A Pharmacist’s view on how you can #FlywithBoots

One of our long – serving Pharmacists, 76-year-old Derek Isenberg has a wealth of experience in working within our airport stores.  Here he shares his story about life at Boots UK.

‘For many years I actually owned my own Pharmacy and, after giving that up, I moved to Australia for a short while. On my return to the UK I joined Boots UK as a Locum Pharmacist and worked in the airport stores. I was absolutely amazed! I have never worked so hard in my life – the pace, the number of customers, the volume of sales – it was something I hadn’t experienced before as an independent Pharmacist. I obviously loved it, as I soon joined Boots UK full time – that was 17 years ago!

Airport life astonishes me every single day. You meet lots of different customers of all nationalities, many of whom are excited and happy to be jetting off on holiday. You deal with so many different scenarios – I get the chance to chat to people to ensure they are fit and healthy to fly. Some customers have forgotten their medication so we help them with emergency supplies. We deal with everything from travel sickness to malaria tablets. Every single day is very different.

Working with Boots UK for me is all about being a responsible Pharmacist – you need to be completely in charge of sales and over the counter recommendations. We’re so busy in the airport – the number of customers we serve is mind blowing – so you really do need to be on the ball.

Being so busy – you really need to work as a team. My relationship with my colleagues is amazing. Our store really does feel like a ‘family affair’ – we all know each other really well. The store management team are excellent – they really listen to us and help all our colleagues and this is important – especially for the colleagues who join us temporarily in the summer when the airport is at its busiest and everyone is working flat out!

Airport life has been an enjoyable experience and for me it’s been full of camaraderie, friendship and a brilliant work ethic from a team who really care. I would thoroughly recommend it.’