Staff pharmacist CVS or salaried exempt at Wags

[dpharmacist]

So, I have a question here. Seems like walgreens is offering 32hr as full time for new grads. I am trying to compare between being a salaried exempt at 32hr a week for wags or staff pharmacist for CVS at 40hrs a week. The overall annaul salary difference is huge (obviously ) and more because of the number of hrs than the hourly rate. Wags is probably paying a $1 less than CVS on an hrly basis. How does this exempt thing work? I understand that we do not get paid OT if we work more than 32hrs but get paid at the same hourly rate..are are we gauranteed extra hours or even the 32hrs that are promised. This is a difficult choice! And being a new graduate I am still trying to understand the pay scales.

Thanks for any help!

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[bobanderson214]

I think at CVS you're expected to work 42-44 hours/week for your salary. So per hour you probably make less than Walgreens.

Also, I've heard its very easy to pick up extra shifts to get to 40 hours at Walgreens if you want.

 

[zelman]

Exempt just means that labor laws do not apply to you. They are the same jobs with a different number of weekly hours.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

What Zel said... same job... they usually split it down to an hourly basis and pay you hourly. I would take the 40 guarantee hours.

 

[farmadiazepine]

If you want hours, and more than 40 hours per week, go with CVS. They will give you as many hours as you physically and mentally can handle and will give you 10 times more than that.

Walgreens will not give OT.

This is true for the Northern NJ, NYC, NY/Long Island areas

 

[Dred Pirate]

If you want hours, and more than 40 hours per week, go with CVS. They will give you as many hours as you physically and mentally can handle and will give you 10 times more than that.

Walgreens will not give OT.

This is true for the Northern NJ, NYC, NY/Long Island areas

Not true for North Carolina- I used to moonlight for them - 6 years ago I got all the hours I wanted, then they started dwindling - when I quit 3 years ago, I could not even count on 1 extra shift a month- not worth my time then

 

[john888]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but how exactly do hours/pay (for a new grad) work at a big chain like CVS?

It sounds like you would be salaried, and would work ~40-45 hrs/wk? If you are salaried, does that mean that they can make you work more hours than this without OT pay?

Also, what are shifts like at a CVS? I'm sure it varies, but generally 10-12 hrs I imagine? I was initially worried about working 12hr shifts 5 days/wk or something, but if you only work 40hrs or so, then it doesn't sound so bad. Either shorter shifts or less days of work per wk, right?

I'll be graduating very soon and I'm still searching for a position. Was initially looking into hospital, but after receiving no responses to my applications I'm shifting focus to retail. CVS seems to be the only chain that currently has open positions listed in MA! Does it really deserve all the negative hype it receives?

Thanks!

 

[zelman]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but how exactly do hours/pay (for a new grad) work at a big chain like CVS?

It sounds like you would be salaried, and would work ~40-45 hrs/wk? If you are salaried, does that mean that they can make you work more hours than this without OT pay?

You are salaried according to your "base hours". If you have 40 base hours, you are regularly scheduled to work an average of 40 hours (maybe 35 one week and 45 the next or whatever). If you pick up an extra shift (your partner is on vacation, or another store has an open shift or whatever) you are paid a bonus based on the scheduled length of that shift. This is all leagalese gobbledygook to keep you from being an actual hourly employee. Because you are not hourly, you will not be paid for training or meetings.

Also, what are shifts like at a CVS? I'm sure it varies, but generally 10-12 hrs I imagine? I was initially worried about working 12hr shifts 5 days/wk or something, but if you only work 40hrs or so, then it doesn't sound so bad. Either shorter shifts or less days of work per wk, right?

Where I worked in NY, shifts were usually 13-14 hours. That is illegal in MA, so here most of my shifts are 4-10 hours

I'll be graduating very soon and I'm still searching for a position. Was initially looking into hospital, but after receiving no responses to my applications I'm shifting focus to retail. CVS seems to be the only chain that currently has open positions listed in MA! Does it really deserve all the negative hype it receives?

Thanks!

I believe that all chains are basically equally evil in a variety of flavors. Choose your poison.

 

[Dred Pirate]

You are salaried according to your "base hours". If you have 40 base hours, you are regularly scheduled to work an average of 40 hours (maybe 35 one week and 45 the next or whatever). If you pick up an extra shift (your partner is on vacation, or another store has an open shift or whatever) you are paid a bonus based on the scheduled length of that shift. This is all leagalese gobbledygook to keep you from being an actual hourly employee. Because you are not hourly, you will not be paid for training or meetings.



Where I worked in NY, shifts were usually 13-14 hours. That is illegal in MA, so here most of my shifts are 4-10 hours



I believe that all chains are basically equally evil in a variety of flavors. Choose your poison.

In NC they limit to 12 hours -

 

[diastole]

I see these stories about other states and realize how good we have it in California. Pharmacists are hourly. That means we can be fired for working off the clock. Training gets paid, meetings get paid, driving to meetings over a certain distance gets paid. We also get time and a half for anything over 8 hours in one day and double time for anything over 12. We also get paid for anything over 40 hours in a week even if we worked less the week before. We, by law, are required to take a lunch break of at least 30 minutes if we work more than 5 hours in a row so on my 13 hour day, I have to take two and I always leave the pharmacy. If we fail to do this properly, the "penalty" is an extra hour of pay. All of these rules really add up. I think I made around $40,000 in OT last year and I hardly picked up any extra days.

I keep getting postcards in the mail talking about openings in less desirable locations of California from some of the competitors so there are still jobs for people if they don't mind being away from the metro areas.

 

[gtpederson]

I keep getting postcards in the mail talking about openings in less desirable locations of California from some of the competitors so there are still jobs for people if they don't mind being away from the metro areas.

What locations, if you don't mind me asking?
I'm graduating next year and I don't really care where I end up, but my fiance would love to end up in California.