Questions about Walmart pharmacy

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sl0888

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I'm seriously thinking about accepting a Walmart offer. The offer is for a full time hourly position between two stores. I have a few questions before I give an absolute answer. If anyone has any experience with Walmart please provide your opinion.

1. What are some pros and cons of Walmart?
2. What is full time for an hourly employee? What is the minimum # of hours I would work per week?
3. How secure should I feel with an hourly job?
 
I'm gonna be starting with Walmart soon and they said, in the job offer, that I would get an expected 80 hours per pay period. And I would be hourly. I would be at my own store too. Not sure about pros and cons but I wouldn't mind hearing about some
 
RiverRook, hi! Have you read the different health plans yet that was attached together with the intent letter? What do you think would be a great plan? HMO, HRA, HRA high, HSA for someone with dependents?

I would also be so interested as to what others think about this post. Thanks for asking!
 
I was thinking the HRA high. My husband already has his own health insurance so I doesn't make sense to add him along to my plan. Not sure though, still debating. How bout u?
 
I really am clueless even when I try to look up what's good and what's not. I think it depends on the coverage you want and how much you're willing to shell out or something. Even now when I'm thinking about this it hurts my brain, actually no, I just don't like words like deductibles and out of pocket etc! lol I will send the pdf file to my sis in law though and ask her about this, maybe that will help. Btw, I will put my 3 teens, as my dependents, under coverage- just in case you have thoughts on this.
 
Is there some kind of non-compete clause where u can't work for a competitor within a certain amount of miles if you were to leave walmart?
 
I worked at Walmart for three years as an intern.
The pro's: Great computer system that is easy to use, Decent stock options,
Cons: Staffing was tight, takes a while to get vacation

When I was there, you had to work full time for 2 years to get 2 weeks of vacation.
 
@inverness: May I ask you how the scheduling goes at WMT? Is it 12 hour shifts 7 om/7 off? It is 8 hours shifts with a 3 hour overlap with other Rph? How is it?
 
asian pharm said:
@inverness: May I ask you how the scheduling goes at WMT? Is it 12 hour shifts 7 om/7 off? It is 8 hours shifts with a 3 hour overlap with other Rph? How is it?
Click to expand...

It will depend on the template that the pharmacy manager works up for his/her specific store.
 
if it's a 12hr shift, would they give an hour and a half OT pay??
 
As far as I know overtime is nearly impossible at Wal-Mart. Probably possible only under rare circumstances.
 
Matrix187 said:
As far as I know overtime is nearly impossible at Wal-Mart. Probably possible only under rare circumstances.
Click to expand...

It was possible years ago... One of my friends who work for WMT was making over 250k a year because they made him do so much OT, paid for gas + hotels. Pretty much unlimited OT. Now, he can't even get a single extra shifts LOL. He relocated to SD from AZ, WMT sent a free moving truck with helpers to drive 6 hours+ and move all his belongings too. Too bad there is no more good times.
 
Also WMT only pays time and a half if you are hourly. If you are salaried and pick up a **** at another store then you just get your regular rate. So they will ask all the salaried employees in the area first before the hourly people.
 
How do you know if your working as a floater or you get your own store as staff pharmacist without asking your DM and looking at your offer letter? I was under the impression that if your offer letter says staff pharmacist that you will get your own store, but that doesn't necessarily mean true according to a pharmacist I spoke too and she said that could mean floater? Would the offer letter not say then floater though?
 
asian pharm said:
@inverness: May I ask you how the scheduling goes at WMT? Is it 12 hour shifts 7 om/7 off? It is 8 hours shifts with a 3 hour overlap with other Rph? How is it?
Click to expand...

We had a weird scheduling with 140 hours of pharmacist time per week. I don't know anywhere that does 7 on/ 7off. They do weird schedules with some overlap.
 
thanks for the info. does anyone know how much we need to pay for the CPR training? it will be reimbursed by WMT right?
 
sl0888 said:
I'm seriously thinking about accepting a Walmart offer. The offer is for a full time hourly position between two stores. I have a few questions before I give an absolute answer. If anyone has any experience with Walmart please provide your opinion.

1. What are some pros and cons of Walmart?
2. What is full time for an hourly employee? What is the minimum # of hours I would work per week?
3. How secure should I feel with an hourly job?
Click to expand...


Walmart offered me an hourly full time position between 2 stores.
Do you get payed commuting between the stores?
How long did it take you to hear back after background check and drug test?
What was the next step?
what is the schedule like? do you rotate between morning and afternoon schedules?
How many weekends do you work by month?
Thank you so much for your help.
 
Walmart is the place to be in current retail world. They provide you maximum help (enough tech hours and rph overlap if the store is busy). The only con that I can think of with Walmart (which is a major one) is the number of errors you are allowed to make. If you make more than 3 qualifying errors (wrong patient/ medication/ strength/ direction) in a rolling year, then you go to care-class. After going into care-class, you can only make 2 or less errors in a rolling year. If you make more than 2 errors, they will re-evaluate your position and it can result into termination. I am sure you will get into trouble for making excessive errors at Wag/ CVS as well but requirement for that seems to be much higher than just 3 errors per year. Another problem I have found with this rule is pharmacist working in a store doing 800 a day have the same liability as the person working in a store doing 150 a day. I mean how is it fair?? Sure store doing 800 a day will have more staffing but still the opportunities for error are undeniably higher in that environment.

Other than this policy, I don't have anything negative to say about the company. The benefits are great and they treat their associates fairly well.
 
Tiger Wong said:
Walmart is the place to be in current retail world. They provide you maximum help (enough tech hours and rph overlap if the store is busy). The only con that I can think of with Walmart (which is a major one) is the number of errors you are allowed to make. If you make more than 3 qualifying errors (wrong patient/ medication/ strength/ direction) in a rolling year, then you go to care-class. After going into care-class, you can only make 2 or less errors in a rolling year. If you make more than 2 errors, they will re-evaluate your position and it can result into termination. I am sure you will get into trouble for making excessive errors at Wag/ CVS as well but requirement for that seems to be much higher than just 3 errors per year. Another problem I have found with this rule is pharmacist working in a store doing 800 a day have the same liability as the person working in a store doing 150 a day. I mean how is it fair?? Sure store doing 800 a day will have more staffing but still the opportunities for error are undeniably higher in that environment.

Other than this policy, I don't have anything negative to say about the company. The benefits are great and they treat their associates fairly well.
Click to expand...

Do they treat the techs well too so there's not a ton of tech turnover/constant training?
 
trailerpark said:
Do they treat the techs well too so there's not a ton of tech turnover/constant training?
Click to expand...

From what I have been told, WM pays more than CVS to techs. As for turnover rate, I will tell you techs in my own pharmacy are quitting right now. The previous manager didn't tell them anything even when they weren't following the policies or not showing up on time. But now me and my partner hold them accountable. You have to show up exactly when you are scheduled/ you can only take 15 mins break, not 20 or not 16 mins/ you have to reduce the number of errors when typing, your progress will be monitored.

Some of them couldn't take it anymore and now they are quitting. It's better in a long run. We will hire new associates and train them the way we want.
 
Are associates hired just for the pharmacy or do they come from the store employees?
 
Annaba01 said:
Walmart offered me an hourly full time position between 2 stores.
Do you get payed commuting between the stores?
How long did it take you to hear back after background check and drug test?
What was the next step?
what is the schedule like? do you rotate between morning and afternoon schedules?
How many weekends do you work by month?
Thank you so much for your help.
Click to expand...
I will be getting paid mileage for wherever I have to go. It took 3 weeks to hear back after the background check, but there was some miscommunication that delayed it. The next step was meeting and signing all the paperwork and then I'll start training soon. As for the schedule, I don't know yet. I'll be working every third weekend currently.
 
sl0888 said:
I will be getting paid mileage for wherever I have to go. It took 3 weeks to hear back after the background check, but there was some miscommunication that delayed it. The next step was meeting and signing all the paperwork and then I'll start training soon. As for the schedule, I don't know yet. I'll be working every third weekend currently.
Click to expand...

Congratulations, and thank you for your help.
 
Dunno where you're at but staffing is as tight here as it is with the other chains
 
Here is the policy regarding mileage: Let’s say the distance btw your home (the address company has on file) and your home store is 10 miles. So if you work in the store other than your home store, you will only get paid for the mileage if that distance is greater than 10 miles. I can’t submit mileage is I am working at store which is 8 miles away from my house. Also if the drive to other store is 20 miles, then I will only get paid for 20-10 = 10 miles. You are to subtract the driving distance from home to home store from the driving distance to the store you are floating. Make sure you follow the policy and don’t submit wrong mileage. They have been keeping a watch lately.
 
sl0888 said:
I'm seriously thinking about accepting a Walmart offer. The offer is for a full time hourly position between two stores. I have a few questions before I give an absolute answer. If anyone has any experience with Walmart please provide your opinion.

1. What are some pros and cons of Walmart?
I was a PIC at a Walmart pharmacy outside of Richmond VA. It was the busiest store in the area. PROS: 1) Walmart keeps salaries competitive for both pharmacists and techs and unlike the other chains all pharmacists make roughly the same. When I was at CVS I worked with a pharmacist who had been with them for 20 years who was making 20 bucks an hour less than me. 2) If you work hard and increase the pharmacy volume you can get a very very big annual bonus. 4) Although you can't put very much into your 401K their account is managed extraordinarily well. I am still reaping the benefits. 5) You can buy stock with them and that does amazingly well. 6) You rarely get paid overtime because you rarely work overtime. 5) You can hire OTC staff and pharmacy staff from within or de novo. I was able to keep excellent technicians. 6) I learned a lot about running a business, labor laws, and how Walmart became and remains successful. 7) Their pharmacy cmputer app is without a doubt the safest and best there is. 8) They never put their pharmacists or techs neck on the line by keeping everything above board legally. At first it may seem kind of micromanaged until you realize that they have 50 state laws they follow. 8) They make it very clear what they will fire you for so no surprises there. 9) They close during lunch when there is one pharmacist on duty.

CONS: 1) You are part of the store so if you are PIC you have to attend a lot of manager meetings...sometimes ad nauseum. 2) PIC has a lot of monthly paperwork to do...it does get easier 3) Because not many employees utilize the 401K your retirement investments are extrememly limited. 4) They are a rules driven company....don't break them. 5) Like every other pharmacy/company/business the harder you work the harder they work you.

2. What is full time for an hourly employee? What is the minimum # of hours I would work per week? You will have to ask them but i think it is 38 -44 hrs a week. The PIC/Pharmacy Manager works with the pharmacist staff and establishes a 2 week schedule. You may want to work 60 hours one week and 20 the second and if that is ok with your PM than you can do it. All positions in pharmacy are hourly and a salary only guarantees you 80 hrs of work a pay period. You will probably have that and they are ok with you covering at another store or swapping coverage with the pharmacists at other stores. You have to find out how your DM stands on that.

3. How secure should I feel with an hourly job?
Click to expand...
sl0888 said:
I'm seriously thinking about accepting a Walmart offer. The offer is for a full time hourly position between two stores. I have a few questions before I give an absolute answer. If anyone has any experience with Walmart please provide your opinion.
Perfectly secure although I don't have the skinny on how the health care law has effected them.. Wal-mart isn't going anywhere. They are a reputable corporation that stomachs well lots of liberal yellow journalism. Like I said, if you follow the rules you will have your job as long as you want. I left because of my DM but I also wanted to try my hand at hospital pharmacy. Since that time I relocated and tried to get rehired at Walmart in the DC area. The problem here is that the area is saturated with foreign pharmacists who will work for 40 bucks an hour. I work in community now though and definitely like it better regardless of the lack of benefits. I like the flexibility that small business has to offer.

My advice is to take a position with them. You may or may not end up with the same company for all of your professional life but it is good to start at a company who keeps the "bar" good and high. You will learn what you can reasonably expect from your employer and they reasonably expect from you. Keep your fingers crossed you have a decent DM. They are really the ones that make your job tolerable or not.

Hope this helps and good luck!
Click to expand...
 
Tiger Wong said:
Walmart is the place to be in current retail world. They provide you maximum help (enough tech hours and rph overlap if the store is busy). The only con that I can think of with Walmart (which is a major one) is the number of errors you are allowed to make. If you make more than 3 qualifying errors (wrong patient/ medication/ strength/ direction) in a rolling year, then you go to care-class. After going into care-class, you can only make 2 or less errors in a rolling year. If you make more than 2 errors, they will re-evaluate your position and it can result into termination. I am sure you will get into trouble for making excessive errors at Wag/ CVS as well but requirement for that seems to be much higher than just 3 errors per year. Another problem I have found with this rule is pharmacist working in a store doing 800 a day have the same liability as the person working in a store doing 150 a day. I mean how is it fair?? Sure store doing 800 a day will have more staffing but still the opportunities for error are undeniably higher in that environment.

Other than this policy, I don't have anything negative to say about the company. The benefits are great and they treat their associates fairly well.
Click to expand...

I forgot about that policy, although all chains will and can fire you for errors. The other chains keep their legal department accounts separate so money that is paid out to plaintiff's doesn't come from pharmacy overhead. Wal-mart has one pocket AND since public conception is that they have tons of money their litigation expenses are horrendously high. If you make too many errors you are a liability. Definitely discourages reporting them. Also important to note they don't go on witch hunts to try to find any errors made like CVS has been known to do when they want to fire the pharmacist or tech.
 
asian pharm said:
"Love in a union state"? What do you mean?
Click to expand...

If a state has adopted a Right to Work law it means that labor unions are prohibited from making contracts with employers/companies/corporations or contracts between employers and unions. If you are in a state with a Right to Work statute this means you do not have to join a labor union or pay their membership dues in order to get the job protection awarded you anyway via federal law. In some states union agreements with employers can keep you from being hired unless you join the union.
 
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