I made a trip to the local drug store the other night around 8 PM. It was the only time I left the house that day actually. Every so often I find myself realizing suddenly that I have not left the house in days. Working from home has this side effect. Days just go by and you never leave the house. Even taking the trash to the end of the driveway becomes an adventure. Heck, even getting the mail brings excitement when you compare it to staying inside the walls of your house for 48 or 72 hours at a time. Anyway, I did not mind making this trip as I had spent the entire previous 24 hours or so in the house.
The daughter was having some, some, well, gastrointestinal issues (or lack thereof) and this necessitated the late evening trip. Armed with a general description from the wife of the brand of laxative I was to purchase (I also brought along the wife’s cell phone just in case [I do not have a cell phone]), I drove the 3 or so miles down State Road 26 and turned into the CVS parking lot. Traffic was light both on the road and in the store and I headed to the back corner of the store and found the aisle with the Stomach –> Laxatives section.
Let me just say, “Wow!” Who knew that so many companies focused on this particular problem that hits us all from time to time. I knew almost immediately I was ill prepared for the task at hand. I pulled out the wife’s cell phone and called for assistance. I did my best to describe several of the brand names and labels or active ingredients. There did not appear to be one specifically made for children (not even in the children’s aisle nearby that only contained children’s cold remedies). I was forced then to read the fine print on the back to ensure that the dose was listed for children. Then (of course) I had to consider the cost of the item. Buying 50 vs 30 pills was not a wise decision as we would likely not use the entire container (we hope).
The entire time that I was on the phone (like from the second I hit the “send” button), an employee decided it was time to vacuum. She started (2) aisles away but as the conversation with the wife carried on the vacuum came closer and closer until it was in my row. I glanced in the general direction of the vacuumee to try to convey my annoyance level but she was in her own little vacuum world. The call eventually ended, I made my selection (30 pills, $8) and headed to the cashier.
Now here is where the blog title comes into play. Usually a cashier will make small talk with you. When I worked as a cashier one summer at Lowe’s, I did the same thing. After the obligatory inquiry as to whether or not I possessed a “card” (each store has to have some sort of reward card that gives you discounts) and my “no” answer (said not in a derogatory tone but in strong enough to pre-answer the necessary follow up question as to whether I would like to have a “card”) we proceeded to the business at hand. She did not pay much attention to what it was that I was buying but was more interested in finding the bar code to scan. After I swiped my debit card and punched all the OK’s, I was ready to head out the door. It was then that she said something that I think she would not have said had she known I was buying a laxative and not some other item (like say, gum). She told me to “have a good one”.
As a cashier, I am sure you develop a small repertoire of parting words. You may only have one good one or maybe you have many. My good friend worked as a gas station cashier for many years and he typically said “Have a good one.” to everyone as they left the store. At a gas station the choices of items to purchase is limited and as such any normal departing phrase would work. “Have a good one” though is not something you should tell a person who is buying a laxative.
After thinking about this for a while, I think a good idea for cashiers at drug stores would be for the cash register software to provide some sort of warning based on what is being scanned in for purchasing. The screen that the cashier sees then could provide some sort of visual warning to stop the cashier from making inappropriate remarks. I think this would alleviate any possible embarrassment for both parties. I am still laughing at her comment days later.
Have a good one!
Jon
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