Drive thru, opinions needed!?

Question

I work at a pharmacy which has a drive thru. One woman I work with bitches and moans that she is allergic to cigarettes. She works all the way at the other end of the pharmacy, and almost never works the drive thru. She b1tches and moans if one person smokes a cigarette and she can smell it. Then she spends the rest of my shift harassing me about how bad it smells, and that *I should tell them not to smoke. She already put up a no-smoking sign without asking the manager, and now she wants ME to tell the customers not to smoke because SHE has a problem with it!

I do NOT feel that this is my issue, so why should I insult our customers so that she can have everything her way? She is making my job so hard to do because of the way she harasses me about it for hours on end.She is not a manager and this decision should not be up to her! If she doesn't want them to smoke, why can't SHE work the drive thru and tell them her SELF? Am I wrong? I don't want to be yelled at because of her.

She will also come running around the corner, yelling that she can smell cigarettes, and half the time, the window hasn't been opened for a good 10 minutes or so! She is really getting psychotic about this..

Answer 1

Talk to your manager, and have him/her set the woman straight. She works in a public environment, and what someone does in their own car is their business, not hers. She has no right, legal or otherwise, to try and control what a customer does in their vehicle. If she can't handle any amount of smoke without a serious allergic reaction, then she needs to find a job that isolates her from it.

I'm very allergic to cigarette smoke, too, but there are times when I simply have to pop an extra Benadryl and smile sweetly. Nobody died and left me the job of judge, jury, and executioner if someone is smoking in a place that isn't legally prohibited.

Answer 2

I hate selfish people like this! Where do you work? Because there is a brat that works in the Pharmacy at the Eckerds I go to! She thinks the world revolves around her. I know you are probably trying to be very nice about this. The truth is, you don't need to be nice anymore. She is taking advantage of you. She knows that you are not going to stand up to her. This situation also proves the point that there is no such thing as "Customer Service" anymore.

Customers get treated like crap and take it with a smile. Once you waste your time to complain about an rude employee all they get is a slap on the hand anyway. I am a District Manager of a large company and if I ever hear a customer being treated the wrong way, you better believe I handle it right.

Answer 3

you're right, this isn't your issue. it sounds like either your coworker needs to handle her own problem, or she needs to find a different job, preferably one where she doesn't have to come into close contact with the public. perhaps a job under a rock somewhere would do

"allergic" to cigarette smoke? never heard of it, but if she truly is, it is between her and the company that employs her to work out a solution, including any kind of smoking ban that may be put into effect for the drive-thru. it is not your responsibility to enforce a smoke-ban that is not authorized by your employer, in fact it is a very bad idea in the instance that a customer becomes upset/offended that they are told not to smoke and files a complaint

Answer 4

Well if she's actually allergic to cigarettes, enough smoke can kill her. So her "paranoia" about cigarettes probably is justified. Are you a supervisor? Maybe that's why she goes to you. Why don't you tell the manager about it and see if he can get some policies instated. Why are people smoking around a pharmacy anyway??? There are a lot of sensitive drugs in that place that I doubt people want smelling like cigarettes when they take them home. Plus a lot of people are way more sensitive to the smoke than others.

Answer 5

You need to have a chat with your manager and explain that you feel that her issues are not only interfering with your ability to do you job and provide good customer service, but it is very rude. There is no way that she can or expect you to enforce a rule about people smoking in their cars unless the is a no smoking policy clearly posted at the entrance of the property. You also need to stand up to her and not let her walk all over you...next time she ties into you let her know that you do not feel it is her place to treat you this way and if she has a problem with the way that you do your job, take it to your manager.

Answer 6

I'd think that the carbon monoxide that waifs in would be worse than the cigarette smoke. I don't like cigarette smoke either, but if it is just 1 or 2 a day, then no big deal. Tell her to complain to the management about it. It is not your job to be the cigarette police.

Answer 7

I would speak to the manager about her. She is probably coming very close to offending some customers. I understand how cigarette smoke annoys people, but she is not handling it in the right way. Let your manager know that she is harassing you and coming very close to embarassing you in front of the customer and ask the manager how they think you should handle the situation. If the manager is any good, they will take care of it themselves.

Answer 8

Unfortunately she has a right to complain, but she is definitely going overboard from what I hear. She is impairing the ability to conduct business and is driving customers away. If she has such a big problem with cigarettes, she should find another job. Have you tried to confront her?

Good luck.

Answer 9

Don't take her seriously. Every time she mentions it, just say something silly like, "Aww.. come on, you are just JEALOUS that she has a cigarette and you don't." Her issue should be taken to the manager. You really can't do anything about it anyway.. so why even concern yourself with it.

Answer 10

I'd tell the customer, that is was HER who doesn't want them smoking... guarenteed someone will end up blowing smoke right in her face.

lets take away SOME MORE rights shall we