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:
  1. The hangover is gone.
  2. People go to church, get convicted of the weekend’s activities, repent, then come looking for solutions to the consequences realized.
  3. 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!