Edit: The long red arm and the white pipe are being used to pour concrete in an area that the trucks cannot access. One of the workers on site explained that there is a 300 foot cement conduit ringing the building.

The new big box store continues apace in my neighbourhood. I am continually fascinated by the construction activities, still very much the little boy standing and watching with a mixture of curiousity and awe while the different workers move about in a dance of sorts, slowly raising a new building out of a hole in the ground.

Although I initially wondered why these huge stores have gone in everywhere without a fuss I decided the SDM corporation must be shrewd in this regard. Even though these stores are humongous when compared to the local neighbourhood store they replace, they are miniscule beside a WalMart, a new Canadian Tire store, or a Home Depot hardware centre. I suppose the SDM stores must come in under the local zoning by-laws wherever they pop up. I also believe they are located in such a way as to create as little fuss as possible.

The people in my current SDM across the street in Bullfrog Mall assure me that they are all promised jobs in the new store, and that the pharmacy function will not change. We'll see. When the SDM was built on Stone Rd. it was not great. SDM was previously close by on Stone Rd. and in Stone Road Mall. Neither store was ever that great but the new box store which replaced them was horrid. The pharmacist was a young tyrant who seemed to take pleasure in berating his customers over their prescriptions. The remainder of the staff were cold and inefficient.

To anyone who does not understand what the fuss is about, wait till you reach a point in your life where you must interact with the pharmacy (not the rest of the drug store) on a regular basis. It becomes very important that pharmacy staff are good folks. It becomes paramount that the asshole count remains low so that your own stress levels do not rise.

I have watched many seniors suffer at the hands of bad staff in other stores (like the Stone Rd. box store). The people in my store are saints. They are patient with those who require patience and cheerful with everyone at all times. They are also quite efficient in almost every instance when I have dealt with them.

It is common to receive miscounts of regular prescriptions at other drug stores. I have also received incorrect drugs on two separate occasions; this is an outrage. When you return the bad scrip for exchange you are generally received defensively, then with indifference if it becomes evident you will not make a fuss.

I have learned to check my meds closely every month. No one is responsible but me for what I receive. Incorrectly prescribed drugs can be a serious matter. Save for one instance when there was a small miscount at the Bullfrog Mall store, they make no mistakes. When the small error was made the staff was very apologetic and owned the error. It's very reassuring.

I hope head office has the good sense to keep this team together.