Walgreens vs. CVS

[utpharmdude]

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Hi, I have been offered summer internships for Walgreens and CVS and I am lost on where I should do my summer internships. If you can post some Pros and Cons of both companies, that would help me out alot. I am trying to find a company where I can stay long-term. Thanks!

 

[Psychoanalyzed]

Hi, I have been offered summer internships for Walgreens and CVS and I am lost on where I should do my summer internships. If you can post some Pros and Cons of both companies, that would help me out alot. I am trying to find a company where I can stay long-term. Thanks!

I worked in riteaid for a bit and we hated CVS and anything to do with them so I am going to say Walgreens. But to be sincere, in the pharmacy business, I think CVS will offer you a better insight. Its broader...i.e. good and bad qualities...stuff that you need to learn. In a way, walgreens is still a baby but in a good way. In CVS, you can learn what not to do...as well as what to do about what not to do. In walgreens, you only learn what to do......I don't know if that helps...but my pharmacist boss always said walgreens had way less psycho customers and was kinda boring. But that could have just been the store he worked at.....

 

[imkim01]

Don't know much about CVS but have worked at Walgreens for one and a half year as a tech. My store is one of the busiest stores in the district, so I was able to experience every possible things that can possibly occur in a retail pharmacy setting in a very short period time. I don't think Walgreens or any particular retails have less psycho customers than others but it just depends on the area. Company matters a little bit but pharmacists and techs make the pharmacy a good/bad place to work for.

Anyways, pros for Walgreens...

1. Have excellent computer system.
2. A big portion of the managements are formal pharmacists.

Cons for Walgreens...

1. Implement a lot of crazy things (e.g. Drive-thru creator... personally hate the drive-thru with all of my heart)
2. Monitor every bit of your performance.

A last word of advice.... they are all about the same; retail is retail... just work for a place where you feel more comfortable... In other words, follow your gut feeling...

 

[dgroulx]

I did my first summer internship at Eckerds/CVS and my second internship at Walgreens. I wanted to see operations at both the major chains and compare them.

Walgreens has a true internship program with corporate meetings, projects to work on, as well as normal tech work. This program has been around for a while. CVS told me during a career fair that they are going to start a true internship program this year. Before that, they just threw you to the wolves.

Doing the actual tech work was the same between both chains. They both had high volume, drive throughs, screaming customers, etc.

When you become a pharmacist, they are a little different. Walgreens has 8 hour days, so you'll be working 5 days per week. CVS has 10 hour days, so you work 4 days per week and it's easier to pick up extra work. CVS will also place you at a store immediately upon graduation. Walgreens makes you be a floater for 6 months first.

Both companies do 401K matching, but Walgreens has a better stock option plan. You get employee discounts at both stores, which helps on things like toothpaste, deoderant, etc. Those little things add up.

Both companies offer tuition assistance, but CVS gives you more money. It was 5K per year last time I checked. I didn't do this, because I wasn't ready to lock myself into a company.

 

[highlyfavored]

I did my first summer internship at Eckerds/CVS and my second internship at Walgreens. I wanted to see operations at both the major chains and compare them.

Walgreens has a true internship program with corporate meetings, projects to work on, as well as normal tech work. This program has been around for a while. CVS told me during a career fair that they are going to start a true internship program this year. Before that, they just threw you to the wolves.

Doing the actual tech work was the same between both chains. They both had high volume, drive throughs, screaming customers, etc.

When you become a pharmacist, they are a little different. Walgreens has 8 hour days, so you'll be working 5 days per week. CVS has 10 hour days, so you work 4 days per week and it's easier to pick up extra work. CVS will also place you at a store immediately upon graduation. Walgreens makes you be a floater for 6 months first.

Both companies do 401K matching, but Walgreens has a better stock option plan. You get employee discounts at both stores, which helps on things like toothpaste, deoderant, etc. Those little things add up.

Both companies offer tuition assistance, but CVS gives you more money. It was 5K per year last time I checked. I didn't do this, because I wasn't ready to lock myself into a company.

So, if you are a pharm student is there a difference between what you do and what the techs are doing? Do pharm students get the intern license for more pay or do they have to work under this license in order to count those hrs towards getting their pharm license? How did you feel about having to do projects? With pharm school being so intense, I would think it would be aggravating to not even get a break in the summer from doing projects.

 

[dgroulx]

So, if you are a pharm student is there a difference between what you do and what the techs are doing? Do pharm students get the intern license for more pay or do they have to work under this license in order to count those hrs towards getting their pharm license? How did you feel about having to do projects? With pharm school being so intense, I would think it would be aggravating to not even get a break in the summer from doing projects.

A lot depends on your state laws. In Florida, as an intern I can perform all the duties of a pharmacist except the final check. Sometimes, they let me do it under the pharmacist's supervision, anyway. I do get paid more than a tech. I don't have to count the hours because I meet the state requirements through UF's program.

I enjoyed the projects. They were different than those from school. We learned how to perform various managment tasks specific to Walgreens. I was getting paid to do it, too. It was something to do instead of counting pills or working the register.