Sciencemadness Discussion Board - Caution: Wear proper T-shirt

Caution: Wear proper T-shirt

Magpie - 16-9-2008 at 13:52

This is just a cautionary note advising you to be sure and wear an appropriate T-shirt when shopping for OTC chemicals. This could happen to you:

My wife, in her beneficence, bought me a T-shirt for my birthday with this inscription: "If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the precipitate." A flask and beaker with requisite colored liquids are next to this inscription.

Without thinking I went to the local pharmacy in this T-shirt to pickup some Mucinex-D for my wife's earache. The next thing I know the tech is telling me I have to sign a DEA log and show my driver's license (Mucinex-D contains pseudoephedrine). Since this pissed me off I began giving the tech a mild bad time. However, the pharmacist, coming to his rescue, asked what did I expect wearing a T-shirt showing chemical glassware.

So, the message is: when out to buy your OTC chemicals, the following steps are advised:

1. Be a good looking fellow
2. Know the answer to "What are you trying to do?"
3. Have on the proper T-shirt as clerks are intensely interested in these and take them seriously. It's not just a clean shirt to them. Suggested shirt themes are golf or fishing.

[Edited on 16-9-2008 by Magpie]

vulture - 16-9-2008 at 13:56

Next time, bring the wife to infect the obnoxious bastard if he really wants proof.

Quote:

2. Know the answer to "What are you trying to do?"

Trying to help the wife? Which is none of his fucking business anyway. God this pisses me off.

ScienceSquirrel - 16-9-2008 at 14:05

I have a selection of Weird Fish T-shirts

http://www.weirdfish.co.uk/shop.php?category_id=203

I wear them while fishing, boating etc.

I do not try and buy anything much while wearing 'Reservoir Cod'

panziandi - 16-9-2008 at 14:12

Nice one! I try to look respectful, responsible, and mature! No hoodies and clean shaven is good too (though when I do shave I look years younger and get the eyebrow!) What is the world coming to? I always wanted one of those chemistry orientated T-shirts... best I got was a Hep C Giant Microbe for Christmas, can't wait til I find out what I'm getting this year in the way of infectious diseases!

HydroCarbon - 16-9-2008 at 14:25

haha, I totally want that shirt.

Polverone - 16-9-2008 at 15:16

Quote:

Originally posted by Magpie
Without thinking I went to the local pharmacy in this T-shirt to pickup some Mucinex-D for my wife's earache. The next thing I know the tech is telling me I have to sign a DEA log and show my driver's license (Mucinex-D contains pseudoephedrine). Since this pissed me off I began giving the tech a mild bad time.

Not that I want to defend this treatment, but I believe it's federal law since 2006 to require ID and signature on purchases of pseudoephedrine-containing products. Several states had similar laws even before the federal push. I don't think you would have been spared the demand for ID even in your folksiest fishing-themed shirt.

MagicJigPipe - 16-9-2008 at 16:47

You are absolutely correct Polverone.

The statement, "what did you expect while wearing a shirt with chemical glassware" (or something like that) really pissed me off. Ridiculous.

Also, check out the police report in "legal issues" to see some more stereotypical assumptions.

chloric1 - 16-9-2008 at 16:59

Could have been worse though...you could have walked up with a t-shirt with a marijuana leaf on it.

Panache - 16-9-2008 at 17:41

I had to purchase a

'JESUS LOVES DICK'

t-shirt, completely with a life-sized haloed caricature of dick cheney's head when i saw it online, however as australian's are completely unaware of their own politicians let alone american ones i had to stop wearing it because of the outright hostility i became subjected to, people thought i was a gay anti-christian homophobe, lol.
However i have started wearing it of late becaue after 4/11 my window will be closed completely.

Nothing to do with the original post i just love the t-shirt so much i'll talk about it without real casue.

stateofhack - 16-9-2008 at 19:53

That is fucking bullshit! What is the world coming too!?

Baphomet - 24-9-2008 at 18:52

Quote:

Could have been worse though...you could have walked up with a t-shirt with a marijuana leaf on it.

Or how about an "I make drugs" t-shirt

T-Shirt

MadHatter - 25-9-2008 at 16:51

That is the requirement so the DEA can put you on their suspected meth-maker list. At the local
Dollar General I saw a woman, who appeared to be in her 70s, get highly pissed off when told she
had to show ID for Sudafed.

The T-shirt thing is totally ridiculous. I have an old t-shirt around here somewhere that
depicts a biker on his hog. Above the picture:

"Gas, grass, or ass - No Free Riders !". I wonder how that pharacist would react to that
while purchasing Sudafed ?

Magpie - 25-9-2008 at 18:15

Based on today's experience I am going to have to modify my advice for shopping for OTC lab supplies. Instead of "Be a good looking fellow," I must now recommend: "Be an appropriate looking fellow."

I was dressed fairly well this morning for some other business when I stopped by Goodwill to buy a used porcelain plate. The clerk and another customer seemed to know that I wasn't going to be eating off of it. Next time I'll omit the deodorant and wear a WD-40 spotted undershirt.