Throwback: A Strange Hour of a Sunday Shift
This is a post I wrote a LOOOONG time ago, on my first blog. Even though my industry and schedule has changed, what people want from me has not.
Originally posted October 3, 2011
I don’t work many Sundays, but this past Sunday I did so a co-worker could have the weekend with her family to celebrate her birthday.
And on the Sundays I do work, strange things seem to happen. Not sure exactly why, though I do have my guesses:
- The hangover is gone.
- People go to church, get convicted of the weekend’s activities, repent, then come looking for solutions to the consequences realized.
- They think everyone else is at church so business will be slow, or they’ll avoid the judgmental eyes of the church-goers.
So, I had a very strange hour this past Sunday at work.
Customer #1
A man and his son. Dad had skunk-streaked hair (as in dark on the outsides, white/gray down the middle), and the 15-year-old son was linebacker sized. The kid had a sinus infection and needed an antibiotic.
Customer #2:
An Ex-Marine who ran the 6-mile Currahee Challenge. (If you’ve ever seen the series Band of Brothers, they were guys who trained at Camp Toccoa during WWII and running Currahee Mountain was all in a day’s work.) This guy came hobbling to the counter. He informed me that he had been out of the Marines for only a month and that running 6 miles should’ve been easy. He described his pain and told me that “Icy Hot from hips to toes on both legs wasn’t working.” Ibuprofen and real ice was a better option (and less smelly).Customer #3: Nervous guy – he asked about purchasing Plan B. I have
Customer #3
A nervous guy came up and asked about purchasing Plan B. I gave him the 3rd degree: Who’s it for? How old are you? What about her? How long has it been? It’s funny cuz the guy’s squirming. I sold him a pack: $53. He calls a few minutes later and says “this box says for 17 and younger. She’s not 17!” I informed him that the label should say ‘Rx only for 17 and younger”, meaning if someone younger than 17 is going to use it, it requires a prescription from a doctor. He was highly relieved (obviously if he had gotten the wrong thing, “the lady” was going to be angry!)
*Currently, Plan B contraception is fully OTC, the Rx requirement has been removed thanks to legislation from President Obama.*
Customer #4
The girl from the Chinese Buffet came in. She is really sweet and I like helping her, but communication is a challenge. You’ve got to be able to laugh at some of the mistakes we make. Today, she came in asking for advice on “cold medicine for a duck.” A duck? Really? I asked about symptoms, she said: “his nose is noisy”. I head for the children’s medicine thinking “we can dose a duck by weight”, so I ask how much he weighed. She said 140 pounds. A duck? Oooooh, adult! She never knew I thought duck as in “quack quack” duck. We got her dad some cold medicine and she was happily on her way.
Just another random Sunday at the pharmacy!