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Confusing language

Expecto_Patronum

How confusing the English language and people's use of it can be will never cease to amaze me.

I went to drop off a prescription at the pharmacy today. When I handed it over he said "is this just to collect when it's ready?". I have no idea what he actually meant by that question - I wouldn't be able to pick it up before it's ready so obviously yes, I will collect when it's ready. I just said yes and left. But it's played on my mind since.

I feel like this kind of thing happens so often, I just can't understand what the other person actually meant.

Parents

  • I puzzled over,

    Expecto_Patronum said:
    "is this just to collect when it's ready?".

    I think he meant, “are you going to wait here until the prescription is ready for you?”

    On the other hand he could have been wanting to know if your medication is to be collected by the the pharmacy driver for delivery to your home. 

    On a related subject, the dosage instructions on medication labels go through a change of formatting style every so often. Drugs I have been taking for years at the same set dose come with instructions that are nonsensical. I wish they could go back to being in plain English.

  • in reply to ArchaeC

    I don't think he did. I think he meant are you coming back to collect it when it's ready. I highly doubt they had enough in stock for me to wait for it. Usually in that scenario they'd say are you waiting. I asked if I'd get a text, he said I would and as I haven't had a text yet I'm fairly confident he wasn't expecting me to wait.

    He may have been asking whether I was collecting or getting it delivered though. I hadn't considered that.

    Yes I find instructions for dosage etc difficult to follow sometimes. They often seem to put partial information on them which drives me mad as I then question whether I've fully remembered what the doctor told me.

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  • in reply to ArchaeC

    I don't think he did. I think he meant are you coming back to collect it when it's ready. I highly doubt they had enough in stock for me to wait for it. Usually in that scenario they'd say are you waiting. I asked if I'd get a text, he said I would and as I haven't had a text yet I'm fairly confident he wasn't expecting me to wait.

    He may have been asking whether I was collecting or getting it delivered though. I hadn't considered that.

    Yes I find instructions for dosage etc difficult to follow sometimes. They often seem to put partial information on them which drives me mad as I then question whether I've fully remembered what the doctor told me.

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