Saturday, December 10, 2011

A Little Knowledge Can Be Dangerous. An Illustration.

I looked up and the affluent asshole was there. This happens a lot these days. I made my move from the ghetto about five years ago and now I'm in a place where millionaires can walk right up to me as I work. One thing I've learned here is that millionaires are quiet. People in the ghetto had ways of letting you know they were coming but quite often you can be concentrating on your work in a millionaire zone, look up, and one will have appeared like a ghost. Millionaires are sneaky.

"POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE!!!!!!!" said the millionaire. Which those of you familiar with the land of affluence know was a request to purchase some.

"I don't think we carry that here sir, you might try......"

"IT'S FOR ATHLETE'S FOOT!!!!!"

"I'm pretty sure we don't have it" At this point an assistant manager offered to help the man find out for sure if the stuff was in the store.

"YOU CAN'T HELP ME!!!! Snapped the South African accented millionaire to the African-American assistant manager, in a tone that was, historically, exactly what you would expect.

Back to me now. "ARE YOU SAYING YOU DON'T HAVE IT????" and for the third time I said I was pretty sure we didn't.

"IT WAS ON GOOGLE!!!!" he said. Obviously I needed to be reminded of the strict fact checking that takes place before something is allowed on the internet.

Now, its not that I'm mean or unprofessional, but I know better than to let this man know there were several clinically proven athlete's foot remedies in the aisle right behind him. It would have been improper for me to speak out of place to the millionaire, and believe me, I've been dealing with these people for awhile now, and I know they will let their foot rot off before they will admit that their effort to consult Dr. Google might not have given them the best result. I kept to my place in the social order and the man left with fungus living high on the hog between his toes with no end in sight. I was never asked what might work besides potassium permanganate, which, by the way, Google can also tell you where to buy.

Meanwhile, in the ghetto someone just said something to the effect of "YO!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS SHIT ON MY FOOT IS?" Whereupon the nice pharmacist led the man to the Lamisil, or Lotrimin, or Micatin, which cleared up the problem in a week or so.

I'd like to think of foot fungus as a fellow member of the 99 percent.

9 comments:

Từ Thanh Giác said...

I was raised in the ghetto. It was so nice to have neighbors that talk to each other.
I also found that as a pharmacist the ghetto people for the most part trusted my professional opinion.

Anonymous said...

Where I live...it's not that easy to tell who's in the ghetto or not (I mean the one the one over there from where their folks survived ). We get a mix of clientele. I prefer to think of the mannerly vs. the rude.

I like to get in others' personal space--too far away to read lips, and all that. Patients sometimes feel a little less intimidating and less confrontational when this little old fat lady stands close with garlicky breath and asks the customer to repeat their request a couple times different ways (because I am having trouble understanding what you're saying, no)? Believe me, I can hear the someone says under their breath outside the pharmacy, but sometimes it brings someone's attention to their rudeness when they are asked nicely to explain themselves.

Just My 2¢ said...

potassium permanganate?!
I'm glad that you didn't have any. He would have sued you for turning his foot (and everything else it touched)purple.

I guess it isn't the most dangerous oxidizer he could have asked for. He could have tried bleach.

Anonymous said...

In my experience working with the financially blessed, I have found them to be the most obnoxious, rudest, most self entitled douche bags I have ever encountered. I have worked with every socioeconomic group there is and I will, happily, go back to the ghetto pharmacy as soon as the job market will allow. You know who you are Boulder.

Anonymous said...

Wasn't potassium permanganate also used by Agatha Christie or Shirlock Holmes to detect a purloined letter or something? Surely no one in this day and age thinks potassium permanganate is the most effective remedy for microsporum, epidermophytes and trichophytes, or candida?

Anonymous said...

Here is a tip....no charge..whenever someone asks for some weirdo potion or chemical or root etc. Get a real serious considering look on your face and say "I'll bet GNC has it!!!" then it's usually AMF and back to the grind.

Patricia said...

Love the GNC tip. I was hobbling around one afternoon, wasting some time waiting for my wheels to show up and wandered into one. I asked 'The Situation' if they had fish oil. Evidently, they did not, so I hobbled out when...woosh, out came, having found said product. Just $80USD for about 120 capsules. Don't worry about me getting ripped off, though, he assured me it was worth it for treating my mutt with skin flakes.

Anonymous said...

Did he want Sudafed too? Just saying....

Anonymous said...

The really special ones ask for prescription meds. Insist in Africa it is otc and can't understand why I wont give it to thhem. Then want to explain to me how it works (incorrectly). Apparently being rich makes you a medical expert!