Eu Kenn: Now, whenever I step into a pharmacy, I reflect on my experience and try to make things easier for the retail staff as a customer.
RECENTLY, I had a 10-day work attachment at a pharmacy.
The job involved cashier duties and assisting the pharmacist with tasks such as arranging shelves and organising stock.
The work attachment was recommended by my school, as we had just finished our International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) exams and had free time before school events began.
Throughout those shifts, I learnt a lot.
Work experiences like this help students see firsthand how things are run, since we get to be part of the daily operations. They also serve as career exploration opportunities, allowing us to try different roles and see what suits us.
Depending on the jobs we choose, we acquire various skills.
For instance, a highlight of my job attachment was gaining insight into how pharmacies operate. I learnt about shelf organisation and helped my colleagues manage item deliveries.
I observed how the pharmacist handled customers’ requests and questions, and I began to recognise some medicines and their functions on my own.
After a few days, I became accustomed to life in a retail pharmacy. I knew where most items were located, which allowed me to direct customers to the shelves they were looking for. I also got the hang of requesting stock for items that were running low, and responding to requests from other outlets.
Additionally, I learnt new terms like “cycle counting” and “counter closing”.
I met a wide array of customers, from a kid unsure of which medicine to buy for his parents to individuals obsessed with skincare.
Those 10 days definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone, since I had to talk to customers and socialise much more.
Time was of the essence. My lunch breaks couldn’t exceed 30 minutes, and sometimes I had to attend to customers even during my break or after my shift had ended.
I also had to stay sharp, as mistakes were not an option.
One thing I didn’t expect was that the work attachment would remind me of the importance of sleep.
Before I started my attachment, I had been burning the midnight oil while preparing for my IGCSE exams, which led to skipping breakfast and waking up very late.
It almost felt like I was on autopilot. When work started, I had to practise more discipline and adapt to a strict routine of waking up early.
That meant going to bed earlier and setting numerous alarms on my phone to make sure I woke up on time.
Surprisingly, I found myself becoming more considerate after this work experience. I finally understood what working in retail is really like.
Now, whenever I step into a pharmacy, I reflect on my experience and try to make things easier for the retail staff as a customer.
Eu Kenn, 17, a student in Kuala Lumpur, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team. For updates on the BRATs programme, go to facebook.com/niebrats.
