getting fired from wags soon due to too many customer complaints, is this common?

[Amphetamine Salts]

i've been with them for about a year now. 3 months after starting i was called in and had a talk about my performance with the DM and my RXM. i was told i was getting a lot of complaints on my floater evaluation forms. the stores i've been working at have been writing negative reviews about me. i've tried to fix the problem and improve my performance, this was in november. then in april which was 2 months ago i got called back in by the RXM. this time i had a complaint from a doctor. a doctor called asking about a dosing question, at the time i didn't help over the phone to answer it, so i guess the doctor reported it? anyway, my RXM found out and then wrote me up. fast forward to june which is now and i've been written up 2 more times. a customer called corporate and complained about me, she said i dispensed generic when she wanted brand. i personally don't remember the interaction, i do tons of things and interact with tons of people every work day. my second write up was due to opening the pharmacy late. i had a flat tire in the morning as a surprise and had to get it fixed. took care of it and came in. even stayed later to make up for the time i lost and help the store. rxm had no idea why i opened late, she just wrote me up and said if i open late again i will be fired. e-mailed the DM my reasoning for opening late and about my recent customer complaints, she didn't even acknowledge my late opening. she said that i've been given several opportunities to demonstrate customer care and that "every" review i've gotten from customers has been negative. she said if another complaint comes through, the RXM and her will review it and it could lead up to termination

so yeah. my store manager keeps telling me he has a file on me that is about 1-2 inches thick full of floater evaluation complaints and complaints in general. both him and my RXM literally don't like me and have no hope for me. they don't care about my improvement or me as an employee, they would rather see me fired and rid of already. do i have any ability to report such treatment to higher management or would they just brush it off? i was told if i get another complaint or opened late again then i will be terminated. i already started looking for new jobs, i think i have another 1 or 2 more months before the eventual complaint comes in or something happens and i end up getting fired

is this situation common? i have no idea how it came down to this to be honest. have been trying to improve and step up. i find myself in this situation now though, almost fired due to customer service issues

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[projektreverb]

My understanding is for them to fill out the evaluation form about you means you either did amazing or really poorly... Dor what it’s worth I’d suggest you start looking for another job

 

[Amphetamine Salts]

My understanding is for them to fill out the evaluation form about you means you either did amazing or really poorly... Dor what it’s worth I’d suggest you start looking for another job

yeah have been looking. i have a potential opportunity, medical marijuana dispensing pharmacist. one of the regional managers got back to me and had a little phone interview on the spot. she said she would write me, i gave her my e-mail address. still waiting on that

thing about this wags situation is i just don't want to have these mistakes repeated. i don't know if my situation is just extremely cut throat or if i really really suck. whatever next job i get though i will try to give it 110% and just pray the people there don't hate my guts lol. if i'm in an enriching environment, my capacity to improve literally shoots through the roof

EDIT: another thing about the evaluations. i'm 100% sure that my RXM requests the store to write the eval. she does this from time to time. she reaches out and probably sends a detailed message asking about near everything. i've gotten positive evaluations, but my RXM overlooks those, she doesn't mention them. they only read the negative evaluations to me

 

[projektreverb]

A couple of notes after re-reading your post: I would have called your scheduler or DM when you were running late due to the flat tire. Life happens and you’d figure they should be understanding, possibly call someone in to help.

You probably can’t report anything to upper management, especially if there are documented complaints against you.

 

[Amphetamine Salts]

A couple of notes after re-reading your post: I would have called your scheduler or DM when you were running late due to the flat tire. Life happens and you’d figure they should be understanding, possibly call someone in to help.

You probably can’t report anything to upper management, especially if there are documented complaints against you.

i called the store an hour before the pharmacy opened

and yeah they have it all documented. they made sure to start early and collect every complaint that came in. now it looks like a lot because they've been holding onto each one for a year

 

[projektreverb]

Any stars events against you? The way it was explained to me was that you call the scheduler or your DM in situations like that, but I dunno.

Problem is, if there is a paper trail, it’s very hard to fight back if you don’t have your own paper trail.

 

[Amphetamine Salts]

Any stars events against you? The way it was explained to me was that you call the scheduler or your DM in situations like that, but I dunno.

Problem is, if there is a paper trail, it’s very hard to fight back if you don’t have your own paper trail.

i never had a problem with stars. my problem is customer complaints, that's what i'm gonna be fired over

i don't even know if my write up for opening late will be canceled since i had an uncontrollable situation. not like it matters though, will be out of wags soon anyway. finding another job should be where my efforts are best spent to be honest

 

[Lnsean]

i've been with them for about a year now. 3 months after starting i was called in and had a talk about my performance with the DM and my RXM. i was told i was getting a lot of complaints on my floater evaluation forms. the stores i've been working at have been writing negative reviews about me. i've tried to fix the problem and improve my performance, this was in november. then in april which was 2 months ago i got called back in by the RXM. this time i had a complaint from a doctor. a doctor called asking about a dosing question, at the time i didn't help over the phone to answer it, so i guess the doctor reported it? anyway, my RXM found out and then wrote me up. fast forward to june which is now and i've been written up 2 more times. a customer called corporate and complained about me, she said i dispensed generic when she wanted brand. i personally don't remember the interaction, i do tons of things and interact with tons of people every work day. my second write up was due to opening the pharmacy late. i had a flat tire in the morning as a surprise and had to get it fixed. took care of it and came in. even stayed later to make up for the time i lost and help the store. rxm had no idea why i opened late, she just wrote me up and said if i open late again i will be fired. e-mailed the DM my reasoning for opening late and about my recent customer complaints, she didn't even acknowledge my late opening. she said that i've been given several opportunities to demonstrate customer care and that "every" review i've gotten from customers has been negative. she said if another complaint comes through the RXM and her will review it and it could lead up to termination

so yeah. my store manager keeps telling me he has a file on me that is about 1-2 inches thick full of floater evaluation complaints and complaints in general. both him and my RXM literally don't like me and have no hope for me. they don't care about my improvement or me as an employee, they would rather see me fired and rid of already. do i have any ability to report such treatment to higher management or would they just brush it off? i was told if i get another complaint or opened late again then i will be terminated. i already started looking for new jobs, i think i have another 1 or 2 more months before the eventual complaint comes in or something happens and i end up getting fired

is this situation common? i have no idea how it came down to this to be honest. have been trying to improve and step up. i find myself in this situation now though, almost fired due to customer service issues

Not common at all. I don't think anyone is out to get you to be honest. It might be different if you're staffed there and they want you out. But, people really don't have time for that, especially over a floater. I think you may have a tendency to leave the store a mess or workflow isn't going smoothly whenever you're there and it's probably a consistent thing. I've only bothered to fill out floater evals a few times and it's all over workflow. In either case, it's probably not important to dwell on that, I'd just start applying to new jobs.

 

[Amphetamine Salts]

Not common at all. I don't think anyone is out to get you to be honest. It might be different if you're staffed there and they want you out. But, people really don't have time for that, especially over a floater. I think you may have a tendency to leave the store a mess or workflow isn't going smoothly whenever you're there and it's probably a consistent thing. I've only bothered to fill out floater evals a few times and it's all over workflow. In either case, it's probably not important to dwell on that, I'd just start applying to new jobs.

i feel that this is district related too and home store related. i know for a fact that my RXM has been contacting stores i've floated at and asking them to fill out floater evaluations about me. one of the techs told me about this, she said the RXM literally asked about everything and went into specifics in the e-mail, she's a very neurotic person

in terms of workflow, i'm very good at tidying up the place before leaving and making sure everything goes smoothly. really the reason i'm on the verge of getting fired is simple: customer service issues

i have a potential job at a medical marijuana dispensary. would i be blackballed by future employers if i take this job? i hear that a lot, but not sure how realistic or true that is

 

[lord999]

Not common at all. I don't think anyone is out to get you to be honest. It might be different if you're staffed there and they want you out. But, people really don't have time for that, especially over a floater. I think you may have a tendency to leave the store a mess or workflow isn't going smoothly whenever you're there and it's probably a consistent thing. I've only bothered to fill out floater evals a few times and it's all over workflow. In either case, it's probably not important to dwell on that, I'd just start applying to new jobs.

It depends on the district for Walgreens. In AZ, there was a district that was a writeup happy place due to their RxS/DM at the time. Word got around that no one should work that particular district while that policy was in play, and so they only got the worst floaters, which turned sent it into a death spiral.

OP, you're correct in that you're probably better off finding a job rather than improving here. That said, you might want to consider the state which you left the pharmacy when you float.

 

[lord999]

i feel that this is district related too and home store related. i know for a fact that my RXM has been contacting stores i've floated at and asking them to fill out floater evaluations about me. one of the techs told me about this, she said the RXM literally asked about everything and went into specifics in the e-mail, she's a very neurotic person

in terms of workflow, i'm very good at tidying up the place before leaving and making sure everything goes smoothly. really the reason i'm on the verge of getting fired is simple: customer service issues

i have a potential job at a medical marijuana dispensary. would i be blackballed by future employers if i take this job? i hear that a lot, but not sure how realistic or true that is

You would be for the civil service, not that you'd probably apply anyway.

 

[Twentytwelve2]

You gave one example of a customer complaint but mentioned that you had several against you. In one of your statements, you said that you make sure everything goes smoothly at work, but mistakes are happening like dispensing generic when patient wanted brand (which there should be a note in the patient profile indicating so and overlooked by you). I think retail is not your strong suit. You have to be good at communication and how you put yourself out there to customers. Being concise and to the point is key in retail. Any word or sentence that confuses the customer will irritate them and worsen whatever problem you are trying to resolve. Your RXM wants to get rid of you because of your poor customer service skills. That explains why she is getting the evidence to terminate you without any possible retalation from you.

Lastly, I just want to say that mistakes happen in retail. How you show your sincerity in your apology to the customer is what will determine whether they file a customer complaint against you. Now, this may be a complete nasty customer that will do that anyway but an RPH who handles it better will reduce the likelihood of a report.

 

[Amphetamine Salts]

You would be for the civil service, not that you'd probably apply anyway.

what do you mean civil service? would i be blackballed?

and as for closing the pharmacy: i always make sure to keep it nice and tidy. i feel kind of betrayed and back stabbed by wags a little bit. because everyday i went in, i would work very hard to get things done. work to be efficient, complete the calls everyday, help people out, etc. would make sure the place was cleaned after i left. literally felt like i was doing a good job during my shifts. well, now i can take the strong work ethic, 3x it, and apply it to a different job. hopefully it will be recognized then

 

[Amphetamine Salts]

You gave one example of a customer complaint but mentioned that you had several against you. In one of your statements, you said that you make sure everything goes smoothly at work, but mistakes are happening like dispensing generic when patient wanted brand (which there should be a note in the patient profile indicating so and overlooked by you). I think retail is not your strong suit. You have to be good at communication and how you put yourself out there to customers. Being concise and to the point is key in retail. Any word or sentence that confuses the customer will irritate them and worsen whatever problem you are trying to resolve. Your RXM wants to get rid of you because of your poor customer service skills. That explains why she is getting the evidence to terminate you without any possible retalation from you.

yeah she wants to get rid of me and she has built up the evidence at this point. perhaps chain retail isn't for me, this situation seems extremely cut throat. mistakes will happen, there are other areas that i haven't had problems in: avoiding stars errors, keeping up with workflow, being a team worker and helping where needed. so yes i have some good areas yet customer service needs work. they've determined that this was enough to try and get me fired over

 

[Twentytwelve2]

yeah she wants to get rid of me and she has built up the evidence at this point. perhaps chain retail isn't for me, this situation seems extremely cut throat. mistakes will happen, there are other areas that i haven't had problems in: avoiding stars errors, keeping up with workflow, being a team worker and helping where needed. so yes i have some good areas yet customer service needs work. they've determined that this was enough to try and get me fired over

I am a RXM myself and it is definitely enough to get rid of someone (at the discretion of the RXM) for customer service problems- a verbal, 2 writtens, termination. Retail relies on customer retention in order to grow the business. An RPH that deters customers to transfer out to a different pharmacy is a problem.

I still think you deserved a chance to reflect on the issues and received constructive feedback from your RXM. She should have given you an action plan on how to improve on your problems. I dont think she did that for you.

 

[Amphetamine Salts]

I am a RXM myself and it is definitely enough to get rid of someone (at the discretion of the RXM) for customer service problems- a verbal, 2 writtens, termination. Retail relies on customer retention in order to grow the business. An RPH that deters customers to transfer out to a different pharmacy is a problem.

I still think you deserved a chance to reflect on the issues and received constructive feedback from your RXM. She should have given you an action plan on how to improve on your problems. I dont think she did that for you.

it's kind of complicated because there was a period of time where the DM wanted me to call weekly with the RXM and discuss issues and how to improve. we did that and i implemented the tips i got around december-janurary. then the doctor complaint came in on april, and then the customer complaint to corporate a few days ago is what set off this final write up. my impression is that my rxm grew tired of still seeing complaints about me a year since i started and is deciding to just move towards getting rid of me

 

[ancienbon]

It is a complicated situation you are in. Try to find a another job...

 

[lord999]

what do you mean civil service? would i be blackballed?

and as for closing the pharmacy: i always make sure to keep it nice and tidy. i feel kind of betrayed and back stabbed by wags a little bit. because everyday i went in, i would work very hard to get things done. work to be efficient, complete the calls everyday, help people out, etc. would make sure the place was cleaned after i left. literally felt like i was doing a good job during my shifts. well, now i can take the strong work ethic, 3x it, and apply it to a different job. hopefully it will be recognized then

Yeah, you would be blackballed as it would be working with a Schedule I substance. Recall that while states have legalized it, the feds have not. You will not pass a background investigation, but again, it's not like you're apply there.

The work ethic isn't the problem, I think, it's more that whatever you are doing, you are giving off socially negative impressions to others.

 

[Amphetamine Salts]

Yeah, you would be blackballed as it would be working with a Schedule I substance. Recall that while states have legalized it, the feds have not. You will not pass a background investigation, but again, it's not like you're apply there.

The work ethic isn't the problem, I think, it's more that whatever you are doing, you are giving off socially negative impressions to others.

black balled from what? all employers? and background investigation you mean a criminal background check?

i'm told that my problem is customer service complaints

 

[lord999]

black balled from what? all employers? and background investigation you mean a criminal background check?

i'm told that my problem is customer service complaints

Sigh, answering your question, if you work at a marijuana dispensary, you will not pass a civil service background investigation as marijuana is still a Schedule I substance. The fact that you are going to be fired and have at least one bad job reference is another reason, but it's not something you can fix now, look to the future.

 

[alpha12]

Maybe you aren't cut out to be a pharmacist. I think being a pharmacist is stressful for the best ones. It would be even more stressful for bad ones. Just think about other careers.

 

[M0df]

I don't think "Is this common?" the right question to be asking at this point. We tend to work in silos. I have worked in places where I was aware of pharmacists being written up but the details would be limited. Most employers want to limit the spread of information.

They have been building a case against you for awhile. You might hang on or you can be gone before your next shift. I wouldn't make any generalizations based on your experience with one employer though. As one older pharmacist told me during one of the rotations - "You want to be liked by your patients." Of course, most companies still want you to be very efficient but you need to get a sense when an interaction can lead to a complaint and put out that fire before it gets to corporate.

 

[Amphetamine Salts]

Sigh, answering your question, if you work at a marijuana dispensary, you will not pass a civil service background investigation as marijuana is still a Schedule I substance. The fact that you are going to be fired and have at least one bad job reference is another reason, but it's not something you can fix now, look to the future.

i think i understand. you're saying i would be banned from taking federal jobs such as VA, department of defense, etc. but for jobs at private companies and retail i should be able to pass the background checks, correct?

and about having a bad job reference, are you saying i can't get a federal job because of that? or i can't get any job? i am having trouble distinguishing what type of jobs you are talking about. i am sure others have gotten new jobs before even with bad job references

 

[Sine Cura]

Yeah I'm a dick so ban me lol

did you get your score yet? i got mine, got a 50 lollll
so ****ing gay. not gonna bother re-taking until like 6 months later. going to call the board for now and just vent at them cause their gay cpje is so lame

Good riddance

 

[CNJ_Anon]

I'll give it a try...

Everyone here is in agreement that you are about to get smoked from retail and that you need to find another job. If you accept the medical marijuana job, you will not be eligible for a federal job later, but you will be eligible for private jobs at the discretion of the hiring manager. Getting fired and having a bad job reference do not make you ineligible for jobs (federal or private), it just makes it harder. Many applications (especially hospital applications) specifically ask if you've ever been fired or at least your reasons for leaving a job. In today's job market, putting down that you were terminated will make you the least desirable candidate.

Do you want to work retail? Or do you want out? The salaries you mentioned seem fine to me. It sounds like you're trying to move to California which has very liberal views to marijuana, so I'm guessing they'd look more kindly on you if you have some dispensary experience on your resume. But as a pharmacist, I would take you less and less seriously with each month you stay in marijuana, since I would assume you're experiencing memory loss regarding everything else a pharmacist is supposed to know.

My first recommendation is to not take advice off the internet. My second recommendation is to take the pot job, quit retail on the best terms possible (don't burn bridges, maybe see if you can use some manager who liked you as a reference), and immediately start planning your exit strategy from pot. You could always explain the job hopping by saying you had a great opportunity at high pay with growth to start a new job, but it didn't meet your expectations and you're now looking for something more rewarding and challenging. That's a story I would buy as a hiring manager.

Keep us updated. And good luck!

UPDATE: I read through some of your old posts. It sounds like your heart was never in pharmacy and like you didn't want to work anywhere, especially retail. It's probably reflected in the quality of your work and the nature of your interactions. The day you were late to work.... was it really a flat tire? I just feel like I'm being lied to.

i ended up oversleeping 2 nights ago and wasn't able to come in yesterday.

Anyone with mail order experience can weigh in on these issues? I'd rather avoid CVS after graduation if I can, it just doesn't seem like something I could enjoy doing for the long run

I'm going into my 5th year of pharmacy school and I know 100% that I want to work in managed care, preferably for some PBM company like express scripts, optiumrx, etc.

I prefer not to work in retail and based on my hospital rotation I would prefer to not work in a hospital.

i've been working at cvs for 3 years, i want to pursue walmart though

i'm not sure how i feel about doing cvs. i don't mind retail, but cvs seems very extreme. i'd prefer a grocery store pharmacy

why? because quite simply, most people do not have an innate love for pharmacy.

what are the most common mistakes that would lead to a retail pharmacist losing their license? what are common mistakes that can cause you to get fired in retail?

i hope i don't have to come across losing a license in my career, or getting fired. ty in advance for the replies

 

[PharmtoCS]

Yeah I'm a dick so ban me lol



Good riddance

There is a certain Reddit user that has made very similar posts about being written up for customer complaints and finding a new job at a marijuana dispensary. I wonder if it's the same person.

AntiCirclejerking (u/AntiCirclejerking) - Reddit

u/AntiCirclejerking:

www.reddit.com

 

[TheBlaah]

Your future options will be severely limited if you take this offer. Not only will you be essentially blacklisted from any sort of government job, as well as probably any nearby Walgreens, any retail manager who sees dispensary on your resume will know that your experience will be completely irrelevant to a retail job. The Walgreens blacklist, the current job saturation, and if you were to add this job to your resume? Basically un-hireable.

If you take this job, you better hope it lasts, cause it's a gamble. Not to mention no 401k, so you wouldn't be accruing retirement savings as well.
Maybe marijuana will be legalized? Maybe pharmacists will be legally mandated to man the dispensary, so they can't replace you with someone at less pay? Maybe your company will eventually offer 401k? Seems like a lot of maybes.

As a side note: Aren't you the guy that was saying retail's not so bad and that you actually enjoyed it and that you despised all things hospital? Seems like a case of the chickens coming home to rest; hospital pharmacists don't get customer complaints, In any case, I assume hospital jobs would also be out of the picture.

But lastly, if you can't keep up at Walgreens, you would probably do just as poorly at CVS. Your last hope would be a store like Walmart, independent, or a grocery chain.

 

[BidingMyTime]

black balled from what? all employers? and background investigation you mean a criminal background check?
i'm told that my problem is customer service complaints

"Civil service" means government job. Lord is saying you would be banned from government jobs, because you had done illegal activities involving drugs (work in a marijuana dispensary.) "Background investigation" for the government is generally more in-depth than a criminal background check by a regular employer (although how in-depth will depend on the job you are applying for.)

Most likely nobody else will out and out "black ball" you, but other employers may put your application at the bottom of the pile, because your recent experience won't be deemed pharmacist experience. Depending on how desperate the employer is though, they might hire you anyway.

As for getting in trouble for opening the store an hour late....moral is, call in sick instead. Employers will follow their sick-day policy then, and as long as you aren't doing it often, it won't count against you. (Unlike tardiness.....although most employers would also have a policy for tardiness, it probably won't be as lenient as the sick policy.)

As to what you should do....depending on your state, you might still get unemployment if you get fired. You will undoubtedly be unrehirable at Walgreens, either way whether you quit now or let them fire you, so from that standpoint it doesn't matter. If you get a decent job offer than go for it. If you think the marijuana dispensary will be a decent than go for. If you are thinking of taking the job just to get away from Walgreens until you find something better, than I would probably pass on the dispensary job and just wait for that something better.

hospital pharmacists don't get customer complaints, In any case, I assume hospital jobs would also be out of the picture.

They most assuredly do, their "customers" are the nurses, and the nurses will definitely complain if they think a pharmacist is not up to par.

 

[TheBlaah]

They most assuredly do, their "customers" are the nurses, and the nurses will definitely complain if they think a pharmacist is not up to par.

Ah, you're right. I must have forgotten, likely because I never get complaints 😉

 

[thecoolpharmboi]

I’ll post my two cents here too..

I’ve been reading your comments here and elsewhere as it is interesting to me... I’m an RXM too— so I can see why things might have happened to you the way it did.

It may be true that your RXM is strict, but I can see where she’s coming from. Her and the DM have metrics to ensure are met. If you didn’t know, the surveys that they get can be very detrimental to those metrics. After all they have their own bosses to report to. If you’re the one who consistently get those complaints then of course I understand the warnings and improvement plans. Yes, we all get complaints— however I don’t think it should be as common as you think. My store would only get max 2 complaints in a month— maybe 3. Last 2 months combined, there was only 1. I’ve worked at many stores as well as I was floater before RXM. And when there is a complaint it is never specific to a person—they generally are just complaining because something didn’t go their way.

So ask yourself: is it because those complaints were specifically towards you? If your mindset is at where you shouldn’t be “catering to every single person” then yeah quit this company. Being in retail nowadays require you to be smiling, catering to their every need. Heck- customer of mine didn’t or couldn’t split her pills in half by herself, so I took the time to do it for her. It’s that much of customer care that you need to be able to provide in this type of market to keep your job and excel. If you can’t do it on top of your daily duties then yeah find a new type of job - but good luck. I would do anything to keep the job you’re in until you find a more stable one. Not the medicinal marijuana gig.

Have you tried applying to other chains? Like CVS?

 

[RxPreceptor]

People ("animals" really) expect you to wipe his/her @$$ when working retail/"community" & want to blame you whenever his/her MD screws something up or insurance/cost is less than ideal because Pharmacy is the endpoint/point of sale. It's always your fault when a customer gets emotional/can't logically think things out & channel frustration towards the appropriate party for any wrong doing or inconvenience.

The writing is on the wall; you're on your way to getting Axed. Best start looking for a new gig

 

[Wickett]

There is a certain Reddit user that has made very similar posts about being written up for customer complaints and finding a new job at a marijuana dispensary. I wonder if it's the same person.

AntiCirclejerking (u/AntiCirclejerking) - Reddit

u/AntiCirclejerking:

www.reddit.com

It honestly does sound like the OP (can't say for certain). Similar tone and writing style as well. All I can say is please don't consider paying people to call in complaints on the RxM.....that is just beyond despicable.

 

[Chrish]

I always text my supervisor that I will be running late in the event of traffic/ or other issues that I can’t control. Has happened two or three times but was never anissue since I made them aware.

Don’t wait on such things. Report to your boss first then call the store management.

 

[Timbo]

I've always wondered this... How much do customer complaints really mean? Over the course of a month you probably have hundreds or even thousands of customer interactions right? Even if you get like ten customer complaints a month, it would still not be statistically significant. I guess what really matters are the specifics of the complaints.. are they just due to long wait times or insurance issues? Or is OP consistently being out right rude to them or not following company policy?

 

[Chrish]

It all depends on your boss. I have worked with sups who would treat the customer complaints as the learning opportunity for the staff involved. They would listen to both side of the story and give the feedback to the pharmacist. I have also worked with the sups who would always side with the customers regardless of the circumstances and always put a blame of the pharmacy staff and try to hold them accountable for it.

It's hard to figure out what's wrong in OP's case but if you are stuck with the later sups in above example, life will be miserable.

 

[johnpharm01]

1. Take the marijuana job as you are being targeted and will be terminated soon
2. Reflect on the wag experience and grow from it
3. Evaluate your new employer, if they are business savvy invest in the business

 

[rxkrafted]

it depends, i've failed a good amount of exams, got two D+'s and a lot of C's throughout pharmacy school but i still graduated, passed my boards, and now a licensed rph so.... yeah. i was the kid in the back of the lecture hall goofing around my buddies during therapeutics and taking naps, now i'm called doctor, cool stuff

this was you right?

 

[projektreverb]

^the funny/sad part is I had some people like that in my class.... I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t a stelar student by any means but damn bro...

 

[Wickett]

^the funny/sad part is I had some people like that in my class.... I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t a stelar student by any means but damn bro...

Shocking that someone with that attitude is looked at poorly by techs and other pharmacists he interacts with.

 

[meltyblend]

I see a lot of floaters coming in and out of my store since I had a staff retire early this year. You somehow remind me of a particular floater that comes to my store a lot. Fairly new graduate with previous experience in an independent. He is capable of doing pharmacist work but had terrible communication skills that made him look unreliable. He also tends to rub the customers the wrong way and tell customer things he can't follow through on. He was also incapable of prioritizing. Perhaps you stay extra to clean up your messes but working with you might have been stressful. It's also extremely rare for customers to complain with a specific name unless you really really pissed them off somehow (I've spelled my name out to people and even gave them my business card and have yet to see a real complaint come through with my name). Most complaints are very general: the line was too long, the person helping me was rude, my medication wasn't filled on time, etc, etc. More than likely, your RXM saw an increase of complaints during your shifts and associated all complaints to you regardless if it's true or not.

My suggestion to you, besides finding a new job, is to re-evaluate the impression you give people. From the few quotes people have listed of your past posts, you come off as entitled and immature. With that attitude, even if you find a new job you'll probably end up in the same place because people won't want to work with you.

 

[projektreverb]

Shocking that someone with that attitude is looked at poorly by techs and other pharmacists he interacts with.

What’s the old saying? Garbage in. Garbage out.

 

[Deja]

(I've spelled my name out to people and even gave them my business card and have yet to see a real complaint come through with my name).

this point doesn't really prove that you have better customer interaction skills than OP it just means that you are lucky lol

 

[Lnsean]

i feel that this is district related too and home store related. i know for a fact that my RXM has been contacting stores i've floated at and asking them to fill out floater evaluations about me. one of the techs told me about this, she said the RXM literally asked about everything and went into specifics in the e-mail, she's a very neurotic person

in terms of workflow, i'm very good at tidying up the place before leaving and making sure everything goes smoothly. really the reason i'm on the verge of getting fired is simple: customer service issues

i have a potential job at a medical marijuana dispensary. would i be blackballed by future employers if i take this job? i hear that a lot, but not sure how realistic or true that is

How do you explain all the customer service issues? Is management making up customer complaints against you? I don't think so. I mean if it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, it's a duck.

 

[CetiAlphaFive]

is this situation common? i have no idea how it came down to this to be honest. have been trying to improve and step up. i find myself in this situation now though, almost fired due to customer service issues

It's gonna be more and more common with the quality of graduates going down

 

[meltyblend]

this point doesn't really prove that you have better customer interaction skills than OP it just means that you are lucky lol

That wasn't the point I was making. I was trying to say it's rare to have a complaint directed at a specific person. I sure there are complaints made about me but despite giving out my name there hasn't been one with my name on it.

We're playing the retail game. Customer complaints are a dime a dozen. To have them associated with a single person is rare.

I agree with pretty much everything you're saying. However, I want to note that there is no shortage of managers in this world that actively push employees to be bad at their job by constantly giving nothing but negative feedback. There are plenty of studies that show if you only give people negative feedback and create a negative perception of someone ("they have bad communication skills" for example), they will do substantially worse than if you give positive feedback. OP said he does better in environments that enable him to succeed which is an incredibly insightful and true statement. Chain pharmacies are the epitome of fostering an environment that makes their employees do horrible jobs. "Here's less hours, now why did complaints on wait times go up this week??? I'm writing you up. Fix it or you're fired." Instead it should be, "Team we have a tough task ahead of us increasing our efficiency in order to meet our budget. I'm proud of how hard you're working and look forward to working with you to maximize your potential." Unlike the majority of people on this forum who are focused on blaming on the OP and telling him he sucks and can't do retail, I'm 100% sure he is capable of doing retail if he was backed up by a quality management team. He will never find that in retail pharmacy sadly. You'll be surprised at the amazing personalities people have and how they'll open up to you if you stop being a critical jerk to them.

I completely agree with you on that. Positive feedback is important to foster a better working environment for everyone. However, floaters come in and out of a pharmacy. You don't always get the same people and you don't always have the opportunity to give them feedback in person. In fact, most districts don't even have an evaluation sheet for their floaters (mine included). Then you have the fact that people are being placed as manager without the proper training or desire to be one. I've told my own DL exactly that. People are put into positions without the proper training and that's why floaters and managers do poorly. It's not because they're incapable but because retail don't give people the time to learn. It's sink or swim and, unfortunately, most people sink.

I think anyone who works retail is aware how overwhelming the workload can be and not everyone has the capacity to give positive feedback when they themselves don't feel very positive about the work environment. This is why burn out situations happens. You can do everything right but have everything go wrong.

 

[mentos]

I read somewhere once it costs an average of 15k to train an employee. For pharmacists, I assume it's much higher based on our pay per hour. I don't understand how the chains can be so negligent in their training and employee retention. It's like their goal is to be higher turnover companies. Doesn't matter how many graduates there are, the game they play is a dangerous one.

You seem like a reasonable person tbh. Like, so reasonable that I hope you're working for a company that doesn't suck or are looking elsewhere for opportunities.

CVS gives you a day of modules then throws you into the fire pit. So 8 hours x current rate $52 or so? $416.

 

[ancienbon]

CVS gives you a day of modules then throws you into the fire pit. So 8 hours x current rate $52 or so? $416.

Could not sat it any better. I remember what i first started i only received 3 days training .That was 6 years ago!.

 

[lcow2004]

Could not sat it any better. I remember what i first started i only received 3 days training .That was 6 years ago!.

When I joined they made you do the training on your own time and when you were on the clock, you're supposed to just already know everything.

 

[RxPreceptor]

CVS gives you a day of modules then throws you into the fire pit. So 8 hours x current rate $52 or so? $416.

Haha, good one...yeah, let's see how efficient a newly trained RPh is after 8 hours of agonizing modules with an unfamiliar non-user friendly system that is CONTINUOUSLY getting system updates without anyone being aware. Takes plenty more time than that to become efficient using a computer system that comes with experience & knowing the exact order of logic to follow when making a decision to resolve a conflict (so many parameters to serve as obstacles...insurance, out of stock, MD intervention needed, etc.)

Needless to say, most new hires I have worked with get overwhelmed with alert fatigue, decision fatigue, not making the most logical decisions, overlooking simple solutions, & not being able to cope with nuances/tedious nature of computer systems

 

[mentos]

Haha, good one...yeah, let's see how efficient a newly trained RPh is after 8 hours of agonizing modules with an unfamiliar non-user friendly system that is CONTINUOUSLY getting system updates without anyone being aware. Takes plenty more time than that to become efficient using a computer system that comes with experience & knowing the exact order of logic to follow when making a decision to resolve a conflict (so many parameters to serve as obstacles...insurance, out of stock, MD intervention needed, etc.)

Needless to say, most new hires I have worked with get overwhelmed with alert fatigue, decision fatigue, not making the most logical decisions, overlooking simple solutions, & not being able to cope with nuances/tedious nature of computer systems

It's true. One day a new grad floater came in and asked, "What's QT?". The only she did was verify all day... slowly.