Coupon Blitzkrieg
Pharmacygirl has it right. I hate coupons too–just endured a 4 week blitz of coupons. I am ready to throw a sharpened spatula at the next person who hands me another gift-card coupon. I figured my 4 week total at almost $4000 given out in gift cards. AND these are the kind of gift cards you can redeem for something else so they aren’t stuck using it in the store–no-siree, they can eat at Olive Garden or buy a shovel at Home Depot with their proceeds. You know, it should be taxable income if you ask me, considering how many I hand out to those few people who have made it their personal hobby to torture pharmacists with their weekly drug transfers. I know their faces, I dont even have to guess- I see the name, I know the coupon is in their sweaty hand.
I got one guy who had 4 rx’s monthly- went to 4 different locations on the same day and transferred one to each store. Then reversed it the next month. Then on the third month, transfers them back to the 4 stores, but each with a different rx till after 8 months each store had transferred back and forth all 4 of his rx’s once. Then he moved on. Do the math: 4 of our stores, and 4 competitors with 4 rx’s bouncing back and forth 4 cycles. At $25 per transaction thats $100 per month for 8 months. Nice take bucko.
Then I had the lady who was at my counter transfering a 15gm tube of cheap cream, from Store X then 15 minutes later was at that very store X transferring something else from me. She had a coupon for both stores. The other pharmacist about popped her cork. She lectured me for 5 minutes on her distaste of this and she was going to do this and that and call the Board and stop this nonsense. I said “I understand, I share your feelings but nothings going to change and the Board of pharmacy doesn’t care” Its not a legal issue. They’ll probably just laugh at us–what do they care if we want to give away our profits as long as our noses are clean and all our records are in order?? I talked to her a few days later and that is EXACTLY what the Board told her…
I know, I know, “dont get all riled up, its not coming out of your pocket” I hear it all the time, but “time” is the key here. I don’t have enough of it to deal with all these imbiciles tranferring their Atenolol 50mg #30 every month to a different drug store chasing coupons.
Loyalty Shmoyalty–these are coupon chasers and nothing you can show me will change my mind. I work in the trenches see? I will transfer the same rxs out next month that I transferred in THIS month. Does this foster new business? My boss told me once with a straight face mind you, that these programs are to “intice people to try you out and see if they like the store and the service you provide” I laugh in your face! I do the mandatory counselling and all they want to talk about is the coupon ” Did I get it?” “when can I use it” ” when can I get another one?”
I get a week of reprieve for now–but since we take competitors coupons, I doubt it will be much of a reprieve. I am waiting for the mother of all coupons, somebody will do it I know someday– $100 ……One C-note for the new or tranferred rx. Thats when I will jump on the band wagon. I’ll find some sucker Dr. who will give me 20 Ibuprofen 600 with about 4 refills and I’ll pay my groceries for a couple of months on the $500 I plan on collecting …yup, just waitin….and I’ll do it with a straight face.
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