Boots expansion in Ireland

[SirCumcision]

Nope, their expansion plans have been tempered by the economic sh*tstorm we now find ourselves languishing in. I actually did my pre-reg Boots and have never encountered such a cultist, ravenously money obsessed organisation. There's also a palpable hostility (at least in the store I was in) between the retail staff and the pharmacist(s), most notably the manager who had a titanic size chip on her shoulder over how much more the pharmacist made than she/he did and regarded the pharmacist (and dispensing staff) as not been worth the money they are paid, even though we all worked very hard.
Additionally since the strike action the area retail managers and store managers are much more brazen about sticking their noses into day to day pharmacy operations when they don't have a finite notion in hell what they are talking about, they live and die by a customer care survey that you are compelled to give out with each prescription which is exceedingly frustrating since people very rarely have the motivation to submit via the net/tel. John Q Public also wants all their prescriptions done yday so they often report time taken to get prescription as being poor lacking the understanding of the time taken to properly prepare and check a script then you are subsequently lambasted by said store manager.
At the end of the day Ireland is not England, different demographics/population density etc, Boots have been in the UK for a very long time and still only have a minuscule %age of dispensing in Ireland, alot of people I spoke to regard them (quite rightly) as mainly a retailer.
I actually did pharmacy right after a chemistry degree because I had a genuine interest in it but given the experience I had with Boots and the ever deteriorating pharm scene in Ireland I'm contemplating medicine, glutton for punishment!

[culchie82]

Nope, their expansion plans have been tempered by the economic sh*tstorm we now find ourselves languishing in. I actually did my pre-reg Boots and have never encountered such a cultist, ravenously money obsessed organisation. There's also a palpable hostility (at least in the store I was in) between the retail staff and the pharmacist(s), most notably the manager who had a titanic size chip on her shoulder over how much more the pharmacist made than she/he did and regarded the pharmacist (and dispensing staff) as not been worth the money they are paid, even though we all worked very hard.
Additionally since the strike action the area retail managers and store managers are much more brazen about sticking their noses into day to day pharmacy operations when they don't have a finite notion in hell what they are talking about, they live and die by a customer care survey that you are compelled to give out with each prescription which is exceedingly frustrating since people very rarely have the motivation to submit via the net/tel. John Q Public also wants all their prescriptions done yday so they often report time taken to get prescription as being poor lacking the understanding of the time taken to properly prepare and check a script then you are subsequently lambasted by said store manager.
At the end of the day Ireland is not England, different demographics/population density etc, Boots have been in the UK for a very long time and still only have a minuscule %age of dispensing in Ireland, alot of people I spoke to regard them (quite rightly) as mainly a retailer.
I actually did pharmacy right after a chemistry degree because I had a genuine interest in it but given the experience I had with Boots and the ever deteriorating pharm scene in Ireland I'm contemplating medicine, glutton for punishment!

Excellent post SirCumcision, you share my sentiments exactly. Pharmacy is finished in Ireland, both North and south. Many newly qualifieds are now diversifying into other fields, my hunch is that you will not regret going into Medicine (a proper profession in my opinion), so I wish you well. In relation to Boots, yes they are truly horrendous to work for and that's exactly why I don't work for them.

[lamzee]

customer care survey that you are compelled to give out with each prescription

I had to give those out once in a well known supermarket pharmacy. One question was "what would you most like to see in a supermarket pharmacy". A customer wrote on his form "topless assistants". I was quite young at the time and felt I had been perved at. Sick. [quote]

[Pharmanaut]

I had to give those out once in a well known supermarket pharmacy. One question was "what would you most like to see in a supermarket pharmacy". A customer wrote on his form "topless assistants". I was quite young at the time and felt I had been perved it. Sick.

That's the value of customer surveys.
The correct measure should be the amount of christmas cards and foody gifts from customers.
They are spontaneous gestures and count more than a 'fill in this survey for a £1 off voucher'.

One of my local GP's has got the 'beside manner' extraordinaire.
Always has a window ledge full of thankyou cards.