The Three Stooges Version of a Trip to Target

Quite some time ago, I mentioned how I made a reference to the Three Stooges to my young Children’s Minister, who was, well, unfamiliar with those guys. If  unfamiliar with the Stooges, you can get information about them here.

Meanwhile, I went to Target yesterday.

I needed to pick up a couple of prescriptions. That’s all. Why is that never all?

Many of my prescriptions come from a medication provider (for us senior adults). I’d apparently had trouble navigating one of them, recently. What I thought I’d ordered and paid for, never arrived. Last Monday, I logged onto the web site to check on things and discovered that there was no record of my order. So, yes, I certainly could re-order, but, I was on my last three doses, and I was uncertain about receiving the medication in the mail on time, given the upheaval in our lives right now. So, I phoned my physician’s office, explained my problem to the nurse, and asked for a prescription to be sent to the pharmacy at my Target. Yes, indeed, she said. Great.

On Tuesday, I got an e-mail from that online provider saying they needed my payment for the prescription. I phoned the doctor’s office and checked with my physician’s nurse. “Did that prescription go to the CVS pharmacy at Target?” Well, hmmm. No, it had not. It went to the online provider. We discussed the problem of getting that in the mail as timely as I needed it. And she said that, if it didn’t arrive, they could probably (probably?) fill in the gap. I checked the website, and there was a space that said, “Approve? Yes? No?” I checked “No,” and called the nurse back.

“Please go ahead a resubmit that prescription request at Target. I cancelled the other one.” “Yes,” she said. And, TA-DAH, it’s done. HAH.

Wednesday evening, I had the last dose of insulin. Thursday morning, I went to Target.

I asked for the insulin. She went back to her computer. And, of course, more problems.

“This prescription has already been charged to the online provider,” she said.  And I said, with dismay, “I can’t wait. I took my last dose last night. It wasn’t supposed to be charged to them.”

She was confounded, and another pharmacist came over and said, “Would you like me to do this?” And that first pharmacist said, “Yes, please,” and went to help another customer whose prescription wasn’t as complicated.

So, pharmacist #2 looks things over as I’m explaining how the problem happened, and she said she would phone that online provider and try to get it untangled. I could wait at the pharmacy, or if I needed to shop for other stuff in the store, she would call me after she’d talked to them.

“Great!” I went off to find Cheerios for David, who said everywhere he’d been was out of Cheerios. He’d not, apparently, looked at Target. There were all sizes of regular Cheerios, in addition to a wide variety of different kinds, flavors, etc. of Cheerios.

In a short time, the pharmacist phoned me (in the cereal aisle) to say that they could do an override, but but that I would have to make the call. She had the number, but, alas, I couldn’t find a pen, and she said she’d write down the number for me, and I could walk back to the pharmacy and get it. Which I did.

So, now, I’ve got the number, which I call, and there’s an automated voice telling me things, and asking me to say “yes,” and “prescription,” and asking me what is my identification number, so, I, with my phone in my hand, have to dig into my purse for my wallet and dig for that card, and I recite and confirm that number. Meanwhile, I am walking around Target, trying to find a quieter place to give all this information so that I’m not irritating other shoppers.

Then, a human being came online, and, as I am walking around, I’m trying to explain to her about the prescription that I’d asked for, and how it went to the wrong place ,and I really need to get it filled now, and that’s why I’m requesting an override. And then I worry that she’s going to give me some other phone number to call, and I know that I do not have a pen, so, while she’s working things out, I hurry on over to the aisle where there are pens, and I, not really wanting, or needing, a package of a dozen pens, finally find a package with one pen, and rip it open, try it out, and keep it handy.

I also know that I don’t have any paper in my purse, (I am woefully unprepared) and I am going to have to write any phone numbers or other information on the sides of the Cheerios boxes in my cart.

Then, after a few more minutes of standing in the kid’s video section, where I am finally alone, she comes back on and says, of course, that override can be managed, and she’ll connect me to Brie, who can get things fixed for me, and I think she’s talking about the pharmacist, but, no, she’s talking about someone at that online provider, who, in 45 seconds, confirms that the override is a done deal.

So, I go back to the pharmacy, where we are having to start the new prescription all over again. And, it will take a few minutes. Do I need to do some more sopping? Sure. And I went looking for new scales. The old scales, which are a few years old, but not ‘way old, have stopped working. I thought they just needed new batteries, which I didn’t have, but picked up last Monday, when I went to the grocery store. I replaced the old, worn out batteries with the nice, shiny, new ones. Without success. I guess that scale is broken, worn out, non-functional. The new scale is still in the box, but, I’m prepared with new batteries. Maybe tomorrow.

I also needed a prescription cream, which I asked the pharmacist to fill. “Oh,” she said, after looking at her computer. “That prescription has expired. I can call the doctor and have it renewed, Okay?” “Yes, please.” It wouldn’t be ready until the next day, but that’s fine. Target is close to me. No problem.

So. What should have taken, maybe ten? fifteen? minutes. Took about an hour and a half. And, I still have to go back. And I have to admit, I’m just glad it’s all worked out.

As we’re sheltering in place, except for those trips to the grocery store and Target, I was really unhappy when I learned that the libraries have been closed. NOOOOOO. But, a friend explained how it’s working now. I can go on the library’s web site, request books to be put on hold (which I do regularly, even though I usually go pick them up when they’re ready), and then I can check to see when the book(s) are available. Then, I phone the library and say that I’m ready to come and pick them up. I drive to the library where those books are and pull up to a door at the back of the library. I park and phone the library to let them know I’m there. They confirm my name and my library card number. Then, they will bag up the book(s) and open that door, place the bag on a table just outside the door, and go back in. Then, I get out of my car, retrieve the bag, get back in my car and drive away. What a plan!