Nearly in a Punch up!

[admin]

Friday 16th June

It was about 3.30pm on Friday afternoon, and I heard a voice say "can you hurry up and give me my methadone" in a rather "drunk" sounding voice.

I replied "just a second, I'm just filling this in, it won't be a minute"

She says "I haven't got time to wait, I'm in a hurry.....hic"

So I looked at her and asked "what have you been taking?" trying not to get drunk myself from the fumes coming from her, and admiring how somebody could have such large pupils when stood directly under a light.

"Nothing she slurred, I'm just tired"

Sorry, but you are intoxicated, and I'm not handing over 350mls of methadone to someone in your state. Please go home, sleep it off, and come back when you have sobered up." I said.

So off she went, after a few harsh words. Two minutes later she came back with a couple of heavies.

"Why aren't you giving her her f*****g methadone" a young man said.

"I'm not discussing someone's treatment with you, because it's confidential" I replied.

The other guy just stood there, trying to look mean, and he did look mean.

"Give it to her now or I'll f**king...."

"STOP right there!" I said. "Do not ever threaten me, or you'll be travelling 50 miles for yours, as I'll call every chemist in town and tell them not to take you on. Understand?"

A few grunts later, and off they went. She came back two hours later, meek as a little lamb, and a lot more sober.

So the moral of the story is: -

Play it like poker. You know you're only holding king high, but make it look like you're on a nut flush. Stick in a big bet, and 90% of the time they'll fold.

[Linnear]

I worked in one shop for the week and they had a new addict on Diazepam.

On the Saturday I was in a different shop and the emergency doc rang with a Rx for Diazes for him. I said did you know about his other Rx in the other shop? She said no and cancelled the emergency supply.

The bloke was my height 6'2" ish and built like a brick outhouse!

He was in the shop for 45 minutes and the last five was the pair of us staring each other out toe to toe. He threatened to put me thru the plate glass door and then his mate dragged him out.

Once he was outside I folded up and dranka bout 6 cups of coffee!
I also rang the drugs team and asked them to shoot him!
After the sixth coffee I rang again and apologised!

I also had a 5'3" bloke have a go because he'd come in a day early for his Rx but I just laughed at him.

The funniest one thought was the 5'2" addict who tried to see off his 6'2" mate over the number of diazes he'd borrowed! Someone came into the shop and told me that someone was kicking the cr*p out of someone else.
I immediately ran out and said stop it or I call the police and ran back into the shop!

They then left practically arm in arm!

[admin]

Here's a good one.

I was in a shop and saw a lass steal something and run out the front. She didn't know that the back door led to the alley she had just run down. We headed her off and caught her red handed.

She pulled out a syringe full of blood - yuk! I told her that if she stuck that in me, I'd ram it in her ******* eye!

She dropped it, and put her swag bag on the floor. As I leaned over to open the bag, she nade a run for it. The pharmacy owner's son was there (Saturday lad) and ran after her. He grabbed her up the road, and was shouting for me to get there ASAP. Now because I have a false hip I can't run, so briskly walked and just got there in time to grab the little b***h.

The owners son went back to the shop to call the police, and I held her outside a shop. She tried to run again, but I got a good grip of her, and forced her backwards. I didn't realise, but we had entered the open door of a butchers shop!

The butcher asked what the hell was going on, and I explained the situation to him. He told me to sit her down on a chair in the corner so I did. She told him the usual f**k off, and he just slammed this great big meat cleaver on his block, and told her if she didn't shut up he'd chop off her hand for stealing! The cops arrived and carted her away to a whole barrage of abuse.

I went back later and bought a couple of fillet steaks off him for our tea!

It's great fun being a pharmacist, but I think they need to add a bit of SAS type training to the degree course!

[alex]

Boot camp self defence teachers replacing the Boots teacher practitioners? It's an idea that might catch on in time

Certainly might be one of the more entertaining modules!

Do these sorts of things happen often?

[admin]

Boot camp self defence teachers replacing the Boots teacher practitioners? It's an idea that might catch on in time

Certainly might be one of the more entertaining modules!

Do these sorts of things happen often?

It would be useful! Do they happen often - read the posts on here!

Seriously, shouting angry customers happens all the time. Punch up possibilities are fairly rare. I have only been in about 20 or so situations like this in over 10 years.

[Linnear]

Seriously, shouting angry customers happens all the time. Punch up possibilities are fairly rare. I have only been in about 20 or so situations like this in over 10 years.

20 in 10 years! I thought I was bad. But then I'm a 6'1" male, people tend not to threaten me.

Was looking into changing my name to Darth Maul a few years ago.

How many complaints would today's pharmacist, Darth Maul get?

[admin]

Is that bad? I thought I did ok. I did used to run a needle ex though, and a few were from there.

[Jeff]

Do these sorts of things happen often?

Not to me.
I've banned a couple of people for nicking stuff - but get real, Cohens sold to Lloyds for £100 million no one decided to deduct £6.99 because someone nicked a bracelet.

When I'm sworn at (maybe once in the last few years) I don't take it personally it's usually a symptom of their condition - I don't like to write off challenging patients.


Jeff

[Linnear]

Not to me.
I've banned a couple of people for nicking stuff - but get real, Cohens sold to Lloyds for £100 million no one decided to deduct £6.99 because someone nicked a bracelet.

You do have a point.

When I'm sworn at (maybe once in the last few years) I don't take it personally it's usually a symptom of their condition - I don't like to write off challenging patients.


Jeff

My problem is that I also see it as a symptom of their condition. They're arseholes!

[admin]

Not to me.
I've banned a couple of people for nicking stuff - but get real, Cohens sold to Lloyds for £100 million no one decided to deduct £6.99 because someone nicked a bracelet.

When I'm sworn at (maybe once in the last few years) I don't take it personally it's usually a symptom of their condition - I don't like to write off challenging patients.


Jeff

The reason I have tried to stop theives is that if you don't, the will be in your shop every day.

Jeff, I honestly think you have just been lucky, or work in a nice place. I once had a guy who hurled abuse at me for 30 minutes before the police arrived. The reason - we had run out of olive oil for his ear drops! I apologised, but had to say we had some on order, and he'd have to come back this afternoon. That was not my fault.

When a guy walked into a Hull branch of a chain and told the girls he was robbing them whilst holding a great big knife, that wasn't their fault.

When my good friend Geoff had a knife held to his throat for temazepam, that was not his fault.

When a local GP I know, had to make a run for it by jumping through the window, because some addict said he'd kill him if he did not prescribe him temazepam by the bucket, that was not his fault.

When a pharmacist refused to re-supply the methadone an addict said he had lost, and was told he would be nailed to a tree..... well you know the answer.

The fact that you have been lucky, and haven't even been sweared at for years (???) means you are very lucky to work where you do. I have been told to FO more times then I can count, because I have told someone their script will be about 10 minutes. None of these things are our fault, it's just the place where you work.

What matters isn't what happens, but how you handle it. I have seen six foot men tremble and literally cry, beause some skinny little yob has threatened them. It's not nice, but it takes guts to handle these people. On Friday, I could have easily led the easy life, and let that intoxicated addict have her methadone (previous post) but I didn't. I had the bottle to stand up to her and did the right thing, and that's why I got threatened and abused. Would I do it again - of course I would. Bring it on.

[Piquetero]

I've never have problems with annoying customers during my daily shifts; i have only met some drug addicts shouting at me during my late night shifts: here in italy we have a night shift from midnight to 8.30 a.m. : the doors of the pharmacy are closed and the customers have to pay a supplement of 3.80euro for call..so when a drug addict is asked about 5 euro for 2 syringes always starts an argue! so even if i'm able to deal with annoying italian customers, now, after i have read this topic, I'm asking myself if I'll be able to
deal with that guys in English! So i'm asking you all some effective sentences ready-to-use for addicts and thieves if I'll come to work in UK... anyway in the worst-case scenario i think I'll start to insult them in Italian,always very effective!

[Linnear]

! So i'm asking you all some effective sentences ready-to-use for addicts and thieves if I'll come to work in UK... anyway in the worst-case scenario i think I'll start to insult them in Italian,always very effective!

I've got some useful phrases but they might get you struck off!

I always find the best way is to have a polite sentence such as:

We cannot give you that because ...

Then just keep saying that. If you have to repeat it over and over again they tend to give in. Especially if they are other people present as they end up looking very stupid.

The trick is never change your story because if you say one thing one minute and then alter it later they think that they're getting somewhere and will keep on until you give in and give them what they want.

[admin]

I've never have problems with annoying customers during my daily shifts; i have only met some drug addicts shouting at me during my late night shifts: here in italy we have a night shift from midnight to 8.30 a.m. : the doors of the pharmacy are closed and the customers have to pay a supplement of 3.80euro for call..so when a drug addict is asked about 5 euro for 2 syringes always starts an argue! so even if i'm able to deal with annoying italian customers, now, after i have read this topic, I'm asking myself if I'll be able to
deal with that guys in English! So i'm asking you all some effective sentences ready-to-use for addicts and thieves if I'll come to work in UK... anyway in the worst-case scenario i think I'll start to insult them in Italian,always very effective!

Ok so here's my guide to tackling potentially violent customers.

1. Always stand up straight and look confident. If you look like a victim you are more likely to become one.

2. As soon as they start with any swearing, or threats etc don't let them finish. Just say "Stop there" and go on to tell them things like it's unacceptable the way they are talking to you etc. Do not let them get in a barrage of threats to you.

3. If they carry on after you have told them to stop, say straight away "I will call the police if you don't stop".

4. If they still carry on, ignore what they are saying, and turn around to one of the staff and say "call the police please, and tell then the pharmacist is being threatened with violence. I'm sure they already know this individual."

5. Try a threat back. Tell them you'll call every pharmacy in town, and they'll be travelling 30 miles for their next dose.

6. Never verbally back them into a corner with your side of the argument. If they feel they have no way out, they will just lash out at you. Give them a possible exit, that is acceptable to both of you.

7. Try to settle it in a "friendly" way. Say things like "look, this is just silly. I don't need the trouble, and I'm sure you don't want the police taking you away, or your methadone stopped."

8. Remind drug users that they have signed an agreement with the pharmacy (hopefully) stating that they will not cause any trouble or steal etc in your shop.

9. Learn to do the swanneck.

10. Remember you are not made of glass. If you get a punch land on you, you will recover from it.

11. If the stealing from where you work is bad (over £300 a week in some stores I've worked in) and the company won't back you up, just let them take it. It's not your money. You only tackle shop lifters to stop them coming back again and again.

12. Don't put yourself at risk. You are only doing this to protect yourself and the staff. Don't be threatened into doing things like giving out methadone on an unsigned script etc It may seem the easy option at the time, but the Society will not take into account any circumstances you were in. I have known drug users threaten a pharmacist, get them to break the law because they were afraid to do anything else, them attempt to blackmail them because they helped the addict.

13. Practice your phrases for stressful situations, so they come out of your mouth automatically in a situation.

14. Don't worry! These things are rare!

[kemzero]

Admin
You've obviously developed a knack for putting up with a load of aggro......
but do you really have to put up with this kind of s...(no swearing allowed!) on top of the added stress of being a community pharmacist and for what max £25.00/hour....it stinks..but well done!

Looking on the bright side..you won't have to put up with this much longer ..once remote supervision comes into play!

[admin]

Admin
You've obviously developed a knack for putting up with a load of aggro......
but do you really have to put up with this kind of s...(no swearing allowed!) on top of the added stress of being a community pharmacist and for what max £25.00/hour....it stinks..but well done!

Looking on the bright side..you won't have to put up with this much longer ..once remote supervision comes into play!

Like I say these things are rare. My friend who has over 150 addicts a day has about 3 events like this happen a week!

No, you shouldn't have to do this, not for any money. The reality is however is that shop lifting etc is so common now, that most of us have to deal with it.

The list I put up is just my way of coping with it, and it may give somebody else a couple of ideas they can add to their own portfolio.