Kroger cutting jobs and hours.

[MountainPharmD]

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Kroger's (largest grocery store chain in central ohio) already cut 93 part-time central ohio pharmacists from their payroll.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/conten...2/27/krogers-part-time-pharmacy-jobs-cut.html

Kroger this week laid off 93 part-time pharmacists at stores in the central Ohio market, effective immediately.

I thought this was worthy of its own thread. Credit to maria1oh for the find and link.

This is a big deal guys. Kroger is the largest grocery chain in the US. We all know Walgreens and CVS are the bottom of the barrel for retail pharmacy. All the other chains seem hell bent on racing each other to see who can get there first and join them. Kroger is cutting hours big time under the guise of "increased efficiency" with the new computer system. Starting this month they reduced tech hours by an average of 10%. Bad times are ahead for Kroger.

 

[Its Z]

bah... not another gloom and doom.. i will be ok because there are so many other options for pharmd and competition is a good thing!
[/sdn prepharmer]

 

[Its Z]

a texas hospital im famuliar with is laying off pharmacists and techs...and economy is not that bad here.

 

[PharmaTope]

a texas hospital im famuliar with is laying off pharmacists and techs...and economy is not that bad here.

jeez!!! i know some hospitals closed down here and displaced people. a bunch i know relocated to midwest bc of these problems...

 

[BMBiology]

old news

 

[genesis09]

This happened months ago in February. Target is also laying off a number of its pharmacists, but it is not as well known.

 

[rxlea]

@ another one of these:

 

[diplomat]

I have been with CVS as tech/intern for 2 years. Interviewed with them for pharmacist position, early commit. Got a phone call about from DM about 2 months later saying they have no positons for me. I asked how many positions were available, she said there were 15 interns and only 10 offers, I have no idea if this was true or not. THis is in Southern Florida.

 

[Passion4Sci]

Gasp, pharmacy is like every other profession where you have to compete for jobs/promotions.

 

[rxlea]

Gasp- sometimes, I swear this forum makes me think I am stuck here on Groundhog Day.

 

[owlegrad]

Gasp- sometimes, I swear this forum makes me think I am stuck here on Groundhog Day.

 

[ValeRx]

I'm seeing this first hand right now. They have cut back a lot of tech hours in every store I know of and are even limiting intern hours. I'm the only intern at my store and they said they can't guarantee me 40 hours a week over the summer. As was mentioned before, they cut almost all the part time pharmacists and only hired 20 out of 30+ fourth year interns.

 

[gotdrugs]

this is a big deal guys. Bad times are ahead for many.

fyp.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

Gasp, pharmacy is like every other profession where you have to compete for jobs/promotions.

Wait, you mean there are other professions out there where 1 out of every 2 graduates with negative six figure net worth wont get a job?

I wonder how the market will be 4 years from now?

Do you have any clue what competiton is? Help out your fellow collegues so they can prep for it. Hint, it involves filling 270 tabs of Oxycontin 80 mg 2 weeks early every month or you will get fired.

 

[naus]

Wait, you mean there are other professions out there where 1 out of every 2 graduates with negative six figure net worth wont get a job?

Welcome to law school.

 

[owlegrad]

Wait, you mean there are other professions out there where 1 out of every 2 graduates with negative six figure net worth wont get a job?

I wonder how the market will be 4 years from now?

Do you have any clue what competiton is? Help out your fellow collegues so they can prep for it. Hint, it involves filling 270 tabs of Oxycontin 80 mg 2 weeks early every month or you will get fired.

Do you have anything to back up that one out of every two figure?

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

Do you have anything to back up that one out of every two figure?

Sure... besides the fact that I work at CVS and know how many job positions are open to my interns, other people on this board have stated how many jobs are open versus candidate. 6 jobs for 12 candidates in my district is 1 in 2... and this doesn't include people who are not employed while in school...

 

[J ROD]

Welcome to law school.

qft!! 🙁 No Bimmer and a sign on bonus......

 

[owlegrad]

Sure... besides the fact that I work at CVS and know how many job positions are open to my interns, other people on this board have stated how many jobs are open versus candidate. 6 jobs for 12 candidates in my district is 1 in 2... and this doesn't include people who are not employed while in school...

So your company in your area has six spot for twelve candidates. Do the other six candidates not have applications in at other places? Look I'm not saying everything is roses in the pharmacy market, but likewise saying that half of new grads are gonna stay unemployed is disingenuous. That may be true in a few select places (I doubt it), but that is hardly the norm.

 

[type b pharmD]

So your company in your area has six spot for twelve candidates. Do the other six candidates not have applications in at other places? Look I'm not saying everything is roses in the pharmacy market, but likewise saying that half of new grads are gonna stay unemployed is disingenuous. That may be true in a few select places (I doubt it), but that is hardly the norm.

He is referring to NYC

 

[owlegrad]

He is referring to NYC

Half of new grads in NYC are gonna remain unemployed? If that's the case then I understand these doom and gloom posters a bit better. Makes me glad I don't wanna practise in NYC. I doubt 50% unemployment is an honest figure though.

 

[Passion4Sci]

Welcome to law school.

Unfortunately not, because even in law, if you have a good brand name on your JD, like Columbia, H, Y S, or Boalt you've got a job somewhere guaranteed (The aforementioned schools just posted 98%+ employment after 6 mos). Not so much with UCSF or [insert "top ranked" pharmacy school here] as Cheburashka is proving to us.

Granted, for MOST JD earners out there comin' from T2 and T3 night law schools, they're out of luck. But at least there's still opportunities for the best of the best. Not so for pharmacy, so it seems. Kind of like a crapshoot more than anything.

 

[type b pharmD]

Unfortunately not, because even in law, if you have a good brand name on your JD, like Columbia, H, Y S, or Boalt you've got a job somewhere guaranteed (The aforementioned schools just posted 98%+ employment after 6 mos). Not so much with UCSF or [insert "top ranked" pharmacy school here] as Cheburashka is proving to us.

Granted, for MOST JD earners out there comin' from T2 and T3 night law schools, they're out of luck. But at least there's still opportunities for the best of the best. Not so for pharmacy, so it seems. Kind of like a crapshoot more than anything.

it doesnt seem like a crapshoot to me. if you get experience in school and work your butt off to get recognized in the company, getting a job will be far, far easier. so it's something you control. not something you just have to wait for randomly and see.

 

[DAW2]

just saw kroger is gonna have an immunization class and there's like 20 new grads in it. who says nobody's hiring

 

[Passion4Sci]

it doesnt seem like a crapshoot to me. if you get experience in school and work your butt off to get recognized in the company, getting a job will be far, far easier. so it's something you control. not something you just have to wait for randomly and see.

Far, far easier but not even close to a sure thing like graduating from HYS makes it.

Yeah, a determined individual will absolutely get a job. Point is, in law, there are still recruiting / head hunting fairs every year at the top schools and while the number of law firms represented has diminished a little since 2008, they're still there in force.

Nothing like that in pharmacy anymore.

 

[type b pharmD]

Far, far easier but not even close to a sure thing like graduating from HYS makes it.

Yeah, a determined individual will absolutely get a job. Point is, in law, there are still recruiting / head hunting fairs every year at the top schools and while the number of law firms represented has diminished a little since 2008, they're still there in force.

Nothing like that in pharmacy anymore.

Really?

We get job postings offered every month here via email. Thats how i got my current nuke job

 

[samuricool]

Really?

We get job postings offered every month here via email. Thats how i got my current nuke job

believe it or not, there are other situations/circumstances outside of Colorado.

 

[type b pharmD]

believe it or not, there are other situations/circumstances outside of Colorado.

i believe it

just dislike blanket statements ("nothing like that in pharmacy anymore")

 

[IrishHammer]

believe it or not, there are other situations/circumstances outside of Colorado.

PSSNY does something similar. I frequently get emails about jobs available in New York.

 

[Style]

This is a big deal guys. Kroger is the largest grocery chain in the US. We all know Walgreens and CVS are the bottom of the barrel for retail pharmacy. All the other chains seem hell bent on racing each other to see who can get there first and join them. Kroger is cutting hours big time under the guise of "increased efficiency" with the new computer system. Starting this month they reduced tech hours by an average of 10%. Bad times are ahead for Kroger.

Are you planning on getting out of retail pharmacy? What field of pharmacy are you looking to pursue next?

 

[aboveliquidice]

16 of my classmates did not have jobs lined up as of graduation... That is pretty significant I think.

Still, most of those without jobs were those refusing to put out effort during school. They were not involved in orgs or community service events. Those that networked had little trouble finding multiple job offers.

 

[njac]

16 of my classmates did not have jobs lined up as of graduation... That is pretty significant I think.

Still, most of those without jobs were those refusing to put out effort during school. They were not involved in orgs or community service events. Those that networked had little trouble finding multiple job offers.

I don't know a whole lot about the class under me - but I know of a couple people who were very involved in orgs, including national offices, but barely worked - so when they didn't match for residencies they were S.O.L. (and still are).

 

[aboveliquidice]

I don't know a whole lot about the class under me - but I know of a couple people who were very involved in orgs, including national offices, but barely worked - so when they didn't match for residencies they were S.O.L. (and still are).

I can echo this - 1 or 2 of those were very involved and simply didn't match. They had put all of their eggs in one basket, so to speak. One is going for a new academic fellowship at our school - hopefully he gets it.

The lesson learned here is to cultivate multiple opportunities and to be flexible.

The Marines have a saying about working hard.

"If you're not working hard each and every day, someone somewhere is. And when they meet you, they will beat you."

Prepharmers... Feel free to apply this lesson to your life immediately.

 

[MountainPharmD]

I can echo this - 1 or 2 of those were very involved and simply didn't match. They had put all of their eggs in one basket, so to speak. One is going for a new academic fellowship at our school - hopefully he gets it.

The lesson learned here is to cultivate multiple opportunities and to be flexible.

The Marines have a saying about working hard.

"If you're not working hard each and every day, someone somewhere is. And when they meet you, they will beat you."

Prepharmers... Feel free to apply this lesson to your life immediately.

Marines suck! I learned this saying in the Army. We called it the 7P's. Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. Learn it, live it.

 

[rxlea]

So what I am taking away from all of these threads/posts is the following (and please correct me if I am wrong somehow):

-get good grades but don't get a 4.0 (just close to it) otherwise some people might not think you're actually a good pharmacist because your nose was stuck in a book and you probably can't communicate
-be involved and try to hold leadership positions
-get hospital experience before graduating
-network as much as possible
-try to get good rotation sites which you can do by setting up your own
-do your hospital rotation early if you can
-jump into some research if possible
-don't work for CVS
-IHS is good

If you do all of the above and you are willing to relocate somewhere (even to a rural location), you will be fine getting a job and definitely have a better shot at residency.

Damn...sounds like a lot of work 🙂 I'm down.

 

[aboveliquidice]

So what I am taking away from all of these threads/posts is the following (and please correct me if I am wrong somehow):

-get good grades but don't get a 4.0 (just close to it) otherwise some people might not think you're actually a good pharmacist because your nose was stuck in a book and you probably can't communicate
-be involved and try to hold leadership positions
-get hospital experience before graduating
-network as much as possible
-try to get good rotation sites which you can do by setting up your own
-do your hospital rotation early if you can
-jump into some research if possible
-don't work for CVS
-IHS is good

If you do all of the above and you are willing to relocate somewhere (even to a rural location), you will be fine getting a job and definitely have a better shot at residency.

Damn...sounds like a lot of work 🙂 I'm down.

Generally speaking - yes. Are you Native American? If not, I would advise against the IHS. If affirmative action bothers you at all, just wait until you learn about Indian Preference.

 

[Got Em]

So what I am taking away from all of these threads/posts is the following (and please correct me if I am wrong somehow):

-get good grades but don't get a 4.0 (just close to it) otherwise some people might not think you're actually a good pharmacist because your nose was stuck in a book and you probably can't communicate
-be involved and try to hold leadership positions
-get hospital experience before graduating
-network as much as possible
-try to get good rotation sites which you can do by setting up your own
-do your hospital rotation early if you can
-jump into some research if possible
-don't work for CVS
-IHS is good

If you do all of the above and you are willing to relocate somewhere (even to a rural location), you will be fine getting a job and definitely have a better shot at residency.

Damn...sounds like a lot of work 🙂 I'm down.

Haha, the first comment of "get good grades, but not a 4.0" is pretty funny. It's actually pretty true because it will most likely take some of your time for other important activities. The rest of the post is basically spot on. If you're willing to go to a rural area and work in both retail and hospital settings, then you will have NO problem finding a job. There are plenty of jobs available in Texas....just not in saturated areas (big/popular cities). From your posts it sounds like you will have no problem doing well in the future. I think the key is to have a reasonable plan and basically "go get it".

 

[rxlea]

Generally speaking - yes. Are you Native American? If not, I would advise against the IHS. If affirmative action bothers you at all, just wait until you learn about Indian Preference.

No, but what is Indian Preference? I am a member of the Native Health Initiative and I have gone to an Indigenous Health Leadership Institute. I am going to do more with Native Health during pharmacy school. Do they count that? Does IHS do interviews and look at your CV (for rotations)?

 

[confettiflyer]

No, but what is Indian Preference? I am a member of the Native Health Initiative and I have gone to an Indigenous Health Leadership Institute. I am going to do more with Native Health during pharmacy school. Do they count that? Does IHS do interviews and look at your CV?

Indian Preference is essentially a racial mandate, exempt from the Civil Rights Act, that those working on/with a recognized tribe is subject to a wholly different procedure than the typical EEO/affirmative action procedures you see with government jobs. Basically, the background is that "by Indians, for Indians" became policy as a means to strengthen tribal sovereignty and their ability to exist in perpetuity. This was affirmed by the Supreme Court.

So basically no, your activities with Native Health won't necessarily help you under Indian Preference. Only your ability to prove you are of Indian descent/member of a tribe/etc...

 

[xiphoid2010]

No, but what is Indian Preference? I am a member of the Native Health Initiative and I have gone to an Indigenous Health Leadership Institute. I am going to do more with Native Health during pharmacy school. Do they count that? Does IHS do interviews and look at your CV (for rotations)?

You can go VA which is just as good as IHS and without the indian preference. The only thing that might work against you is if you are vietnamese.

 

[b1234]

You can go VA which is just as good as IHS and without the indian preference. The only thing that might work against you is if you are vietnamese.

How would that work against you... VA jobs are federal jobs. If you're trying to imply that (most current VA patients are Vietnam vets and) Vietnam veterans have prejudices against Vietnamese people, other than a few cases - you're wrong.

There are certain things that can give you an advantage when it comes to getting federal jobs, so I guess in theory you could say that since Lea's not a vet (among other things) she has a disadvantage for getting a job there...

 

[xiphoid2010]

How would that work against you... VA jobs are federal jobs. If you're trying to imply that (most current VA patients are Vietnam vets and) Vietnam veterans have prejudices against Vietnamese people, other than a few cases - you're wrong.

Sorry, I'm not wrong here. My fiancee is both my classmate and is Vietnamese. VA rotations are highly sought after for obvious reasons, and we both got ourselves one.

Being chinese, I had no problem with the patients. I guess the korean war vets are mostly 6 feet under now and it was also a normal stand up fight so no hard feeling on both sides. Everything went great. Being a war buff means I can pleasantly surprise them when they mention things. Applied with a VA residency as my top choice and got in no problem.

She on the other hand however, didn't have an easy go of the rotation. Seeing the name on white coat is Nguyen, some patients flat out refused to speak to her, some walked out, some were rude. Especially hairy are the ones with psych Hx. She discussed with me in depth about which fake name she should use. Of course most are fine, but bad things happen frequently enough that there the rotation felt looooooong. And her preceptors, while trying to tell her it's not her fault, but couldn't do much about it either. And basically hinted to her that she shouldn't try to apply for a residency at the VA (this was December last year).

 

[rxlea]

Sorry, I'm not wrong here. My fiancee is both my classmate and is Vietnamese. VA rotations are highly sought after for obvious reasons, and we both got ourselves one.

Being chinese, I had no problem with the patients. I guess the korean war vets are mostly 6 feet under now and it was also a normal stand up fight so no hard feeling on both sides. Everything went great. Being a war buff means I can pleasantly surprise them when they mention things. Applied with a VA residency as my top choice and got in no problem.

She on the other hand however, didn't have an easy go of the rotation. Seeing the name on white coat is Nguyen, some patients flat out refused to speak to her, some walked out, some were rude. Especially hairy are the ones with psych Hx. She discussed with me in depth about which fake name she should use. Of course most are fine, but bad things happen frequently enough that there the rotation felt looooooong. And her preceptors, while trying to tell her it's not her fault, but couldn't do much about it either. And basically hinted to her that she shouldn't try to apply for a residency at the VA (this was December last year).

Wow- that is really unfortunate. I can understand the discomfort patients (especially those with psych Hx) would feel and express about their wartime experience considering the atrocities commited during, not just Vietnam, but all wars. If working with that population is her passion, why not just wear a different namebadge? Would they not allow this? It seems to be a tricky situation, indeed.

 

[IndustryPharmD]

She on the other hand however, didn't have an easy go of the rotation. Seeing the name on white coat is Nguyen, some patients flat out refused to speak to her, some walked out, some were rude.

I am sorry to hear this... it does make for a sucky experience. Still, I don't think she should completely give up on the VA if that is what she wants to do - there can be significant variation between different VAs. One of my friends, who also happens to be Vietnamese with the last name Nguyen, did a VA rotation in rural area in Midwest, loved it, did her residency there too. I have not heard any complains from her to that extent...

 

[xiphoid2010]

Nope, couldn't change the name tag since the name was embroidered on our white coat. Getting a new white coat and put on a fake name was a possibility but there is still the potential legal issue.

She looks very vietnamese (not of ethnic chinese decent) and came to the US when she was 20 (still has a strong vietnamese accent). So she kinda sticks out like a sore thumb. In the end, it was just a 1 month rotation so she just toughed it out.

She became interested in VA mainly because I was passionate about it. I like the empowerment that VA gives to the pharmacists, and I'm a war buff to boot. She wasn't even interested in residencies until my excitement rubbed off on her.

In the end, she was kinda turned off by the experience and had second thoughts about residency. We are getting married, dual match probably would hurt both of our chances, so she decided to just get a job where I matched. She now is going to work for Omnicare for $110K a year, so it all turned out well in the end.

 

[xiphoid2010]

I am sorry to hear this... it does make for a sucky experience. Still, I don't think she should completely give up on the VA if that is what she wants to do - there can be significant variation between different VAs. One of my friends, who also happens to be Vietnamese with the last name Nguyen, did a VA rotation in rural area in Midwest, loved it, did her residency there too. I have not heard any complains from her to that extent...

You friend probably did a VA hospital residency, so it is likely different. Our rotations were for ambulatory care, so it was 100% face to face work for 15-45 minutes with each patient at a time.

Well, wars scar people, but not all wars leave the same bitter after taste in the mouth. Korean war was a conventional set piece fight, it was you shoot me I shoot back, men to men. It was fought to a stalemate, nobody lost, both sides walked away with respects for the other side. Vietnam was a much uglier. Unconventional warfare, no dirty trick goes unused, everybody could be an vietcon kind of a war. Being paranoid isn't unfounded, and many vets walked away with just that (and drug addictions). And losing the war as an added insult didn't help.

Most vets are still fine and perfectly sane. But enough of them aren't that if you are a vietnamese, I suggest that you might want to test the water before diving in. 😀