Chicago to Dallas: Is retail pharmacy better?

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pinipig523

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Hello all,

My wife is a retail pharmacist at Walgreens and I just accepted 2 attending positions in Dallas, TX. Obviously she's coming with me and we were wondering if anyone here had actually transitioned from Chicago to Dallas and how it's been.

Is Dallas any better than Chicago? Or are they generally the same?

My brother is a pharmacist at Walgreens in a suburb of Dallas and he thinks it's ok - but he never worked in Chicago so I can't really base much off of what he says.

Thanks!
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pinipig523 said:
Hello all,

My wife is a retail pharmacist at Walgreens and I just accepted 2 attending positions in Dallas, TX. Obviously she's coming with me and we were wondering if anyone here had actually transitioned from Chicago to Dallas and how it's been.

Is Dallas any better than Chicago? Or are they generally the same?

My brother is a pharmacist at Walgreens in a suburb of Dallas and he thinks it's ok - but he never worked in Chicago so I can't really base much off of what he says.

Thanks!
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Better how?
 
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Dallas is hotter than Chicago.
 
OK let me clarify:

Is there better pharmacist to tech ratio? How is TX law compared to IL law when it comes to controlled substances, its refills, phony scripts? What about the number of public aid patients that come through?

We are looking to live in Tarrant County probably in Southlake, TX.
 
pinipig523 said:
OK let me clarify:

Is there better pharmacist to tech ratio? How is TX law compared to IL law when it comes to controlled substances, its refills, phony scripts? What about the number of public aid patients that come through?

We are looking to live in Tarrant County probably in Southlake, TX.
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What part of Chicago are you comparing to? There is a vast difference depending on where you are, as is the case with most big cities. I worked in one pharm where ~50% were public aid and another that it was only like 5%. If she works for a particular chain pharmacy, the pharm to tech ratios are probably similar.
 
Walgeens is Walgreens man. If it sucks in Chicago then it will suck here in Dallas. I know the job market is the same in Dallas as it is everywhere....very tight.
 
MountainPharmD said:
Walgeens is Walgreens man. If it sucks in Chicago then it will suck here in Dallas. I know the job market is the same in Dallas as it is everywhere....very tight.
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How tight is the job market there? I know my brother did not have a hard time getting a job 7 months ago whereas it was impossible for him to get a job with Walgreens here in Chicagoland.

KARM12 said:
What part of Chicago are you comparing to? There is a vast difference depending on where you are, as is the case with most big cities. I worked in one pharm where ~50% were public aid and another that it was only like 5%. If she works for a particular chain pharmacy, the pharm to tech ratios are probably similar.
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I suppose in general - if you practice in an affluent area in Dallas Metroplex versus a typical place here in the Chicago suburbs.

What I noticed was that Chicago has less affluent suburbs than DFW does. So I figured that there would be less public aid patients in DFW... right? But you're right, it depends on where you practice.

I'm just looking to make things easier for her - retail here in Chicagoland is tough. I was hoping that if we move to an affluent place in Dallas, she'd have an easier time.
 
The lack of responses is not reassuring. Maybe retail is retail.
 
pinipig523 said:
The lack of responses is not reassuring. Maybe retail is retail.
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Well, most of us don't live in Chicago OR Dallas and thus would have nothing to add. But retail is pretty much retail. No one is going to tell you that everything in Dallas is better or worse than everything in Chicago. There are likely crappy locations in both. Even affluent areas have patients on public aid. And affluent customers can be total asshats to work with too. I'd rather work with the poor.
 
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There's supposed to be a waiting list for days at WAGs in Dallas. Only overnights is available.
 
PharmDstudent said:
There's supposed to be a waiting list for days at WAGs in Dallas. Only overnights is available.
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I have to verify this. My brother had no problem 7 months ago... we shall see. I'll post here when I find out.

npage148 said:
It's too hot
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That's it?

I've been to Dallas a few times now and I found that the city itself may not be as nice as the city of Chicago - but the suburbs north and west of Dallas are so much nicer and far better for family life than those suburbs (even the affluent ones) around Chicago.

That's just my 2 cents.
 
All4MyDaughter said:
Even affluent areas have patients on public aid. And affluent customers can be total asshats to work with too. I'd rather work with the poor.
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I've worked at the wags by the summit and worked at the wags way in the west end where 90% of the pts are on passp. Both are asshats to me with strong senses of entitlement. I hate going to any store other than my home store to pick up shifts and so I've never worked a store in a middle class neighborhood, just the ultra rich and ultra poor. I'm thinking middle class might be a good gig.
 
Retail is retail, but, as always, there are variables. As a tech, I've worked in a store which did ~750 scripts per week in a suburban area where the customers were very nice, and there seldom were any major issues. I've also worked in a store which did ~4000 scripts per week where there constantly were issues and customers making scenes when they were told they would have to wait an hour to get their medication or that there was a problem with their prescription.

On another note, the pharmacist of the 750 script per week has been robbed at gunpoint twice so far- once at a store in an urban area, once at his current suburban area store. In that matter, even if the area is nicer, it still can happen.
 
npage148 said:
No, I'm also basing my opinion on "Most Eligible, Dallas" on Bravo and the fact Rick Perry is the Governor of Texas
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Then your opinion doesn't count. That's like saying all Italian Americans are just how Jersey Shore depicts them.
 
pinipig523 said:
What I noticed was that Chicago has less affluent suburbs than DFW does. So I figured that there would be less public aid patients in DFW... right? But you're right, it depends on where you practice.
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You gotta be kidding me...
Grew up in Chicagoland and work in DFW....This statement couldn't be more wrong.
If you're looking for less public aid, you won't find it in tarrant cty. We are 40% hispanic.
Southlake is probably the ONE suburb of FTW I would consider 'affluent'
 
Dkpharm said:
You gotta be kidding me...
Grew up in Chicagoland and work in DFW....This statement couldn't be more wrong.
If you're looking for less public aid, you won't find it in tarrant cty. We are 40% hispanic.
Southlake is probably the ONE suburb of FTW I would consider 'affluent'
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Southlake, Colleyville, Flower Mound, and Keller. All average median income for a household ranging from 110K to 190K.

I don't see that in many but a handful of Chicagoland suburbs.

Obviously if you start taking into account Ft Worth, Richland Hills, etc - then yes, they are not affluent.

Everything north Dallas is affluent by my standards - almost all earn a median above $100K from Frisco, Plano, to Allen.

Which Chicago suburb do you find affluent other than the North Shore, Naperville, Oak Brook, Burr Ridge, and Hindsdale? I don't think there's many more than that. Compare that to the majority of northern suburbs of Dallas and the eastern suburbs of Tarrant County.
 
pinipig523 said:
Southlake, Colleyville, Flower Mound, and Keller. All average median income for a household ranging from 110K to 190K.

I don't see that in many but a handful of Chicagoland suburbs.

Obviously if you start taking into account Ft Worth, Richland Hills, etc - then yes, they are not affluent.

Everything north Dallas is affluent by my standards - almost all earn a median above $100K from Frisco, Plano, to Allen.

Which Chicago suburb do you find affluent other than the North Shore, Naperville, Oak Brook, Burr Ridge, and Hindsdale? I don't think there's many more than that. Compare that to the majority of northern suburbs of Dallas and the eastern suburbs of Tarrant County.
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Winnetka, Lake Forest, Barrington (Lake, South, and Hills), Glenview, Wilmette, Glencoe, River Forest, Bannockburn, Mettawa, Long Grove, Lincolnshire, Geneva, St. Charles...it goes on and on.
Even the middle-class/blue-collar suburbs of chicagoland would be considered high tier in DFW.
But brass tacks, you're looking for your wife to have an "easier time" in Pharmacy? Stay right where you are pal. Income aside, when you compare the education level and general human development of the general public it isn't even close. Chicago wins by a landside, it has quality and quantity.

Also, lol, Plano, affluent. Maybe one neighborhood. I strongly suggest you actually travel here first. Not sure where you are getting these conceptions.
 
Dkpharm said:
Winnetka, Lake Forest, Barrington (Lake, South, and Hills), Glenview, Wilmette, Glencoe, River Forest, Bannockburn, Mettawa, Long Grove, Lincolnshire, Geneva, St. Charles...it goes on and on.
Even the middle-class/blue-collar suburbs of chicagoland would be considered high tier in DFW.
But brass tacks, you're looking for your wife to have an "easier time" in Pharmacy? Stay right where you are pal. Income aside, when you compare the education level and general human development of the general public it isn't even close. Chicago wins by a landside, it has quality and quantity.

Also, lol, Plano, affluent. Maybe one neighborhood. I strongly suggest you actually travel here first. Not sure where you are getting these conceptions.
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I highly doubt that Chicago wins by a landslide with regards to public knowledge, though I am interested in seeing how DFW fares.

And I've been there many times, DFW is much more affluent than the those of Chicago:

Illinois (median household income):
South Barrington = $199K
Long Grove = $155K
Lake Forest = $145K
Lincolnshire = $120K
River Forest = $107K
Barrington = $103K
Glenview = $102K
Geneva = $95K
St Charles = $75K


Affluent neighborhoods in the Chicagoland region are concentrated in the north shore... your winnetka, lake forrest, lincolnshire - etc. I'll give you that (or us since I am a native Chicagoan). Without the north shore suburbs, there is really nothing in the western suburbs of Chicago that can compete with the suburbs in Dallas. I want you to keep the list going - go ahead and name suburbs that are not concentrated in the North Shore with a population more than 10K.

Batavia? More of the same as Geneva or St Charles. Naperville is probably a good one. After you've exhausted the Barringtons, what else is there?

Dallas as affluent suburbs all across the metroplex - not just one little area that is similar to "north shore" of Chicago. The majority of north Dallas and west Dallas to the eastern reaches of Tarrant County are all wealthy.

Here are their numbers:
Westlake = $250K+
Westover Hills = $250K+
Highland Park = $228K
Southlake = $182K
Colleyville = $152K
University Park = $143K
Argyle = $133K
Lantana = $127K
Double Oak = $126K
Lucas = $126K
Heath = $124K
Parker = $124K
Highland Village = $123K
Sunnyvale = $116K
Trophy Club = $116K
Murphy = $113K
Keller = $113K
Prosper = $112K
Flower Mound = $112K
Hudson Oaks = $110K
Taity = $108K
Coppell = $107K

So yeah, I've been to DFW a lot and I've done my due diligence in research.
 
PharmDstudent said:
and rip patients off with bull**** brand doxycycline and benzoyl peroxide scripts. :thumbdown:thumbdown
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I think dermatologists do more than that.

You can distill every profession to their least meaningful forms.

Pharmacists are overpaid pill counters and ER docs (me) are overpaid triage nurses.

So, please, be professional and use some sense before blasting a profession.

There's dermpath, derm interventionists aside from pure cosmetic dermatologists. They do not just do acne. I'd expect that type of reasoning and shallow responses from a lay person - NOT a pharmacist.

:thumbdown:
 
But yeah.... I think this thread has run its course.

I now know that retail is retail, regardless of where it is. The location of the pharmacy itself has a larger role in day-day satisfaction.

And as a bonus, this thread has garnered me several leads and contacts for jobs in the DFW region. Again, a sign that SDN is a great place for us professionals.

So thanks guys to everyone who contributed to the thread - and special thanks to those who contacted me via PM for leads, contacts, job tips.

Not only did SDN help land me my attending job as an ER doc - but SDN is helping my wife with hers as well. This is a great forum and community.

Thanks! :thumbup:
 
pinipig523 said:
I want you to keep the list going - go ahead and name suburbs that are not concentrated in the North Shore with a population more than 10K.
Click to expand...

Your knowledge of the Chicago metro area is lacking. There are affluent suburbs in places other than the Northside...which your list is only a very small portion of those, so it is hard to say it doesn't count. Your cut off for affluent is random and the requirement that in order to be a real suburb you must be more than 10K people...

These are nice places locted in areas other than the NorthSide I would consider very nice places to live...maybe they don't fit your defintion (most do), but to say there is nothing is kind of silly.

South:
Frankfort, Olympia Fields, Orland Park, Homer Glen, Palos Park

West:
Wheaton, Clarendon Hills, Western Springs, Elmhurst, LaGrange, Downers Grove, etc etc...not to mention the average family income for the entire DuPage County is ~120K (population ~1 million ppl)

Hard to compare because cost of living is different too...you can get a much nicer house in the Dallas area than in the Chicago suburbs. But the chances of your wife landing a job in a nice suburb are small as a new person and will likely be floating to all sorts of place.
 
Good lord......... serious?

Tarrant county isn't all affluent..... dfw has its share of pockets..
 
pinipig523 said:
I think dermatologists do more than that.

You can distill every profession to their least meaningful forms.

Pharmacists are overpaid pill counters and ER docs (me) are overpaid triage nurses.

So, please, be professional and use some sense before blasting a profession.

There's dermpath, derm interventionists aside from pure cosmetic dermatologists. They do not just do acne. I'd expect that type of reasoning and shallow responses from a lay person - NOT a pharmacist.

:thumbdown:
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Yeah... whatever... :rolleyes:
 
pinipig523 said:
Not only did SDN help land me my attending job as an ER doc - but SDN is helping my wife with hers as well. This is a great forum and community.
Click to expand...
I don't know if your wife is set on retail or what your particular circumstances are, but I've known a few pharmacists who were able to get a job in a hospital as part of their significant other's "sign on bonus." For example a doc was considering moving to another city, and she said the only way she would sign on with the hospital is if her husband would be hired as well. The hospital made a position for him, so they both moved.
 
Ackj said:
I don't know if your wife is set on retail or what your particular circumstances are, but I've known a few pharmacists who were able to get a job in a hospital as part of their significant other's "sign on bonus." For example a doc was considering moving to another city, and she said the only way she would sign on with the hospital is if her husband would be hired as well. The hospital made a position for him, so they both moved.
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That's something I'm also considering. Good point.

Its Z said:
Good lord......... serious?

Tarrant county isn't all affluent..... dfw has its share of pockets..
Click to expand...

Agreed, I never said all of Tarrant county is affluent.

KARM12 said:
Your knowledge of the Chicago metro area is lacking. There are affluent suburbs in places other than the Northside...which your list is only a very small portion of those, so it is hard to say it doesn't count. Your cut off for affluent is random and the requirement that in order to be a real suburb you must be more than 10K people...

These are nice places locted in areas other than the NorthSide I would consider very nice places to live...maybe they don't fit your defintion (most do), but to say there is nothing is kind of silly.

South:
Frankfort, Olympia Fields, Orland Park, Homer Glen, Palos Park

West:
Wheaton, Clarendon Hills, Western Springs, Elmhurst, LaGrange, Downers Grove, etc etc...not to mention the average family income for the entire DuPage County is ~120K (population ~1 million ppl)

Hard to compare because cost of living is different too...you can get a much nicer house in the Dallas area than in the Chicago suburbs. But the chances of your wife landing a job in a nice suburb are small as a new person and will likely be floating to all sorts of place.
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You make a good point regarding buying power. Part of the reason why I feel that DFW is more affluent is that the cost of living is less and if you make the same at both places - the sheer buying power will reflect with a "nicer" area physically.

But to clarify the suburbs you posted:
Wheaton = $82K/yr median
Clarendon Hills = $102K
Downers Grove = $72K
Western Springs = $121K
Elmhurst = $81K

Frankfort = 113K
Orland Park = $77K
Homer Glen = (could not find data)
Palos Park = $93K
Olympia Fields = $88K

From your list, only a handful make over $100K. The majority are merely average.

And the median income of Dupage County is ONLY $73K. Not $120K. Not when half the suburbs include places like West Chicago, Glendale Heights, parts of Hanover Park, and Carol Stream. Have you seen what happened to Stratford Square Mall in the middle of DuPage county? It's a ghost town. Some mall for a $120K average area.
 
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PharmDstudent said:
and rip patients off with bull**** brand doxycycline and benzoyl peroxide scripts. :thumbdown:thumbdown
Click to expand...

PharmDstudent said:
Yeah... whatever... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Apparently, perhaps I was in the wrong here and I did not get your sarcastic "inside" joke. My wife has informed me of this running issue with dermatologists who prescribe brand name drugs because they get coupon from the drug reps and you guys have to bill insurance twice.

Next time I'm in the hospital - I'm going to call the dermatologist on call and tell him/her to stop this nonsense. They owe me for not bringing their butts down to the ER for every single dermatitis NOS consult.

:horns:
 
pinipig523 said:
Apparently, perhaps I was in the wrong here and I did not get your sarcastic "inside" joke. My wife has informed me of this running issue with dermatologists who prescribe brand name drugs because they get coupon from the drug reps and you guys have to bill insurance twice.

Next time I'm in the hospital - I'm going to call the dermatologist on call and tell him/her to stop this nonsense. They owe me for not bringing their butts down to the ER for every single dermatitis NOS consult.

:horns:
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Let's take Triaz clothes, for example. They're freakin' disposable benzoyl peroxide wipes that cost like $400.

Yooooo boy... you know you gotta be in da club when you scrib'... they bring you food for writin' "brand name" drugs with a 1000% mark up... :p


Yay! We've converted you. :love:
 
pinipig523 said:
From your list, only a handful make over $100K. The majority are merely average.

And the median income of Dupage County is ONLY $73K. Not $120K. Not when half the suburbs include places like West Chicago, Glendale Heights, parts of Hanover Park, and Carol Stream. Have you seen what happened to Stratford Square Mall in the middle of DuPage county? It's a ghost town. Some mall for a $120K average area.
Click to expand...

Depends on what number you are looking at...but the mean FAMILY income is around or over 100K for all these places. DuPage county mean FAMILY income is 121K, even including those other suburbs. The mean FAMILY income for Tarrant County is only 55K...damn you can even compare that to the mean FAMILY income for Cook County which is 53K- that includes the entire city of Chicago and ghetto suburbs. Not really a difference there....for your affluent area of TX.
 
KARM12 said:
Depends on what number you are looking at...but the mean FAMILY income is around or over 100K for all these places. DuPage county mean FAMILY income is 121K, even including those other suburbs. The mean FAMILY income for Tarrant County is only 55K...damn you can even compare that to the mean FAMILY income for Cook County which is 53K- that includes the entire city of Chicago and ghetto suburbs. Not really a difference there....for your affluent area of TX.
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Once again, not all of Tarrant County is wealthy. I could not find recent data, but in the 2000 census, the mean family income of Collin County beats that of DuPage. Who knows where that is now, especially since you are quoting a 2005-2007 stat of DuPage.

I think it's safe to say that DuPage took a MUCH larger hit than Collin County of DFW with the Great Recession.

DuPage is nowhere near Collin County if there were newer data points to look at.
 
PharmDstudent said:
Let's take Triaz clothes, for example. They're freakin' disposable benzoyl peroxide wipes that cost like $400.

Yooooo boy... you know you gotta be in da club when you scrib'... they bring you food for writin' "brand name" drugs with a 1000% mark up... :p


Yay! We've converted you. :love:
Click to expand...

That's plain crazy. I had no idea these guys were doing that. :eek:
 
Why is median houshold income being discussed here? TEXAS and dfw are great especially with no state income tax and one of the cheapest real estate in the country. Property tax will get you though. As a long time dfw resident who recently moved back to northern Cal, I don't have many bad thing to say about dfw other than the unbearable 2011 summer. But I'm glad to have moved. That being said retail is retail....so they say.
 
And having lived there the only 2 places I would live are Heath And Lucas. Everywhere else is just a suburban sprawl congestion with snooty stayhome soccer moms in 6000lb suv.

It's a shame that with all the available land people live cramped in suburbs with houses on top of each other. Get you a house with at least an acre.
 
pinipig523 said:
Then your opinion doesn't count. That's like saying all Italian Americans are just how Jersey Shore depicts them.
Click to expand...

Exactly! I hate when people stereotype. People completely forget about the other type of Italian Americans like Tony Soprano and John Gotti ever since Jersey Shore came out.
 
pinipig523 said:
I think dermatologists do more than that.

You can distill every profession to their least meaningful forms.

Pharmacists are overpaid pill counters and ER docs (me) are overpaid triage nurses.

So, please, be professional and use some sense before blasting a profession.

There's dermpath, derm interventionists aside from pure cosmetic dermatologists. They do not just do acne. I'd expect that type of reasoning and shallow responses from a lay person - NOT a pharmacist.

:thumbdown:
Click to expand...

Haven't you ever heard of PIMPLE POPPER, MD ???
 
StevePerry said:
Exactly! I hate when people stereotype. People completely forget about the other type of Italian Americans like Tony Soprano and John Gotti ever since Jersey Shore came out.
Click to expand...
p4950-1194356755.jpg

One of my favorite Italian stereotypes: plumbers fighting turtles who eat mushrooms and rescue princesses.
 
Its Z said:
And having lived there the only 2 places I would live are Heath And Lucas. Everywhere else is just a suburban sprawl congestion with snooty stayhome soccer moms in 6000lb suv.

It's a shame that with all the available land people live cramped in suburbs with houses on top of each other. Get you a house with at least an acre.
Click to expand...

Yeah.. in Frisco it's like 1/3 acre or less and they are nearly on top of each other. Southlake's usually around 1/2 an acre but I noted that if I go to Flower Mound or Keller - I can hit 1 acre.

Ackj said:
p4950-1194356755.jpg

One of my favorite Italian stereotypes: plumbers fighting turtles who eat mushrooms and rescue princesses.
Click to expand...

Brings back childhood memories. :thumbup:
 
Having lived in both New Jersey and Texas, I can safely say that guidos are much more rampant than the "cowboys" that I see here in Houston.
 
PharmDstudent said:
Let's take Triaz clothes, for example. They're freakin' disposable benzoyl peroxide wipes that cost like $400.

Yooooo boy... you know you gotta be in da club when you scrib'... they bring you food for writin' "brand name" drugs with a 1000% mark up... :p


Yay! We've converted you. :love:
Click to expand...

Or Solodyn which is $950.00 for extended relese minocycline.
 
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