Quitting my job at cvs/ What to do?

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futurepharmacist99

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Hi guys,

I need some advice. I've only been working as a cvs pharm tech for like a week now, and I can't take it. They gave me no training, only on pick up, and they expect me to know how to do everything with drop off and production. If I ask them a question, they start yelling at me. I can't take it.. today was the icing on the cake when I asked the pharmacist a question and she literally started screaming at me and all the customers were just watching, I felt so embarrassed. I went home and I couldn't help but cry, I know I know that a job isn't supposed to be easy, but I just can't take them screaming at me every time I need help, considering this is my first time working as a pharm tech and they know it. they're just sooo busy, they don't even have time to teach me anything. I just don't feel good right now because I don't want to work in a place where no one even cares about me or wants to help me. Please guys please what do I do?? I can't go back to that hell hole, and it took me so long to find this fricking job :( How can I quit? I feel like they're already planning on firing me because I heard them gossiping about me behind my back. Idk what I did to deserve this

Is there any way I can still work at cvs but a different location? will they allow me to switch

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Hi guys,

I need some advice. I've only been working as a cvs pharm tech for like a week now, and I can't take it. They gave me no training, only on pick up, and they expect me to know how to do everything with drop off and production. If I ask them a question, they start yelling at me. I can't take it.. today was the icing on the cake when I asked the pharmacist a question and she literally started screaming at me and all the customers were just watching, I felt so embarrassed. I went home and I couldn't help but cry, I know I know that a job isn't supposed to be easy, but I just can't take them screaming at me every time I need help, considering this is my first time working as a pharm tech and they know it. they're just sooo busy, they don't even have time to teach me anything. I just don't feel good right now because I don't want to work in a place where no one even cares about me or wants to help me. Please guys please what do I do?? I can't go back to that hell hole, and it took me so long to find this fricking job :( How can I quit? I feel like they're already planning on firing me because I heard them gossiping about me behind my back. Idk what I did to deserve this

Is there any way I can still work at cvs but a different location? will they allow me to switch

If transferring is on your mind, have you considered looking at the other stores and how they operate? Retail is going to be busy and is the bulk of what pharmacists go through. If you need the job (financial wise) don't just quit but learn on the go. If you still need that guidance then go to the techs as much as possible no matter how ignorant they may come off towards you. The more they teach the faster you learn and the easier the job gets. As for the rush and chaos, one builds immunity while others stick to the grind.

If its not financial reasonings as to why you chose to be a cvs tech then pick up the phone and quit. If its in preparation for pharmacy school in the future then I'd take it all in. It'll be waiting for you when you graduate only with more responsibilities. The more exposure you get, the slightly better transition you get (not by much though for most).
 
If you really want to get back at them in the short term - quit without notice... then they’ll be sorry..
 
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Hi guys,

I need some advice. I've only been working as a cvs pharm tech for like a week now, and I can't take it. They gave me no training, only on pick up, and they expect me to know how to do everything with drop off and production. If I ask them a question, they start yelling at me. I can't take it.. today was the icing on the cake when I asked the pharmacist a question and she literally started screaming at me and all the customers were just watching, I felt so embarrassed. I went home and I couldn't help but cry, I know I know that a job isn't supposed to be easy, but I just can't take them screaming at me every time I need help, considering this is my first time working as a pharm tech and they know it. they're just sooo busy, they don't even have time to teach me anything. I just don't feel good right now because I don't want to work in a place where no one even cares about me or wants to help me. Please guys please what do I do?? I can't go back to that hell hole, and it took me so long to find this fricking job :( How can I quit? I feel like they're already planning on firing me because I heard them gossiping about me behind my back. Idk what I did to deserve this

Is there any way I can still work at cvs but a different location? will they allow me to switch

If they require the current pharmacist's consent in order to approve the transfer I really do not see it happening.
 
This sounds like something that needs to be brought up to management. You should let the pharmacy manager know you're genuinely trying your best, but the team is making it hard for you to learn.

Retail positions are not glamorous, but you shouldn't feel belittled into crying during your shifts, nor should you be constantly disrespected and humiliated in front of people. It's not in the job description and you're worth is more than that. Be calm when handling different situations. If you don't know how to do something, you're more than welcome to say, "I just started here a week ago, let me get the pharmacist (or senior tech) to explain x, y, and z." If they start yelling, you can say "whoa there, calm down, I just started" or "show me how you did that so I can better help out."

You can also offer to do things that you're already good at or don't take too long to learn such as filling and cashiering then slowly broaden your skills.

If this doesn't work after a few weeks and they continue to poop on you, leave for a competitor and let someone know who is above the store manager.
 
I know that feel very well. Except for me, the customers were yelling at me for being so slow or not knowing the answer to their insurance questions. I was working as cashier and drive thru. At the end of the day, I just asked some questions to the techs and looked up the different insurance questions I got. Each day it was something new though so it got overwhelming real quick. I too would go home and just sit alone in my room thinking how much of an idiot I was and I also had some weird stomach problems due to this stress. However, this was also around the time I started reading about all the saturation stuff, lower pay, usual doom and gloom stuff. I was also lucky enough to get a interview for a cashier job at another retail store for higher pay. I ended up quitting the pharm tech job only after a month and I did so by calling them to tell them I am not coming in the next day. Was the most awkward call I have ever made. I have heard of other techs just not showing up and not answering their phones.
I honestly don't know how anyone can pick anything up. The training is literally just throwing you in there to work.
 
dk what I did to deserve this

You deserve this and will deserve it as long as you remain in the profession. Now you have a feel of the toxic environment which the VAST MAJORITY of pharmacists have to put up with on a daily basis - nothing like the cushy jobs in industry and hospital which pharmacy schools tell you about. You should count your blessings that you experienced what it's really like to work in a pharmacy as a pre-pharm instead of waiting until you've graduated pharmacy school with $200k+ in loans.

With that plus the shrinking job market, my advice is to choose a different profession such as software engineering where you will be treated much better.
 
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Retail is not for everyone, there is a reason they call it retail hell. But I would think hard about your interest in pharmacy as a career. By the time you graduate, retail will be even worse, it has been getting worse for a while, Unless you already have a track record of success in undergrad, you cannot be sure you will do well enough to get into a residency or a fellowship to get a shot at something other than retail. If you think it might be just this particular store that is the problem - try to switch to another location or work for a competitor chain to see if it is any better. And try to grow a thick skin, it makes life easier in general.

BTW, even when I started with Walgreens in 2002, in the "good old days" when it was actually a pleasant environment, they just threw me in head first. I think I was employed for two years by the time I completed the training I was supposed to do before I started! Though I worked with mostly really nice people... I got offers from two locations at the same time, and I chose the one were I liked people better, even though it was twice as far from my home as the other one. I have always chosen employers by how I feel about the people and the atmosphere instead of title or money, and I have yet to regret this approach.
 
I have no idea why you insist to work as pharm tech regardless of store you are assigned to.

Is it because you think being pharm tech will help you becoming pharmacist?
I think you have a lot more to think about than just finding new store and keeping your pharm tech gig
 
...I chose the one were I liked people better, even though it was twice as far from my home as the other one. I have always chosen employers by how I feel about the people and the atmosphere instead of title or money, and I have yet to regret this approach.
Just curious but how were you able to do this? Did you hang around after the interview and just talk to everyone while they were working? I only get to know my coworkers by working with them.
 
Just curious but how were you able to do this? Did you hang around after the interview and just talk to everyone while they were working? I only get to know my coworkers by working with them.
You know how they say you make a decision about a person within 90 seconds after meeting them? :) I don't need to know someone's favorite dish or hobby or life story or pet peeves to know whether I will like working with them.

How someone approaches interview - the structure of it, the kind of questions they ask, their overall manner and body language tell me a lot. Basically, I trust my intuition, and intuition comes from experience observing and interacting with many different people from all walks of life. And I am not afraid to judge people and form negative opinions on them as potential coworkers (not them as people, that I neither know nor care about at that stage).

And I absolutely observe the entire environment - how does the whole place feel, what facial expressions are people wearing, what their voices sound like, is the setting chaotic or organized, are people moving fast or slow. I arrive early and chat with the receptionist and/or security and strike casual conversations with random people at or around the company. I reach out to my connections to ask them questions. But generally my first impression is pretty accurate.

I would never take a job where I have only had a phone interview and no on-site... it's fine for a monthlong rotation, but not for anything significantly longer than that... it amazes me that some people take jobs and/or rent apartments entirely over the phone/online.
 
You know how they say you make a decision about a person within 90 seconds after meeting them? :) I don't need to know someone's favorite dish or hobby or life story or pet peeves to know whether I will like working with them.
Lmao, oh come on man. Anyone can act nice for 90 seconds. I can pull that off for 90 seconds.
I guess you can do that for people that immediately come off as rude and condescending. But generally speaking, most people are nice. Its pretty natural and hard to be a mean person.
 
Lmao, oh come on man. Anyone can act nice for 90 seconds. I can pull that off for 90 seconds.
I guess you can do that for people that immediately come off as rude and condescending. But generally speaking, most people are nice. Its pretty natural and hard to be a mean person.
How old are you? Surely you can't be in kindergarten and post on these boards?
 
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Hi guys,

I need some advice. I've only been working as a cvs pharm tech for like a week now, and I can't take it. They gave me no training, only on pick up, and they expect me to know how to do everything with drop off and production. If I ask them a question, they start yelling at me. I can't take it.. today was the icing on the cake when I asked the pharmacist a question and she literally started screaming at me and all the customers were just watching, I felt so embarrassed. I went home and I couldn't help but cry, I know I know that a job isn't supposed to be easy, but I just can't take them screaming at me every time I need help, considering this is my first time working as a pharm tech and they know it. they're just sooo busy, they don't even have time to teach me anything. I just don't feel good right now because I don't want to work in a place where no one even cares about me or wants to help me. Please guys please what do I do?? I can't go back to that hell hole, and it took me so long to find this fricking job :( How can I quit? I feel like they're already planning on firing me because I heard them gossiping about me behind my back. Idk what I did to deserve this

Is there any way I can still work at cvs but a different location? will they allow me to switch
If anyone yelled at me even the boss I would quit on the spot. Don't take **** from anyone.
 
Thank guys for your advice, I thought I was overreacting but I've just been thinking how I'm done being disrespected. I've been always disrespected my whole life because I'm just too nice and I avoid confrontation. But I've just had enough at this point, I'm not desperate for anyone and I'm not desperate for any job and I don't care at this point so I'm going to let the manager know how I feel.
 
You might find it enjoyable to generate confrontation too because it actually makes a lot of people uncomfortable to be on the receiving end, i.e., a lot of people can dish it out but can't take it
 
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You might find it enjoyable to generate confrontation too because it actually makes a lot of people uncomfortable to be on the receiving end, i.e., a lot of people can dish it out but can't take it

Great idea to generate more complaints to corporate!
 
LOL messing w/ customers would be a great way to screw over "your" store even more.

Not like intentionally sabotaging scripts but acting like a dick, like "oh you needed your metformin you haven't filled in 2 months but you have a case of Coke and two bags of Lays in your shopping cart?"

I'd do it if I hated everyone there
 
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Thank guys for your advice, I thought I was overreacting but I've just been thinking how I'm done being disrespected. I've been always disrespected my whole life because I'm just too nice and I avoid confrontation. But I've just had enough at this point, I'm not desperate for anyone and I'm not desperate for any job and I don't care at this point so I'm going to let the manager know how I feel.

Are you still pre-pharmacy? Be prepared to be disrespected in many situations in the future if you stay on track as a pharmacist. ...
 
Honestly idek what to do career wise anymore :) so yay love life!

There are many professions out there where you get treated far better and are actually hurting for more employees right now, and more importantly do not require you to take out $200k+ in loans and spend an additional 4 years of your life in school. Computer programming, finance, accounting, engineering, and trades are some examples.
 
There are many professions out there where you get treated far better and are actually hurting for more employees right now, and more importantly do not require you to take out $200k+ in loans and spend an additional 4 years of your life in school. Computer programming, finance, accounting, engineering, and trades are some examples.

Wouldn't any of the mentioned degree require OP to go back to school for another Bachelor? The debt obviously is lower and financial aid is there for the taking if OP's income is low enough, however being exposed to a totally different field is scary.
 
Wouldn't any of the mentioned degree require OP to go back to school for another Bachelor? The debt obviously is lower and financial aid is there for the taking if OP's income is low enough, however being exposed to a totally different field is scary.

What's scarier is being exposed to a dying field with $200k+ in student loans.
 
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Wouldn't any of the mentioned degree require OP to go back to school for another Bachelor? The debt obviously is lower and financial aid is there for the taking if OP's income is low enough, however being exposed to a totally different field is scary.
OP is a pre-pharmer who has only just started exploring pharmacy, it's not like she is P-2 or P-3 who is having second thoughts. No investment lost, beyond maybe dreams crushed, but that's part of life.
 
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OP is a pre-pharmer who has only just started exploring pharmacy, it's not like she is P-2 or P-3 who is having second thoughts. No investment lost, beyond maybe dreams crushed, but that's part of life.

Many pre-pharms have trouble parting ways with just their prerequisites.

It’s going to be troubling when they’re forced to part ways with a $200k degree they will never use in their lifetimes.
 
What's scarier is being exposed to a dying field with $200k+ in student loans.
I could see having a large amount of loan being a burden but not sure if it's as bad as people are making it out to be. If you're unemployed then you could opt in for paye or some other 10% repayment option where if your income is zero, you won't have to pay any. Surely, if you can't find anything for years, you would be smart enough to do something else for your income.
 
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