Had a really rubbish day,

[mandy]

went in to work today, had a lovely locum whom had never worked with us before,
The day just went from bad to worse form getting orders that were trebled up as the transmission kept failing to been threatened by a addicted who was barred, The counter assistant had accepted his script and the locum had dispensed it but had not handed it out, (while i was out on a delivery) Yep the counter assistant knew he was barred but was to scared to tell him to leave.

when i came back he came in and the look on his face was priceless until i told the locum to cancel the endorsement and i give him his script back well that's when it all started. He called me every name that someone out off the gutter would use but the last straw was... Oi i see you every morning on the street watch your back b***h.

oh then an hour later another addict came in and asked to use the phone i said "NO" she said "well so so lets me" I said "well so so is not here his he so NO"

More blinking abuse, can you just imagine the drug squad turning up and saying so come on the who's been ringing the local dealer.

All this because the boss is away, sorry my point is i don't know what to do about the threats,

Anyway sorry for going on,
ta for reading about my Thursday

[PtitpupUK]

I can only sympathise with you... addicts can be really awkward to deal with.
I would speak to boss to be honest. They're barred so it's not like you'd lose business if you get an official thing done with the police. But then you have to be sure you're safe when you leave the premises too...

[Fleegle]

Yeah I know...I've been down this road many times.

Firstly, don't worry. The addicts use this tactic as textbook. The Rx you refused will have been dispensed to him elsewhere, and thanks to your bravery, your pharmacy will now be last on his list of 'easy targets'.

Whoever allows addicts access to the dispensary phone is quite simply an idiot. If he/she is a qualified pharmacist, I would quite happily tell them so if I had the opportunity.

You MUST report these incidents to your boss, and, quite frankly, insist that he takes appropriate action to prevent any recurrence. However, if your boss is the one who invites them into the dispensary to use the phone, I can only suggest you consider taking up a position elsewhere.

There are members of this forum who welcome addicts to their businesses. I have always disagreed with their arguments, and your post reinforces my point of view. There is no place for threatening, abusive drug addicts in community pharmacy, and there are plenty other ways to make money without subjecting your staff to abuse such as you describe here.

Well done!

Fleegle.

[johnep]

Members of the public not allowed in the dispensary on grounds of :
1) security
2)other pt confidentiality.
johnep

[PtitpupUK]

Members of the public not allowed in the dispensary on grounds of :
1) security
2)other pt confidentiality.
johnep

I agree with above -- you have to protect the rest of your customers and yourselves
Why don't you tell them that from now on they need to pay for the call and they have to sign the visitors book every time they come in the dispensary, that might deter them a little bit...

[johnep]

Funny that, most addicts seem to carry three essential items with them.
1)Can of Special Brew
2) mobile phone.
3) keys to a car
johnep

[Defblade]

There are members of this forum who welcome addicts to their businesses. I have always disagreed with their arguments, and your post reinforces my point of view. There is no place for threatening, abusive drug addicts in community pharmacy, and there are plenty other ways to make money without subjecting your staff to abuse such as you describe here.

There are also pleasant, polite addicts. Sadly, the one tends to turn into the other at the hint of a problem.

Anyhow, if he is actually barred from the premises (and verbally is sufficient, but in writing is good), by coming on to the property he has committed criminal trespass and you are quite within your rights to ring the police (even after he's left, although they may not be too interested if it's not a current situation); also if you are genuinely worried by his threats, talk to the police as well. I wouldn't wait to ask the manager's permission or whatever - it's your situation. And if he steals from the shop, it's burgulary rather than shoplifting.

[howe928]

I agree with above -- you have to protect the rest of your customers and yourselves
Why don't you tell them that from now on they need to pay for the call and they have to sign the visitors book every time they come in the dispensary, that might deter them a little bit...

good ideas

There are also pleasant, polite addicts. Sadly, the one tends to turn into the other at the hint of a problem.

Anyhow, if he is actually barred from the premises (and verbally is sufficient, but in writing is good), by coming on to the property he has committed criminal trespass and you are quite within your rights to ring the police (even after he's left, although they may not be too interested if it's not a current situation); also if you are genuinely worried by his threats, talk to the police as well. I wouldn't wait to ask the manager's permission or whatever - it's your situation. And if he steals from the shop, it's burgulary rather than shoplifting.

not shoplifting rathan than burglary?

if a customer went away with stock without paying, do you: 'hey, you forgot to pay!' or just take it as shoplifting and report to police?

[Defblade]

not shoplifting rathan than burglary?

if a customer went away with stock without paying, do you: 'hey, you forgot to pay!' or just take it as shoplifting and report to police?

As they're already barred, they are committing a criminal act by simply coming onto the premises. Stealing while they're there is a correspondingly higher offence. Barring is actually a very powerful way of dealing with problem people.

If a customer* went away with stock without paying, there are a variety of responses:

- if I notice they've forgotten something, it's "did you want that too?"
- if I didn't notice and they're geunine, they'll come back embarrassed and pay
- if I didn't notice and they're a bit naughty, they got free stuff

- if I notice late they're tucking things into their coat, I'll be hoofing it down the road after them
- if I notice early, I leave via the side door and when they leave the front door, they find themselves going backwards into the shop and waiting for the police.
- once, we got a conviction solely on the CCTV after realising a shelf had gone bare and running the tape back.

*customers rarely leave the shop without paying; it's shoplifters I usually have fun with. The two groups seem to have very little overlap, what there is tends to centre around methadone scripts.




FWIW, I'm 6' 4" and don't like the *******s thinking my shop is an easy touch

[Sir_Dispensalot]

As they're already barred, they are committing a criminal act by simply coming onto the premises. Stealing while they're there is a correspondingly higher offence. Barring is actually a very powerful way of dealing with problem people.

If a customer* went away with stock without paying, there are a variety of responses:

- if I notice they've forgotten something, it's "did you want that too?"
- if I didn't notice and they're geunine, they'll come back embarrassed and pay
- if I didn't notice and they're a bit naughty, they got free stuff

- if I notice late they're tucking things into their coat, I'll be hoofing it down the road after them
- if I notice early, I leave via the side door and when they leave the front door, they find themselves going backwards into the shop and waiting for the police.
- once, we got a conviction solely on the CCTV after realising a shelf had gone bare and running the tape back.

*customers rarely leave the shop without paying; it's shoplifters I usually have fun with. The two groups seem to have very little overlap, what there is tends to centre around methadone scripts.




FWIW, I'm 6' 4" and don't like the *******s thinking my shop is an easy touch

It is a little easier being a bloke - it must be intimidating if you're a 4'2" female assistant...

Once I was told by a police officer that it's legal to commit a 'technical assault' on a person who is barred from your premises - ie you can grab hold of them and frogmarch them out of the door.
One time i caught one like that and threw him out of the door by his neck. Funnily enough shoplifting dropped to almost zero overnight in that particular shop...

These days i'm a little more relaxed and have a good relationship with my addicts. I tell them all that I run a common sense policy - i'll happily have a chat with them about anything, and i treat them the same as my other regulars. The key thing they know is that they don't sh*t on their own doorstep. We're the most local, convenient place for them and consequently they don't nick anything.