After asking customers’ about their day, Zaiton Wazir Mohamed is soon busy filling out their prescriptions, recommending supplements or explaining the benefits of the various products on the shelves – usually in fluent Cantonese.
She switches seamlessly from Cantonese to English and Bahasa Malaysia, depending on who she is speaking to, and while she seems to be a natural extrovert, the 52-year-old grandmother admits her outgoing nature is one that was slowly developed during her 15 years at the pharmacy.
“A lot of people are surprised and ask me how come I can speak Cantonese. I actually learnt Cantonese on the job by speaking it every day,” she grins.
“I was actually shy when I first started working here … I didn’t like to talk to anyone, but we have to communicate a lot with our customers and explain things to them. Thanks to my boss’ encouragement, I slowly got better.
“I have made a lot of friends since I’ve been here, and some are like family to me. It doesn’t matter who they are … all my customers have become my friends,” she smiles.
Hailing from Batu Gajah, Perak, Zaiton – who has a five-year-old granddaughter – previously worked as a nurse at a local clinic for 10 years before making the move to the pharmacy.
One of the thousands of frontliners largely working behind the scenes during the Covid-19 pandemic, Zaiton admits that the health crisis is taking an immeasurable toll on healthcare workers – many of whom are working longer hours than ever before.
While her days assisting doctors are behind her, Zaiton, whose three sisters are also nurses, understands better than most the sacrifices that the nation’s frontliners are currently facing.
Although she acknowledges the impact the pandemic has had on Malaysians’ income, she said one bright spot was more people were staying at home, giving them the time to be “closer to God”.
Noting the rise in customers frequenting pharmacies to fill out their prescriptions as they are hesitant to go to hospitals during the pandemic, Zaiton said she has seen a surge in customers buying supplements, especially Vitamin C, to boost their immune system.
Although there may be pricier brands on the shelves, Zaiton never thinks twice about recommending a less costly product that may be just as effective.
“We have to make sure we have the customers’ trust,” explains Zaiton.
“We shouldn’t lie. If you say the product is good, it had better be good. They (customers) will come back. If you lie, you’ll only get that one sale. It’s short term.
“That’s why most of my customers are repeat customers. If it’s good for them, I will say so. The most important thing is not to lie.”