2021 Winners
Most Empathetic Pharmacy Technician
Mary Mendoza
Pharmacy Technician
Resume
13 years as a pharmacy technician at Fry’s Pharmacy
Years in pharmacy
Praise from customers
“Mary asks every time I go in how my day is going. She helped me get a prescription ASAP when they were at least two days behind. She has helped me to get prescriptions refilled when the doctor’s office forgot to call it in. She goes out of her way to make sure my family and everyone else is taken care of to the best of her ability. I am grateful for that.”
“Mary suggested SingleCare to help my mother—who is 90 years old—save on her prescription.”
“If there is a prescription that is not ready, she will go out of her way to make sure you have it before you leave the store. If there are problems, she will make sure you have a solution within minutes. She always has a friendly outlook.”
Mary Mendoza won the Most Empathetic Pharmacy Technician because of the way she’s cared for her customers in the town she has lived and worked for more than 13 years. To her, going above and beyond is just part of her job. The customers who keep coming back to see her, generation after generation, are proof that her helping attitude is valuable—and appreciated by the community.
Why did you decide to become a pharmacy technician?
My son started working at Walgreens as a pharmacy technician, and when he would talk about work, I didn’t quite understand all the things he was saying. So, I took an online pharmacy technician course at Colorado Technical University. I was bitten by the pharmacy bug! I wanted to learn more than the medicines they were teaching me about. I gave up hairdressing and went into the pharmacy. I’ve been there ever since.
Every day I set a goal: I want to make at least three people feel better.
What drives you to go above and beyond for your customers?
Most of the time when people come in, they are sick. I want to help them the best way I can. I’m kind to them. Every day I set a goal: I want to make at least three people feel better.
I try to put myself in each person’s shoes. If a customer doesn’t have insurance, I think, “Where would I be if I didn’t have insurance and needed medication?” I will put in all of the different discounts I can think of to try to get them the best price possible. I had one customer who was so grateful I found a lower price on an antibiotic that her child needed that she burst into tears. She told me no one had ever helped her like that. To me, that’s just how I do my job.
I still live and work in the same town where I had my first child. I’ve gotten to know a lot of people. The kids who went to school with my kids now bring their little people in to get medicine. I can relate to how life is for them as young parents.
How do you make time to go above and beyond in a busy pharmacy?
A good team is so important in the pharmacy. Without my team, I wouldn’t be able to give my customers that little bit of extra effort because somebody has to cover your time when you are helping these people. Having my coworkers backing me is what makes everything possible.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
The most rewarding part of my job is when someone tells me that they are truly grateful. We have a couple customers who bring us flowers and snacks as a little extra thank you.
What does this nomination mean to you?
It’s kind of unbelievable. I do my work and just try to make customers happy—it’s my main goal. It’s nice to know that the customers really see that, to know that I’m really making a difference in their lives.
Praise from customers
“Mary asks every time I go in how my day is going. She helped me get a prescription ASAP when they were at least two days behind. She has helped me to get prescriptions refilled when the doctor’s office forgot to call it in. She goes out of her way to make sure my family and everyone else is taken care of to the best of her ability. I am grateful for that.”
“Mary suggested SingleCare to help my mother—who is 90 years old—save on her prescription.”
“If there is a prescription that is not ready, she will go out of her way to make sure you have it before you leave the store. If there are problems, she will make sure you have a solution within minutes. She always has a friendly outlook.”
