Its an election year–lets talk Weather!
Pharmacy Chick has developed a tight relationship over the years with her customers. She learned Dale Carnegie’s tennets of winning friends: Let them talk about themselves and what interests THEM, and listen well. If you love golf, I will ask about your game. If you love to sail, I will ask you if you got to the river last weekend. If you love Nascar, well, I’ll just smile and let you talk. I may not have any interest in golf, sailing or Nascar, but I care enough about you to ask you about your life.
I do not however discuss politics. Now now, nor at anytime in the future will I discuss politics with you, so do not even ask. Thankfully not too many people ask me my opinions about anything other than health issues. I learned a long time ago that when people politely ask me “how are you?” that its purely a rhetorical question and the only answer they want to hear is “Fine, thank you.”.
I only wish “Dan” would learn that lesson. Dan is a tech that blows thru our pharmacy now and then like a bad wind. If you ask him how he is, he will tell you in detail, with great length and flair until you are left glassy eyesdand begging for whatever oxygen remains in the room. If you share a story, he can one-up you. No matter what disease you might have had, he has either had it or know somebody who has. No matter what weird experience you went thru, Dan did it better (or worse) than you did. Go ahead, make up something and he will trump you every time.
Dan also has an opinion, and wants to share it with you. The trouble is, he has no interest in hearing yours. He is vocal and very boorish. If you share a counter-opinion he will turn you off like a switch. He loves to hear himself talk.
(an aside) Around Pharmacy Chick’s pharmacy, sex, religion and politics are off limits. Nothing good can come from talking about it. We are a diverse group here and I know that we do not share the same moral values/political preferences/social backgrounds. It is much better that we discuss work issues at work and non-work issues someplace else. We work in a small space, if somebody doesnt’ get along, there isn’t a good way to separate the feuding parties. You may ask about what I did over the weekend, but any commentary you may have must be kind and polite, even if I told you I went to homophobic hate rally. You slept with your best friends wife? I don’t wanna know. Don’t even go there..
When Dan works, there will be the inevitable subject of politics broached. And, PC will squash it like a bug. If he sees somebody wearing a button supporting some candidate he either likes or dislikes, he will say something. And, PC will shut him down. I had to tell Dan one day that if he makes one more comment to a certain customer about a certain hot issue that I will make him personally apologize to this customer, a public official of some rank.
All that hot air and no release valve–I have to wonder, if I poked him with a pin, would he hiss like a tea pot?
Tags: employees, national news, pharmacy life, ranting | |