Retail Pharmacy

I've worked in a retail pharmacy for almost 6 years, and it's been one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had.  I love my job, I love my customers, and I love being able to get to know each of them on a personal level.  However, there are days when you think to yourself, "why the hell am I working here?!" Last week I had one of those days.  
I believe in the power of the full moon to bring the crazy people out of the woodwork, but last week wasn't a full moon; there was no real reason for the night to have been this absurd.  

*Customer Service:
I don't work in the customer service center anymore, but when I was first hired with my company, that's where I worked.  Now, the way it's set up, it's hard to see if a customer comes to the counter for assistance if they're not really all or you can't hear them.  If the person working behind the counter should leave the area, he or she puts the bell out for people to ring, but if they're back there, they don't put the bell out.  However, on the front of the counter, where the customer stands, there is a cartoon picture of a bell that says "Ring Bell For Service."  The girl that was working in the customer service center has taken a phone call and didn't realize there was a customer standing at the window.  About 2 minutes later she turns around and sees someone there and the customer actually said, " I've been over here pushing the bell!  Didn't you hear me?"
When the employee said, "what bell? I have the bell back here," the woman replied with, "this bell in the sign!"

The lady was pushing on the picture of the bell thinking it would do something....

*Drug Names Are Confusing For Everyone:
I've heard people absolutely butcher the names of the medications they take, but last week I may have heard the best slaughtering of the over-the-counter drug names.  A guy walks up to the counter and seemed very fidgety and almost in a hurry.  He was about 20-25 years old, tattooed all over, tall, and a good build.  He threw his ID and a $10 bill on the counter and just looked at me and smiled.  I came up to the counter and said, "can I help you?"
He looked me square in the face and said one word: Wall-ette
I assumed it was the last name, so I say: Wall-ette, you said?
Him: Yes. Wall-ette
Me: What's the first name?
Him: Darren?
Me: Ok.  Did you have something to pick up? (This patient name didn't sound familiar to me at all...)
Him: Ohh! No! It's just a medicine I'm getting without a prescription.  Wall-ette.
Me: (totally baffled at this point...) You said it's called Wall-ette?
Him: Yeah.....
Me: Ok.. What's it used for?
Him: I have no idea.... (getting more fidgety) Let me go ask the.. yeah.. I'll go ask him.. Ok.. Be right back!
He grabbed his stuff off the counter and walked away very quickly.  The pharmacist and I were cracking up because I honestly thought he was asking me for a wallet! He'd never heard of such a thing either!  About 5 minutes goes by and the guy comes back...
Me: Did you figure out what you were looking for?
Him: Yeah. I need Sudafed.
**Blank Stare**          How do you get "wall-ette" from "sudafed"? Well, after the guy left, the pharmacist says that Walgreens puts the "wal" prefix at the beginning of their generic OTC drugs.  So, I called up a local Walgreens and asked if they had a "wall-ette."  I told him the story and he explained that their generic Sudafed is Wal-afed, or something to that effect, but we both shared a laugh at the idea of "wall-ette."

*Arguments:
A man approaches my counter and is picking up a prescription for his wife.  He tells me the name and I go searching, like normal.  However, there was nothing filled for her, and, upon looking in the computer, I noticed we hadn't filled for her in a few weeks.  He politely informed me that he'd call his wife from his cell phone and see what she needed.  He stepped away from the counter so I could help another customer and sat on the bench nearby to talk to his wife.  About 5 minutes later I can hear them arguing on the phone.  I have no idea what they were arguing about, but it sounded pretty heated.  He sits there for about 10 minutes arguing then gets up and leaves like nothing happened.  He never did come back to tell me what she needed filled, if anything at all, so I just assumed the argument was pretty nasty and she was going to have to go without the medicine that night.

*MILK?!:
Our pharmacy is set up really strange.  My counter is, literally, next to the bologna coolers and on the other side of the store from the actual OTC medicine.  Next to the bologna and egg cooler is the frozen food section.  I'm near your processed meats, but not near your drugs. Anyway, this Indian man comes close to the counter and is staring at the bologna.  I was seated in the pharmacy reading my Biochem book when I figured I should see if the guy needed help.  So, without getting up, I asked, "sir, do you need help with something?" He replied, without even breaking his awkward stare-down with the Oscar Meyer meat, "WHERE IS YOUR MILK?!" Taken aback by his brash tone, but assuming it was due to his accent, I hesitated then said, "it's going to be in the next set of coolers down, sir."  Now, while I say this, I'm pointing to the right showing the man where to go.  He hasn't even glanced in my general direction and has NO clue where I'm pointing.  He marches down the frozen food section while I'm yelling, "Sir! Sir! Milk is this way!" but he pays no attention and wanders off.  My boss was wondering why the guy even bothered to ask if he wasn't going to pay attention.  Minutes later I heard that booming voice with the overbearing tones asking a girl in our Cosmetics area where the milk was.  She must have also pointed and given him the direction as well, because I heard her say, "Sir! Sir! It's that way!"

*Wrapping Up The Night:
With 20 minutes left to go before we closed down the pharmacy, the phone rang.  I picked up the phone and there was a man on the line with a rather forward voice.
Him: This is not an emergency, but I am gonna need to get my medications sometime...
Me: Ok. Do you need refills or do you have a new prescription?
Him: I've got refills.
Me: Ok, can you give me the RX Numbers?
(He does)
Me: Ok, do you need these tonight?
Him: (with a sarcastic tone, like I should have just implied...) Uhhh, yeah!
Me: Ok, well I close in 20 minutes, so you need to be here before then.
Him: I'm already on my way. I'll be there in 10 minutes. Will you be open?
Me: Yes. I close in 20 minutes, so if you are here in 10 minutes, I will be open.  It'll take me about 10 minutes to get these filled, so I'll see you then.
Needless to say he arrived 5 minutes later and dropped off 2 more medications...