Be Nice

Recently I stood in an extremely long line waiting on my “gut” medications. While standing in line I watched this whole thing unfold, and I have to write about it……

First, we all know that standing in line, waiting at a red light, and generally waiting on others can be tiresome.  With that in mind, you can still be polite.  Well, I think you can at least…….

Arriving into the line I watched 2 customers at the counter speaking with the pharmacy techs.  The first customer, a younger guy, seemed a little out of it.  Actually, a lot out of it.  He was waiting on a pharmacist consult regarding a pain killer he was getting, and its potential interaction with 2 other pain killers he was also taking.  How do I know all of this?  Good ears!

Finally, after about 8 minutes of this particular guy standing at the counter and complaining to the tech the pharmacist came over.  Hearing the conversation it seemed to me that the customer was an expert on pain killers.  Barbiturates, opiates, NSAIDs, he knew all that stuff.  The one thing he didn’t seem to know……..

In order to get your “controlled substance” pain killer you needed to bring your ID.  The blow up at the pharmacist and technician was monumental.

Meanwhile, next to him the other customer was complaining to her tech.  She wanted to know why she couldn’t be helped by the tech.  She had a new prescription and wanted it filled while she waited.  The problem?  She was in the Pickup line.  Big sign above the counter said “Pick Up.”  Down the way there was another line that said, “Drop off.”

She refused to go to the drop off line insisting that she could be helped where she was, and could have her medication readied while she waited at the counter.

Fortunately, when the pain killer kid blew up it seemed to unnerve her, and she finally moved on to the drop off window………

Now, I wasn’t the only person who saw both interactions.  There were a great number of people in line with me.  And all were waiting impatiently.  Also, every person in front of me took their wait time out on these poor technicians and pharmacists.  I can’t recount the last time I saw such hostility toward folks who are simply following the rules laid out for them.

When I finally got to the counter 30 minutes after arriving I found out that my medication hadn’t been filled yet.  There was a question about name brand versus generic, and they hadn’t had time to call me.  Did I blow up?

No.  I offered to head out and grab lunch.  I’d return in an hour and a half.  I asked if that would work, and the woman breathed a sigh of relief.  “Thank you,” she said.  No problem, life is way too short to get so wound up.

When I returned the technician I’d dealt with was heading out.  But she recognized me and waited to take me before going home.  She wanted to stay to say thanks once again for being patient.  Guess she’d had one of those days!  And hey, they do happen.

But just as a reminder to everyone….. Be Nice!  It does pay off sometimes, and it does help those around you when they’re having a tough day.