Christmas gifts for pharmacists

As the festive season approaches, I thought it might be useful to write about suitable presents for pharmacists so that you can drop hints to family, friends, employers and staff by leaving your Journal lying around open at this page.

Unfortunately, my research suggests that most gifts aimed at pharmacists are excruciatingly awful. Luckily, these tasteless offerings tend to be available only in the US and so may be out of reach of your loved ones and work colleagues.

One US website offers a huge range of gifts that all carry the appalling slogan “One Tablet / Two Tablets / Three Tablets / DOSE, / Pharmacists are / the ones with / The MOST!” Products bearing this wording include a wide range of garments (from t-shirts to boxer shorts and thongs), plus shoulder bags, prints, tiles, mugs, mouse pads, postcards, stickers, teddy bears, coasters and even t-shirts for dogs.

Another US website offers mugs bearing the wince-inducing words “Proud to be a pill counting, prescription dispensing, advice giving pharmacist”.

Available in the UK, though also hailing from the US, is a range of “hilarious pharmacy t-shirts” bearing dozens of slogans. These tend to be pompous (“I am a pharmacist: try not to be intimidated by my superior intelligence”), derogatory (“I am a pharmacist, therefore I drink”), crude (“I’ve been a naughty pharmacist and I need a spanking!”) or pointless (“Pharmacists rock!”).

The only slogan that might raise a slight smile is “I used to have a life … but now I’m a pharmacist”.

As a result of my research, I suggest instead that you simply drop hints to potential gift-buyers about the tasteful selection of products available from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s museum shop