CVS understaffed, very busy. Does it get better?

[Buk Lau]

Hi, I'm a tech at a busy CVS. Long story short, when I started worked here a year ago, I was surrounded by veterans. It's a busy store, but the techs, pharmacists, all of them were experienced and fast. Over the past few months, they left one by one until now it's just me and literally 3 other experienced techs....the rest are new and don't know how to do anything at all. Today was effectively the busiest day we've had since I started working here: lines at pickup, drop off, 2 pages in QT, 5-6 waiters...just absolute chaos with only two techs and two pharmacists total. We're severely understaffed and underskilled as a team. My question is...does it get better? Or will this CVS just succumb to being one of those bad CVS's that always has reds and floaters coming through?

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[Mounjaro]

Since working at CVS, I can honestly say it does get better. If by new technicians you mean trainees, ensure that they're given proper training and you'll have no problem with getting them up to your expertise when the time comes. I once started out as a trainee, but having been given experience working at an extremely busy store, I had caught up extremely quickly and the pharmacists were alarmed with the pace at which I learned the "tricks" and "trades" of the pharmacy. I had sometimes spent lunch breaks at CVS using my time to learn drop-off a bit more and processing insurance.

With that being said, it depends mostly upon whether or not they're (the trainees and technicians) motivated enough to want to learn the system itself which is actually pretty simple. With that being said, you're only as successful as your team, so make sure that whenever the trainees or technicians express a willingness to learn, explain it to them and let them do it themselves. If they mess up, provide additional assistance. The pharmacy will eventually improve as their skills improve. You know you have the experience, so why not spread the knowledge a bit? That's what makes a great leader.

 

[MissOconnor]

Been with CVS for 5 years now and I can say no it doesn't get better as far as feeling understaffed but your coworkers will get better and that will take some of the work load off of you.

 

[BMBiology]

CVS is known to treat their employees like crap. Good employees will have options and they will leave. You will end up working with inexperienced techs and pharmacists. It is going to be a cycle. If you are smart, you should look for other jobs. Don't be left behind.

 

[Buk Lau]

Well, I guess my next question is...is there even a better place to work? I'd imagine Walgreens and Rite Aid are similar environments as far as stretching their employees thin and low pay. Does a supermarket pharmacy like Giant have a lower stress environment? I dont care that we're busy at CVS, I just hate it when we're so understaffed and the patients just take it all out on us. It's too much stress

 

[MyRealNameIs]

Costco sounds like the best place to work based on what I heard.

Also, I heard Walmart is surprisingly better place to work. No drive thru at Walmart. Their system is much better than CVS. Target was also another good place but got bought by CVS.

Independents are usually good.

Haven't heard much about supermarket pharmacy but based on few glances when I go to those supermarkets, they seemed pretty chill.

I work at Walgreens, and at least my store and the ones in my area isn't bad. We do around 200 scripts per day on weekdays. We have 2 pharmacists and 3 techs. 8am-9pm. The 3 techs usually get 6-7 hour shifts.Usually people that work at high volume store complain about lack of help tho.