Wednesday, July 28, 2010

excellent service at Watsons

i usually get over-the-counter medication & vitamin supplement from Guardian, but occasionally i go to Watsons because they have a discount section where items with short expiry dates are sold at between 30 - 70% less.

today i purchased a bottle of chewable vitamins whose expiry date is 20 Sept, at 70% discount. while making payment, the guy at the counter reminded me of the expiry date & even advised that i keep the bottle away from sunlight &, after opening, to store in the fridge, to prolong its shelf life.

how informative, customer-friendly & RARE is this?? it made my day & just goes to show that it doesn't take much to make a customer happy.

if we were in a restaurant or hotel, i would have given him a tip!

PS. those in the pharmaceutical industry can confrim that those pills are effective up to 6 months after their stated expiry date.

16 comments:

Unicorn Girl said...

Lucky you Doc .Very common of friendly customer service at fast food restaurant but seldom at other places besides fastfood restaurants .

wenn said...

normally goods that are almost expired are sold cheaper.

doc said...

UG,

this particular employee is outstanding!

doc said...

Wenn,

the expiry date is just a guide to the shelf life. usually dried items last longer than that.

ilene said...

You're so blessed DOC! (That guy must be the pharmacist). This type of service is most likely to take place in establishment like Marks & Spencer!

I would have been most grateful if at all the sales personnel at these pharmacies could understand what I want let alone telling me about the shelf life of the product!! hahaha....

Just last week, I was at both Guardian and Watson asking for shower caps and they in turn asked me, "apa tu ah"!!! *slap forehead*

missyc said...

My favourite is Caring as pharmacists are always available, knowledgeable + friendly.

Guardian/Watson are popping like 7Eleven neighborhood stores here so competitive nowadays it pays to be friendly so you keep going there for more !

doc said...

Ilene,

no, that guy is just a cashier, which makes this all the more impressive!

perhaps they are not familiar with shower caps because people usually don't use them unless they shower at hotels.

doc said...

MissyC,

the retail pharmacy industry is indeed very competitive; maybe that's why they want a slice of the cake by proposing to the Min of Health that patients buy medicine from them instead of the GPs.

missyc said...

funnies :D ppl use shower caps only @hotels coz its free.

Sometimes I buy prescribed medications from Caring at discounted price & earn extra bonuslink points. What I don't like about GP is some tend to over prescribed medications which goes to waste, plus 'poisons' I've duly swallowed. I'm much wiser now :* If not life threatening I refuse much to doctors annoyance..haha

iml said...

He deserves a letter of commendation. For being a responsible staff.

doc said...

MissyC,

the GPs over-presribe for a reason.

when i was doing locum years ago in PJ, i used to give only 1 or 2 types of medicine, until the clinic nurse told me that i have to give at least THREE, or else the patients felt that paying rm20 -25 (circa 1980s) was expensive.

so i end up topping up the presciption with vitamin pills!! patients don't realise that the bulk of the fee is for consultation & examination, probably because that's not something tangible that they can take home with.

doc said...

Iml,

maybe new broom sweeps clean, but to be sure, i'll pop in again & see if he still "keeps up the standard."

;)

missyc said...

now that u mentioned it, I read a doctor's blog about clinic nurse prescribing medicines or vits to make extra money without doc knowledge..eeks so dangerous esp when most of the clinic 'nurse' are not even medically trained. Years ago, I've been to one GP who had her elderly mother acting as nurse !

Anonymous said...

Good customer service is indeed rare over here.

doc said...

MissyC,

yes, i have heard of clinic nurses siphoning money without the doctor's knowledge. i know of 2 clinics whose nurses blatantly charge extra & quietly pocket the difference.

they, of course, have since been sacked.

doc said...

Mei Teng,

that's why it's such a refreshing change to see someone offering it!