walgreens: salary versus hourly ARKANSAS

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

bigpilllilpill

Membership Revoked
Removed
Joined
Apr 17, 2022
Messages
45
Reaction score
11
Hi, I was wondering if anyone knows if Walgreens pays hourly or salary in Arkansas?
Around how many hours/week can I expect to get with full-time status?
What is the hourly rate? I have 3 years of pharmacy experience at CVS; 1.5 years as an intern and another 1.5 years as a pharmacist.
I heard of Walgreens pharmacists having to work 16 hours days in Arkansas?

Members don't see this ad.
 
Last edited:
Hi, I was wondering if anyone knows if Walgreens pays hourly or salary in Arkansas?
Around how many hours/week can I expect to get with full-time status?
What is the hourly rate? I have 3 years of pharmacy experience at CVS; 1.5 years as an intern and another 1.5 years as a pharmacist.
I heard of pharmacists having to work 16 hours days in Arkansas?
No idea about any of the above . However, with an hourly position, any hours worked over 40 per week you’d get paid time and a half . So if you start off at $55 per hour, once you exceed 40 hours for the week, you’ll start making $82.50 an hour . In terms of cvs pharmacists working 16 hours a day I’ve never heard that but if that is true it should be illegal . 12-14 hours tops .
 
No idea about any of the above . However, with an hourly position, any hours worked over 40 per week you’d get paid time and a half . So if you start off at $55 per hour, once you exceed 40 hours for the week, you’ll start making $82.50 an hour . In terms of cvs pharmacists working 16 hours a day I’ve never heard that but if that is true it should be illegal . 12-14 hours tops .
No I meant to say Walgreens pharmacists are working 16 hours a day in Arkansas.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I know Wags has been feeling some heat from the Arkansas BoP due to staffing so you may be able to benefit from this.
oh yes i heard about this. that the board said they will close them down. i dont know if this is a good thing or not because they might just close all the walgreens pharmacies in Arkansas, that's what im worried about
 
Last edited:
Whatever the worst possible scenario is - as far as work conditions go - is what you can reasonably expect here.

Good luck…. Don’t expect much other than the worst
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Whatever the worst possible scenario is - as far as work conditions go - is what you can reasonably expect here.

Good luck…. Don’t expect much other than the worst
i worked at CVS. it's probably the same.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
The pay is excellent. No patients to deal with.

This is a good point - but it goes way beyond that. He just hasn’t figured it out yet.

“Why would I do that” - I will let you answer that question for yourself in a few years. It won’t take long.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
oh yes i heard about this. that the board said they will close them down. i dont know if this is a good thing or not because they might just close all the walgreens pharmacies in Arkansas, that's what im worried about
so I am curious - in one breath I hear these stories of retail places not being able to find rph staff, and then the next thread is another new grad not finding work, or only part time, or a super low rate, etc. What are these other new grads doing? Are people just refusing to take a bad job at a low rate and would prefer to be unemployed? I mean, I like to hear the coprorate places being in trouble in hopes that makes them increase their rates to get workers, I just wonder how widespread it is.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
so I am curious - in one breath I hear these stories of retail places not being able to find rph staff, and then the next thread is another new grad not finding work, or only part time, or a super low rate, etc. What are these other new grads doing? Are people just refusing to take a bad job at a low rate and would prefer to be unemployed? I mean, I like to hear the coprorate places being in trouble in hopes that makes them increase their rates to get workers, I just wonder how widespread it is.
I've been wondering the same thing. My DM told me the other day that he's just hiring everyone who applies.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Excellent? No patients but it has more than its fair share of headaches.

This is true - I mostly just bring up truck driving in jest.

I hear the the drive is good, But it’s the “in between” when they unload and reload. Apparently it’s a nightmare. But certainly way better than having a que of 15 waiters, 30 new Rx, 100 refills, 20 insurance rejects, and 5 angry mothers that think you are terrible for making them wait for their children's life saving antibiotics. And, of course, in the middle of all of this someone pulls up to the drive through screaming at you because you won’t fill controlled early.

Then, we get to top it all off at the end of the day with the conversation with the store manager about how we can do better toMorrow.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
This is true - I mostly just bring up truck driving in jest.

I hear the the drive is good, But it’s the “in between” when they unload and reload. Apparently it’s a nightmare. But certainly way better than having a que of 15 waiters, 30 new Rx, 100 refills, 20 insurance rejects, and 5 angry mothers that think you are terrible for making them wait for their children's life saving antibiotics. And, of course, in the middle of all of this someone pulls up to the drive through screaming at you because you won’t fill controlled early.

Then, we get to top it all off at the end of the day with the conversation with the store manager about how we can do better toMorrow.
And no 170 k in student loan debt.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
so I am curious - in one breath I hear these stories of retail places not being able to find rph staff, and then the next thread is another new grad not finding work, or only part time, or a super low rate, etc. What are these other new grads doing? Are people just refusing to take a bad job at a low rate and would prefer to be unemployed? I mean, I like to hear the coprorate places being in trouble in hopes that makes them increase their rates to get workers, I just wonder how widespread it is.
These aren’t just stories . These are facts . If you read online, you’ll also find plenty of articles describing the mass exodus of retail pharmacists nationwide . From a personal standpoint, I live in south Florida and we have more “happy and healthy “ locations down here than anywhere else in the country . I just left my company to work from home but I have never seen how chaotic the company has become with store closures prevalent on a daily basis , reduced hours , lack of predictability whether the pharmacy will be open or not , and just the number of pharmacists gone . I get text messages from DMs almost every day practically begging me to work and asking to even come in for a few hours (if the pharmacy is open 9 to 9, can I come in 10 to 4? Anything is fine I’m told ). The company at this point reeks of desperation . Our scheduler of nearly 2.5 decades has left and even the healthcare supervisor also left within the days . One store I’ve floated at in the past has been closed for 3 days . All the pharmacists who I’ve known for almost 10 years or who have been around 15 or more years are also out . And now I am out too because I just left about a week ago . So, what you are reading or hearing is absolutely true . Even the new grads get hired , stay on 2-3 months, and then leave . Here’s the part I truly don’t get : what kind of corporation doesn’t make a move to retain its remaining personnel or attract new ones ? Most American companies start to offer incentives , increases in salary , etc but happy and healthy has done nothing at all . It’s very scary . It’s as if they want to sink . They’ve made huge amounts of money over the course of the pandemic but with all these store closures, lack of staff , honestly, they are probably beginning to take a hit to their bottom line . It’s very simple : either do something , raise wages, better working conditions , or expect the worst and for things to deteriorate further . The company is now the lowest paying for pharmacists. When I resigned , I had not only the DM call me (which is more expected ), but also had the healthcare supervisor contact me . Are they really surprised ? This company has become too arrogant and their strategy is just not working as they are continuing to lose personnel left and right to CVS, Publix , work from home , hospitals , etc . Do not doubt what you hear - it is all true . The person you cite who does not find a job perhaps is not willing to take a low ball offer . Remember this period of time is the great resignation and millions have left jobs for better opportunities which inspire , appreciate, and motivate . This is now an employees market and employers will have to either get in line and submit to reasonable employee expectations or keep their positions vacant . Remember - employees don’t care one iota about your millions/billion dollar enterprise- they are commoners who have families to support , bills to pay, and a life to live and enjoy . No one cares about company missions or all that mumbo jumbo when people just need to survive . Too much bs from employers these days . Even interviews are basically a lie . People are there to put in their time and go live life . Employers should at least make the time tolerable and the big chains have forgotten they need us as pharmacists more than we need them .
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
This is true - I mostly just bring up truck driving in jest.

I hear the the drive is good, But it’s the “in between” when they unload and reload. Apparently it’s a nightmare. But certainly way better than having a que of 15 waiters, 30 new Rx, 100 refills, 20 insurance rejects, and 5 angry mothers that think you are terrible for making them wait for their children's life saving antibiotics. And, of course, in the middle of all of this someone pulls up to the drive through screaming at you because you won’t fill controlled early.

Then, we get to top it all off at the end of the day with the conversation with the store manager about how we can do better toMorrow.
Depends on what you're looking for in a job I guess. Long haul trucking is where you seem to actually start making decent money but it's definitely not worth the health/safety/family tradeoffs that come from living out of truck stops so frequently.

Then like you said, sitting for hours without getting paid while you're waiting to load/unload? No thanks
 
And no 170 k in student loan debt.
Shady loans exist there too. If you can rationalize 170k for a PharmD you're probably not too far away from rationalizing buying your own truck+trailer for about the same and becoming an owner operator.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: 1 user
These aren’t just stories . These are facts . If you read online, you’ll also find plenty of articles describing the mass exodus of retail pharmacists nationwide . From a personal standpoint, I live in south Florida and we have more “happy and healthy “ locations down here than anywhere else in the country . I just left my company to work from home but I have never seen how chaotic the company has become with store closures prevalent on a daily basis , reduced hours , lack of predictability whether the pharmacy will be open or not , and just the number of pharmacists gone . I get text messages from DMs almost every day practically begging me to work and asking to even come in for a few hours (if the pharmacy is open 9 to 9, can I come in 10 to 4? Anything is fine I’m told ). The company at this point reeks of desperation . Our scheduler of nearly 2.5 decades has left and even the healthcare supervisor also left within the days . One store I’ve floated at in the past has been closed for 3 days . All the pharmacists who I’ve known for almost 10 years or who have been around 15 or more years are also out . And now I am out too because I just left about a week ago . So, what you are reading or hearing is absolutely true . Even the new grads get hired , stay on 2-3 months, and then leave . Here’s the part I truly don’t get : what kind of corporation doesn’t make a move to retain its remaining personnel or attract new ones ? Most American companies start to offer incentives , increases in salary , etc but happy and healthy has done nothing at all . It’s very scary . It’s as if they want to sink . They’ve made huge amounts of money over the course of the pandemic but with all these store closures, lack of staff , honestly, they are probably beginning to take a hit to their bottom line . It’s very simple : either do something , raise wages, better working conditions , or expect the worst and for things to deteriorate further . The company is now the lowest paying for pharmacists. When I resigned , I had not only the DM call me (which is more expected ), but also had the healthcare supervisor contact me . Are they really surprised ? This company has become too arrogant and their strategy is just not working as they are continuing to lose personnel left and right to CVS, Publix , work from home , hospitals , etc . Do not doubt what you hear - it is all true . The person you cite who does not find a job perhaps is not willing to take a low ball offer . Remember this period of time is the great resignation and millions have left jobs for better opportunities which inspire , appreciate, and motivate . This is now an employees market and employers will have to either get in line and submit to reasonable employee expectations or keep their positions vacant . Remember - employees don’t care one iota about your millions/billion dollar enterprise- they are commoners who have families to support , bills to pay, and a life to live and enjoy . No one cares about company missions or all that mumbo jumbo when people just need to survive . Too much bs from employers these days . Even interviews are basically a lie . People are there to put in their time and go live life . Employers should at least make the time tolerable and the big chains have forgotten they need us as pharmacists more than we need them .
My response when the DM
Would call me.

 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Sounds like a business opportunity to me.
you think, like how should i play it? should i ask to be paid more money? i was get $60/hr at the CVS in los angeles. i was hoping to make $61 with 3 years of experience under my belt. 1.5 as an intern and other 1.5 as a pharmacist
 
Last edited:
you think, like how should i play it? should i ask to be paid more money? i was get $60/hr at the CVS in los angeles. i was hoping to make $61 with 3 years of experience under my belt. 1.5 as an intern and other 1.5 as a pharmacist
They only paid you $60 in LA? Like, the LA? Not Lower Alabama?

Yeah, I'd ask for higher pay. Can't hurt.
 
Duplicate thread - Locking this one up but you can keep following the discussion here:

 
  • Dislike
Reactions: 1 user
I'm going to bump this thread and send an update -

I went ahead and merged the two threads in the separate forums into one location. Typically, I would lock one, leave one open, and immediately merge the two to keep the relevant information in one place (I did this in between my schedule today and should've merged it quickly rather than wait later in the day and sending a redirect). For those who gave the heads-up, much appreciated.

To the OP (and lurkers), please no duplicates ---- good information deserves one location (unless you wish to rely on my fast-stealth mode :cool:)
 
These aren’t just stories . These are facts . If you read online, you’ll also find plenty of articles describing the mass exodus of retail pharmacists nationwide . From a personal standpoint, I live in south Florida and we have more “happy and healthy “ locations down here than anywhere else in the country . I just left my company to work from home but I have never seen how chaotic the company has become with store closures prevalent on a daily basis , reduced hours , lack of predictability whether the pharmacy will be open or not , and just the number of pharmacists gone . I get text messages from DMs almost every day practically begging me to work and asking to even come in for a few hours (if the pharmacy is open 9 to 9, can I come in 10 to 4? Anything is fine I’m told ). The company at this point reeks of desperation . Our scheduler of nearly 2.5 decades has left and even the healthcare supervisor also left within the days . One store I’ve floated at in the past has been closed for 3 days . All the pharmacists who I’ve known for almost 10 years or who have been around 15 or more years are also out . And now I am out too because I just left about a week ago . So, what you are reading or hearing is absolutely true . Even the new grads get hired , stay on 2-3 months, and then leave . Here’s the part I truly don’t get : what kind of corporation doesn’t make a move to retain its remaining personnel or attract new ones ? Most American companies start to offer incentives , increases in salary , etc but happy and healthy has done nothing at all . It’s very scary . It’s as if they want to sink . They’ve made huge amounts of money over the course of the pandemic but with all these store closures, lack of staff , honestly, they are probably beginning to take a hit to their bottom line . It’s very simple : either do something , raise wages, better working conditions , or expect the worst and for things to deteriorate further . The company is now the lowest paying for pharmacists. When I resigned , I had not only the DM call me (which is more expected ), but also had the healthcare supervisor contact me . Are they really surprised ? This company has become too arrogant and their strategy is just not working as they are continuing to lose personnel left and right to CVS, Publix , work from home , hospitals , etc . Do not doubt what you hear - it is all true . The person you cite who does not find a job perhaps is not willing to take a low ball offer . Remember this period of time is the great resignation and millions have left jobs for better opportunities which inspire , appreciate, and motivate . This is now an employees market and employers will have to either get in line and submit to reasonable employee expectations or keep their positions vacant . Remember - employees don’t care one iota about your millions/billion dollar enterprise- they are commoners who have families to support , bills to pay, and a life to live and enjoy . No one cares about company missions or all that mumbo jumbo when people just need to survive . Too much bs from employers these days . Even interviews are basically a lie . People are there to put in their time and go live life . Employers should at least make the time tolerable and the big chains have forgotten they need us as pharmacists more than we need them .

Are people really leaving Wags for CVS? They're one in the same.
 
I have 3 years of pharmacy experience at CVS; 1.5 years as an intern and another 1.5 years as a pharmacist.

No one will care about your 1.5 years intern experience. I wouldn't even put that on my resume. They only care about how much pharmacist experience you have.
 
I'm going to bump this thread and send an update -

I went ahead and merged the two threads in the separate forums into one location. Typically, I would lock one, leave one open, and immediately merge the two to keep the relevant information in one place (I did this in between my schedule today and should've merged it quickly rather than wait later in the day and sending a redirect). For those who gave the heads-up, much appreciated.

To the OP (and lurkers), please no duplicates ---- good information deserves one location (unless you wish to rely on my fast-stealth mode :cool:)
thank you
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
They only paid you $60 in LA? Like, the LA? Not Lower Alabama?

Yeah, I'd ask for higher pay. Can't hurt.
$60 in Los Angeles, the year after me it went down to $57
i hope to make at least $60 at wags in Arkansas. im just worried about asking cause I don't wanna seem like a demanding person
 
No one will care about your 1.5 years intern experience. I wouldn't even put that on my resume. They only care about how much pharmacist experience you have.
i did about 1500 hours in those 1.5 years and i put it on my resume that i worked that much
 
how do you go about asking for a higher pay
It sounds like you have leverage. It depends on how you want to approach it. I'd just tell them that I need paid more. Inflation is 8% and $60/hr is like getting paid $53/hr last year. You need more. They can say is no. Or absolute worst case scenario not hire you. But if the market is as bad as you say, you should be able to go elsewhere.
 
This is true - I mostly just bring up truck driving in jest.

I hear the the drive is good, But it’s the “in between” when they unload and reload. Apparently it’s a nightmare. But certainly way better than having a que of 15 waiters, 30 new Rx, 100 refills, 20 insurance rejects, and 5 angry mothers that think you are terrible for making them wait for their children's life saving antibiotics. And, of course, in the middle of all of this someone pulls up to the drive through screaming at you because you won’t fill controlled early.

Then, we get to top it all off at the end of the day with the conversation with the store manager about how we can do better toMorrow.
you forgot to add walk-in vaccines . we get a lot of walk-ins out of nowhere sometimes for a triple slam: mmr, chicken pox, and Tdap. more common are the shingles walk-ins.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
people who are just leaving retail for "work from home" wtf jobs are you getting?

are the working conditions that bad/worse than before? or are people just realizing retail life sucks compared to their friends' and family's 9-5, no weekends wfh jobs? i kind of think my job is a little fun still...but going in so many weekends and evenings and surrounding holidays is a bunch of BS compared to most people's work/life balance. i think my retail job would be perfectly fine, and let's admit EASY, if i could get more weekends off and more time around the holidays. let's face it, most people don't work the entire week of thanksgiving and the time between christmas and new years. basically HEALTH CARE sucks, and definitely retail when you add on top of that is just the icing on the cake. because your friends and family are out there living their lives but we get confused grandma to deal every black friday weekend.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Shady loans exist there too. If you can rationalize 170k for a PharmD you're probably not too far away from rationalizing buying your own truck+trailer for about the same and becoming an owner operator.
Don't forget seven years of education and the opportunity costs with that
 
these comments are very off-topic, im surprised

Those of us that are left on SDN - after the mass migration out to Reddit - are somewhat, “off”.

In any case - your one of us now so just give it a few years and you’ll loose your mind too. Especially if you do business with the devil (Wags).

Welcome to the club - apparently the motto is that there is always room for one more in pharmacy (as long as you qualify for federal loans)…
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Top