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VictorOfHungerGames

VictorOfHungerGames

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Just got an offer for a PIC position at an indie. The owner owns 6 pharmacies and say he's looking to retire in about 4-5 years after all the loans he took out for pharmacies are paid off. He's looking for someone to take over the pharmacies once he retires.

Right now, the PIC job is in a rural area. A very small town where there are less than 5000 people in town. I called around and did some research. It's a quite, nice town. People seem to be nice. Only problem is it's 3 hours from where I live which means I would have to relocate. My wife has a job she can't leave and even if she could, I doubt there is going to be a job for her in the small town. Which means that I would have to move by myself and come back every weekend. The owner could work out the schedule so that I'm off Friday - Sunday. He also mentioned that in about a year or two, he can try to relocate me back to one of his 2 pharmacies which are located near where I currently live.

All that being said, my question is, what should my salary be? Considering it's a rural area, I have to relocate and am now going to have two households virtually, should I ask for a high salary than what I've gotten previously? Thank you all in advance.
 
VictorOfHungerGames said:
Considering it's a rural area, I have to relocate and am now going to have two households virtually, should I ask for a high salary than what I've gotten previously?
Click to expand...

None of those considerations matter. It's not up to your boss to worry whether you're single in a small apartment down the block from the pharmacy, or whether you'll be driving six hours every weekend to a family in a second home. If anything, having roots elsewhere is a detriment, because it shows a lack of dedication and an inability to handle weekend emergencies. Get in line and (pretend to) love your new rural home.

It's all about market forces. Your boss is shopping for a PIC and will buy the cheapest one he can find. Rural areas no longer need to offer more to attract qualified candidates. The fact that you need to relocate is an inconvenience for which you can expect no extra compensation. The current market price of a new retail PIC is around $100,000 - $120,000 and dropping. Being unemployed (and I assume with only one job offer) means you have no room to negotiate. Each day you're jobless means you're a little more untouchable.

I'm sorry you're in this crappy situation. It's pretty much the same situation I was in, if you remember my posts. When it came time to negotiate salary, I was told that since the cost of living around my new rural job is lower than in central NJ, that I would be paid less.

Sorry for all the doom and gloom. Download some podcasts for the long drives.
 
If you are confident about finding another job, just try the best number you want.
 
VictorOfHungerGames said:
Just got an offer for a PIC position at an indie. The owner owns 6 pharmacies and say he's looking to retire in about 4-5 years after all the loans he took out for pharmacies are paid off. He's looking for someone to take over the pharmacies once he retires.

Right now, the PIC job is in a rural area. A very small town where there are less than 5000 people in town. I called around and did some research. It's a quite, nice town. People seem to be nice. Only problem is it's 3 hours from where I live which means I would have to relocate. My wife has a job she can't leave and even if she could, I doubt there is going to be a job for her in the small town. Which means that I would have to move by myself and come back every weekend. The owner could work out the schedule so that I'm off Friday - Sunday. He also mentioned that in about a year or two, he can try to relocate me back to one of his 2 pharmacies which are located near where I currently live.

All that being said, my question is, what should my salary be? Considering it's a rural area, I have to relocate and am now going to have two households virtually, should I ask for a high salary than what I've gotten previously? Thank you all in advance.
Click to expand...

I would ask for the market rate for PIC. I don't agree that you can't negotiate just don't press your luck. I would not roll over and show your stomach always exhibit strength. If you can't figure out the market rate ( a salary plus bonus) go off your salary history. It will kill your family life. Hopefully your wife is better than mine was as she easily replaced me.
 
I am confused. When you say that you got a job offer, to me it means at least a starting point number for your salary. So is there a number that owner put out there for you to even consider?

Mostly I agree with the sentiment that you have almost no room to negotiate. However, we don't know how long this owner has been looking for a new PIC. We don't know who his current PIC is and how quickly they need to find a replacement. We are only considering your situation.
 
Just ask for what you want to be paid and see what happens, worst outcome he says no.
 
Thank you all for your advice.

Yes, the owner did give me a vague offer initially. We haven't finalized anything yet since I was going to go down to the pharmacy and check out the town before I say yes. He basically said he would pay me $1-2 more than what I got before which is great but my previous job I was working 43-45 hours a week and was paid weekly. The current offer is salaried.

I've spoken to a few of my old professors and mentors. According to them, the way the job market is right now, this actually sounds like one of the best opportunities I'll get as far as advancing my career and work environment and etc. Pharmacy does about 5000 scripts a month with 4 good technicians. I called one of those visitor centers to ask about the town and its people. Sounds like a nice small town with friendly people. And best of all, according to the owner, he's never had problematic, disgruntled customers. Now, he may just be saying that to lure me in lol but still, probably better than patients at CVS or Wag in big cities...

All in all, looks like a great opportunity. Downside is that I'm going to have to move and spend about 4 days a week away from my wife. Although she is very supportive of all this so that's a relief. Lastly, I know some people in my area that's been out of job for a looooong time and I certainly do not want to be in their shoes. I want to stop receiving my unemployment benefits haha
 
CNJ_Anon said:
None of those considerations matter. It's not up to your boss to worry whether you're single in a small apartment down the block from the pharmacy, or whether you'll be driving six hours every weekend to a family in a second home. If anything, having roots elsewhere is a detriment, because it shows a lack of dedication and an inability to handle weekend emergencies. Get in line and (pretend to) love your new rural home.

It's all about market forces. Your boss is shopping for a PIC and will buy the cheapest one he can find. Rural areas no longer need to offer more to attract qualified candidates. The fact that you need to relocate is an inconvenience for which you can expect no extra compensation. The current market price of a new retail PIC is around $100,000 - $120,000 and dropping. Being unemployed (and I assume with only one job offer) means you have no room to negotiate. Each day you're jobless means you're a little more untouchable.

I'm sorry you're in this crappy situation. It's pretty much the same situation I was in, if you remember my posts. When it came time to negotiate salary, I was told that since the cost of living around my new rural job is lower than in central NJ, that I would be paid less.

Sorry for all the doom and gloom. Download some podcasts for the long drives.
Click to expand...
Each day you're jobless means you're a little more untouchable
Each day you're jobless means you're a little more untouchable
Each day you're jobless means you're a little more untouchable
Each day you're jobless means you're a little more untouchable
Each day you're jobless means you're a little more untouchable
Each day you're jobless means you're a little more untouchable
Each day you're jobless means you're a little more untouchable

Love this. Well said.
 
VictorOfHungerGames said:
Thank you all for your advice.

Yes, the owner did give me a vague offer initially. We haven't finalized anything yet since I was going to go down to the pharmacy and check out the town before I say yes. He basically said he would pay me $1-2 more than what I got before which is great but my previous job I was working 43-45 hours a week and was paid weekly. The current offer is salaried.

I've spoken to a few of my old professors and mentors. According to them, the way the job market is right now, this actually sounds like one of the best opportunities I'll get as far as advancing my career and work environment and etc. Pharmacy does about 5000 scripts a month with 4 good technicians. I called one of those visitor centers to ask about the town and its people. Sounds like a nice small town with friendly people. And best of all, according to the owner, he's never had problematic, disgruntled customers. Now, he may just be saying that to lure me in lol but still, probably better than patients at CVS or Wag in big cities...

All in all, looks like a great opportunity. Downside is that I'm going to have to move and spend about 4 days a week away from my wife. Although she is very supportive of all this so that's a relief. Lastly, I know some people in my area that's been out of job for a looooong time and I certainly do not want to be in their shoes. I want to stop receiving my unemployment benefits haha
Click to expand...

" he's never had problematic, disgruntled customers. " I would bet all the fuel in my minivan that this is not the whole truth. Rude people are everywhere and some of the rudest people i have encountered are from small towns.

Dude you realize you are risking your marriage by moving 3 hours away from your wife for the majority of the year, right? I mean as long as your okay with that. There are pros and cons to everything.
 
Modest_anteater said:
" he's never had problematic, disgruntled customers. " I would bet all the fuel in my minivan that this is not the whole truth. Rude people are everywhere and some of the rudest people i have encountered are from small towns.

Dude you realize you are risking your marriage by moving 3 hours away from your wife for the majority of the year, right? I mean as long as your okay with that. There are pros and cons to everything.
Click to expand...

Haha i don't know about your relationships but our marriage isn't at risk b/c i'm moving away 3 hours. I would think our relationship is much stronger than that. Like i said, Im only gonna be working 4 days per week so I get to spend time with her at least 3 days of the week. Pharmacy closes at 6, I get home Thursday night. I get to spend time with her Friday to Sunday or Monday, depending on how the schedule is going to work out. Thanks for your concern though.

Way the market is right now and being that this would an awesome opportunity (PIC, I get to run my pharmacy without much oversight, compounding pharmacy experience etc), I would be a fool not to take this. Just wanted to see how people felt about salary negotiation in this type of situation. I would take the advice of waiting for the owner to make an offer and go from there. Another great thing about the pharmacy is that owner is offering 401k and health insurance. He's been in the pharmacy business for a long time so i'm gonna hope that he's a trustworthy owner.
 
Your owner sounds amazing except for the part he is still paying off his business loan debt despite being owner of 6 successful pharmacies.

Maybe it`s just me, but something in his story doesn`t feel like adding up.
Don`t get me wrong. I think you should totally move and take this opportunity. Just don`t trust what the owner says 100%.
 
if you won't get another job opportunity in this market saturation, will your wife continue to be supportive with you being a couch potato all day everyday for now and forever? or will she find someone else who is hardworking? // clearly this is your one and only job offer. whatever your boss says in the distant future is ludicruous. you should be more concern about the here and now before she dump you. and after 6 months of being a PIC, you have more chances with a job search "while" being employed.
 
Modest_anteater said:
Dude you realize you are risking your marriage by moving 3 hours away from your wife for the majority of the year, right? I mean as long as your okay with that. There are pros and cons to everything.
Click to expand...

sosoo beat me to it (never thought I would say that), but how do you think being unemployed might affect his marriage?
 
sosoo said:
if you won't get another job opportunity in this market saturation, will your wife continue to be supportive with you being a couch potato all day everyday for now and forever? or will she find someone else who is hardworking? // clearly this is your one and only job offer. whatever your boss says in the distant future is ludicruous. you should be more concern about the here and now before she dump you. and after 6 months of being a PIC, you have more chances with a job search "while" being employed.
Click to expand...

lol man has everyone on this forum been a victim of some relationship scam? even with market saturation, i'm sure i'm not gonna be a couch potato forever and i don't think my personality would let me even do that. i'm too active and ambitious to just sit at home and do nothing. if not pharmacy, i'll probably do something else. regardless of all that, i'm sure i married the right woman who will support me and love me unconditionally, i will do the same for her =)

No, this isn't my one and only job offer but so far the best one all things considered. got an offer for a contract position, another offer at another major city but that's really too far. it's close to 10 hour drive, 4 hour flight with layover since there is no direct flight. had 4 other interviews i'm waiting to hear back from and two more scheduled for next week.
 
Rockinacoustic said:
It sounds like you should be negotiating cheap places to rent vs. another 1-2 dollars of pay. Can the owner set you up with cheap rent until you move to a store closer to home?
Click to expand...
Is it really that ridiculous to buy a RV and live in that in a camp ground? What is with everyone's obsession with living indoors if you are by yourself.
 
Guess what happens if some guys find out he has pharmacy keys and lives in a camp ground.


Modest_anteater said:
Is it really that ridiculous to buy a RV and live in that in a camp ground? What is with everyone's obsession with living indoors if you are by yourself.
Click to expand...
 
So you got laid off from one indie because it went under and you're bouncing straight to another? I know the chains are the salt mines, but don't you worry about stability in this job market?
 
VictorOfHungerGames said:
Thank you all for your advice.

Yes, the owner did give me a vague offer initially. We haven't finalized anything yet since I was going to go down to the pharmacy and check out the town before I say yes. He basically said he would pay me $1-2 more than what I got before which is great but my previous job I was working 43-45 hours a week and was paid weekly. The current offer is salaried.

I've spoken to a few of my old professors and mentors. According to them, the way the job market is right now, this actually sounds like one of the best opportunities I'll get as far as advancing my career and work environment and etc. Pharmacy does about 5000 scripts a month with 4 good technicians. I called one of those visitor centers to ask about the town and its people. Sounds like a nice small town with friendly people. And best of all, according to the owner, he's never had problematic, disgruntled customers. Now, he may just be saying that to lure me in lol but still, probably better than patients at CVS or Wag in big cities...

All in all, looks like a great opportunity. Downside is that I'm going to have to move and spend about 4 days a week away from my wife. Although she is very supportive of all this so that's a relief. Lastly, I know some people in my area that's been out of job for a looooong time and I certainly do not want to be in their shoes. I want to stop receiving my unemployment benefits haha
Click to expand...
I would be mighty tempted to take it....See how it goes for 6 months....who knows what could happen..he might need to transfer you closer sooner...You have to remember..the little guys are getting beaten pretty badly..start nosing around and if it gets un-doable maybe you will have found something better...a lot of guys in a lot of jobs are gone quite a bit...
 
TerryTerry said:
Security
Click to expand...
True. But is there that much to be afraid of living in a low pop. , rural area? I think bears would be the bigger issue. Not even enough people around for there to be criminals plus cameras to keep ppl honest...
 
firework said:
Guess what happens if some guys find out he has pharmacy keys and lives in a camp ground.
Click to expand...
Ummm he does nothing? Better to just rob the pharmacy during hours than to risk kidnapping charges which is like an additional 20 years in prison... same reason ppl rob a pharmacy with a fake gun or a paper note. Just having a gun kicks in mandatory prison times in many jurisdictions
 
Dred Pirate said:
some of those RV's are more expensive and nicer than the house I grew up in
Click to expand...
Yes but like get a cheap used on on CL for like 7-15k USD. OFC you will need a truck to move it as well which can be a lot of $$$
 
firework said:
Not necessarily, if he lives in a house, the news will read "pharmacist robbed .......", if camp ground "pharmacist murdered ......"
Click to expand...

It takes seconds to break into a house through a standard door. With an RV you must make sure you lock both locks, the top lock is typically a generic lock and folks in the rv industry can open them. As long as its legal, keep a loaded firearm. I think a RV is a good idea you definitely do not want to invest in real estate. Only problem is winter weather and RV plumbing along with availability of campsites perhaps a mobile home park.

I would be concerned if your boss is going to be making the schedule. Which means he is really managing, Can you hire/fire, send home, do you see the financials? When PIC is used as the title you are more a hired license. I don't know your career path but it would be income. Live spartan and invest.
 
Modest_anteater said:
True. But is there that much to be afraid of living in a low pop. , rural area? I think bears would be the bigger issue. Not even enough people around for there to be criminals plus cameras to keep ppl honest...
Click to expand...

Im just afraid of people being racists haha considering all the things that are happening in our country... me being one of very few asians in town... eh i dont know.

Good thing is that this town is only an hour away from a major city so hopefully people are more civilized than those in the middle of nowhere. The town does have pretty good diversity and has a few tourist attractions such as wineries.

According to the people in ive spoke to in the city, crime is almost nonexistent except for minor theft and what not. I googled crime rate and it says the same. Dont think there ever was a bear attack haha
 
Having lived in a redneck area (90 minutes from civilization) for 1.5 years with a sizable proportion of people from all over the U.S. who failed at retirement (if you had means why would you live in the hottest, dustiest hellhole that is western Arizona by the Colorado River) unless you really like river recreation) I would argue you probably won't encounter as many issues as living in literally bum**** nowhere 4-5 hours away from any MSA.
 
VictorOfHungerGames said:
Im just afraid of people being racists haha considering all the things that are happening in our country... me being one of very few asians in town... eh i dont know.

Good thing is that this town is only an hour away from a major city so hopefully people are more civilized than those in the middle of nowhere. The town does have pretty good diversity and has a few tourist attractions such as wineries.

According to the people in ive spoke to in the city, crime is almost nonexistent except for minor theft and what not. I googled crime rate and it says the same. Dont think there ever was a bear attack haha
Click to expand...

If you want civilized people stay away from any major city.

City does not make anybody more civilized. It does seem to produce more impatient people and crimes though.
 
VictorOfHungerGames said:
Im just afraid of people being racists haha considering all the things that are happening in our country... me being one of very few asians in town... eh i dont know.

Good thing is that this town is only an hour away from a major city so hopefully people are more civilized than those in the middle of nowhere. The town does have pretty good diversity and has a few tourist attractions such as wineries.

According to the people in ive spoke to in the city, crime is almost nonexistent except for minor theft and what not. I googled crime rate and it says the same. Dont think there ever was a bear attack haha
Click to expand...

I don't think your fear of racism is unfounded. When i am living in rural areas I have heard a lot of sentiment and people seem to hide their racism less in the country side. I have also experienced corrupt / racist police in rural / suburban areas that have treated people differently on race. Also there are a vocal minority of tribe-like rural people that actively hoard massive amounts of firearms and rifles many of whom day dream about criminal violence against certain individuals of society, however luckily these people can usually be quickly identified because they have the confederate flag or other symbols that let you know that they think differently and are not open to making new friends with people outside their tribe. I think the situation is getting better though now that almost everyone has a cell phone with a video camera in it and can record antisocial behavior or criminal acts of violence.

Overall i would say there are racist people in both the city and country setting but the racist people in the country side tend to hide it less and worse they also tend to disproportionately have weapons and bullets which lets be honest is unnerving to most civilly minded law abiding city people. I am a much bigger fan of cities due to all the amenities but the jobs are more competitive there because not many people want to live in (perceived as dangerous and racist) rural areas.
 
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