Had my second day interning for CVS and I have questions

[Doctor Hue]

Hi everyone, yesterday was my second day interning for CVS. On friday I did 6 hours and saturday I did 7 hours. Overall it was pretty straight forward. I've done retail at a department store before so I was use to the constant swarm of customers coming in; the store is open 24 hours. I don't really mind the work, just standard retail stuff, dealing with customers, learning how to use the system, it's all very simple. My one and only HUGE problem though is how breaks work around here.

At my other job which was retail at a department store we would have scheduled breaks. If you work at least 5 hours but not 6 you get a 15 minute paid break. If you work 6 hours or more you get a 30 minute unpaid break and the standard 15 minute break. Most of the time I wouldn't clock out when I went on the 30 minute break though so I would still get paid for it. However, I don't understand how breaks work at this CVS. The first day the pharmacist was super busy all the time so we barely got a chance to speak with each other. About 2 and a half hours after I got there and we had no customers I go up to her and ask if there's a break schedule. She tells me that there is none and usually no one takes breaks around here. I told her, what about eating? She says that usually everyone just brings food and takes it to the back of the pharmacy and eat it in between customers. In my mind I'm thinking, "wow are you serious". That all sounds really stupid. It was my first day though so I just asked if I could take a small break to eat the food I brought with me and she just said "ok" while still looking at her computer screen. So I take my coat off and go to the locker room which is a tiny ass room with some lockers, a table, and chair. I open my locker and start eating the peanut butter and jelly sandwich I packed. At my other job I would always bring in a sandwich and my water bottle for lunch and during my 15 minute break I'd walk to a pizza shop nearby and get a pepperoni slice for 2.50 including tax. Then I would eat that, my sandwich and drink my water and that would be my lunch. I was completely satisfied with that, but apparently now that I started working at CVS I downgraded.

After I ate I use the rest of my 15 minutes to just mess around on my phone. I go back to the pharmacy and continue to finish the day. By the time I got out at 10pm I was so hungry because my sandwich didn't fill me up so I walked to a tacobell a block away (which I wanted to go to on my break, but I didn't want to tell the pharmacist I planned on leaving the store) and then I realized they were closed except for the drive thru. Me being a poor college student, I walk up to the drive thru window and explain that I didn't have a car but would still like to order. They nicely agreed and got me my meal as I paid.

The next day something similar happened. Everything was going swell up until my break. It's about 3 hours after I got there and at this time I would normally go on break if I was at my other job. So again, I go up to the pharmacist and ask if I could go on a 15 minute break. She asks if I really had to go because it was just me, her and another girl working at the time. I said I just wanted to eat my food. She said you can eat it in the back. I walk out all pissed and get my bag from the locker, come back, and throw it on the counter in the back of the pharmacy. I'm just about to start eating and then I'm told to get the drive thru. After being juggled around between a bunch of customers I'm finally able to go back and eat my food for a solid 3 minutes before someone else comes and I have to pause eating my meal. I start to think, "wow is this really how it's gonna be for the remainder of my time here, this is awful". About an hour later the pharmacist and the other girl decide that they want to order food. Once their food comes 45 minutes later they just set it on the back and continue to deal with customers. I'm not even sure the pharmacist ate the pizza that she ordered.

I don't understand why they can't just give us breaks. The next day I work is tuesday but correct me if I'm wrong, isn't it illegal to not get a 15 minute break if you work for at least 5 hours? If you can't take lunch breaks in retail then I don't want to do retail. This is unbelievable. All I ask for is 15 minutes of not being bothered with to just sit and enjoy my food. I can already tell how annoying it'll be for me to come up to the pharmacist again on tuesday in the middle of my shift and ask for a break. Why can't they just give us scheduled breaks? Honestly I don't even think I'll ask. I might as well just go to the locker and get my bag in the middle of my shift and just start eating in the pharmacy like I did last time. This is horrible and I feel like I'm suffering. I don't want to get use to this **** method of a lunch break. It's not even a lunch break, it's being a slave to customers and not even being allowed to enjoy a meal for 15 minutes. You have to bring it back to work and shove it down your throat before the next customer comes. Retail, you already look like complete **** in my eyes.

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[Jibby321]

That's how it was when I was at cvs. Only one of the many reasons why I left.

 

[BMBiology]

If you need to eat, need to take restroom breaks, need to be treated like a human being then retail is not for you.

 

[Doctor Hue]

That's how it was when I was at cvs. Only one of the many reasons why I left.

What do you do now?

 

[sdh02]

wow, that really sucks.. I'm doing hospital internship and they would give us 1 hour lunch break (30 min lunch unpaid + 30 min paid break). I'm starting IPPE rotation for CVS in coming weeks, so glad I only stay there 3 hours lol..

 

[Doctor Hue]

wow, that really sucks.. I'm doing hospital internship and they would give us 1 hour lunch break (30 min lunch unpaid + 30 min paid break). I'm starting IPPE rotation for CVS in coming weeks, so glad I only stay there 3 hours lol..

Yeah this is stupid, I'm sure that the people at my pharmacy have been convinced that going 6-7 hours without eating anything is considered normal. Sad

 

[Vatic]

There are no breaks in pharmacy.

 

[Doctor Hue]

There are no breaks in pharmacy.

That's dumb, I'm tired of being a slave to the customer. They just treat me like some machine whose only purpose in life is to be shoved around and cursed at to get their medication. I have a life, I want to eat, I need breaks. I shouldn't have to be on my knees to these people for my entire day with absolutely no food or water to survive

 

[sdh02]

That's dumb, I'm tired of being a slave to the customer. They just treat me like some machine whose only purpose in life is to be shoved around and cursed at to get their medication. I have a life, I want to eat, I need breaks. I shouldn't have to be on my knees to these people for my entire day with absolutely no food or water to survive

Go for hospital internship.. maybe residency after you graduate to become staff/clinical pharmacist... If you do a retail job, that's what you will probably end up doing for next 20+ years lol

 

[BMBiology]

I have a life, I want to eat, I need breaks. I shouldn't have to be on my knees

You shouldn't be surprised. This isn't exactly breaking news. That is retail and 70% of the jobs are in retail or retail like.

 

[trailerpark]

At Walmart all the techs get an hour unpaid lunch and 2 paid 15 minute breaks. Usually they just go whenever they want. They always leave the pharmacy and come back when they're done. It's perfectly acceptable too.

This is Walmart policy though. I don't believe Federal law requires employers to get any kind of break, whether it's lunch or a 15 minute. Some state laws may be stricter.

At CVS the pharmacist would never tell you to go on any kind of break. It benefits them to have you work your arse off. If you never brought it up then you would just continue working even if you were there for 10 hours. When I did my IPPE there I would just say I'm taking a bathroom break and not come back for 10 minutes. I would get out of CVS asap. They are beyond unethical in their treatment of employees. Patients too. I was told to automatically sign up certain patients for ready fill without asking their permission. Prepare to be called lazy and sneered at if you continue to ask for breaks.

 

[zelman]

Hi everyone, yesterday was my second day interning for CVS. On friday I did 6 hours and saturday I did 7 hours. Overall it was pretty straight forward. I've done retail at a department store before so I was use to the constant swarm of customers coming in; the store is open 24 hours. I don't really mind the work, just standard retail stuff, dealing with customers, learning how to use the system, it's all very simple. My one and only HUGE problem though is how breaks work around here.

At my other job which was retail at a department store we would have scheduled breaks. If you work at least 5 hours but not 6 you get a 15 minute paid break. If you work 6 hours or more you get a 30 minute unpaid break and the standard 15 minute break. Most of the time I wouldn't clock out when I went on the 30 minute break though so I would still get paid for it. However, I don't understand how breaks work at this CVS. The first day the pharmacist was super busy all the time so we barely got a chance to speak with each other. About 2 and a half hours after I got there and we had no customers I go up to her and ask if there's a break schedule. She tells me that there is none and usually no one takes breaks around here. I told her, what about eating? She says that usually everyone just brings food and takes it to the back of the pharmacy and eat it in between customers. In my mind I'm thinking, "wow are you serious". That all sounds really stupid. It was my first day though so I just asked if I could take a small break to eat the food I brought with me and she just said "ok" while still looking at her computer screen. So I take my coat off and go to the locker room which is a tiny ass room with some lockers, a table, and chair. I open my locker and start eating the peanut butter and jelly sandwich I packed. At my other job I would always bring in a sandwich and my water bottle for lunch and during my 15 minute break I'd walk to a pizza shop nearby and get a pepperoni slice for 2.50 including tax. Then I would eat that, my sandwich and drink my water and that would be my lunch. I was completely satisfied with that, but apparently now that I started working at CVS I downgraded.

After I ate I use the rest of my 15 minutes to just mess around on my phone. I go back to the pharmacy and continue to finish the day. By the time I got out at 10pm I was so hungry because my sandwich didn't fill me up so I walked to a tacobell a block away (which I wanted to go to on my break, but I didn't want to tell the pharmacist I planned on leaving the store) and then I realized they were closed except for the drive thru. Me being a poor college student, I walk up to the drive thru window and explain that I didn't have a car but would still like to order. They nicely agreed and got me my meal as I paid.

The next day something similar happened. Everything was going swell up until my break. It's about 3 hours after I got there and at this time I would normally go on break if I was at my other job. So again, I go up to the pharmacist and ask if I could go on a 15 minute break. She asks if I really had to go because it was just me, her and another girl working at the time. I said I just wanted to eat my food. She said you can eat it in the back. I walk out all pissed and get my bag from the locker, come back, and throw it on the counter in the back of the pharmacy. I'm just about to start eating and then I'm told to get the drive thru. After being juggled around between a bunch of customers I'm finally able to go back and eat my food for a solid 3 minutes before someone else comes and I have to pause eating my meal. I start to think, "wow is this really how it's gonna be for the remainder of my time here, this is awful". About an hour later the pharmacist and the other girl decide that they want to order food. Once their food comes 45 minutes later they just set it on the back and continue to deal with customers. I'm not even sure the pharmacist ate the pizza that she ordered.

I don't understand why they can't just give us breaks. The next day I work is tuesday but correct me if I'm wrong, isn't it illegal to not get a 15 minute break if you work for at least 5 hours? If you can't take lunch breaks in retail then I don't want to do retail. This is unbelievable. All I ask for is 15 minutes of not being bothered with to just sit and enjoy my food. I can already tell how annoying it'll be for me to come up to the pharmacist again on tuesday in the middle of my shift and ask for a break. Why can't they just give us scheduled breaks? Honestly I don't even think I'll ask. I might as well just go to the locker and get my bag in the middle of my shift and just start eating in the pharmacy like I did last time. This is horrible and I feel like I'm suffering. I don't want to get use to this **** method of a lunch break. It's not even a lunch break, it's being a slave to customers and not even being allowed to enjoy a meal for 15 minutes. You have to bring it back to work and shove it down your throat before the next customer comes. Retail, you already look like complete **** in my eyes.

If you want them to follow the break policy, you'll probably need to call The Ethics Line. Telling them that labor laws are being broken is one of the only ways to consistently get things done. Before you do that (because it will piss people off), make sure to ask your Store Manager, District Manager or Pharmacy Supervisor what the break policy is for your state. Tell your pharmacist you'd like to go on a break per this policy (don't mention "policy" just ask if you can take your 30 minute unpaid break, or whatever) and call AFTER they haven't allowed you to follow policy.

 

[Dalteparin]

Welcome to life, son. Retail pharmacists don't get lunch breaks, retail techs don't get breaks, and hell, sometimes hospital pharmacists don't get a lunch either. I've spent many a lunch typing with one hand and holding a sandwich with the other. Don't like it? Don't be a pharmacist.

 

[Jibby321]

What do you do now?

I've been with Walmart since 2011 as a tech then when I got my intern license they promoted me in the system. So I get 2 15 minute breaks on the clock and a 30 minute lunch unpaid. I could take an hour if I wanted but I choose only 30. Pharmacists at least get 30 minutes when the pharmacy closes for lunch. If there is overlap they will take an hour. Some newer stores is our district is starting to have a floater pharmacist drives to different stores in the area to cover the pharmacy for a 1hr lunch break. This is for stores where there is no overlap.

 

[sosoo]

your option is to call the ethics hotline. if they don't do anything about it, your next option is a lawsuit. what do u know, u might make millions in your first year. just know how to make your case strong. labor law is not optional, it is mandatory, and it is a federal violation.

 

[Momus]

In CA, Those breaks are mandatory labor laws. I'd just go "I am going on my break" and leave. All they can do is hate you for it.

 

[zelman]

In CA, Those breaks are mandatory labor laws. I'd just go "I am going on my break" and leave. All they can do is hate you for it.

Not exactly. You are guaranteed a break, but you can't just take it whenever. If someone else is already on break and 50 people walk in to fill prescriptions you can't just decide it's time to take your break. You can say "Do you want me to take my break now or in 30 minutes?" or something to that effect when a break seems reasonable.

 

[cnicolef08]

As messed up as that situation is, you aren't alone. A friend of mine works at Rite Aid and they are supposed to close for lunch. Some pharmacists follow this rule, some don't. So the customers get spoiled and basically expect for everybody to stay open during lunch since Joe Schmo does it. It sucks because she has to do just what your pharmacist suggested, eat at the counter but if you get called away from your lunch, so be it. Leave it there and assist the customer. No lunch breaks and standing for hours is exactly the reason I don't work retail. Oh and that fact that I don't like people.

 

[Doctor Hue]

At Walmart all the techs get an hour unpaid lunch and 2 paid 15 minute breaks. Usually they just go whenever they want. They always leave the pharmacy and come back when they're done. It's perfectly acceptable too.

This is Walmart policy though. I don't believe Federal law requires employers to get any kind of break, whether it's lunch or a 15 minute. Some state laws may be stricter.

At CVS the pharmacist would never tell you to go on any kind of break. It benefits them to have you work your arse off. If you never brought it up then you would just continue working even if you were there for 10 hours. When I did my IPPE there I would just say I'm taking a bathroom break and not come back for 10 minutes. I would get out of CVS asap. They are beyond unethical in their treatment of employees. Patients too. I was told to automatically sign up certain patients for ready fill without asking their permission. Prepare to be called lazy and sneered at if you continue to ask for breaks.

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This actually sounds like a smart thing to do. What if they find out that I'm not going to the bathroom though? I'd rather just honestly say, hey I'm going to take a 10 minute break but I don't want the pharmacist and the other tech to start scolding me and not allowing me to do so.

If you want them to follow the break policy, you'll probably need to call The Ethics Line. Telling them that labor laws are being broken is one of the only ways to consistently get things done. Before you do that (because it will piss people off), make sure to ask your Store Manager, District Manager or Pharmacy Supervisor what the break policy is for your state. Tell your pharmacist you'd like to go on a break per this policy (don't mention "policy" just ask if you can take your 30 minute unpaid break, or whatever) and call AFTER they haven't allowed you to follow policy.

I would call the Ethics Line but is there a break policy for CVS in PA? If there is they sure as hell better be following it because if they aren't I'm going to start complaining. Maybe not now but after a couple of weeks once I've settled in I'll definitely start complaining about it.

Welcome to life, son. Retail pharmacists don't get lunch breaks, retail techs don't get breaks, and hell, sometimes hospital pharmacists don't get a lunch either. I've spent many a lunch typing with one hand and holding a sandwich with the other. Don't like it? Don't be a pharmacist.

You are as stupid and foolish as all the others who've convinced themselves that they don't deserve a lunch after working for 7 hours. Have fun holding that sandwich in your hand as you slave away at a computer when you shouldn't have to considering not having a break can be illegal. And no I don't like it, and yes I will still be a pharmacist.

I've been with Walmart since 2011 as a tech then when I got my intern license they promoted me in the system. So I get 2 15 minute breaks on the clock and a 30 minute lunch unpaid. I could take an hour if I wanted but I choose only 30. Pharmacists at least get 30 minutes when the pharmacy closes for lunch. If there is overlap they will take an hour. Some newer stores is our district is starting to have a floater pharmacist drives to different stores in the area to cover the pharmacy for a 1hr lunch break. This is for stores where there is no overlap.

Does this mean if I don't like CVS at one point and want to transfer over to doing retail pharmacy for Walmart I can do that? Because if walmart is offering up scheduled breaks for doing retail pharmacy count me in.

 

[WhiteSnows]

At where I work, I can take a break whenever I want and as long as I want. I just have to make sure all the works are done at the end of my shift.

 

[trailerpark]

Take your break sitting on the john texting. The CVS I was at had zero men in the pharmacy and only 1 in the store so the male bathroom was pretty much all mine. Surprisingly, the bathroom was cleaner than the pharmacy and some of the people I worked with.

 

[Dalteparin]

You are as stupid and foolish as all the others who've convinced themselves that they don't deserve a lunch after working for 7 hours. Have fun holding that sandwich in your hand as you slave away at a computer when you shouldn't have to considering not having a break can be illegal. And no I don't like it, and yes I will still be a pharmacist.

The only person who's stupid and foolish here is the one who entered into this profession without ever talking to a pharmacist, working in a pharmacy, volunteering at a pharmacy, or even reading a pharmacy blog, and who has received a lot of good advice on this board and continues to ignore it.

I'm done wasting my time with you. You're a troll, and not even a funny one at that.

 

[Doctor Hue]

Take your break sitting on the john texting. The CVS I was at had zero men in the pharmacy and only 1 in the store so the male bathroom was pretty much all mine. Surprisingly, the bathroom was cleaner than the pharmacy and some of the people I worked with.

I might do this as a last resort. What I plan to do is to just suck it up for about 2-3 weeks. Enough time for me to just settle myself in and become friendly with the pharmacist and regular techs. In the meantime I'll just be bringing my food to the back and eating it there as usual. Once I feel like I've settled in I'll make jokes and underhanded comments to the pharmacist such as "hey isn't it illegal to not get breaks?". Hopefully I'll be able to clear how the break policy actually works after I can settle myself in. I don't want to clear it up as early as now because I just started and I don't want to come off as the only guy in the pharmacy who actually likes and wants to take breaks, because from what I'm seeing no one wants to take any breaks at my pharmacy.

 

[BMBiology]

^ then the pharmacist will tell you to read PA labor law:

"In Pennsylvania, only employers of seasonal farmworkers are required to provide breaks. These employers must give employees a 30-minute break after five hours of work, during which employees must be relieved of all duties. This time may be unpaid.

All other Pennsylvania employers have no obligation to provide either meal or rest breaks."

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/pennsylvania-law-meal-rest-breaks.html

Looks like you will be standing and eating!

 

[owlegrad]

I have never worked anywhere where people get 15 minute breaks for working for 5 hours. Good luck with that.

 

[Doctor Hue]

^ then the pharmacist will tell you to read PA labor law:

"In Pennsylvania, only employers of seasonal farmworkers are required to provide breaks. These employers must give employees a 30-minute break after five hours of work, during which employees must be relieved of all duties. This time may be unpaid.

All other Pennsylvania employers have no obligation to provide either meal or rest breaks."

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/pennsylvania-law-meal-rest-breaks.html

Looks like you will be standing and eating!

So that means I legally don't have to be given a break? I don't believe this. I know if you work 8 hours you have to be given a break. But I'd probably never be working 8 hours, 7 at max most likely. And even if this is the case and I legally don't have to be given a break, I will just take a bathroom break of 10 minutes during my shift. This will involve me sitting on the toilet and texting for 10 minutes which one gentleman said he has done in the past. CVS is trying to exploit their employees and suck the blood from them. Well I'm fighting back and I'm going to be cheating CVS. They can't stop me from using the bathroom, and if they question how long I've been in there I'll just say that I had a huge meal before I came in, every single time they question me.

 

[BMBiology]

So that means I legally don't have to be given a break? I don't believe this. I know if you work 8 hours you have to be given a break. But I'd probably never be working 8 hours, 7 at max most likely. And even if this is the case and I legally don't have to be given a break, I will just take a bathroom break of 10 minutes during my shift. This will involve me sitting on the toilet and texting for 10 minutes which one gentleman said he has done in the past. CVS is trying to exploit their employees and suck the blood from them. Well I'm fighting back and I'm going to be cheating CVS. They can't stop me from using the bathroom, and if they question how long I've been in there I'll just say that I had a huge meal before I came in, every single time they question me.

They are also not required to give you any hours. Dont think the pharmacist will not notice you being gone for 10 minutes.

 

[Jibby321]

This actually sounds like a smart thing to do. What if they find out that I'm not going to the bathroom though? I'd rather just honestly say, hey I'm going to take a 10 minute break but I don't want the pharmacist and the other tech to start scolding me and not allowing me to do so.



I would call the Ethics Line but is there a break policy for CVS in PA? If there is they sure as hell better be following it because if they aren't I'm going to start complaining. Maybe not now but after a couple of weeks once I've settled in I'll definitely start complaining about it.



You are as stupid and foolish as all the others who've convinced themselves that they don't deserve a lunch after working for 7 hours. Have fun holding that sandwich in your hand as you slave away at a computer when you shouldn't have to considering not having a break can be illegal. And no I don't like it, and yes I will still be a pharmacist.



Does this mean if I don't like CVS at one point and want to transfer over to doing retail pharmacy for Walmart I can do that? Because if walmart is offering up scheduled breaks for doing retail pharmacy count me in.

You can apply to whatever intern positions you want to. I started as a tech and switched companies as a tech.

Your not required to stay with cvs every summer. Usually intern programs are 10 week programs. Finish your time and go your seperate ways if you wish.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

So that means I legally don't have to be given a break? I don't believe this. I know if you work 8 hours you have to be given a break. But I'd probably never be working 8 hours, 7 at max most likely. And even if this is the case and I legally don't have to be given a break, I will just take a bathroom break of 10 minutes during my shift. This will involve me sitting on the toilet and texting for 10 minutes which one gentleman said he has done in the past. CVS is trying to exploit their employees and suck the blood from them. Well I'm fighting back and I'm going to be cheating CVS. They can't stop me from using the bathroom, and if they question how long I've been in there I'll just say that I had a huge meal before I came in, every single time they question me.

Then quit.

 

[CynicalIntern]

So that means I legally don't have to be given a break? I don't believe this. I know if you work 8 hours you have to be given a break. But I'd probably never be working 8 hours, 7 at max most likely. And even if this is the case and I legally don't have to be given a break, I will just take a bathroom break of 10 minutes during my shift. This will involve me sitting on the toilet and texting for 10 minutes which one gentleman said he has done in the past. CVS is trying to exploit their employees and suck the blood from them. Well I'm fighting back and I'm going to be cheating CVS. They can't stop me from using the bathroom, and if they question how long I've been in there I'll just say that I had a huge meal before I came in, every single time they question me.

Not according to any federal law you don't. Maybe Penn state law is different, but for roughly 75% of states, there are no laws that state employees are mandated to have breaks. At all. Most companies do have their own policies because they can't be assed to have different policies in different states, so they just stick with the policy that is in place that sounds right.

While I agree that you *should* be given a break, in true Doctor Hue fashion your policy of throwing a hissy fit about people not giving you the respect that you feel like you deserve without having earned it is not the best way to ingratiate yourself to a new boss who's likely going to hate you and never schedule you after a few weeks of this game.

 

[Doctor Hue]

Not according to any federal law you don't. Maybe Penn state law is different, but for roughly 75% of states, there are no laws that state employees are mandated to have breaks. At all. Most companies do have their own policies because they can't be assed to have different policies in different states, so they just stick with the policy that is in place that sounds right.

While I agree that you *should* be given a break, in true Doctor Hue fashion your policy of throwing a hissy fit about people not giving you the respect that you feel like you deserve without having earned it is not the best way to ingratiate yourself to a new boss who's likely going to hate you and never schedule you after a few weeks of this game.

What's CVS's policy on breaks?

Also, I'm not going to be throwing any hissy fits in the pharmacy. It's called dealing with this situation intelligently. Which means I'll take 10 minute bathroom breaks and make up excuses for why I've taken so long each time I'm questioned. They can't complain about me having to go to the bathroom and desperately needing to take a large ****. As for the break policy, I'm going to wait a couple of weeks until I've settled in before I bring up the policy to the pharmacist. That way she would have already developed a solid impression of me

 

[owlegrad]

That way she would have already developed a solid impression of me

I don't think you have to worry about this.

 

[Doctor Hue]

I don't think you have to worry about this.

What do you mean? I've already flirted and chatted with her a bit during slow periods the past two times I've worked. Luckily for me she's young and looks fairly attractive

 

[BMBiology]

she is going to ask you to wear an adult diaper soon

 

[CynicalIntern]

What's CVS's policy on breaks?

Also, I'm not going to be throwing any hissy fits in the pharmacy. It's called dealing with this situation intelligently. Which means I'll take 10 minute bathroom breaks and make up excuses for why I've taken so long each time I'm questioned. They can't complain about me having to go to the bathroom and desperately needing to take a large ****. As for the break policy, I'm going to wait a couple of weeks until I've settled in before I bring up the policy to the pharmacist. That way she would have already developed a solid impression of me

I have no idea what CVS's policy on breaks is. Based on every person who I've ever known that works for CVS, I'd imagine it falls along the lines of "suck it up and get your job done if you want to keep it"

The funny thing about working for pharmacists - no matter how oblivious of a professional they are, they're still intelligent enough to finish their professional degree. Even store management who barely graduated high school will notice when their cashiers routinely disappear for extended periods of time on their "bathroom breaks," so you're probably better off not insulting their intelligence.

 

[BMBiology]

CVS's policy = no break (unless we get caught by the government). Merlo wants a bigger bonus this year.

 

[D1CE K]

Hi everyone, yesterday was my second day interning for CVS. On friday I did 6 hours and saturday I did 7 hours. Overall it was pretty straight forward. I've done retail at a department store before so I was use to the constant swarm of customers coming in; the store is open 24 hours. I don't really mind the work, just standard retail stuff, dealing with customers, learning how to use the system, it's all very simple. My one and only HUGE problem though is how breaks work around here.

At my other job which was retail at a department store we would have scheduled breaks. If you work at least 5 hours but not 6 you get a 15 minute paid break. If you work 6 hours or more you get a 30 minute unpaid break and the standard 15 minute break. Most of the time I wouldn't clock out when I went on the 30 minute break though so I would still get paid for it. However, I don't understand how breaks work at this CVS. The first day the pharmacist was super busy all the time so we barely got a chance to speak with each other. About 2 and a half hours after I got there and we had no customers I go up to her and ask if there's a break schedule. She tells me that there is none and usually no one takes breaks around here. I told her, what about eating? She says that usually everyone just brings food and takes it to the back of the pharmacy and eat it in between customers. In my mind I'm thinking, "wow are you serious". That all sounds really stupid. It was my first day though so I just asked if I could take a small break to eat the food I brought with me and she just said "ok" while still looking at her computer screen. So I take my coat off and go to the locker room which is a tiny ass room with some lockers, a table, and chair. I open my locker and start eating the peanut butter and jelly sandwich I packed. At my other job I would always bring in a sandwich and my water bottle for lunch and during my 15 minute break I'd walk to a pizza shop nearby and get a pepperoni slice for 2.50 including tax. Then I would eat that, my sandwich and drink my water and that would be my lunch. I was completely satisfied with that, but apparently now that I started working at CVS I downgraded.

After I ate I use the rest of my 15 minutes to just mess around on my phone. I go back to the pharmacy and continue to finish the day. By the time I got out at 10pm I was so hungry because my sandwich didn't fill me up so I walked to a tacobell a block away (which I wanted to go to on my break, but I didn't want to tell the pharmacist I planned on leaving the store) and then I realized they were closed except for the drive thru. Me being a poor college student, I walk up to the drive thru window and explain that I didn't have a car but would still like to order. They nicely agreed and got me my meal as I paid.

The next day something similar happened. Everything was going swell up until my break. It's about 3 hours after I got there and at this time I would normally go on break if I was at my other job. So again, I go up to the pharmacist and ask if I could go on a 15 minute break. She asks if I really had to go because it was just me, her and another girl working at the time. I said I just wanted to eat my food. She said you can eat it in the back. I walk out all pissed and get my bag from the locker, come back, and throw it on the counter in the back of the pharmacy. I'm just about to start eating and then I'm told to get the drive thru. After being juggled around between a bunch of customers I'm finally able to go back and eat my food for a solid 3 minutes before someone else comes and I have to pause eating my meal. I start to think, "wow is this really how it's gonna be for the remainder of my time here, this is awful". About an hour later the pharmacist and the other girl decide that they want to order food. Once their food comes 45 minutes later they just set it on the back and continue to deal with customers. I'm not even sure the pharmacist ate the pizza that she ordered.

I don't understand why they can't just give us breaks. The next day I work is tuesday but correct me if I'm wrong, isn't it illegal to not get a 15 minute break if you work for at least 5 hours? If you can't take lunch breaks in retail then I don't want to do retail. This is unbelievable. All I ask for is 15 minutes of not being bothered with to just sit and enjoy my food. I can already tell how annoying it'll be for me to come up to the pharmacist again on tuesday in the middle of my shift and ask for a break. Why can't they just give us scheduled breaks? Honestly I don't even think I'll ask. I might as well just go to the locker and get my bag in the middle of my shift and just start eating in the pharmacy like I did last time. This is horrible and I feel like I'm suffering. I don't want to get use to this **** method of a lunch break. It's not even a lunch break, it's being a slave to customers and not even being allowed to enjoy a meal for 15 minutes. You have to bring it back to work and shove it down your throat before the next customer comes. Retail, you already look like complete **** in my eyes.

Lol how did everyone in this thread missed this gem?

 

[JustAnotherRph]

Welcome to pharmacy. I work in managed care and there are times where I eat lunch at my desk while on mute on a conference call. I even work weekends and not get paid!
Pharmacy is not a department store nor is it even remotely like how the front of the store is managed. We have become slaves to customer service. It would be nice if we could all create some sort of policy where employers have to treat us like humans, but it won' happen due to the influx of new graduates. When there will be cheaper labor willing to do the job at any cost, the profession will never get better.

 

[waiter]

If you need a break, take a short break. Please go to the bathroom if you need to. As long as you're not taking excessive breaks or away from the pharmacy excessively, I'm not going to have a problem.

 

[CUpharmD2013]

My techs get a break no matter what when I'm working. Unfortunately not all pharmacists make this a priority.

Per CVS policy:

CVS Caremark policy provides Employees with:

Employee schedule..........Meal Period(s)......................................Rest Period(s)
4–6 hour shift..................None.....................................................15-minute paid rest period
6–8 hour shift...................30-minuted unpaid meal period.........15-minute paid rest period
8+ hour shift.....................30-minute unpaid meal period...........2 x 15-minute paid rest periods

 

[PumpkinSmasher]

Suck it up, focus on learning something rather than whining. We have all been there, this is a learning experience. Be thankful you discovered how terrible CVS and many retail pharmacies are now rather than after you were employed as a pharmacist. One of the many reasons I did not consider retail as a career path.

 

[Corytrade]

Glad I live in California. Worker's rights all up in this bitch.

 

[GatorPharm]

My techs get a break no matter what when I'm working. Unfortunately not all pharmacists make this a priority.

Per CVS policy:

CVS Caremark policy provides Employees with:

Employee schedule..........Meal Period(s)......................................Rest Period(s)
4–6 hour shift..................None.....................................................15-minute paid rest period
6–8 hour shift...................30-minuted unpaid meal period.........15-minute paid rest period
8+ hour shift.....................30-minute unpaid meal period...........2 x 15-minute paid rest periods

This was how it was for me as a CVS tech (very, very temporarily) in Florida a few years ago. 30 min meal and 15 min break. The pharmacist was on top of telling techs when to take a break, so I didn't have to keep asking. Now at Publix I get a 30 min lunch if I work 5+ hours but no 15 min breaks.

The others are right though if you intend to work in retail as a pharmacist. Unless you're in one of the very few pharmacies that close for lunch or have pharmacist overlap, don't expect any breaks when you're a pharmacist.

 

[pharmfill]

It happened to me the same when I started at CVS before. I talked to the supervisor regarding the break issue and it turned out that the sup called my pharmacy manager in front of me and told that manager I complained about the break. The next day I found out I got treated like ****. So, try to focus on learning and as soon as you are experienced in the retail setting, you can move to a better company

 

[BMBiology]

It happened to me the same when I started at CVS before. I talked to the supervisor regarding the break issue and it turned out that the sup called my pharmacy manager in front of me and told that manager I complained about the break. The next day I found out I got treated like ****. So, try to focus on learning and as soon as you are experienced in the retail setting, you can move to a better company

Yeah this is not high school. You don't snitch on your pharmacist and expect him to help you out later.

If you need to take a break then retail is not for you because it will be worse once you work as a pharmacist. Much worse.

 

[farmadiazepine]

No offense you sound annoying as hell. Stop being a bit*h and suck it up. You want to eat? So get some food and eat. We don't need to read paragraphs and paragraphs of how you didn't have a car and walked into a drive-thru to get food. If your boring lengthy writing is any indication of what your work ethic may be like, and I think it is an indication judging from how much you are bit*hing, then retail isn't for you. You eat when you get a chance to eat. You don't like that? Then become a pharmacist and work overnight, or become a pharmacist and open your own pharmacy, or become a pharmacist and working for an extremely successful independent.

My first job I never even had a lunch break. I made ice cream and cakes for 9 hours a day, cleaned the kitchen, then mopped the floors, and cleaned the bathrooms, toilets, and sinks. You sound like you have a dream job compared to what some of us do.

 

[BidingMyTime]

I have never worked anywhere where people get 15 minute breaks for working for 5 hours. Good luck with that.

IL law requires this (pharmacists are one of the exempt catagories of employees, but technicians & cashiers are not)

Edited to add, actually I think IL law requires 15 minutes for a 4 hour shift, and 30 minutes for anything over a 5 hour shift.

 

[BidingMyTime]

At my other job which was retail at a department store we would have scheduled breaks. If you work at least 5 hours but not 6 you get a 15 minute paid break. If you work 6 hours or more you get a 30 minute unpaid break and the standard 15 minute break. Most of the time I wouldn't clock out when I went on the 30 minute break though so I would still get paid for it. However, I don't understand how breaks work at this CVS

Welcome to pharmacy. As a pharmacist, you can expect to work 8 - 15 hour shifts with NO breaks. Hospital is more likely to give breaks, but not always. If this is a major job requirement for you, being a pharmacist is not a good choice.

State law may require breaks for you as a technician, but others have said your state does not, so it sounds like you will be getting good practice at being a pharmacist by not taking breaks. Sounds like your previuos job had a nice break schedule, but you can't expect pharmacy jobs to have that same kind of schedule (or any healthcare job for that matter, sick people & patients don't always run on schedule.)

 

[CynicalIntern]

And for proof, here's the official department of labor stance:
http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/meal.htm

Meal breaks are one of my pet peeves because my district manager used to yell at me that I had to take one by law, and I kept telling him to cite the law, and we would get red in the face and tell me he didn't have time to argue with me.

Oh, the days of being 18 and a technician and caring more about the 10 dollars than the 30 minutes of serenity.

 

[30Percent]

It really depends on the culture of your store. There are many CVS pharmacies that don't take breaks. When you ask they will make you feel guilty or try to push it back until you forget. Your store's volume must be very high for it to qualify for a 24 hour store. Based from your store's volume and your pharmacist's attitude you will never get a break.