Grocery vs. Drugstore pharmacy

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I saw a thread on this ..... in 2006 so I'd like to ask again...

I got offered a job at a drug strore (CVS/walgreens type) and a grocery store as a pharmacy technician.


What are some of the pros and cons ladies and gents?

Originally Posted by iceman132

I saw a thread on this ..... in 2006 so I'd like to ask again...

I got offered a job at a drug strore (CVS/walgreens type) and a grocery store as a pharmacy technician.


What are some of the pros and cons ladies and gents?

At a grocery store, old ladies will come to you and ask you where the turnips are. In a drug store, old ladies will come and ask you where the Vagisil is.

Originally Posted by Pojman

At a grocery store, old ladies will come to you and ask you where the turnips are. In a drug store, old ladies will come and ask you where the Vagisil is.

I have heard working at a grocery store is better though (From the threads I've skimmed through) Seems like they are all old threads thoughl

Grocery store - no drive thru, less busy

Originally Posted by owlegrad

Grocery store - no drive thru, less busy

Some grocery stores are starting to have drive-thrus though

I'd say grocery store. I've never worked at one, but I have worked at CVS. Let me tell you: if you can avoid working in a place with a drive-thru, DO IT!! It'll save you tons of daily aggravation.

Even if the grocery store does have one, it's probably still going to be better pay than CVS.

Originally Posted by dancingallday

I'd say grocery store. I've never worked at one, but I have worked at CVS. Let me tell you: if you can avoid working in a place with a drive-thru, DO IT!! It'll save you tons of daily aggravation.

Even if the grocery store does have one, it's probably still going to be better pay than CVS.

Could you go a bit more in depth about the drive through? What is particularly so annoying about it?

Although a drive-thru might be annoying - I would think that the increased productivity, and increased profits, might lead to better job stability, pay, and benefits. I guess it just depends on if you want to work a little extra hard or not.

Drive-thru isn't horrible. Perhaps that's just 3 years of desensitization speaking...

It would be better if people understood the purpose of the drive-thru. It's so you can drop stuff off easily, and come back for it later. If you REALLY need your meds fast, you'll be better served to come inside the store.

When I say 'in-store wait time is 15 minutes', that does not translate into 'I'll come back through the drive-thru in 15 minutes'.

I say go for the grocery store chain especially if you're just starting out. We have a drive through, but we are typically slower than cvs/walgreens. It's really helped me to learn and grow, and the pharmacists have the time to teach me stuff (starting pharm school in the fall, so they love giving my tidbits of info). Also, I feel like a valued employee and not a cog in a machine.

Originally Posted by iceman132

Could you go a bit more in depth about the drive through? What is particularly so annoying about it?

It depends on the location, the setup, and the type of person that comes to the drive thru.

Some people talk quietly, so it can be difficult to hear what they're saying when you ask for names, if they want cash price/put it on hold/pick up later today, etc. Others talk louder than you expect, so if you have your ear too close, it can hurt a little. Some people get frustrated when you can't hear them because they don't always notice the background noise that makes you hear a bunch of car horns and the wind blowing.

Sometimes with those, you kind of have to stop what you're doing to go help if you're the only person available. If you were in the middle of something busy, then you might have to start over when you get back to it after the drive-thru. So when you get back to whatever you were doing and had to start over, you can see how that would be frustrating if it happened multiple times a day.

Originally Posted by crazybob

It depends on the location, the setup, and the type of person that comes to the drive thru.

Some people talk quietly, so it can be difficult to hear what they're saying when you ask for names, if they want cash price/put it on hold/pick up later today, etc. Others talk louder than you expect, so if you have your ear too close, it can hurt a little. Some people get frustrated when you can't hear them because they don't always notice the background noise that makes you hear a bunch of car horns and the wind blowing.

Sometimes with those, you kind of have to stop what you're doing to go help if you're the only person available. If you were in the middle of something busy, then you might have to start over when you get back to it after the drive-thru.

I see, I guess it varies a bit. I knew it wasn't like Burger King where the problem is the intercom system

Originally Posted by NaOH

It would be better if people understood the purpose of the drive-thru. It's so you can drop stuff off easily, and come back for it later. If you REALLY need your meds fast, you'll be better served to come inside the store.

When I say 'in-store wait time is 15 minutes', that does not translate into 'I'll come back through the drive-thru in 15 minutes'.

Yeah, I've seen some of that. They don't even turn off the car engine to restart it when they finally pick something up.

If you tell them how long they should expect to wait, they're a little better about being patient, but not always.

Especially the younger customers, like teenagers lol

Drive-thrus contribute to fat, lazy, unhealthy America.

Originally Posted by Nelcovp

Drive-thrus contribute to fat, lazy, unhealthy America.

If I weighed 250+ pounds and had no muscle mass I wouldn't want for people to see me in a public place either.

I have worked in both a grocery store pharmacy and a drug store pharmacy. As others have said, pick a place that does not have a drive thru if at all possible (both places I have worked have drive thrus).

Personally speaking, I enjoy working more in the drug store pharmacy. The grocery store pharmacy was managed by the chain grocery store and the pharmacist had little to do with tech management (raises, store hours, etc). In the drug store that I work at the pharmacist has more autonomy over the technicians and he treats us better than at the grocery store.

Each pharmacy is a case by case basis. I would personally go with the drug store because most often the pharmacy section is their priority and it may be managed better.

Where I live, grocery store pharmacies don't do enough business to stay afloat and are going under one by one. You definitely have greater job security as a tech and a pharmacist at a drugstore. But when I'm hungry for dinner at 8:30 and sick of pizza LeanCuisine, easy mac, and ramen, I sure wish I worked at a grocery store...

Originally Posted by fluorometholone

Where I live, grocery store pharmacies don't do enough business to stay afloat and are going under one by one. You definitely have greater job security as a tech and a pharmacist at a drugstore. But when I'm hungry for dinner at 8:30 and sick of pizza LeanCuisine, easy mac, and ramen, I sure wish I worked at a grocery store...

As fluorometholone stated, at a drug store, the pharmacy is the priority. At a grocery store, the overall store and sales are its priority. Less traffic means less revenue. At some point the convenience of having a pharmacy at the store for its customers gets outweighed by the lack of sales volume and subsequent loss the store is incurring as a result of salaries budgeted to the pharmacy. In terms of an intern/tech perspective... less Rx volume = less tech hours. I remember working at a SuperValu chain and we had a tech come in 4 times a week for 4-6 hours each shift. The other days the pharmacist would be on his/her own. The store wasn't busy but you did get a lot of random questions about item location throughout the store or if you could "ring someone up" if they weren't picking up a prescription.

Originally Posted by Nelcovp

Drive-thrus contribute to fat, lazy, unhealthy America.

Narcissism also contributes to fat, lazy, unhealthy America

I work at a Kroger store and really love it. We do between 500-700 scripts a day, even sharing a parking lot with a Walgreens and a Rite Aide across the street. Today, we were expecting to be busy, so had 9 techs all together at one point while another was on break, and 3 pharmacists. We ALWAYS get a half hour for a break, and never have less than four techs at a time. The worst part is definitely the drive through, because even though it is a completely new phone system, it is truly terrible. You cannot hear what the person is saying on the other end. You have people who are angry that something is not filled or insurance is messed up, and refuse to move until the problem is resolved. This makes all other cars behind them mad, because you cant just ask the person to step to the side while you get it resolved. SERIOUSLY try to avoid drive throughs at all costs, but other than that, I would highly recommend Kroger. Good benefits, very flexible with scheduling for school, and every intern that I know has a floating position lined up after school.

I'd rather tell fifty old ladies where the turnips are than answer the bell at a drive thru to only argue with a drug addict with a gun on his seat. True story.

But, really, grocery stores tend to be slower paced and people are more willing to wait (they shop while they wait!). It's also more effort for drug seekers to park I a busy parking lot and go inside all the way to the back of the store. Just a thought