ok another phone interview, advice please.

[sozetone]

So, this one was with CVS, FL. Near my folks, which is nice. I got an offer for 60/hr staff. But i do not know if that REALLY means staff or if its like our WM staffs , where they send you all over until the next round of cuts come. ya know? I am considering it due to the nature of my store and the difficulty of managing a tough ghetto store running on fumes for hours. I always hear CVS is the WORST place to be, but it seems they are all horrible now, no? so why not step down to staff and be miserable closer to friends and family? Whats the REAL DEAL with CVS these days? compared to WM? would you choose one over the other? should i stay and see if i can TOUGH this out while WM transitions to god knows what? I'm hating my situation with the way we got cut so drastically. roughly ~1800---2000+ a week and single coverage, with a cumbersome system to get it done. Its VERY labor intensive to work at wal mart and process a rx.....i dunno, my head is spinning, i just got done pulling 66 hours in 6 days.....

Any tips? ideas? thanks....

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[JustFillIt]

I just want to give some advice to my internet buddy here.. So you have interviewed with both CVS and Walgreens and I’m sure you were given a great reception. But I just want to caution you to know that you shouldn’t expect anything different in these outfits, in fact it will likely be worse just because you are not yet established with them.

I would encourage you to look at some different opportunities, especially long term care. I was in the same position as you, and I walked away from retail (even though I was great at it). I am about 100x happier now.

Before you pull the trigger check out some other opportunities

 

[King2440]

Dude,

Suck it up. You brag you make $70+ and have tons of PTO. If your acting like this on WM cuts, you will probably hang yourself if you worked somewhere else.

Less pay, less hours, less pto, more unknowns...seems like an easy decision to me.

 

[Sine Cura]

Just ride this out if you can't exit retail. Staff pharmacists and floaters, especially low performers, are in a far more precarious position (in general)

 

[projektreverb]

Just ride this out if you can't exit retail. Staff pharmacists and floaters, especially low performers, are in a far more precarious position (in general)

That’s why I’d rather be a high performing floater than a low performing staff.... both are precarious it s**t goes, the low performers go first.

 

[M0df]

My info on CVS is a little dated but I doubt what they expect from their pharmacists has decreased. You talk about 1800-2000 per week. I guarantee you that you have no overlap at that script count there. You might not even get it at 2500 or even at 3000. Looking back, their software was decent but nothing to brag about. Once you know ins and outs, you can work efficiently but they already factored that into staffing levels... and those are terrible. Industry leading terrible.

But this is what you wanted right? You wanted to be staff. Check. You wanted guaranteed hours. Check. You wanted to stick it to WM. Check.

The rest of your questions are simply answered if you ask DM/hiring manager what specific store you are being assigned to. That seems like reasonable information to have.

 

[rxwhatnow]

Just ride this out if you can't exit retail. Staff pharmacists and floaters, especially low performers, are in a far more precarious position (in general)

I disagree. From what I've seen from WM and SC, the deadweight and incompetent rphs somehow stay untouched. Either they're friends with the DM, kiss ass real hard, or make DM think they'll sue if anything happens to them.

My staff literally would stay on the phone with his wife (who's rxm at a SC) or kids on speaker phone and chit chat/gossip in their language for at least an hour daily while the line of waiters grow, other phone lines ring like crazy, etc. He and his group of other deadweight rphs scattered throughout the district have been getting away with this for years because they are of the same ethnic background as the DM and apparently they're all friends so no use complaining to the higher ups either. Such a joke!

 

[sozetone]

Dude,

Suck it up. You brag you make $70+ and have tons of PTO. If your acting like this on WM cuts, you will probably hang yourself if you worked somewhere else.

Less pay, less hours, less pto, more unknowns...seems like an easy decision to me.

I hear ya king, i just dont know if i can still efficiently manage this store with the help allotted. ya know? My concern is the stress of working insane hours and meeting demands might cause performance issues.( as i feel they intend to do). I already feel exhausted from doing 66 hours in 6 days man. My store is in a horrible location bro i swear. That alone adds sooo much stress to your day. Constantly dealing with bums, bag ladies, whinos, psych patients, 80% medicaid 20% medicare would sound about right....I literally have a psych hospital on one side and a homeless shelter on the other......its a disaster..! My crew is burning out, i'm hanging in, but for how long? i dunno. I also feel pretty betrayed. I turned around a hopeless, ghetto store into a profitable, expanding one. hasnt done well in a decade really. Now thats all being undone! even after I make them money, and keep their numbers in line, they hack me to the bone. I realize they wont undo this and im just venting here, there is nothing i can do......

so you still say tough it out?

 

[sozetone]

Ok so if i decide to stay, what the best excuse to give walgreens and CVS for not accepting the offer? one that they wont black list me . Although walgreens i could give a S**t about.....the guy from CVS was cool, and i think he has a store right off the bat for me in a location near where i wanted to be, ya gotta give it to him for doing that. need a good excuse that leaves them not hating me ya know? and i'll keep on keeping on...

 

[sozetone]

I just want to give some advice to my internet buddy here.. So you have interviewed with both CVS and Walgreens and I’m sure you were given a great reception. But I just want to caution you to know that you shouldn’t expect anything different in these outfits, in fact it will likely be worse just because you are not yet established with them.

I would encourage you to look at some different opportunities, especially long term care. I was in the same position as you, and I walked away from retail (even though I was great at it). I am about 100x happier now.

Before you pull the trigger check out some other opportunities

I dont think LTC will take me no? dont they have like a PGY6 residency now? lol.....they want experience or residency or both, i have neither....?

 

[northeast-southwest]

I’d you truly think you’re a great manager and want to move to Florida, why don’t you consider opening a small independent? You have the brains for that, no?

 

[JustFillIt]

I dont think LTC will take me no? dont they have like a PGY6 residency now? lol.....they want experience or residency or both, i have neither....?

Yes I think you could get into LTC if you were determined to. You figured out how to make a crazy retail pharmacy hum, you could switch gears if you wanted to.

I’m not telling you to stick it out - my advice is to slow down and be patient. Use the position you are in to strategically move yourself into a new position that is more agreeable to you. You are reaching for jobs right now like you don’t have one. Don’t forget that you are in a secure position right now. Bide your time and wait for the right thing to come to you. Don’t make any decisions based on haste.

You pulled the trigger with CVS/Wags which puts you in a position that you have to make a decision. Only you know what is best to do there so I won’t advise you on that. But if you decide to stay put - use the stone your standing in now as a stepping stone.

 

[sozetone]

Yes I think you could get into LTC if you were determined to. You figured out how to make a crazy retail pharmacy hum, you could switch gears if you wanted to.

I’m not telling you to stick it out - my advice is to slow down and be patient. Use the position you are in to strategically move yourself into a new position that is more agreeable to you. You are reaching for jobs right now like you don’t have one. Don’t forget that you are in a secure position right now. Bide your time and wait for the right thing to come to you. Don’t make any decisions based on haste.

You pulled the trigger with CVS/Wags which puts you in a position that you have to make a decision. Only you know what is best to do there so I won’t advise you on that. But if you decide to stay put - use the stone your standing in now as a stepping stone.

ok and if i decide to stay put, gimme a creative explanation as to why i would decline the offer, while still retaining some respect from these guys. In case i need them in the future.... ya know? your pretty creative with explanations as iv'e seen before...lol. I was gonna say my DM hired my wife as a staff just now, in order to retain us here. Blah...blah.....and we would have trouble replacing both positions, and would hate to leave the company in a lurch essentially. I think deep down they would respect that..... they would not want me to do that to them....

 

[sozetone]

I just want to give some advice to my internet buddy here.. So you have interviewed with both CVS and Walgreens and I’m sure you were given a great reception. But I just want to caution you to know that you shouldn’t expect anything different in these outfits, in fact it will likely be worse just because you are not yet established with them.

I would encourage you to look at some different opportunities, especially long term care. I was in the same position as you, and I walked away from retail (even though I was great at it). I am about 100x happier now.

Before you pull the trigger check out some other opportunities

Ya dont have to caution me really, I'm fully aware these are ALL SCUZ BUCKET operations.....lol I was with CVS when i was a tech back in 2006---2008 just before pharm school started., OMG what a bunch of slime, and was with WAGS in 2001 as a tech for a year or so......Now watching what WM is doing and they are achieving a similar level of scuz bucketism.....My take on it is from the perspective of too much work. Now hear me out, even though we all know these big 3 companies are overloading you to the max until you wnana hang yourself with dental floss.....I think WM may be worse at this point. And it is because of the inefficient systems in place to process rx's......it takes like 80 steps to process a rx. And my store is in a horrible location. My clientele enjoys shooting dope in the bathroom daily and leaving the needles behind for staff and customers to pick up their HIV/HEP C.....Also, I am in charge of this circus....if i could alleviate say 2 of these problems it may make a world of difference. I'm trying to get a better life/work balance because managing makes you take some home, i dont care who you are......staffing, you can forget a bit until your back.....

 

[sozetone]

I’d you truly think you’re a great manager and want to move to Florida, why don’t you consider opening a small independent? You have the brains for that, no?

Cant survive anymore in this climate, not much room for the little guy anymore. DIR fees are killing us all....

 

[rxkrafted]

Lol why do you need a creative explanation why you're declining the offer? Just tell them you changed your mind and can't move away at this time. I promise you they won't be butthurt because they lost their opportunity to grab an all-star pharmacist

 

[owlegrad]

I dont think LTC will take me no? dont they have like a PGY6 residency now? lol.....they want experience or residency or both, i have neither....?

I don’t know a single LTC RPh with residency and it isn’t something my boss desires in a new RPh. What he is always looking for is someone who will drive results. I think you would be surprised how easy it is to break into LTC if you want to. You just have to find an opening, which can take time.

As for experience, I am sure that varies by hiring manager but I think most value that pretty low. Experience is less important than attitude/aptitude.

 

[Sine Cura]

I disagree. From what I've seen from WM and SC, the deadweight and incompetent rphs somehow stay untouched. Either they're friends with the DM, kiss ass real hard, or make DM think they'll sue if anything happens to them.

My staff literally would stay on the phone with his wife (who's rxm at a SC) or kids on speaker phone and chit chat/gossip in their language for at least an hour daily while the line of waiters grow, other phone lines ring like crazy, etc. He and his group of other deadweight rphs scattered throughout the district have been getting away with this for years because they are of the same ethnic background as the DM and apparently they're all friends so no use complaining to the higher ups either. Such a joke!

And this is why they come out with these draconian job cuts every year. Retail is already bad enough with trash customers but to deal with trash employees really takes the cake.

Ideally those types will be the next to get culled including **** DMs

 

[wagrxm2000]

If you leave Walmart let me know so I can have your extremely easy job.

 

[SevenPharmacyCalls]

id take cvs, you are making 65-66/hr in co accounting for the income tax there. is it really worth the 5 extra dollars an hour for the headache of managing a store.

 

[SevenPharmacyCalls]

id take cvs, you are making 65-66/hr in co accounting for the income tax there. is it really worth the 5 extra dollars an hour for the headache of managing a store.

then again you have awesome benefits with Walmart? have you not tried transferring?

 

[sozetone]

then again you have awesome benefits with Walmart? have you not tried transferring?

Benefits suck.....i am at 70/hr. thing is, now the guy is saying his manager is leaving in february and he wants to train me to take over this store......jeeez. i am not moving to another manager position, this time with cvs....no way. tricky scoundrels....i just wanna staff ya know....they do not give us the tools to be successful anymore.

 

[sozetone]

Lol why do you need a creative explanation why you're declining the offer? Just tell them you changed your mind and can't move away at this time. I promise you they won't be butthurt because they lost their opportunity to grab an all-star pharmacist

very funny, all star....lol i would like the opportunity to be there if and when i need it though ya know? but now this guy is saying the manager is leaving at this store, and he wants to groom me for manager, thats a definite decline bro...no way im managing again, especially for cvs.

 

[sozetone]

And this is why they come out with these draconian job cuts every year. Retail is already bad enough with trash customers but to deal with trash employees really takes the cake.

Ideally those types will be the next to get culled including **** DMs

Yeah there is something coming by months end.....at least in my district..... i was asked to do a survey on my DM along with EVERY associate from techs to staff in our market...... you too? My DM has been off the grid lately and they are rolling out this new schedule optimizer ya know? and seem very pressed to get that and other things done by August 23rd. I feel the realignment reckoning coming! Maybe they wanna size up their Dm's performance before they shuffle them off to Alaska.....lol