Do you call it a pharmacy or a chemist?

Posted by Less-Wind-8270@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 445 comments

I have a theory that pharmacy is mainly used by people under the age of 40 whereas chemist is mainly used by people over the age of 40. Which word do you use and how old are you?

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Important_Stop_2790@reddit

I'm over 40 and remember when they were mainly referred to as chemists but I use pharmacy now. A friend of mine knows a lot of pharmacists and they dislike the chemist title because it doesn't really describe their qualification or what they do. I think chemist was a bit old school left over from an earlier more experimental time.

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ScratchyNadders@reddit

Back in the day a 'chemists' used to sell actual chemicals (solvents etc.) in addition to drugs. Probably would have made sense to call it that then. Nowadays, no one working in a pharmacy is a 'chemist' they are pharmacists concerned only with prescriptions for drugs and things like that. Actual chemists are specialists in chemistry, which can include research into and synthesis of drugs, amongst other things. Dave behind the counter in you pharmacists isnt going to know how to manufacture the paracetamol he gives you, as he's a pharmacist, not a chemist. Source: Am a chemist that researches and synthesizes drugs (legally) lol.

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A_Muslamic_Ray_Gun@reddit

Although, just one issue: Dave has been taught how to synthesize and manufacture drugs in a laboratory through to industrial settings, and is taught the skills to look into and understand such things, although most of us go down the primary and secondary care route instead of industry and commissioning etc. As the years go by of course, most people forget. Source: I'm a pharmacist who works in a variety of settings including industry

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ScratchyNadders@reddit

Fair enough, I wasn’t attempting to demean or anything, maybe it was a bit of ignorance on my part… I didn’t think organic synthesis was a major part of a pharmacy degree, and that it was more SAR’s, mechanisms of action/interaction, and pharmacology kind of stuff. I’ve worked with medicinal chemists, whom have a more deeper understanding of pharmacology than someone purely concerned with synthesis (like myself) and they seemed like the sort of ‘in between’ like what you describe. Noted though!

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A_Muslamic_Ray_Gun@reddit

No no fair enough, honestly, it was more so me projecting frustration to the public, as most people think we did 5 years of training and studying to stick labels on boxes. When you say to say Dave, 52 (loves beer, loves British, hates the wife, hates the kids, will destroy ISIS etc) it'll be 15 minutes for their box of tablets and they start muttering, hurling abuse at you etc without any regard for the 60,000 patients we have on our books with their regular meds and needs, a team of skeleton staff who are so burnt out on next to minimum wage when they're doing 15 jobs at a time, all the services we have to run because other parts of the service are so poorly run and underfunded, it gets a bit tiring. And you're bang on with what you're saying - medicinal chemists leave me in awe.

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monkey7431@reddit

I'm a Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemist and it's exactly as you describe, half pharmacology half organic synthesis; my understanding was also that Pharmacy didn't invlove a lot of synthesis.

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Jonah_the_Whale@reddit

Did we really say diapers in the UK? I'm in my 60s and I've only ever heard Americans say it.

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Important_Stop_2790@reddit

Yes we used to use it when we still used diaper fabric then it died out when we switched to terrycloth.

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lithaborn@reddit

Chemist if it's it's own shop, pharmacy if it's inside another shop, like our named pharmacy to send electronic prescriptions to is in the local Tesco, but there's two or three chemists in town that we also go to and they're in their own units.

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Hoplite68@reddit

I do something similar, the pharmacy is the bit you get prescriptions, the chemist is where I go to get ibuprofen, Lemsip, deodorant etc. My local pharmacy is in the chemist's. I'm early 30s.

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bizarrekitty@reddit

Exactly....also nearly 50

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see-all-the-world@reddit

38 and I do the same

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JohnSwagnasty@reddit

Exactly this. 26.

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Safe_Commercial_2633@reddit

It makes no difference what type of shop it is though. It's a pharmacy. I know it's been called that commonly for a long time but no idea why. A chemist is a different thing.

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HollyGoLately@reddit

Same.

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trainpk85@reddit

I didn’t know this and now you’ve written it down, this is exactly how I refer to them. When I read the question I thought I used them interchangeably but actually I don’t. I’m 37.

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charlitwist@reddit

I also thought I used them interchangeably until I read this. I’m 41.

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Lauracb18@reddit

Same! 32. I love it that completely unconscious thing has been articulated so well. Damn lightbulb moment.

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lithaborn@reddit

You don't seem to be alone

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tarmac-the-cat@reddit

53 and same. I go to the chemists to see the pharmacist.

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Tommann45@reddit

I do the same and I'm 38

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lithaborn@reddit

Judging by the upvotes it's a lot more common than I expected.

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SnifterOfNonsense@reddit

I think as well that people are only realising that’s the case because you’ve pointed it out. You’re right though, Boots, Asda & the like all have pharmacies inside them but stand-alone chemists are single purpose buildings. That being said, I call each chemist by only the name. So if it’s called Smiths chemist, we’d just say Smiths. Is that a North Scottish thing or a UK thing?

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rebelallianxe@reddit

Same, am 46.

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KEV1L@reddit

Same, I'm 38

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lalagromedontknow@reddit

30s - something I've never thought but they're interchangeable to me. I grew up very rural so the chemist/pharmacy were the same thing. You only went for medications/medical things (prescription or not) and Boots was more make up and fancy shower gel.

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dodgyrocker@reddit

uh 18 and me too lol

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Catz2019@reddit

38 here and I do the same.

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Da5idG@reddit

This is the way.

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PoinkPoinkPoink@reddit

Agree - 34

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Dreadpirateflappy@reddit

Exactly the Same. 39.

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Timely-Science-8655@reddit

I am also 39.

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BIackDesertOnline@reddit

Same, 25

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xizz202@reddit

20 and same

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Flosstopher@reddit

32 calling and I do the same

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Disastrous-Fennel918@reddit

s/ I actually use the word apothecary.

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Jack-Rabbit-002@reddit

Then you my friend must be from the 1400's 😃

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captainspunkbubble@reddit

Or German!

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Jack-Rabbit-002@reddit

Huh!? Really is that what the Germans would use!? Oh right I'll shut up then, you learn something everyday man!

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JenJMLC@reddit

Yep, in German it is Apotheke

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Salt_Start9447@reddit

i think it’s a similar word to this in most european languages

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Jonah_the_Whale@reddit

Yep, same in Dutch. Apotheek. We also have a drogist "literally druggist" which is a bit broader and sells more cosmetics. A bit like Boots in the UK.

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JenJMLC@reddit

I just had the realisation that the German word "Drogerie" comes from the word drug! Never made the connection.

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idontdrinkcowjuice@reddit

Apothiki in Greek means store cupboard

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StoneColdSoberReally@reddit

Not too dissimilar from the Polish, either. Apteka.

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fosfeen@reddit

Or Dutch: apotheek

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beurremouche@reddit

Or Finnish, Apteekki.

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Flyawaylittlemonkey@reddit

Or Finnish (Apteekki)

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MerlinOfRed@reddit

Yeah when I'm in Germany I say "Apothecary" even when speaking English. When all the signs say "Apotheke" it feels weird to say "pharmacy" or "chemist". My German friends then naturally correct my pronunciation not realising that it's a genuine English word, but het..

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tarmac-the-cat@reddit

I'm from 1453 and I still go to the alchemist's.

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Safe_Commercial_2633@reddit

Pheobe? Did you find the table?

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llamasncheese@reddit

This word really annoys me BC I never hear anyone say it out loud and have no idea how it's pronounced but I want to start using it because I'm a hipster

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ttrsphil@reddit

This would be so much better.

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PotatoMan-404@reddit

You got my words 😀

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whoops53@reddit

Chemist, because I'm Scottish and not American.

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FrenzalStark@reddit

It’s not an Americanism.

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whoops53@reddit

I've only ever heard Americans refer to it as such. Everyone I know/read here in the UK call it a chemist. This is why I think its more American \*shrug\*

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FrenzalStark@reddit

They’re 2 different things. Most chemists contain a pharmacy, but not all pharmacies are in chemists.

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abitlikefun@reddit

Right, the American term for the chemist is the drug store.

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Local_Fox_2000@reddit

I'm Scottish and also call it a chemist, as does everyone I know, except the GP (and GP receptionists) usually.

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TheDoctor66@reddit

LloydsPharmacy Oneword

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Madmax3213@reddit

Both for some reason

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l0zandd0g@reddit

I call it an apothecary, most have no idear thats what they were called long ago, but im old and like old stuff.

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blowbyblowtrumpet@reddit

Why use three syllables when two are perfectly adequate? Also "Chemist" is easier to say when you're drunk. Done deal.

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Just_Engineering_341@reddit

Pharmacist.

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biddyonabike@reddit

I've noticed I'm saying pharmacy more and chemist a lot less. This is because the NHS app and maybe other influences push me to. I'd agree a chemist is a stand alone shop. I'd also say that you pick up prescriptions in a pharmacy and buy nit spray and condoms in the chemist. I'm 65

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biddyonabike@reddit

.. and I don't buy condoms any more!

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JudgeStandard9903@reddit

I’m 33 and say pharmacy. My husband is 42 and says pharmacy too but he didn’t grow up in the UK and his first language isn’t English so I feel like this might be why.

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InteractionNo8067@reddit

It’s a pharmacy. A chemist is a scientist who studies/works in a field of chemistry. A pharmacist is someone who studies pharmacy or works in a pharmacy.

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dexterpool@reddit

I'm 47 and a chemist and I still call it a chemist. For me that's a Scottish thing though.

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brutalistcheese@reddit

Pharmacy cos mine has the word pharmacy in the name. Under 40 but my parents also mainly say pharmacy. Also use Lloyd's at the hospital which is called a pharmacy. My boyfriend called their one a dispensary cos it was attached to their GP.

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RandomPriorities13@reddit

The one attached to the GP isn’t actually a pharmacy, it doesn’t have to have a pharmacist on site to dispense medicines. Unlike a Pharmacy which is legally required to have a ‘responsible pharmacist’ on duty.

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brutalistcheese@reddit

I see! Just thought it was a posh thing lol. I stand corrected. Is it not required because there's only limited medicine held there or because there are doctors present?

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RandomPriorities13@reddit

Yes, it’s meant to be a solution to areas where there isn’t a pharmacy available. So they can usually only dispense for patients who live in an area without a pharmacy.

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eionmac@reddit

"Dispensing Chemist" shortened to "Chemist".

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a_paulling@reddit

29, pharmacy, don't think I know anyone who uses chemist, regardless of age.

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MrsActionParsnip@reddit

Chemist and I'm 34 or because I sometimes forget the names of places/items, legal drug dealer.

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Scuggsy@reddit

I just call it Boots!

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-FangMcFrost-@reddit

Chemist. I'm 33.

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TheTARDISRanAway@reddit

I'm 27 and call it a pharmacy

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t9trah@reddit

Drug dealer

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Necessary_Delivery80@reddit

I’ve only ever heard Americans call it a pharmacy

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ig0tst0ries@reddit

44, Chemist

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sadovsky@reddit

Chemist, under 40

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TimeNew2108@reddit

Thought it was chemist unless Ur American.

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rbliz92@reddit

I call it a chemist, except at work (hospital) where I call it the pharmacy. I’m 31.

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_chasingrainbows@reddit

I instinctively say chemist, but pharmacy if I think about it. Like I feel like pharmacy is the more recognised word so I make an effort to say it. I'm early 30s and my bf is late 20s has looked at me like I had two heads when I've said chemist before.

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FulaniLovinCriminal@reddit

I think you're right, 40 is the cut off. I'm 40 and say "Chemist", my wife is 39 and says "Pharmacy".

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No-Firefighter3638@reddit

I am 59. I grew up calling them chemists maybe because Boots' full name was Boots the Chemist and Chemist was like the generic for such places??? I cant remember when I changed but now use pharmacy and see it a lit these days, such as out GP surgery has a shop called (location) Pharmacy and sadly I am at the hospital more and more and get sent to the pharmacy for items. Like others though I think Boots, Lloyds and other shops that do healthcare, cosmetics and other related stuff as well as prescription meds are still chemists more than pharmacies.

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FearlessMeerkat95@reddit

I call it a chemist. I’m 28

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AtomicRavxn@reddit

I'm in my early 20's. I interchange the two because both names are what I grew up hearing. I don't think there's a right or wong.

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barstewardbattlefiel@reddit

drug store

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PitilessMyth14@reddit

You might be right as I am 40 and interchange between the 2. I most be evolving to only using chemist by the time I'm 41. I shall report back and let you know, maybe.

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Less-Wind-8270@reddit (OP)

🫡

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KingGalahadThe1st@reddit

I call them my legal dealers.

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Princeoplecs@reddit

Chemist but i am north of 40 and remember when you could buy chemicals in the chemist, sulphur, hydrochloric acid, ammonia, all sorts of fun stuff.

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GoodLordMarjorie@reddit

Used to say chemist now say pharmacy. I'm 55.

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explax@reddit

Pharmacy never call it a chemist. Tbh surprised so many do.

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northernbloke@reddit

A chemist was the shop that sold all manner of health related products, they had a Pharmacy in that dispensed prescription drugs.

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ChilledBeanSoup@reddit

A place dispensing pharmaceuticals by a pharmacist is a pharmacy…I don’t understand why it would be a chemist

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Herne_KZN@reddit

43 and I swing wildly between the two

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Savings_Brick_4587@reddit

Age 45, I definitely go to a chemist

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Drxero1xero@reddit

low 40's the type of shop is a pharmacy the local one we use is "The chemists"

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CutePoison10@reddit

Chemist. Over 40. I thought pharmacy was more USA usage.

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KingGeedo91@reddit

They all say pharmacy on the signs. The NHS website refers to it as a pharmacy. I don’t think it counts as an americanism anymore.

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Safe_Commercial_2633@reddit

Plus every country I've been to it's a pharmacy. Definitely not an americanism.

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CutePoison10@reddit

Well that’s sucks for me as I’m stuck in olden day 😳

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rtrs_bastiat@reddit

I thought they call them drug stores

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KaleidoscopeKey1355@reddit

Drug stores are different but similar to a pharmacy in American English. A pharmacy is a business that dispenses medications that you need a prescription from a doctor to get. They can potentially sell some over-the-counter medications, but not always. A drug store is a place where you can buy medications (over-the-counter types) and cosmetics and usually snacks and stuff. Usually drug stores have pharmacies inside them. Also, grocery stores usually have pharmacies inside them.

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d0gf00d666@reddit

I'm from the US and said pharmacy growing up. In Ireland it changed to chemist. In UK im back to saying pharmacy unless speaking to people over 40

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monkey7431@reddit

The correct word for something can't be an Americanism

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StoneColdSoberReally@reddit

I, generally, default to chemist, though 10 years in the States slightly scrambled my language.

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ComposerNo5151@reddit

Ditto, and I have spent quite a bit of time in the US.

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soepvorksoepvork@reddit

I call it a pharmacy, bur the main reason for that is that I actually am a chemist (ie have degrees in Chemistry) and I would not trust myself to dispense medication or give medical advice

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asymmetricears@reddit

I dated someone at university who couldn't understand the difference between a chemistry and pharmacy degree, no matter how many times I explained.

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Safe_Commercial_2633@reddit

Please tell me they were doing neither degree!! Haha.

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monkey7431@reddit

Thsts willful ignorance at that point

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Myorangecrush77@reddit

Are you me?

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Safe_Commercial_2633@reddit

Hello? Thinking the same, need a doctor of chemistry to help us I think..... But I'm me. You you?

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Nymthae@reddit

and always have to clarify to people "i'm a chemist as in chemistry, not a pharmacist!"

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AussieHxC@reddit

I gave up. Just tell people I'm a science person.

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2918927669@reddit

Same. You'd never believe I've got a PhD if you saw how many times I push when it says pull.

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Thawing-icequeen@reddit

https://99percentinvisible.org/article/norman-doors-dont-know-whether-push-pull-blame-design/

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Safe_Commercial_2633@reddit

I pushed the door, was wrong. Cunt said I think you should pull it. So obviously I was about to wrench it from the floor over my head before that perfect piece of advice from that guy came around.

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soepvorksoepvork@reddit

Don't get me started on the PhD thing. 'Yes, I am a doctor but not a medical one' (or, depending on my mood 'No, I am an actual doctor, not a people technician')

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Safe_Commercial_2633@reddit

Lol! No i'm not a doctor....shhhhh...stop asking things! I'm only studying science.....OMG....shut up. Yeah it's physics now....aye I thought you'd shut up haha.

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turtleship_2006@reddit

You should see the tech industry lol. "I'm a programmer" "My pRiNTeR iS bRoKEn" Like, that's not what we do. We can probably fix it but that's not the point.

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MapNo7571@reddit

100% - happens every single time! "I'm a physicist, not a physician", "no I don't work at a hospital" and the usual reply "oooh physics, you must be so smart" loll

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turtleship_2006@reddit

As someone doing physics now (a level) I assure you, some of us like me are completely lost. Side note, it does make me a bit sad when that's the one people wanna talk about/show off when CS is my main interest.

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Jackk12121@reddit

What on you about in your last sentence. I guess English is not your strong point

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bobble173@reddit

Same but it's coz I'm a Pharmacist with a degree in Pharmacy and I certainly wouldn't be able to hack a chemistry degree lol

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Thawing-icequeen@reddit

"Degree in pharmacy" sounds like such a "Vincent Adultman" sort of thing to say. I understand the morphology it just feels like saying "I have a bachelors in post office" "Polypharmacy" gets me too. "We've tried pharmacy, now try lots of pharmacy"

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doublemp@reddit

I always thought the actual science is pharmacology, but I could be wrong

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xaranetic@reddit

Pharmacology = study of fundamental drug properties and mechanisms of action. Pharmacy = using medicines in a healthcare setting

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Thawing-icequeen@reddit

I don't have a chemistry degree, but other than that, same!

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ctesibius@reddit

I used to be able to buy simple chemicals there - potassium permanganate, copper sulphate etc. I doubt that is possible now, but it might be the reason why they were called chemists.

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soepvorksoepvork@reddit

You can still buy simple chemicals, things like acetyl salicylic acid, ascorbic acid,glycerol, etc

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ctesibius@reddit

Not particularly simple chemicals, those, nor are they useful for syntheses.

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Sad_Frame_3253@reddit

Chemist age 30

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Shamanixxx@reddit

Most chemists in the U.K. have a pharmacy. Two slightly different things.

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Dolphin_1982@reddit

Chemist. 40

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AlGunner@reddit

Yes. ^(Just in case its not clear I will use both.)

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Miserable_Special_73@reddit

It’s a chemist

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Training_Dance_3572@reddit

Anyone else reading this thread and realising that pharmacy is a weird word when you say it too much?

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Spiritual-Bug95@reddit

Under 40 - and call it a chemist :)

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Safe_Commercial_2633@reddit

I say pharmacy because they do. After a lot dealings with doctors and staff in the stores.

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Derpy1677@reddit

I use both, chemist is the shop that sells everyday medications etc, pharmacy is the bit in the chemist where you pick up prescriptions and the pharmacists work, with the controlled & prescription only medications. I’m 45

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DramaticBrainInjury@reddit

I use them about 50/50 and i'm 50

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backupsunshine@reddit

37, I call it Lloydspharmacy(one word)

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cal-brew-sharp@reddit

[Lloydspharmacy](https://9gag.com/gag/a9nA6bL?utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=post_share)

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Less-Wind-8270@reddit (OP)

YES Limmy's show defo inspired this post

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orange_assburger@reddit

Came for this. Did not disappoint. Love a wild limmy reference.

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Palestinian_Chicken@reddit

Not for long you won't!!

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Zodiackillerstadia@reddit

Pharmacy because I'm not American

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Chandyrauf@reddit

I am 77, and it's always Chemist.

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Opsimath_gaming@reddit

I refer to them by their original name, Alchemists, much to the chagrin of my family.

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rexrat@reddit

Chemist - 29

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CharmingRun8606@reddit

Pharmacy- 51

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KRONKCHEF@reddit

Chemist, 48

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llamasncheese@reddit

Parents in their 70s say chemist, me in my 20s I say pharmacy.

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Bloe_Joggs@reddit

I call it the alchemist

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AnubissDarkling@reddit

I still use the term apothecary. I'll be 511 in August.

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kackers643259@reddit

Pharmacy, under 40 I rarely refer to the person as "the chemist" but usually I just call him by his name If i had to guess, personally, it's probably to do with that i studied chemistry and chemical engineering, so a chemist to me is someone that does chemistry by profession, someone that is working with, synthesising, theorising etc. chemicals and processes directly. Chemists are the guys in the labs. A pharmacist however is directly related to medicine specifically, they usually just dispense the end product that's been prescribed and can provide more general diagnoses, but regardless have no actual hand in the chemical process, they just give you the meds I wouldn't call the shop assistant at homebase a lumberjack just because they sell me the 2x4s

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kackers643259@reddit

Also funny to see so many people claim pharmacy as an americanism when every American i know just calls them drug stores Also learning that apparently people call places like boots chemists, and i mean i see why but even if i used chemists instead of pharmacy I'd just say i was going to boots

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marmarmar2022@reddit

Pharmacy! I’m nearly 40 and have always called it this

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Fractalien@reddit

Well over 40 and chemist A lot of younger folks seem to pick up a lot more americanisms than we did mostly because of the internet so your theory might hold some water based on that.

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Zomgirlxoxo@reddit

Unsure why you’re getting downvoted My dad is from the US and my mom is from the UK. I grew up in the US. My mom says exactly this…. Media got bigger and Americanisms are becoming normalized.

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KingGeedo91@reddit

I don’t think it’s an americanism anymore. Maybe it used to be. But they’re now called pharmacies on the sign above the doors. The NHS website refers to it as a pharmacy.

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Icy-Gander-4156@reddit

I’m from America, but living in the UK. We only say pharmacy in the US. If you say chemist, they will think you are either talking about a literal chemist like a scientist, or someone who cooks meth.

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Zomgirlxoxo@reddit

Dual US/UK citizen here… this is spot on. Pharmacist only. Our signs might say drug store but that’s just tradition. When I heard chemist I think of a specific kind… like a cosmetic chemist, for example. Mom says chemist though and I love the sound of it.

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Flexo24@reddit

At least you don’t call it a drug store, acting like you’re from downtown LA

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Zomgirlxoxo@reddit

That’s def not exclusive to downtown LA lol

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AdIndividual5142@reddit

28 and pharmacy

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Aggressive_Bus_4289@reddit

Pharmacy if I’m picking up legal medication, chemist if it’s illegal

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oj-simpson32@reddit

Chemist, in my early 20s

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Amoeba_Rough@reddit

I think there is not just an age variable which causes the difference in name but also a regional variable. I (28) am in Essex and no one I know calls it a Chemist, it's either the pharmacy or boots (which has the pharmacy inside).

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imafloof@reddit

I used to call it an apothecary, but only because I am Dutch and the dutch word is 'Apotheek' I moved to the uk about 5-6 years ago. No-one ever knew what I meant, so now I call it pharmacy.

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ellegiiggle@reddit

27 and I call it the chemist 🤦

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Anniemaniac@reddit

34 and say chemist.

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tyler20102209@reddit

I'm 15 i say pharmacy chemist just makes me picture myself buying chemicals

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Kosstheboss123@reddit

Local druids

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chinamoleguy@reddit

They would call it fferyllfa.

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stanloona10thgirl@reddit

Pharmacy. It’s on the signs. I’m under 40.

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No_Star_7408@reddit

You go to a pharmacy to see a chemist who makrs pharmacuticles

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No_Star_7408@reddit

Makes

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Visible_Account7767@reddit

always assumed pharmacy was a UK term and chemist was US. also in the UK a pharmacy did prescriptions and over the counter meds where a chemist is only over the counter, no prescriptions. no idea why.

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lizzieish@reddit

I use both (36)

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arpee09@reddit

40. Said chemist when I was younger, now pharmacist. Married an American though so that may have influenced

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stowaway_55@reddit

I used to use the term chemist, but in recent years I've started saying pharmacy. When I think of chemist I think of a small shop with just the pharmacist and aniseed and sasparilla candy in jars on the counter. That's what the chemist was when I was growing up. I don't go to a place like that any more as they're few and far between. When I think pharmacy I think of a larger store with several counter staff, selling all kinds of stuff, or even a pharmacy inside of another store like in the Asda and tesco

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HereKittyKittyyyy@reddit

Pharmacy bc I'm European

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SmolButScary@reddit

Chemist mostly.

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oeuflaboeuf@reddit

Chemist (M41)

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gazzatronic3000@reddit

Lloydspharmacy.

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WatermelonCandy5@reddit

Pharmacy, 30

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Top_Opening_3625@reddit

Pharmacy, 32

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AlchemyAled@reddit

I’d call it a chemist if they actually sold useful basic chemicals. I can only find things like isopropyl alcohol online (yes i know everything is made of chemicals)

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tylerthe-theatre@reddit

Always pharmacy.

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Middle-Hour-2364@reddit

Pharmacy in the hospital, chemist in the high street...mind you I'm 51 and a nurse

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fletch3059@reddit

The chemist is the shop on the High Street that sells talcum powder, athletes foot cream and other random.things for your body with actual price stickers on. The pharmacy is the bit with the qualified person behind the desk and the real good drugs. It's almost like the chemist bit is a front to hide the drugs money.

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Columbidae_@reddit

Chemist. I always have and I'm 20

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Comprehensive-Two888@reddit

Chemist, 38. Pharmacy seems more of an Americanism to me.

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Do_not_use_after@reddit

I call it "Drug dealer". There is no *preparation* of drugs on premises, and certainly none of your basic chemicals needed to perform chemistry. They simply give me drugs for money, (or not, as I'm over 60)

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LazyLengthiness7567@reddit

FAREWELL, I AM OFF TO VISIT THE ALCHEMICAL SUPPLIES SHOPPE

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Littlemouse0812@reddit

Pharmacy. 33.

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discombobulate88@reddit

I say chemist, I’m 26

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OverlordOfTheBeans@reddit

I use them interchangeably, they both mean the same thing to me. I'm 30.

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Wibblejellytime@reddit

I am over 40 and it has never occurred to me to use the word pharmacy. Even though it does say it above the door, and on the big sign and in the name. 🤣 I would always "go to the chemist".

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Learn_Social_Skills@reddit

A chemist is a scientist that uses chemical formulas to create compounds. A pharmacy dispenses medicine prescribed by a doctor.

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TeamOfPups@reddit

Like Boots used to be called "Boots the chemist" but now it is just "Boots" and it says pharmacy on it. I feel like this has influenced what I call such places. Which is to say I say chemist or pharmacy interchangeably. (am 43)

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RummazKnowsBest@reddit

My parents call them chemists, I seem to have moved away from that and call them pharmacies. Not sure when that happened.

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RandomPriorities13@reddit

Having worked in pharmacy for many years I can vouch for this age division 😂 memorable example was an 80 year old man shouting as he trundled out on his mobility scooter “call yourself a chemist when you ain’t got syrup of figs!!”

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Briggykins@reddit

I'm exactly 40 so I call it a pharmist

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CurvePuzzleheaded361@reddit

41 - chemist if it is its own shop but for one inside an asda or whatever i say pharmacy

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Elvie-43@reddit

I used to say Chemist, the last decade or so I would say I have used both interchangeably, but recently I have found myself saying pharmacy more frequently. I’m late 40s

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Reble77@reddit

Legalised dealer

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Thawing-icequeen@reddit

You jest, but I do find it funny how doctors will say alcohol withdrawal, benzo withdrawal, opiate withdrawal, caffeine withdrawal, but the moment it's SSRIs it's "discontinuation syndrome" I'm not anti-antidepressant by any stretch, but it does go to show you just how far the drug companies go to ameliorate their more profitable products

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RaptorRoll@reddit

Pharmacy and 31

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ivortheengineer@reddit

Mid 50s. NW England. Always said going to “the chemists” to pick up a prescription. Probably comes from “Boots the Chemist” and also a list of “late night chemists” that was listed in the local paper for that week. A pharmacy suggests to me that department in a hospital.

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Apprehensive-Ear2134@reddit

37, pharmacy. Grew up saying chemist, but have been saying pharmacy for absolutely years now. It accurate and I’m a pedant. Boots call themselves Boots the Chemist and it winds me up

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Conscious-Arm-7889@reddit

I use both - mid 50s.

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rosywillow@reddit

Pharmacy, 60. Sorry if that buggers up your theory!

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0lliebro@reddit

The pharmacy is the desk *in* a chemist, that you get prescriptions from.

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Shire2020@reddit

I call the place a pharmacy and the person who gives the medicine the chemist!

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SorbetOk1165@reddit

This!!!

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avvocaado@reddit

Chemist if it's a standalone shop, I'm 31

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AffectionateCoffee27@reddit

If it’s a prescription it’s the pharmacy if it’s for some random shit it’s the chemist. I don’t know why

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x_franki_berri_x@reddit

I say both and I don’t know why it changes sometimes

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SarkyMs@reddit

pharmacy is more common after just coming home off holiday, where you see it written everywhere.

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cipherable@reddit

In my opinion, a chemist is someone who studies or practices chemistry. Like a physicist studies physics and a biologist studies biology. A vendor of pharmaceuticals is a pharmacist.

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Saxon2060@reddit

Pharmacy because in my industry "chemist" is someone who studied chemistry and a pharmacist is someone who studied pharmacy. I sometimes say my dad was an "industrial chemist" and people don't get it. It means he was a guy who did chemistry in a factory. A drug factory. He was a scientist, but not an academic one, an industrial one. In my industry if you say "chemist" you mean someone in manufacturing who is a chemistry graduate.

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einstein425277@reddit

Pharmacy and 61

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Awesomethingemz@reddit

Chemist, 29

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dazabhoy67@reddit

I'm 33 and don't know the difference.

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RobJP94@reddit

Pharmacy, 28 and living in France

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Quizzie_McGee@reddit

I think of a pharmacy as being somewhere that I can pick up a medical prescription. The chemist is where I might go for toiletries, cough sweets and the like

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qyburnicus@reddit

Probably more likely to say pharmacy. I’m 39. But I probably use them interchangeably sometimes.

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Scotgrl@reddit

Chemist 33

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Remote-Guitar8147@reddit

Pharmacy has crisps abd highlighters too. This is the pnly true british answer.

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SecretDoctor8121@reddit

I call it Boots...😅

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Fan-Sea@reddit

38, chemist , I thought pharmacy was American sounding

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Vickyinredditland@reddit

I use them interchangeably and I'm 40, so I guess...that supports your theory? 😅

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Zwirnor@reddit

I use them interchangeably. I'm 39 and three quarters. But both my parents were pharmacists and they owned their own shops, both which were in the shop title 'Chemists'. (They had all the old fashioned bottles and drawers in one shop which had been a chemists since 1920, I loved those things. My dad kept some of the drawers and now has it made into a cabinet in his house (he is nearly 70, so very retired).

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Treganator@reddit

I worked in one up until recently. It was a pharmacy or a chemist. I'm under 40. HOWEVER. The pharmacist is the pharmacist. Not the pharmacy. Not the chemist. In my head anyway 😂

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Deep_Top8433@reddit

Pharmacy. The pharmacist (with a degree in pharmacology) dispenses prescriptions from the pharmacy. I’m mid-30s. I suppose chemist would have been more accurate back in the day when the chemist/pharmacist actually made up the drugs in the back room but that’s rarely the case now, and chemists (with degrees in chemistry) and pharmacists do very different jobs.

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GMitch420@reddit

I prefer Potion Master myself

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saturnsavannah@reddit

Chemist, and I’m 20

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beanbagpsychologist@reddit

Pharmacy, 37. Though I remember it being a chemist when I was a kid. I wonder if this has a regional element? Could be the new bap/bun/cob/dinner roll debacle

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Key-Cardiologist5882@reddit

A bit of both. Pharmacy more often tho. More likely to say chemist when talking to mum.

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championthanks@reddit

I alternate and I have no idea why. My mother raised me calling it a chemist. I’m 27.

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nympho_princess19@reddit

I never realised these two are the same things until now! How weird is that! I think I use both phrases xD

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Psychological-Web828@reddit

Apothecary.

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_voochaela@reddit

I say pharmacy and I'm 29, but when I was younger and lived in a different part of Scotland I'd say chemist, so it could also be regional!

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mymumsaysno@reddit

I use both interchangeably. I'm 41.

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Peahorse@reddit

I'm 40 and use both. I am aware my comment is of no value in answering your question!

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bottlesnstones@reddit

Chemist - 49

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K1mTy3@reddit

Nearly 39. It's a pharmacy/pharmacist to me. A chemist is someone who works in chemistry!

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RetiredFromIT@reddit

63, Pharmacy. If I think hard about it. I used to call the shop "the chemist" and the specific prescriptions counter "the pharmacy"; so what I called it depended largely on whether I was picking up a prescription or shopping. Another factor is that where I used to live, I used "Boots the Chemist". But the place I have used for the last 20+ years is actually called "Well Pharmacy".

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penelopepitstop69@reddit

52 and say chemist... probably because it used to be Boots the Chemist.

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joh153@reddit

I say both

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happyanathema@reddit

Chemist 35

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Most-Regular621@reddit

32yrs old, pharmacy mostly but sometimes chemist

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redfern69@reddit

Chemist, I’m 37. Possibly pharmacy but only if its a diddy little counter in a supermarket.

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jowjow40@reddit

Chemist. I’m 35 and have called it that forever

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ARK_Redeemer@reddit

Chemist is if the whole shop is dedicated to medicine. If it's a small bit inside another shop, such as a supermarket, I'll call it a Pharmacy.

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topjockin@reddit

42 chemist

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Palestinian_Chicken@reddit

As a pharmacist, you'd be amazed how many people I hear on the phone telling people they're in the pharmacist 😬

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ireallyhavenoideea@reddit

37 and I say pharmacy, mostly because I work in psychiatry and the pharmacists I know would laugh at me in distain if I called them chemists. I’ll try it tomorrow to see what they do.

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highlander996@reddit

Pharmacy, 26, work as a pharmacy dispenser

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cryptowi@reddit

Pharmacy, in my 30s

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Exact_Opportunity606@reddit

I just call it Boots, even if it's not Boots.

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mrdunya@reddit

I asked for the nearest chemist when I was in the US and everyone looked at me very confused.

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SeveralDifficulty745@reddit

Chemist, I’m 36 Don’t think I would ever say the pharmacy

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Fit_Manufacturer4568@reddit

A chemist. Even though I was a chemist and not a pharmacist.

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iluvatar@reddit

50+ and I call it a chemist.

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gypsydanger132@reddit

I’m 28 and I call it a chemist, just what I was brought up hearing

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2918927669@reddit

Pharmacy. 49.

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amloha@reddit

I'm 42 in july and have always called it a pharmacy

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dimap443@reddit

"This is a chemist, not a junkie shop"

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frannyhadouken@reddit

Pharmacy. Under 40.

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photoboothtime@reddit

Chemist and I’m significantly under 40

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Emilyx33x@reddit

might be a bit old fashioned, but… apothecary

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left-quark@reddit

Pharmacy, and I'm 18

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gamm76@reddit

Got me thinking and actually, I’m mid 40’s and when I lived in NW London I did call it a Chemists however after 11yrs of living in a village in Bucks that has Pharmacy and the word Pharmacy is in its name eg Village name Pharmacy. I can’t remember the last time I called it a chemist and I can’t imagine calling it a chemist ever again.

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bobble173@reddit

27, I call it a Pharmacy. I'm also a Pharmacist. I'd say it tends to be older people who call me/the shop a chemist.

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Auntie_Cagul@reddit

I'm 52 and call it a chemist but am gradually coming round to calling it a pharmacy.

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willy_hangslow@reddit

Pharmacy because it's a pharmaceutical outlet where you speak to a pharmacist to get your daily dose of big pharma. The chemist is the person in the lab researching and developing the chemical concoctions that the pharmacist dispenses.

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beeotchplease@reddit

I think the idea is that if you needed medicine during the victorian era(no idea which era exactly), you go to your local chemist and he will brew your medicine. A pharmacy is dispensary of medicine so they dont technically make anything in the pharmacy anymore. Working in the healthservice, i call it pharmacy.

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AlunWH@reddit

My understanding was that the pharmacy dispensed prescriptions, whilst the chemist sold health-related items. If you go into Boots to buy vitamins and plasters you’re in a chemist’s. If you go to get a prescription you’re going to the pharmacy section, and you have far more patience than I do.

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Agreeable_Text_36@reddit

Pharmacy is where you get your prescription, from a pharmacist. A chemists shop can sell all sorts of things. Boots the Chemists sold LPs. I'm 58, used to work in the NHS.

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ptta52@reddit

Pharmacy. I'm 25, originally from the East Midlands

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FranFace@reddit

Chemist, and I think I'm the only person I know who does 😄 I'm nearly 40, and I just hung onto it because that's what I remember from childhood, and it sounds less American (to add to that, I'm not anti-American or anti-language development, I just like the sounds of Chemist better 😊)

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Raneynickel4@reddit

I say pharmacist because I'm an actual chemist (as in a scientist who makes the drugs) so it annoys me when people associate "chemists" with a pharmacy. As a chemist I don't give a shit about how drugs work in the body, all I care about (and what I'm good at) is making them!

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Myorangecrush77@reddit

44. Pharmacy. (But I have a chemistry degree)

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idontessaygood@reddit

Always pharmacy/pharmacist for me, only ever heard my elderly grandma say Chemist. I'm 28.

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Puzzleheaded_4779@reddit

Chemist, under 40

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leeeeebeeeee@reddit

Pharmacy. 37 :)

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Bella14LV@reddit

Pharmacy. The professionals who work there are supported by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (previously, "Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain") since 1841. "Chemist" is such an imprecise term when English already has "pharmacist" to describe precisely what they do. I'm not paying for a chemist to investigate the properties of a sample, I'm purchasing a pharmaceutical.

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Fungus_Mungus46@reddit

Chemist. Under 40

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Sufficient-Yak8239@reddit

Sorry hard

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JenJMLC@reddit

Pharmacy, I'm 27. Asked around and your theory seems to be legit

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MerlinOfRed@reddit

I'm 28 and grew up saying chemist, but now almost exclusively use pharmacy. I'm not sure when the shift happened, but it must have happened at some point.

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Embarrassed_Belt9379@reddit

Pharmacist. I’m a Fall fan.

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Low_Improvement_1807@reddit

I just call it pharmacy

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Awkward_Chain_7839@reddit

Both and I’m mid 40’s

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pompeylass1@reddit

A pharmacy, because that’s where the pharmacist works. Unless it’s Boots in which case it’s Boots the Chemist. Just about clinging onto my forties.

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FrenzalStark@reddit

They aren’t the same thing, but kinda close. The pharmacy is where they dispense medication. A chemist is the name of a shop, like what Boots is (it actually used to be called Boots the Chemists), that often contains a pharmacy counter. A pharmacy can be in its own shop too, but outside of the little ones inside a doctors office it’s not very common here. They’re everywhere in mainland Europe though.

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turingthecat@reddit

Thinking about it, oddly, I’d talk to the chemist when I go to the pharmacy

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CutePoison10@reddit

That’s makes sense tbh. I like it. May steal it.

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Tay74@reddit

Huh, I'm the opposite lol

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turingthecat@reddit

Which makes far more sense, I’m going to try and switch

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dbltax@reddit

I'd talk to the pharmacist when I go to the chemists.

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turingthecat@reddit

Your way makes far more sense

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ecotrimoxazole@reddit

I'm 27 and I call it Boots.

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lilpeepercreep@reddit

Lloydspharmacyoneword

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glittermaniac@reddit

Chemist if it is an independent shop but pharmacy if it is a counter in a shop/hospital. I’m 33.

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Basic-Beach6485@reddit

I just say get it from boots

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Call_Me_Janice@reddit

Great question. My grandfather was a herbalist and pharmacist and during the war (WW2) was given special permission to prescribe as well as manufacture and dispense (under certain limited conditions) due to a shortage of doctors....so def pharmacist for the person and the counter, but in the chemist shop which also sells soap, perfume, cough sweets and other substances made by....chemists If anyone wants the background history of the titles: https://www.thepharmacist.co.uk/analysis/explainer-the-origins-of-chemist-and-pharmacist-titles/

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EternaIL1ght@reddit

I call it both

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adamame101@reddit

Pharmacy, no matter what. (I'm 17)

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heartofmarmite@reddit

Chemist....but I'm 55......

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berty313@reddit

36 here, chemist.

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inwell@reddit

Apothecary

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valkyrie8118@reddit

I use both and I’m 41…

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Frosty_Swan1937@reddit

31 years old. Called it a chemist all my life training as a pharmacy technician can never call it a chemist don't know why

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Outcasted_introvert@reddit

Yes. Both.

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Front_Assumption_625@reddit

I'm late 30s and only ever considered it a pharmacy. never heard of anyone calling it a chemist. My daughter however is 3, and calls it "the wrong place" the people who work there are called "lady" and they sell "better"

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XorinaHawksley@reddit

😀

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bens676@reddit

Near me we had Sunak Pharmacy and Boots the Chemist, so it depends on what they call themselves.

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XorinaHawksley@reddit

Wait the PM has a chemists shop? 😏

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bens676@reddit

His mum did.

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Secludeddawn@reddit

Pharmacist here so.... pharmacy.

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SwordTaster@reddit

Pharmacy if it's the one in tesco or whatever, chemist if it's a separate shop. I'm 29

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XorinaHawksley@reddit

Pharmacies tend to be the dispensary concession within another store. Chemists are stand alone dispensary AND other toiletries and requisites.

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HelpfulVinny@reddit

Pharmacy all my life, 22.

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Sinemetu9@reddit

I call it the drug dealer, personally, but each to their own.

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fixitagaintomorro@reddit

I say Pharmacy, I don't think I have heard the word Chemist since I was a child.

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JuneauEu@reddit

Depends on if I'm going to a Pharmacy or a Chemist as they're different things....

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coldchinguy@reddit

124, I call it the Druggists.

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Insideout_Ink_Demon@reddit

Over 40. Chemist

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spiderham42@reddit

Funnily enough I had this dilemma yesterday. I went yesterday and took my neighbours dog for a walk. I text them to say we had gone on a long walk to the... I was naturally going to write pharmacy but though I was more of an Americanism. I always used to call it a chemist but realised no one really calls it a chemist, not atleast from what I here. I ended up telling them we went for a nice long walk to the shops as I couldn't decide which to say.

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Thestolenone@reddit

I interchange. I just use whichever word my brain presents at the time. I'm 57.

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asparadog@reddit

Under 40; The shop's the chemist, the place where you obtain your pharmaceuticals is the pharmacy and is manned by the chemist?

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Zavation@reddit

Pharmacy for me I think. My local doctors always had a pharmacy within it, so I called if doctors for a long time growing up.

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Nublett9001@reddit

Many pharmacies are located inside a chemist shop. The place where medicines are dispensed is always called a pharmacy and is a specific area that is registered. Medicines cannot be dispensed outside of that area.

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CalamityCrochet@reddit

I’m 39 and use both interchangeably! But I’m from New Zealand, grew up in Canada and now live in Scotland…I’m just happy I broke the habit of saying “drug store” 😅

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farmer_palmer@reddit

It's an apothecary!

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_yellowcoat_@reddit

Pharmacy student and I call it a pharmacy!

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spingledoink@reddit

Chemist >50

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KatelynRose1021@reddit

I’m under 40, I say pharmacy and so do the people I know my age and under. My parents say chemist.

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Paulstan67@reddit

Dispensing chemist.

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Frontle1@reddit

Pharmacy is more American to me, chemist more a UK thang

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Curly_Goblin_NSFW@reddit

Chemist... 39

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Fading-Ghost@reddit

I like pharmaceuticals

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Athleticathiest82@reddit

Pharmacy sounds well American always called it a chemist.

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KingGeedo91@reddit

I don’t think it’s an americanism anymore. Maybe it used to be. But they’re now called pharmacies on the sign above the doors. The NHS website refers to it as a pharmacy.

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Less-Wind-8270@reddit (OP)

To be honest I don't even see it as an American word - it comes from Greek and is used in a lot of other European languages

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TimGJ1964@reddit

Pharmacy. I'm 58, but my late Dad was a pharmacist.

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WerewolfNo890@reddit

Usually say pharmacy if getting some kind of prescription, shop name otherwise such as Boots or Superdrug.

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Flat-Pomegranate-328@reddit

Ooh I don’t know. Chemists sounds a bit old fashioned and pharmacy sort of posher?

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polystyrenedaffodil@reddit

39 and a chemist.

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Tay74@reddit

Chemist for a shop type establishment that has a pharmacy desk and a pharmacist in it. I'm 23 if that means anything

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Missbhavin58@reddit

Chemist. Over 40

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DarthLordi@reddit

Pharmacy if I am picking up prescription drugs. Chemists if I am picking up anything else. Even if it’s the same building.

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Puzzleheaded-Dot1594@reddit

Depends how I feel that day.

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Automatic_Data9264@reddit

I used the word chemist until I started working in healthcare about 14 years ago. Since then I changed to pharmacy as it's more accurate.

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Loud_Fisherman_5878@reddit

I say pharmacy but I think that I picked it up when living in Australia and also because my husband isn’t a native speaker so a few Americanisms probably slip into our language.

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KingGeedo91@reddit

I don’t think it’s an americanism anymore. Maybe it used to be. But they’re now called pharmacies on the sign above the doors. The NHS website refers to it as a pharmacy.

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7ootles@reddit

I call it a dispensary, because they dispense medicines. I'm in my early/mid thirties.

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rhyithan@reddit

Since living in France pharmacy has become the primary default

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VictoryAdditional403@reddit

Pharmacy and I'm well over 40.A lot round here are called Xxxx Pharmacy. But when I was younger we always called them chemists.

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Big_Explanation_8803@reddit

Chemist. I'm 40.

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AnabolicCheesecake@reddit

Chemist. I'm 37 if that helps with the theory

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kezbabybabe@reddit

40, Pharmacy, regardless of location.

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call_me_philips@reddit

Chemist , I'm in over 30s bracket

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knighthawk_XX@reddit

I used to call it a chemist, but for some reason I've started calling it a pharmacy over the last few years for no real reason.

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MellyMentary975@reddit

I'm 57, as long as there is a Boots, it will always be a chemist!!!

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cdh79@reddit

I call it "gods waiting room"

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JustShyOfSure@reddit

Chemist - 28

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silentarcher00@reddit

Pharmacy. In my 30s. Worked in one too

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nayR2003@reddit

Pharmacy only because I’ve worked in ones and my job title was ‘Pharmacy Technician’

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Leading_Mango_2108@reddit

Pharmacy 29

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Rh-27@reddit

Used to say chemist when I was younger. Nowadays I strictly say pharmacy come to think of it. Approaching my thirties.

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Cold_Table8497@reddit

Apothecary.

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AutumnSunshiiine@reddit

Boots chemist. Lloyds pharmacy. 40s.

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Ambitious_Rent_3282@reddit

I am 57 and more likely to say pharmacy than chemist

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Ambitious_Rent_3282@reddit

I call it a drugstore

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jimian30@reddit

I call it a pharmacy if they are dispensing pre made drugs and a chemist if they make the drugs. Over 40.

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Cryptand_Bismol@reddit

Pharmacy, and I’m 27 Although I might be influenced by the fact I am a chemist (not a pharmaceutical one) and I like the distinction between the two

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Sad-Garage-2642@reddit

The building has Pharmacy written on the big sign. So it's a pharmacy.

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BiscuitCrumbsInBed@reddit

39. Pharmacy.

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RunningDino@reddit

I've never thought about it before but the comments are interesting. I'm just under 40 and I call the physical shop the chemist's unless it's in a big shop like a supermarket. However, I call the actual counter where the goods are passed over the pharmacy. So there's a pharmacy in a chemist's and a supermarket. If it's in a hospital then I call it a dispensary. I always call the person serving the items a pharmacist unless I'm getting items from a dispensary and then I think I assumed it was a nurse, but I've not received medication like that from a hospital in over a decade, so have no current precedent. If I think of a chemist in the sense of a person, then I start thinking of people like Walter White in Breaking Bad.

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DefiantStation2363@reddit

Chemist. But if I want to speak to a pharmacist, I'll call someone at the chemist that. I'm in my 20s.

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Life_Drop69@reddit

I say pharmacy as well and I'm under 40. The only people I know who call it chemist are old people.

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SilkySmoothRalph@reddit

Over forty and “pharmacy” for small community pharmacies (eg Lloyds or whatever) or the pharmacy counter in a bigger place (eg Boots). No one said I had to be consistent.

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Boredpanda31@reddit

33 and I tend to say chemist.

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Boredpanda31@reddit

33 - chemist or Boots (that's the only one I tend to go to!)

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EllebumbleB@reddit

Chemist. 39 y o.

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DNBassist89@reddit

33 and it's fairly interchangeable for me. If I'm going to say, Superdrug or Boots then I'll usually say pharmacy, if I'm going to a specialist chemist then it's chemist, but I probably use both words fairly regularly

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-RedKiki@reddit

I'd go to a pharmacy to speak to a chemist....

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PineapplesAreLame@reddit

Under 40 and never said chemist in this context in my life.

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StrawberryOver513@reddit

31 and pharmacy

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KatStitched@reddit

Pharmacy, 24. Although I love the word chemist

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seriousrikk@reddit

Pharmacy. Always have. Over 40.

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DameKumquat@reddit

The pharmacy is at the back of the chemist's. Except when it's in a supermarket or hospital or wherever.

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BlueHoopedMoose@reddit

This is the answer

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Merlinblack89@reddit

Mostly pharmacy now but chemist when I was a kid as that's what my parents /grand parents said -33

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ggfanatic98@reddit

25 and chemist

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shellh9@reddit

pharmacy but i also grew up partly in the US and they only say pharmacy over there. i'm also 24 though. but yes when i hear "chemist" i imagine hearing it coming out of an old person's mouth as that's what my grandparents say lol

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quantocked@reddit

I thought long and hard about this, I say pharmacy at work (nurse) and chemist at home. I don't know why.

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gemmajenkins2890@reddit

Chemist. I'm 32.

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Jack-Rabbit-002@reddit

A Pharmacy as that's what's normally above the door but my parents and most people I know would say Chemist! I always felt Chemist sounded more Americanised I know it's not just the sound of it! It might be because I'm a gamer and I remember drugs being called chems in the Fallout series Lol

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Mysterious_Ad_3119@reddit

Chemist and over 40

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Susim-the-Housecat@reddit

Im 30 and I used to say chemist as I was raised by my Nan so picked up a lot of “older” terms, but now I say Pharmasy, but I have no idea why or when I changed?

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Whatthehecitshec@reddit

Pharmacy - 23 y/o.

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cat-in-a-blanket@reddit

Pharmacy, under 40

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Nearby_Clothes_4582@reddit

It literally says pharmacy in massive letters above the door and still gets called a chemist off everyone round here 🤣

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twerkatwork23@reddit

Drug store

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Nearby_Clothes_4582@reddit

I've got a theory if your English you call it pharmacy and if your Scottish you call it chemist 😅

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Novel_Individual_143@reddit

Pharmacy and pharmacist 60

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Super_Occasion_7843@reddit

Pharmacy, 33 and in the East midlands

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TheReapingFields@reddit

Both, mostly according to whether it calls itself a pharmacy or a chemist. We have both in town.

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Expensive_Speaker177@reddit

29. Chemist.

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WeCallThemCrisps@reddit

Under 40, the chemist

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cal-brew-sharp@reddit

[pharmacy ](https://9gag.com/gag/a9nA6bL?utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=post_share)

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Issakaba@reddit

Neither. Apothecary is the correct nomenclature.

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R0KK3R@reddit

33, pharmacy.

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ArchSub@reddit

I call it both. I guess it depends on whether I need something over the counter or behind it. If behind, I upgrade it's status to Pharmacy. 🙂

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NicCola83@reddit

Chemist.. 39.

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milkandket@reddit

Chemist, 28

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G_UK@reddit

Pharmacy. 40

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finalexecution@reddit

Chemist, under 30

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Grotbagsthewonderful@reddit

I use both interchangeably, Lloyd's Pharmacy, Boot's chemist ect.

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ceb1995@reddit

Pharmacy, 28 and worked in one

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catwhogotthebook@reddit

Chemist or occasionally pharmacy. I’m 34

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throw4455away@reddit

38. I kind of use them interchangeably. Boots which is a big store selling all sorts including hair dye, make up etc with a pharmacy inside I call a chemist. The pharmacy next to the doctors that doesn’t sell anything other than a couple of stands of medicine-y type things I would call a pharmacy

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nacnud_uk@reddit

Depends how close it is.

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MessiahOfMetal@reddit

Chemist, and I'm 39

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southcoastal@reddit

Chemist. Over 40.

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Emotional-Ebb8321@reddit

legal drug dealer I don't care what that says about me.

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Willowx@reddit

Under 40, chemist unless having a very specific need to refer to say the pharmacy. Eg if I was going to pick up a prescription I'd say chemist, but if I wanted to give a location within the building I might say by the pharmacy counter.

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PhotographHuge1007@reddit

Chemist. Well over 40 lol

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charlie_boo@reddit

Both but mainly pharmacy. Almost 40.

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epicmindwarp@reddit

Whatever it says above the door.

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Rawrbear89@reddit

Chemist, under 40

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