I am sure I am not the only one who thinks that the prescription filling process in Canada takes way much more time than their counterparts in Europe or Asia where most pharmacies not even have an automated filling system to help them with the processing speed and lower patient waiting time.
Part of the reason we have higher waiting times here in North America is purely commerce. Wait times are directly proportional to the extra money we may end up spending while hanging out in the isles waiting for the prescription(s) to be filled. Often times than not we do end up spending more than we initially wanted or planned to. If you were to carefully look around the next time you wait for your prescription, notice the merchandise around you. It not only appeals to our instinctive buying patterns but also makes us feel productive – “while I am here I might as well...”
Money, I think, is a Negentropic Process – Just a part of life.
Woody Allen said it the best “Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons”.
My issue, instead, is with careless spending/wasting of the most important commodity in this universe – our TIME, an Entropic Process. Arrow of time only flows in one direction – forward.
My friend and I were meeting for dinner over these past holidays. We had not seen each other in a while and there was a lot to catch up to. I decided to pick her up. Since she was leaving the next day, she wanted to refill her prescription (A routine which is followed every few months). She called the pharmacy, which is literally next door to her house, in advance.
“It will be ready in 20 minutes, please come and pick it up”. A promising response in a standard tone came out of the other end.
No big deal. It gives us an opportunity to pre-drink and catch up, we thought. Few glasses of wine, jazz, cheese & crackers and half an hour of conversations later, we decided to pick up the prescription on our way to dinner.
While I waited in the car, she ran in to the store.
While I waited in the car, she ran in to the store.
Then I get txt messages while I am waiting in my idling car: "sorry. They got it all wrong! I am waiting.”
“Seriously! This is quite a process. First, it was not ready (store is empty). Second, got it all wrong, have to fix it. Apparently takes 15 minutes to fix...and I am the only customer!!!”
“... Did I mention they are 4 behind the counter?”
I turned off my engine.
What should have been an ‘in and out routine’ turned into a 25 minute waiting game. This is after we had called the pharmacy in advance.
I would understand a longer wait time if this particular pharmacist was caught between a need to spend "time" counseling patients, which delays filling the next prescription. I would also understand if my friend needed some sort of counseling on this particular drug. But one hour to get a prescription refill when there is no customer in the store and 4 staff members behind the counter? This is the most expensive prescription filling ever.
If you have not yet decided on your 2010’s resolution, consider being miser with your time in this decade.
It’s already bad enough that we spend our money on "stuff".
I am not going to allow them to take away hours out of my life just like that, doesn’t matter how many optimum points they give me.
I work at the Pharmacy, and believe me, I don't like to see your face more than you like to see mine. The matter of fact is that even with 4 behind the counter, a North American Pharmacy averages 400 prescriptions a shift or 50/hour and only one pharmacist to sign off on it. Now, you don't want to be in my shoes, do you?
ReplyDeleteWell, this is not about pharmacies, it is about people not caring anymore about what they are doing or not being concentrating on the action that is going on NOW. In customer service situations particularly and in life in general.
ReplyDelete