Footage of a CVS pharmacist having a meltdown and closing the pharmacy early has been circulating on social media, with many viewers labeling the employee “unhinged” and “unfit to work.”
While the video showed her yelling at customers, the underlying circumstances that pushed her to that breaking point remain unknown. Some viewers are urging others to have compassion for the pharmacist instead of being so quick to judge.
Video footage depicted the CVS pharmacist screaming at customers and closing up the pharmacy early.
The footage of the confrontation between a pharmacist and a customer was captured by another CVS shopper and later posted to TikTok. Although the original video has since been deleted, it was reposted.
The customer on camera allegedly had cancer and needed to pick up a specific medicine. However, the pharmacist claimed that, according to the system, the customer already had her medication, so she could not authorize the release of a refill.
Things quickly escalated, and the pharmacist appeared to have some sort of breakdown, screaming, “I can’t do this anymore!” and shutting down the pharmacy.
“I’m going home!” the pharmacist yelled. “I can’t be a punching bag anymore.”
To a manager off-camera, she added, “Fire me if you want!”
The video garnered over 2 million views before being deleted.
While some viewers berated the pharmacist, others emphasized a need for compassion.
Some people online insisted that the pharmacist deserved to lose her job and that her reaction proved that she could not be trusted around people’s medications. Others, however, saw an exhausted human who was clearly at her wit’s end.
“That poor woman. I can hear the pain in her voice,” one TikTok user commented. “I’m happy she protected her peace.”
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“Hoping she’s able to clear her head and feel better. Let’s not be quick to judge,” another commenter wrote. “She said she’s tired of being a punching bag, there’s definitely more to the story.”
Some commenters were former pharmacists themselves, who knew all too well how strenuous the job could be.
“I was a pharmacy tech for over 10 years mostly with CVS. My heart breaks for that poor tech,” one user admitted. “You don’t understand until you’ve experienced it. I felt like I was drowning almost every day.”
CVS Pharmacy has a track record of overworking its pharmacists and keeping its doors open even when it is understaffed.
In 2023, CVS pharmacists walked out to protest “unsafe and stressful work conditions tied to a widespread lack of proper staffing,” according to NPR. They are feeling overworked and underappreciated.
When there is only one pharmacist expected to fill, check the status, and distribute medications to patients at a busy pharmacy like CVS, it can easily get overwhelming. As a result, many pharmacists are feeling burnt out, which leads to breakdowns, like the woman in the video experienced.
Low salaries and heavy workloads are also significant factors in the industry that have more and more pharmacists quitting by the day, leaving their former colleagues unattended and having to work overtime.
One former CVS pharmacist, who goes by Dr. Ashley on TikTok, stitched the original video, sharing some insight. She explained that she worked at the pharmacy on and off for 15 years.
“CVS does not treat their people well at all,” she insisted. “I left in 2018 because my soul had been ripped out of my body [and] my mental health was in the garbage. I couldn’t do it anymore.”
Though she loved being a pharmacist and interacting with patients, “the environment that CVS makes in the pharmacy” led her to quit. She had nightmares about the job, was unable to call out sick, and was forced to work 14-hour shifts with no breaks.
“I feel for this woman. I hope she’s OK,” she said of the pharmacist in the video. “I hope she has support ’cause she needs it.”
While the pharmacist in the video’s reaction may appear disturbing to those who have never worked in customer service, her reaction evokes empathy from those of us who have had the displeasure of working in the rigorous industry.
We’ve all likely had moments where we hit our breaking point and wanted to stomp our feet and scream like toddlers. That doesn’t make us crazy. It makes us human.
The original poster, who has since deleted her TikTok account, issued an apology to the overwhelmed pharmacist after learning that she reportedly suffers from a ‘mental disability.’
“[To the] pharmacist: I’m really sorry, and I really hope that you’re doing well,” she said.
The next time you have to head to the pharmacy, try to have compassion for the pharmacists behind the counter. It may take more time than we would like, so have patience. Ask them for your medications politely instead of barking at them. Smile at them before you leave and remind them that they are doing a great job.
You never know what they are going through. At the end of a long day, it is the kindness of select customers that gets them through their taxing shifts.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.
