Is there anyone out there that can actually say they love working for CVS (as a pharmacist).? I have had a lot of crappy jobs in my life but I have never experienced the type of toxic work environment that CVS promotes. Many of the techs are lazy and illiterate. CVS promotes a work environment where everything is based on speed. You're only as good as how fast you are, that's basically it. CVS continually breaks the law with the pharmacist to tech ratio. My store typically has 5-6 techs with only 1 pharmacist on staff. Pharmacists staring into a computer screen for 14 hours straight, with no break, verifying 400+/day. That can't be good on the eyes. Everyone at CVS just seems completely miserable and everyone seems to hate life: everyone from the store manager, techs, pharmacists, etc. Is this really what community pharmacy is suppossed to be like?
Anyone actually truly enjoy working for CVS?
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Just how my store was, plus my PIC was a bitch. She thought when u r a PIC, u r god. I told her when i become a pharmacist, she would c me again. So 4 more years to go
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sad to hear that. i thought CVS was different from Walgreens.
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I do. Granted, I am a PIC at a 700 volume store which I opened from the start. Pretty much know all my patients by face. Get to counsel every chance I get. I have a good staff from front to pharmacy (no one is really "miserable"). Granted, I get the douchebag customer or request at some point everyday but hey, this is retail. Welcome.
"Many techs are lazy and illiterate" wtf? WTF are you doing if you continue to have these techs then? Please don't generalize for the whole company.
"Many techs are lazy and illiterate" wtf? WTF are you doing if you continue to have these techs then? Please don't generalize for the whole company.
Lets look at reality for a CVS technician: the pay sucks, the hours suck, basically no room for advancement. I just wouldn't consider CVS technician a desirable position and judging by the quality of techs that come and go it is pretty obvious that they are not attracting career oriented individuals. At the store I am working at one tech was fired for physically fighting a customer. Another technician was arrested for stealing meds. You definitely cannot generalize but from what I have seen and experienced first hand these technicians are not individuals that have made very good decisions throughout their lifetime to be where they are at.
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All in all retail is crazy and u have to be on ur toes if u wanna do it. I prefer hospital but i can handle retail. If u know what u r doing and r confident in a pressure situation, retail is not bad at all. I would go back to CVS because i already know the ins and outs of the systems
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Yes retail is retail but CVS has taken over as worst in class. The merger with another entity which views pharmacists negatively changed the direction of the company 4 years ago. Unless you work in a low volume store there you are miserable. Once you have to start relying on low wage technicians to get tasks accomplished is where everything starts falling apart. Due to the merger with Caremark the pharmacists are required to perform many meaningless tasks to create the perception that Caremark wasn't just purchased for the prescription count. Local CVS last week filled 4300 scripts on 330 tech hrs. This is the regular expectation. If you go to work for them have a plan to get out after several years because you will be burnt out.
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No, this is not what community retail pharmacy is supposed to be like. Its the exact opposite.
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But of course, you have quite a bit more job security with CVS/WAG than with a grocery store. Where I live (in a pharm-saturated market), we see grocery store pharmacies going under day after day, and those guys are left SOL when it happens. As for bad techs, that could happen anywhere. Probably independents are the best way to go in retail, but they are hard to find and harder to sustain.
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I feel that bad technicians are a result of the PIC and not CVS. It is up to the PIC to lead the staff and keep morale up.
CVS pay is competitive and it is a employers market out there. CVS is one of the few companies that are still hiring FT and giving out benefits which is a plus for many people. CVS starting wage for a PSA is usually 9 to 10 dollars which is way above minimum wage. For a technician that has been with a company for 5-10 years, they can hit 13-16 dollars an hour provided they want to be lead technicians, inventory specialists, etc. I know that my techs are getting paid what they deserve because I do not hold them hostage. If they can get a better job somewhere, they are more than welcome to go for it. However my turnover is little.
Most RPH forget that retail technicians are not pharmacists or interns and should not be paid a high salary. Their job functions are data entry, counting pills, and customer service.
Would you rather have 1 well trained tech being paid 20 dollars an hour or 1 technician with good data entry and leadership skill getting paid 12/hour and 1 PSA getting paid 8 dollars an hour?
CVS pay is competitive and it is a employers market out there. CVS is one of the few companies that are still hiring FT and giving out benefits which is a plus for many people. CVS starting wage for a PSA is usually 9 to 10 dollars which is way above minimum wage. For a technician that has been with a company for 5-10 years, they can hit 13-16 dollars an hour provided they want to be lead technicians, inventory specialists, etc. I know that my techs are getting paid what they deserve because I do not hold them hostage. If they can get a better job somewhere, they are more than welcome to go for it. However my turnover is little.
Most RPH forget that retail technicians are not pharmacists or interns and should not be paid a high salary. Their job functions are data entry, counting pills, and customer service.
Would you rather have 1 well trained tech being paid 20 dollars an hour or 1 technician with good data entry and leadership skill getting paid 12/hour and 1 PSA getting paid 8 dollars an hour?
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I heard that your mom likes working for CVS.
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I don't know where you live, but in the mid-Atlantic, PSAs don't start at $9-10. My DM won't give me $10 (even as a CPhT, working 4 years, loved by customers, and can do every aspect of the tech job) because I won't be a lead tech. And that's because I am a full time student and literally don't have more than 20 hours a week to devote to the store. I've trained three interns who have come through our store, including one who refused to file bags because "he doesn't like the alphabet." I don't think I'm asking for much, but knowing that these knuckleheads make that much more than I do is incredibly frustrating
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I don't know where you live, but in the mid-Atlantic, PSAs don't start at $9-10. My DM won't give me $10 (even as a CPhT, working 4 years, loved by customers, and can do every aspect of the tech job) because I won't be a lead tech. And that's because I am a full time student and literally don't have more than 20 hours a week to devote to the store. I've trained three interns who have come through our store, including one who refused to file bags because "he doesn't like the alphabet." I don't think I'm asking for much, but knowing that these knuckleheads make that much more than I do is incredibly frustrating
I can't stand that attitude. I have heard some pretty ridiculous stuff about fellow interns and I often wonder if I should have more of an attitude when dealing with "the help". 😉
In a short answer yes, However, you have to be a real people person to consistently work at cvs without punching somebody in the face. I have worked in a stressful environment at CVS where the workflow was continually bad and not getting done. We all took the verbal abuse from customers like everybody else. Its the nature of retail and thats why I left. I am not a people person and may never be. Ive been working at a long-term care ever since and am glad I left when I did. Maybe if I had a better store things would have been different but I worked retail for 3 years and things didn't change one bit
That is so funny, hahhahah, you have such a great sense of humor, hahhahaha. Oh man, so funny, ahhahahha, you are the man, hahhahah...Ahhhh...Tell more jokes..tell more !!!
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I was trying to keep the reply on the same stunning intelligence level as your original post there son. Plus typing "search function" gets kind of boring after a while.
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I appreciated your post. You can't fix stupid...so might as well have fun with them.😉
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Your Mom likes the search function....
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Guys and Gals let's please stop all the negative comments about CVS- most ofit I find to be so unture- I am really sick of hearing all these anti-CVS threads. I have been very respectful to you guys- I have not disrespected any of you guys employers- I am being humble- I have not been rude to any of you- but guys please refrain from all this CVS bashing. You guys act as if CVS is hell on earth. I think you guys are being unfair and you are sending the wrong message out to potential technicians an Pharmacist. Guys please stop attacking CVS.
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LOL... but what if she's too drunk to like the search function?
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Oh my, you are so funny, and so witty, please tell another joke, hahahha. !!!
Oh man, another joke, you are full of them, hahahhaha. So witty, so funny. What a sense of humor !!!!! You know what they say, women love a man with a sense of humor !! You should send transcripts of your SDN posts potential women you are courting, they would surely find this hilarious, just as I do, hahhahahah.. You are brilliant !!! hahahhahahah.. Tell more, tell more !!!
Not going to happen. When the company starts treating their employees better... then perhaps. From an 11 year veteran of CVS I can honestly say that very very few people like working for CVS. I am happy I left when I did.
As an aside regarding the technicians treatment and pay... I made more as a hospital tech than at CVS with no prior hospital experience (read almost double). All the techs that I provided recommendations for last year that moved to Kaiser also make double what CVS was paying them. I only worked for CVS because I couldn't find anything better at the time...
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Shes always drunk its no problem!
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As soon as the company stops sucking i guess the comments will improve. CVS is hell on earth.....
I am just really suprised when I see employees who have put in 10+ years into the company and they are getting treated like complete garbage. CVS seems to encourage employee bashing of the older pharmacists. I think this is to provoke them to quit and move on so they can hire a newb pharmacist with only 2 weeks vacation instead of 5. CVS in my personal experience is literally a hell on earth.
Heard that Longs was an awesome company to work for, however, when CVS bought them out, the tides turned.
I've worked for CVS for a year now and at the end of this year, will QUIT working for this piss poor company. I've worked for Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Target, Wal-mart and some independents as an tech, intern and/or pharmacist. And CVS ranks dead last in terms of preference. In fact, I'm flabbergasted why so many people go to CVS. Don't they know, CVS is the MOST expensive drug retailer in the country! Rx's to OTC items, everything is so damn expensive! And screw the stupid CVS ExtraCare program!
It felt like everyday was some kind of race to finish as fast as possible. My managers and supervisors would constantly tell me to work with a "sense of urgency". I hate it, how they told us, that we must put in "W" instead of "W15" if patient is waiting for Rx's. Instead of 15 minutes, we usually must finish within 10 minutes or UNDER and this is with 15+ pages in QP!
In fact, I've decided to give up on community/retail pharmacy. There is nothing else left for me. I've worked at the top 5 pharmacies in America and have seen everything you can possible imagine working in this type of environment. I've left each job on peaceful terms trying to find the right fit for me due to personal circumstances or location reasons. However, this job with CVS is not the case. It just sucks!
Starting 2012, I am eager to start my new career, which I do NOT know as of this moment! But it is better than working for CV freaking S!
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Salibas?
I think this is pretty standard for hospital tech vs. retail tech. Most retail techs without experience will start low, at minimum wage or a bit higher. Hospital techs that I know of start 12-13/hr without experience. Not exactly double, but a considerable amount more.
Wow, I had to google that one. No, I work for omnicare. Never heard of salibas
Long-term care or hospital is the way to go if you're still thinking pharmacy. New career?? Going MD would be an option if you don't mind going back to school. I feel you on retail though. CVS also has those pesky pci calls, reports and other business metrics to keep up with moreso than the other retailers. I think I would shoot myself if I had to go back. Never again....
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I sent a transcript of my SDN posts to your mom and she liked it.
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Well good riddance- it amazes me how you blast the company but will greatly take a paycheck- I am so sick of these anti-CVS threads for every 1 of you that hate CVS I can tell you that there are 5 people who love it- again as I mentioned a million times when you have so many people hating on you- normally you are doing something right- CVS is been outgrowing WG's at a rapid pace and bottomline it's all about who you have employed- it's the Pharmacist and technicians that makes any Pharmacy run smooth- so all of you who are bashing CVS it just shows your work ethics.
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Rxnupe you are drinking the cool aid. There are pockets where it is still a good company to work for. Those pockets are gradually shrinking however. Much depends on what stage of life you are in. If you are happy just paying your bills then CVS is the place for you. If you actually care about quality of life then it's not the place for you. The marriage with Caremark has negatively impacted the company. PBM's certainly don't see the value of a pharmacist and the actions they have taken since the merger illustrate that. I've seen many solid DM's and pharmacists leave them in the last six months due to the fact they just couldn't treat people as poorly as upper mgmt wanted them to.
just ignore rxnupe. he probably has a picture of his CVS ExtraCare tattooed on his left asscheek.
lol When I read about how ppl are bashing CVS so bad, I usually think "nah they are probably just exaggerating like some tend to do on this forum"... then I realized I have a frd that works for CVS, so I asked him how it was... and to my surprise, the comments are all TRUE! lol for example, he said CVS pays you the most, but be prepared to get no break, not even lunch...
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The truth is that CVS is a crappy place to work. High expectations but little support. You may be an exception but the high turnover rate tells another story. Pharmacists and techs have an option of not working at CVS but that doesn't mean it's not a crappy place to work. The economy is horrible and the retails know this. They know they can abuse their employees and there is nothing they can do about it.
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look I think it's all B.S- if you CHOOSE to work 8 or 14 hour shifts with no lunch break- who is to blame???? All this crap about abusing employees is a LIE. Yes CVS maybe micro managed I give you that but the fact of the matter is these people who are bashing CVS are pharmacist who in their world would like to do 100 scripts a day while sitting on their asses or texting on their phones all while cashing in a big fat check. Most pharmacist who don't like CVS are afraid of work- note: I said MOST- not ALL- normally the ones who bitch are the lazy pharmacist- who will not answer the phone- who will not type- who are too good to run the register every blue moon- you guys need to really be respectful. I wonder why Warren Buffet would invest millions in a company you guys deem crappy????
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What does Warren Buffef have to do with the work environment at CVS? No one is questioning that CVS makes a good profit but it comes at the expense of its workers. Warren Buffet also invests in Bank of America. Does it also make Bank of America a great company to work for? Didn't it laid off thousands of its employees?
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CVS is a pill counting warehouse...calling what goes on there "healthcare" is a big stretch.
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Yes, Rxnupe is sadly confused, misguided and brain washed. He thinks CVS is a great company to work for because they make alot of money by any means necessary weather legal or illegal. CVS makes a hugh profit at the expense of thier workers. CVS is all that is wrong with retail pharmacy.
Rxnupe, eventually even a brain washed fool like you has to realize that maybe its not everyone else thats crazy but its you.
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Well Mountain when I hear about the nearly 25,000 Pharmacist CVS employees protesting are making a run to leave the company than I will believe you- oh I know CVS has a gun held to the head of all those 25,000 plus Pharmacist- we are all wrong and you are so right??????
Money talks, lots of money talks a lot. If you pay the most, people will tolerate the most B.S.
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Really??? If CVS was paying twice the salary as it's competitors you would have a point. Depending on your market everyone is paying roughly the same- do you think there's a market where Walgreens is paying let's say 100,000 a year and the CVS across the street is paying 125k???? The salaries are all similar so sorry you are wrong and fail on your theory of why CVS pharmacist are not leaving the company by the thousands.
You got a point nupe. Its more about location for salary for cvs vs walgreens. They pay pretty similary. However, the reason why cvs pharmacist aren't leaving is a general across the board answer. A job is a job especially if you get your own store at a preferred location. No matter how much bull**** you get you still won't leave. There is some job turnover due to frustration in retail. Most are from cvs and walgreens.
That would assume that CVS and Walgreens are also completely different. I have not worked for them, but I'm pretty sure there is little difference between them in both work and salary. Now talk to me about income working in a grocery chain versus working in a CVS. I'm sure many pharmacists would pick filling 200 rx/day over 500, so why do they pick the tougher job? I would say salary is a factor.
Back to your original statement, you honestly think 25,000 people would simply walk away from a job paying six figures and hit the unemployment line? You are just dead wrong. Now if there was another job they could switch to, with a comparable salary, yes. If some new chain opened up with 25,000 positions, and no timers on the ringing phone, timers on the drive through, etc, you would see pharmacists jumping on board.
Look, you seem to like your job, and that's great. I don't know what goes on in your particular store, but clearly it is far superior to what goes on in all of the above posters. Just because they don't like their job (which you are equally uninformed about their stores) doesn't mean you have to jump to the company's rescue. The thread's title asks, "Anyone actually truly enjoy working for CVS?" Your best response would have been "Yes, I do."
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Where would they go? CVS is the one company that has had the hardest time hiring and retaining Pharmacists. Which is why CVS is the leader in H1B visa holders. Now that the job market has tightned up a crap ass job at CVS is better than no job.....just barely.
When you say we who are you talking about? You and the autographed picture of Tom Ryan you carry around in your pocket? I do not see alot of we around here espousing the wonderful benefits of working at CVS.
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Around here CVS pays more than any other chain. They have to or they wouldnt be able to hire anyone. CVS attracts the bottom of the barrel pharmacists who care only about the money or cant get a job anywhere else. The rest of the positions are filled by H1B visa holders.
