#275 – Your Number is Up

auntie stress number dispenser

Every joint aches. You're tired. You want to go home and rest, but you have one more task to do.

You have to stop at the pharmacy to pick up your prescription. So, you make the very long trek to the back of the store. Why are pharmacies always at the back, when the people who most need them are often feeling poorly?

You arrive at the pharmacy counter, only to inwardly sigh or curse. A long line-up awaits.

The pharmacy has the right idea - they've provided a bench or a stool. But, how do you rest your weary bones and keep your place in line when everyone else looks as tired as you feel?

The solution rests with management. It's as simple as providing a number dispenser.

Are you familiar with a pharmacy that makes it as easy as possible for the patient to pick up their prescriptions? What do they do?

8 Replies to “#275 – Your Number is Up”

  1. We have home delivery here. We just need to phone in the prescription and if you are registered with the chemist as we call them here, they will deliver at home against cash payment.

  2. Once again you make a great point!

    Don’t know of any pharmacy that has a number system in place.

    Only once have I have been really sick when visiting the pharmacy to pick up a RX. Luckliy there was no line up. Handed in the RX, told the pharmacist I was really sick (i.e. hurry up!) and sat in the chair provided to wait (and stay in his view).

    Never noticed, do they have a number system in Emerg?

  3. Advantage of a small town, I guess. They know me at all the pharmacies, so I can sit down and they call me when my turn comes up. And the drive-up knows me, too, so it’s very convenient. But I, too, fail to understand why the counter is always at the back.

  4. I pay a high dispensing fee because it gives me ‘free’ delivery, which isn’t so free when you add up the extra amount, but it’s the only pharmacy that delivers. Even though the pharmacist recognizes me when I sit down, it is no longer really feasible for me to pick up. Thank goodness for delivery. Yes, why is the counter at the back?.

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