I could see that the pharmacy staff was absolutely swamped. His particular prescription required a call to another party and the pharmacist just had not had time to make that call. The gentleman sat down near me to wait some more. I could tell that he was not a happy camper.
So, I decided to engage him in conversation. Soon, he was no longer fretting about his medicine as he told me about his late wife, his children, his jobs, etc. I was able to keep him talking until the pharmacist could finally make the call (and was put on hold for several minutes) and had his prescription ready.
Many people do not realize that most of the delays in service in a retail environment have little to do with the staff on the floor. The corporate office only allows so many hours for employee scheduling. It is usually not enough, especially in the pharmacy.
I actually find myself trying to spread calm quite a bit when lines are long and people are impatient. Or when their orders are wrong in a restaurant. A smile and a bit of conversation can diffuse situations that could get ugly. Fussing is not going to make a line move any faster. If someone appears to be in a tearing hurry and I am not in any kind of rush, I let them go ahead of me. A little kindness can go a long way.
Back to pharmacists, they have one of the toughest jobs that I can imagine. Not only are they tasked with filling prescriptions, but they often have to call doctors, give flu and shingles shots, and go out on the floor to help customers decide what they need for a particular ailment. Often there is only one pharmacist on duty with only a couple of techs to help. They have people at the drive-through window, the consultation area, the drop off, and the pickup section. And everyone wants their medicine yesterday!
So be kind to those pharmacists and other people who serve the public. And if you can help someone else be kind, do that too. It's worth it.
