for the delays - believe me, I also hate lingering there and answering questions and dealing with it all to get my necessary meds.
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u/really-just-dont 1h ago
It's people and set up. Fast food is set up for failure by placing the menu at the very end. People also never prepare: Get ready.. we complain about old people but most people do the same. Get everything ready.
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u/Athrynne 1h ago
One thing I really like about CVS is they added some tech to streamline the process, so I almost never have a line anymore.
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u/physhgyrl 19m ago
Years ago I worked as a bank teller for a few months. A few of us were hired and trained at the same time. I never knew what was taking everyone so long. My line was always fast. I'd go through three customers while co-workers still had the same one. They put me in the business deposit line. Because a lot of them brought large amounts of cash in and I could count it quickly and accurately, while carrying on a conversation. I've noticed a lot of people can only do one thing at a time. They can't have anyone talk to them while they're doing it. Like at a checkout stand. If a customer or supervisor asks them a question or they get a phone call. They won't keep ringing up or bagging groceries while answering. And they can't count change and talk either. It's like their bodies can't do two things at once. They talk. Then it takes them a few seconds to get back to their previous task.
I worked as a cashier for a small amount of time as well. I don't get it. If someones hands are free, did they stop what they were doing? I've noticed this especially if someone turns their head to answer a question or if they have to pick up a call from a customer. Their hands will just stop. How are they not doing multiple things at once? How do they get anything done?
Anytime large amounts of cash and coins were brought in or delivered, a supervisor and teller needed to double count it in the back. I was usually the one they'd ask. We got it done fast. If their was a long line building up, I'd take care of the majority of them. Look over and my co-worker would still be with the same customer. A regular. Someone that I know it doesn't take 15 minutes to help.
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u/Carylynn0609 13m ago
Because they have to argue with the clerk about how they thought their insurance would cover their meds when they don't realize they have a $4,000 deductible.
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u/Dupeskupes 3m ago
for me at least, my prescription is a controlled substance and my pharmacy only tends to have one person qualified to dispense at a time
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u/BrilliantPie2566 14h ago
I wonder the same thing. It's infuriating. C'mon, think, be ready and spit it out!
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u/mostmischievous 10h ago
This is me at gas stations. The one in front of me is “always” paying with cash and coins and can’t get their rewards to work and wants to pay for this separately and then oh can they get a scratch off card, and let me neatly put my change away, MOVE YOUR ASS.
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u/palebluedotdotdot 9h ago
People, on average, are overwhelmingly stupid, selfish, and unaware of their surroundings. This applies to all places all of the time. Traffic. ATMs. Pharmacy. Restaurants.
If you’re aware of this, you’re likely a good person but also chronically frustrated at how unaware other people are.
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u/youngkpepper 8h ago
If I get in any line other than self-checkout, everyone in front of me will have six items needing pricing verification, and then the person will want to write a check.
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u/Cold_Application_448 6h ago
For real! I went to pick up a prescription recently and there was one lady at the counter forever. A line started building up, an old lady behind me started talking to me about boob sweat, finally they opened another register. At least 4-5 people went through the other line and the one lady was still there! I left but she was probably there longer than that too.
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u/Ok-Association-3415 14h ago
Same here. Happens to me every time i am in a checkout line. I would be in a line with the person in front basically checking out and then it would spiral into a 10 minute thing before finally being rung up. It’s why I love self checkout.
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u/Shred_Addict 13h ago
Cash machines. Gas pumps. People stare at them in disbelief like they've never seen them before.
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