Who Do I Think I Am??

This one's about the meds.

THE PROMPT: (Opinion Piece) "What are your thoughts on alternative healing practices? Defend your view."

Good evening everybody. Allow me to pause for a moment to figure out how to work a prompt regarding a subject that I know absolutely nothing about. Considering I work in a store that deals with pharmaceutical items, shouldn't I know something about this?

I know Googling this topic will probably send me in a million different spastic directions, so I'm not even gonna bother with that idea.

I have just over an hour to bang out something relevant before the puck drops...it's a crucial Sabres/Flyers game. Speaking of which, hey Julie D - PUBLISHED! , you still alive? Oh yeah, and I want to get a shower in as well before the game...dinner I can eat while watching, but if I don't stick a shower in there...ahhh, well, there's always the intermissions for that I suppose.

Ok, here we go. I don't know a damn thing about alternative healing practices. And I don't like doctors and hospitals and that kinda stuff. My advice? Don't get hurt or sick. That's the safest bet, I figure. But yeah, nobody takes my advice...you fools!!

Here's the deal. I believe the Pharmaceutical Industry only has their best interests in mind. Aspirins, drugs, creams and salves aren't "healers" to them. They're profit. They're in business not to heal, but to make money off it. Why the hell don't you think there's a cure for cancer yet? Because Big Pharm wants to make money off of treating it, not eradicating it. And Big Pharm's lips are in too many influential politicos' ears to give a shit about the common person. They know we'll gulp an aspirin and stick a band-aid on anything. They tell doctors what to prescribe and what not to...and it's not based on what may heal us, but what their profit margins are.

I hope this doesn't upset my pharmacy-schooled friends who've paid a lot of money and spent a lot of time learning what to give people and what not to give people and how this interacts with that, but it's just how I feel. And trust me...you guys do a lot of work and deal with a lot of different things that us normal retailers don't have to deal with, and vice-versa.

So that's my opinion. For once, you'll have tangible proof of me being wrong...see, this entry comes with a guarantee. If I'm wrong, Big Pharm will strike me down with a lightning bolt and I won't have a job or any feeling in my warm, dead body by tomorrow morning. If that's the case, it's been fun, people. See ya 'round the way.

MUSICAL BREAK!!

When a trained physician can misdiagnose a broken bone twice, this happens. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-aoChhfHkQ

At least he could've given me a sugar pill and watched me rattle down the street.

VITAL STATS:

As you all know, I deal in the non-pharmaceutical aspects of working in a pharmacy. As the lowest-rung member of management, sometimes I have to run the store with no other members of management present. And when a cashier calls in sick, sometimes it feels like each of your limbs is tied to a horse and they're all running in opposite directions. That was my day. When I got stuck ringing on the back-up register, I opened it up and asked for the next person in line. This old lady jumped up ahead of three other people, tossed her bag of jelly beans on the counter, and said "I only have this one thing!" I looked at her, very calmly extended my index finger, waved it back and forth once or twice, and said, again, calmly, "But you're going to cut in front of all these other customers?" She backed her truck up into her spot in the line, and I cashed out the older and more appreciative lady ahead of her, who needed the sugar we have on sale. I ran to the stockroom and got her some, and the line-cutter decided she'd play a little game with me called "Let's get nasty with the overworked management type". She asked me who the manager was and I told her I was the one on duty, which she wanted no part of. She told me that I embarrassed her in front of all these people, and that even though she was wrong, I was more wrong. While cashing out another gentleman, no less. In front of all those people. So I apologized and told her that that was not my intent. She retorted with "It's too late for an apology. You embarrassed me! You were so rude! Even though I was wrong, you're rude." So...let me update the score here...by cutting ahead in line, and me pointing out nicely that there were people ahead of her waiting, and then her thowing a temper tantrum like a two year old, I'm wrong? Methinks not. I had two other customers after that ask me what the hell was wrong with her. She asked to speak to someone above me, and I told her exactly who to talk to and when they'd be in. She threatened to come back. Nicely played, lady. And by the way, you couldn't have been in that much of a hurry to nom on your jelly beans anyway, because when it was your turn for me to cash you out, you stayed in the other line, and then proceeded to hang out and bitch about me to the other cashier, who's 87 years old (true story) and probably doesn't care, but agreed with you just so you'd both have someone to talk to for a few minutes. So suck it, lady.

And to my knowledge, she still hasn't come back. Jerk...go figure. It's Jerk Thursday at Walgreens.

That's enough for one day, I think. Too many other stories so share, but the shower's calling my name. Peace, GO SABRES!! And GOODNIGHT NOW!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPZ_dC3ymAs&feature=related