Taking my red-wagon and going home.

Now before all of you Chain guys and gals send me anthrax and bombs in the mail, let me say a few things.

• That rant was targeted.  Some of you know who it is, most of you dont.  Those who know are probably saying “oh damn” but the rest of you just took offense and are storming my house as we speak.  As you all will point out to me, chain life is not the devil, but some people are making it sound like it is.  Stop your bitching, if it were fun it would be called FUN and not WORK.  I’ll leave it at that.

• 3 independents have closed this year just around where I work.  If the Medicaid/Medicare cuts go through the rest of them (including myself) might be joining them.  Think about that for a second then wonder if whining about your store manager is really as bad as you say it is.

• That post was fueled by a number of factors that put chains on my shit-list over the past few days, some of which include:

• Making a long-term CASH customer of mine wait at 11:30pm for an ER written Z-Pak for 2 hours while she said the pharmacist just sat there and talked on his cell phone while wandering around the drug isles.  She didn’t want to disturb me at home to open the store even though she has my cell number.  This was at a store that initials start with an upside-down M.  Don’t give me this backlog shit, its a z-pak ran as cash.  Run the label, slap it on there, let her get home and get better.  I doubt shes going to spend much time shopping in the front-end shit.

• Me waiting on hold for 20 min for copies yesterday when the store does about 1/2 the volume as we do and has twice the staff + a scriptpro.

• Having said pharmacy decide to not just fax me the transfer sheets, but the entire screen printout which tied up my fax machine for a half hour.

• Its fun to stir the shit pot once in a while. Wait, its not fun I guess when its directed at some (if not all) of the readers, but fun when its directed at doctors, nurses, crackheads, welfare patients, etc.  Funny how that double-standard works.

Now, to all the people who emailed me calling me an asshole, and they are never going to read my site again, wah wah wah:  Go ahead, leave.  Heaven forbid I rag on doctors, PA’s, welfare people, and the world in general for you to agree and be on my side with only to have you take your red-wagon and leave once I rant about something that maybe hits close to home for you.  See this website? Notice the word ANGRY in it?  I make no money off of this, it costs me an arm and a leg to keep up, and to be honest I’m not going to censor what I write on here because it might *gasp* offend you.  This site isn’t called “The angry (but-only-when-its-not-directed-at-you) pharmacist”.

So I’m going to make a rule now that I’m not going to make fun of any more groups of pharmacists because feelings got hurt.  Thanks a lot.

Comments #

Comment by tom tamaski on 2008-03-06 18:45:48 -0800 #

I dont think your long term cash customer would want you comming in at 1130 at night. You are usally smashed by then and probably passed out on your keyboard drooling from the mouth.

Comment by GC on 2008-03-06 19:07:18 -0800 #

hahaha. great post TAP keep it up! Im not a big fan of the chains either not necessarily the people who work in them although some do deserve it.

Comment by rph3664 on 2008-03-06 21:09:07 -0800 #

If that 11:30PM story is true, the pharmacist should be fired. Why would they be jabbering on their cell phone at work anyway? I was once at Dollar General and the cashier’s phone rang; I assumed it was a walkie-talkie but no, it was her own personal phone.
The main grocery chain in these parts (for which I did my retail time) prohibits cell phones, and answering one at the work post is a firing offense.
And now you’re screening us with TWO words, huh?

Comment by Ron Martin on 2008-03-06 21:25:26 -0800 #

LMAO…You crack me up. They aren’t going to stay away. They may say they will, but they won’t.

Comment by BlueTech on 2008-03-06 22:20:11 -0800 #

After working as a tech for WAG for about 1.5 years now, I can agree wholeheartedly with your stand on this issue. I’ve actually yelled at pharmacists (usually floaters) to get back to work, because Joe Anyman’s finger got bitten off by Cujo and he needs some keflex. Buncha fuckers.
And though I favor job security over running my own business, I keep in mind that so much more bullshit isthrown at the guy who can’t hide behind corporate policy. I salute you, TAP.

Comment by indietech on 2008-03-07 00:04:09 -0800 #

if people are offended, it’s their problem. i personally can totally relate to what you write. even if i’m offended by something you say in the future, so what? i’ll still keep reading becasue you remind me that i’m not the only one out there dealing with idiots everyday, and that keeps me sane.

Comment by Done With Retail on 2008-03-07 09:06:12 -0800 #

I work for a chain drug store and I was in no way offended by your post; I totally agreed with you. Sure, I bitch about my job – you’re not human unless you bitch about your job, because like you said, “if it were fun it would be called FUN and not WORK.” But I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes. Yeah, I bitch about my bosses in corporate, but I know I’m lucky to have them.
I could never do what you do…I don’t have the strength or ability. Retail takes enough out of me as it is.

Comment by melissa on 2008-03-07 11:22:05 -0800 #

Yeah, I heard head on is as good as rubbing wax on your forehead. Those commercials couldn’t be any more annoying..my god..i get a headache just listening to them.

Comment by deadmeat04 on 2008-03-07 12:58:08 -0800 #

Its ok melissa… just apply directly to the forehead!

Comment by retail whippin’ boy on 2008-03-07 19:45:10 -0800 #

Hey TAP,
I figured you were just PMS’ing. But what’s the deal with you making no money off this blog? This is nothing short of thera-fuckin’-peutic! You could/should be making an ass-load of buck$ from this site! Hell, if I knew who you were, I’d send you a couple of bucks right now.
WOW, that was one of my FINEST empty gestures! Possibly second only to that asshole who used to play for the Cleveland Caveliers in the NBA during the 1980’s, World B. Free. Oh yeah, dude, changing your legal name to THAT really altered the path of the world freedom and democracy!
Hope you feel better, dishing a little bit-o-bitchin’ at the chains. We’re a tough bunch, so do it again when you feel the need. Just don’t stop blogging!!!

Comment by upsidedownM tech on 2008-03-09 17:55:29 -0700 #

TAP, please don’t stop ranting or bitching or generally making fun of people!
I agree with you, Retail. Reading this blog is fun and therapeutic.
Regardless of where we work or what idiot druggie, Medicaid freeloader or corporation tries to steal our souls, we’re all in this crazy pharmacy world together.

Comment by rxholly on 2008-03-12 09:56:32 -0700 #

I take absolutely no offense to your rant on retail pharmacies, I interned at an independent for about 6 months and I learned that I would never in a million years want to be an owner of an independent pharmacy – way too much stress involoved compared to working for a big corporation. I play it safe and work for a chain, I only work roughly 20 hours a week, and when I’m there, I do my freaking job. I had a sick baby’s amoxicillin down her throat within 10 minutes of mom dropping off, z-paks are filled within 5 minutes, etc. But I know there are some real assholes out there working for chains, which always brought me to the point of the competency bonus that RPHs like myself deserve b/c in the chain world, it doesn’t matter if you are the asshole making people wait 2 hours for a z-pak or someboday who actually cares, you all make the same $$$ which I think sucks!