Pharm Tech Wages

[missal]

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I just got a job at X Company, and they informed me RIGHT before I signed my papers that I was getting paid minimum wage (5.85) because I was being hired as a pharm clerk. I asked the manager why it was so low and he told me to talk to the pharmacist because he would be in charge of that, but that pharm techs usually make double minimum wage (12 dollars). I went to talk to the pharmacist, and he told me that I need to get certified to be paid the wage of a pharm tech. I asked him if I took the tech exam tomorrow and then came into work, would my wage change, and he responded with "I'm not in charge of that, the manager is." Basically, no one is giving me a straight answer. My friends at Company Y (right next door) get paid 10.00 without any experience or certification.


As much as I want to do this for the experience, I do not want to be screwed over. Is this what everyone has to go through?
If I go in with the pharm tech certificate, and they still don't raise my wage, should I quit... when I havent even started working??
If they say that my wages will increase later, can I ask "when is later?!" or is that too pushy??

I'm not sure how to handle situations with money, but I just don't want to sound too pushy.

 

[Ethyl Methyl]

I just got a job at X Company, and they informed me RIGHT before I signed my papers that I was getting paid minimum wage (5.85) because I was being hired as a pharm clerk. I asked the manager why it was so low and he told me to talk to the pharmacist because he would be in charge of that, but that pharm techs usually make double minimum wage (12 dollars). I went to talk to the pharmacist, and he told me that I need to get certified to be paid the wage of a pharm tech. I asked him if I took the tech exam tomorrow and then came into work, would my wage change, and he responded with "I'm not in charge of that, the manager is." Basically, no one is giving me a straight answer.


As much as I want to do this for the experience, I do not want to be screwed over. Is this what everyone has to go through?
If I go in with the pharm tech certificate, and they still don't raise my wage, should I quit... when I havent even started working??
If they say that my wages will increase later, can I ask "when is later?!" or is that too pushy??

I'm not sure how to handle situations with money, but I just don't want to sound too pushy.

When I first started working in a retail pharmacy I didn't have my certificate either. Basically I was a tech trainee with a designation of "pharmacy cashier/clerk." I was paid 6.25 an hour. I guess that was their hiring minimum wage (wages may vary depending on the city or state that you are in). I didn't stay long on that job. I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you are not a certified tech then you can't expect to get paid as one. However, if after you get your certification they still refuse to pay you a reasonable tech wage then it's time to go look for another job. By then, you would have some pharmacy experience and should be able to negotiate a fair pharmacy tech salary.

I work as a pharm tech in a hospital now where the pay is much better.

Another thing, don't accept a job and then just quit without notice. You don't want to burn your bridges. Some companies can actually "blacklist" you for doing that and when you decide to return they may not be as welcoming.

 

[missal]

Just wondering but how long did you stay at your job then? Or what is a reasonable time before you quit (after your two weeks notice I guess)?

Thanks for the informative response though!!

 

[treetop02]

Just wondering but how long did you stay at your job then? Or what is a reasonable time before you quit (after your two weeks notice I guess)?

Thanks for the informative response though!!

Some pharmacies are very cheap and the turnover ratio for clerks is very high. They could care less about you and they lack respect for you. If they don't give you a reasonable raise after you get your license and become a technician, it's time to move and find another store to work at. It's that simple. Don't stay at the store and become a slave. As far as the pharmacy manager and store manager, they are trying to keep you at minimum wage. My pharmacy manager never hires, she would let the store manager hire for her. When the hiree doesn't perform, she puts it on the hiree. When you want a raise, the pharmacy manager tells you to ask the store manager or the district manager. You never get a straight answer from anyone. It goes back and forth. The only way to tell them you are pissed off, is to go job hunting and find a better job. Let them have 2 weeks notice. We actually had an employee who suddenly didn't show up for work and missed 3 days in a row, without calling the manager. It happens that she had a fight with her bf. The pharmacy manager blacklisted her from ever working at the company ever again! ouCH! Talk about cruelty.

Remember if they don't respect you, you have the right to work somewhere else.

 

[Ethyl Methyl]

Just wondering but how long did you stay at your job then? Or what is a reasonable time before you quit (after your two weeks notice I guess)?

Thanks for the informative response though!!

I think I stayed on that job for 3 months ( 2-3 weeks before I took my certification test and passed it). The store manager actually wanted me to stay with a pay hike promise but retail was just not for me. I did turn in my two weeks notice. If suddenly I get the urge to work again in retail (which may be never! 😀) I can always go back and work for the company. Blacklisting is not an uncommon occurrence in any workplace. Hiring and training a new employee cost money and the companies don't want to get burned by an unreliable employee twice.

 

[imperialto]

why is everyone so shy about stating where they work and what they get paid, no one here knows each other anyways so why so shy? I started out at Target and still work for them and it kicks ass. Started 3 yrs ago w/ no experience and got $9/hr and now I'm the tech manager and gettin $15.50. But those were the days when Pharmacy was still an unknown job and I would agree if ur not certified or have experience not many companies except CVS or walgreen will hire u with competitive market pay. Busy stores want experience, slow stores will train newbies. Here in Dallas,TX Costco supposedly pays the most up to $20/hr with lots of experience, then Kroger, Target, Tom Thumb; cvs, walgreens, walmart are a toss up generally overworked and underpaid

 

[missal]

So if an employee of yours came in with the same situation as mine (didn't have any experience but became certified the day they were supposed to work), would you tell the pharmacy manager to increase the pay?

why is everyone so shy about stating where they work and what they get paid, no one here knows each other anyways so why so shy? I started out at Target and still work for them and it kicks ass. Started 3 yrs ago w/ no experience and got $9/hr and now I'm the tech manager and gettin $15.50. But those were the days when Pharmacy was still an unknown job and I would agree if ur not certified or have experience not many companies except CVS or walgreen will hire u with competitive market pay. Busy stores want experience, slow stores will train newbies. Here in Dallas,TX Costco supposedly pays the most up to $20/hr with lots of experience, then Kroger, Target, Tom Thumb; cvs, walgreens, walmart are a toss up generally overworked and underpaid

 

[imperialto]

thats actually how it works, at least at target. Once you become certified you really to get pushed up a different grade level, we call them level 2 or specialists and it is a pay raise on the spot. I can't say for other pharmacies but at target they don't rip u off cause pharmacy doesn't support the store but does contribute a health amount of business with pharmacy sales and otc products in Health and Beauty area. Again, that is Target cause its the only place I've worked and benefits increase when you become a level 2 also. My bro is a district trainer for cvs now, but he's been shafted 2 years in a row back when it was eckereds he was just a tech by not gettin any annual raises.

We don't really have a choice or trying to deny tech pay cause were all just employees, certified techs are just considered specialist in the store and just get paid at that pay level, simple as that. Target is guest service oriented. We get 160 tech hours for doing 1200 scripts a week and have 110 pharmacist hours per week. Just do a simple check and see what other pharmacies get. one of our pharmacist just came from walgreens doing 2000 rx per week and just has 140 tech hours.

 

[blergh]

I work at a Kroger pharmacy... was hired at a wage of $9.75/hr having just a year of hospital pharmacy volunteer experience and no certification...but I think that was the general hiring rate cuz that's what all the new pharmacy techs made. I got certified 2 months after I started working (had to wait for the test date) and instantly got a $2 raise. I think we get a raise of $0.25/hr after X many hours of work. Didn't really pay attention to that part...

Sucks that no one is giving you a straight answer. Strange too. 😵 You didn't get any paperwork when you got hired that contained all the salary info? Have you tried asking other techs about what they had to go through? Or what they're getting paid?

 

[blergh]

also, how many posts do i need to post b4 i can post a thread? i have some burning questions...

 

[uncinmyheart]

I got hired at Eckerds (now Rite-Aid) as a tech over a year and a half ago starting out at $7.50, no experience, no certification. I got certified a couple of months ago, and all they give was a 50 cent raise; and it took about a month till that kicked in. And now I make a pathetic $8.25 and I work like a slave in that store AND they still havent' reimbursed me for my cpht exam fee!!! They said they would reimburse me after I pass it, and that was 4 months ago!!! The DM wouldn't even answer my messages or phone calls about it.
I'm getting ready to give them my 2 weeks notice just because I'm sick of putting up with their s***. But what I wanted to say is, if you're not getting a straight answer from anyone, and you're getting paid minimum wage to work at a pharmacy (never heard of that before), I say f*** it and go find another pharmacy. This is exactly what happened to me. Do not make my mistake. Right before I signed my papers to work for eckerd, the pharmacy manager told me I would get $7.50 and even though I tried to negotiate a higher pay, he said they'll evaluate me after 3 months and give me a raise, and he didn't!!! And he transfered to another pharmacy. And all I got was a lousy 25 cent raise after one year working with them, and I work like a dog in that store. I should've quit a long time ago, because this company is CRAP. There are tons of pharmacies out there who pay a hell of a lot better, you don't work as a slave, and who appreciate their employees and treat them with respect.

 

[treetop02]

I got hired at Eckerds (now Rite-Aid) as a tech over a year and a half ago starting out at $7.50, no experience, no certification. I got certified a couple of months ago, and all they give was a 50 cent raise; and it took about a month till that kicked in. And now I make a pathetic $8.25 and I work like a slave in that store AND they still havent' reimbursed me for my cpht exam fee!!! They said they would reimburse me after I pass it, and that was 4 months ago!!! The DM wouldn't even answer my messages or phone calls about it.
I'm getting ready to give them my 2 weeks notice just because I'm sick of putting up with their s***. But what I wanted to say is, if you're not getting a straight answer from anyone, and you're getting paid minimum wage to work at a pharmacy (never heard of that before), I say f*** it and go find another pharmacy. This is exactly what happened to me. Do not make my mistake. Right before I signed my papers to work for eckerd, the pharmacy manager told me I would get $7.50 and even though I tried to negotiate a higher pay, he said they'll evaluate me after 3 months and give me a raise, and he didn't!!! And he transfered to another pharmacy. And all I got was a lousy 25 cent raise after one year working with them, and I work like a dog in that store. I should've quit a long time ago, because this company is CRAP. There are tons of pharmacies out there who pay a hell of a lot better, you don't work as a slave, and who appreciate their employees and treat them with respect.

Rite Aid is so cheap. No wonder they acquired a cheap pharmacy like Echerds. I've work for 1 and a half year so far at Rite Aid and when I ask the pharmacy manager for a raise, she told me to talk to the store manager or District manager. I left a message on the phone for the District manager, and he never replied. So it's back and forth and back and forth, so I just gave up on it. I also asked the pharmacy manager if I could get Technician training through the company since I have the hours and already doing tech work except for filling. She told me I am not ready. When the district manager came to the store, I told him I wanted to become a tech. He told me to ask the pharmacy manager to request it to him. But the pharmacy manager doesn't want me to become a tech. I'm working my butt off at minimum wage as a clerk for 1 and a half year, have all the hours, know most brand names and generics, know how to type sig labels accurate and fast, and still the pharmacy manager tells me I can only be ready for Tech Training when she thinks I'm ready. I'm really thinking now that she's so cheap she wants me to be at minimum wage forever. I am really pissed off.

 

[uncinmyheart]

Rite Aid is so cheap. No wonder they acquired a cheap pharmacy like Echerds. I've work for 1 and a half year so far at Rite Aid and when I ask the pharmacy manager for a raise, she told me to talk to the store manager or District manager. I left a message on the phone for the District manager, and he left replied. I also asked the pharmacy manager if I could get Technician training through the company since I have the hours and already doing tech work except for filling. She told me I am not ready. I am really pissed off.

And the funny thing is, we're telling people "it's getting better". They're kidding themselves. My store converted to Rite-Aid about 2 weeks ago, so we're still shaky on the new computer systems. And we've already lost a lot of customers. I don't know that much about Rite-Aid as a company, but it doesn't sound too different from the way Eckerds used to run things; rite-aid's probably even worse. I say do like me, and give them your 2 weeks notice as soon as possible. That's what I'm gonna do in the next few days; I would do it tomorrow but i've got exams in the next two days, and i wanna write a really good kick ass letter to my manager.

Also, if you're not certified, go ahead and work on getting certified; it opens up more jobs for you, you get better pay, and some places even require that you have it. And you have experience now, so that's even better. Oh, and some jobs will even PAY for you to get certified. The exam fee is 129 bucks!!

 

[missal]

I just don't want them to blacklist me already for already putting in my two weeks notice when I havent even started working. Are you sure the exam is 129? I've seen that everywhere, but my pharamcist said the exam was 65 dollars and you go through LaserGrade (http://www.lasergrade.com/excpt.shtml) and for Virginians (http://www.lasergrade.com/iap.shtml). I hope I'm taking the right exam....

And the funny thing is, we're telling people "it's getting better". They're kidding themselves. My store converted to Rite-Aid about 2 weeks ago, so we're still shaky on the new computer systems. And we've already lost a lot of customers. I don't know that much about Rite-Aid as a company, but it doesn't sound too different from the way Eckerds used to run things; rite-aid's probably even worse. I say do like me, and give them your 2 weeks notice as soon as possible. That's what I'm gonna do in the next few days; I would do it tomorrow but i've got exams in the next two days, and i wanna write a really good kick ass letter to my manager.

Also, if you're not certified, go ahead and work on getting certified; it opens up more jobs for you, you get better pay, and some places even require that you have it. And you have experience now, so that's even better. Oh, and some jobs will even PAY for you to get certified. The exam fee is 129 bucks!!

 

[uncinmyheart]

I just don't want them to blacklist me already for already putting in my two weeks notice when I havent even started working. Are you sure the exam is 129? I've seen that everywhere, but my pharamcist said the exam was 65 dollars and you go through LaserGrade (http://www.lasergrade.com/excpt.shtml) and for Virginians (http://www.lasergrade.com/iap.shtml). I hope I'm taking the right exam....

Have you signed any papers yet? Did you accept their offer? If not, then you are not even employed there yet, so they can't blacklist you. And, if you do happen to be employed there already, there's no reason for them to blacklist you if you give them 2 weeks notice. Just be courteous and professional and thank them for their offer and opportunity, tell them you really appreciate their time, but it's not going to work out for you. They'll understand. I am assuming that you want to leave, so I'm just telling you how I would handle it if I were in your position.
I took the national board exam for the pharmacy technician certification back in march and it was $129. You can go to www.ptcb.org to find out more info about the exam. I don't know what exam you're talking about that's for $65; I'm thinking maybe it's one of those training certificates you get after completing a certain training program through your pharmacy or company. If you're thinking or wanting to leave them, don't do that program. You want to do the national board certification exam that is recognized nationally in any pharmacy you go to, across the u.s, but i know each state is a little different in recognizing them so check with your state to make sure.