u/LittleReadingGirl

Any advice is appreciated. My hours have been dwindling or unreliable for at least 6 months now. I know all Wags go through a seasonal "drought" until corp designs to give us more hours in autumn, but it seems like so much more than that by now.

At my home store, a tier 5, the chain of command is an utter disaster, so I'm getting a lot of conflicting information as well.

The people involved include:

Myself, a certified pharmacy tech

Current RXOM

Former RXOM who is officially only a senior tech now

Store Manger

Head pharmacist

My schedule is currently blank for the 1st week of July (in 2 days), and shows a single 5-hr shift the week after. When I texted CRXOM about it, she said "talk to FRXOM" who does the scheduling. OK fine. No problem.

I text FRXOM, and she says SM 'finalizes' the schedule, so to talk with him. OK. This store goes over hours budget regularly, so fine. No problem.

I text AND speak to SM in person while ago and he says, "FRXOM is in charge of the schedule." He reminds me that "immunizations drive the business" which I've been told over a billion times at this point. We've even had a 'specialist' imported to this store whose only job is to sell vaccines. This person, BTW, isn't an immunizer. She sells pts on the vaccines. That's it.

So, I've tried my best to be a used car salesman. Genuinely engage w pts to inform them of the ease of usually free immunizations, sometimes the health benefits, etc etc etc.

There are still only a couple of techs who can drum up business.

But here's the thing. Unless I'm the single worst person at selling vaccines, I should still have at least SOME shifts.

Everyone else--from senior techs to new hires to DHs just learning how pharmacy things work--all of them get more hours than me.

When I finally told this to the Scheduling Trio today (while working at 2 other stores so I could have almost an 8 hour shift) and FRXOM said "You have picked up

A lot of shifts already at other stores."

As if the single day a week or pair of 3-hour shifts this week that I've managed to secure magically cover all my living expenses. So no need to schedule me at MY HOME STORE anymore! Or even communicate that to me, ever.

Now, I'm going to school 2 mornings a week and have an ongoing doctor's appointment one day per week due to my health, all of which I communicate to my employer as far in advance as I can.

The other stores I'm floating to make their schedules much further in advance, even if it's not 100% set in stone. I have done my best to keep everyone in the loop to keep from double booking myself. That happened one time, last week, because I took a shift at the other store and my home store scheduled me without my knowledge.

I check the ESS app daily, and nothing was posted when the other store asked me to cover a shift. So how can I keep things from overlapping if "my own people" don't tell me? I got a call and flurry of texts when I "didn't show up" and I was so anxious, I stepped away immediately and told them I was at the other location. I apologized for and miscommunication but I was already at the other store and they were short staffed.

None of the Scheduling Trio talked to me about it the next day when I worked at home store. The CRXOM just made a comment about "checking with them." To which I said I understood.

My family says they're trying to get me to quit by forcing me out, and as much as I respect and adore my head pharmacist and other coworkers, I don't think there's any other explanation I can come to anymore. The pharmacist has no control over the schedule there, which isn't how it used to be, but anyway...

I know my state is fire-at-will. I've been prepared for that, even, but what I can't deal with is being starved out until I "quit" and can't even collect unemployment until I find another job. I've been applying everywhere and have a potential lead but nothing concrete yet, and I can't leave until I have somewhere safe to land because, surprise surprise, I don't have enough savings to pay my bills while I do that.

I want to transfer so badly (or get another job altogether). I thought I could manage this BS until then, but i don't know what more to do. I know HR isn't on my side, and hiring a lawyer won't do any good.

I hate this. I'm angry and stressed and I don't deserve to be treated this way.

Title says it all. I adore quality gel pens. I also love gorgeous pen bodies. I need more retractable gel pens from my favorite brands (Zebra Sarasa, Pilot Precise, Four Candies) with exterior designs THIS breathtaking. They are works of art.

https://preview.redd.it/e0q4jkeoow8h1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=263085dae510beda890bba09b0460d0e55fc0369

https://preview.redd.it/a5szz6frow8h1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=817ef360dc7ed3b269155bc25c7291b98d2037af

https://preview.redd.it/00cxbyzxow8h1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=ea1699e72ddfa9d7af4b75a26f6286e40db0794d

Damn you, Jet Pens. My heart and wallet will never see eye-to-eye lmao.

It is truly mind-boggling when grown adults will show up right before close, or AFTER closing hours, and act shocked to their very core that no, sir or madam, we can't still get you your drugs.

Even if you or your SO/sibling/child/neighbor/pet "will die without it." I cannot physically, legally, do anything.

I had a man stop me in the parking lot tonight for this. All I could do was suggest he call the 24 hour store nearby to see if they could transfer it. "Can you call them?"

SIR, I AM OFF WORK. I NEED TO GO HOME BEFORE I TAKE A TOASTER BATH.

Credit to Otakus Anonymous for this question. I loved the discussion it sparked, so I wanted to hear what others had to say on the topic.

In your opinion, who is the best/most memorable Starter Villain--the first character to act as a major obstacle for the hero to overcome--in a battle shounen or shoujo series?

• For Naruto, I'd say Zabuza occupies this role, and I think he does a fine job of establishing a sense of danger, expanding on the power systems within the world, as well as highlighting Kakashi as a formidable ally. Through his backstory, we even get a glimpse into the greater ninja world with its complex, often controversial wartime politics. At that point, I had zero expectation that that kind of depth would be even a remote possibility in a story about candy-colored ninja doing magic.
• Bleach, arguably, gives us an even stronger starter villain* in Byakuya Kuchiki. For the first time, we witness Ichigo fail catastrophically, not only in his attempts to best Byakuya, but also in trying to prevent Rukia's abduction. Plus, Byakuya's introduction segues into one of the strongest arcs in the entire series.
• Puella Magi Madoka Magica has the witch Charlotte.
• My Hero Academia is an interesting example because while it does introduce us to Tomura Shiguraki--its main villain--at the same time, I'd consider the Nomu to be a better example of this trope.
• With Witch Hat Atelier, its starter villain is a freakin' dragon.
• Kuroko's Basket has Kisei from the Generation of Miracles.
• Shaman King has Faust*.
• Dragonball Z established its high stakes with Raditz, who, while hardly memorable in the long-run, did set in motion a ton of crucial character dynamics: Goku's sacrifice, Piccolo fighting on the side of good AND taking Gohan under his wing, the existence of other Seiyans like Goku, and the impending arrival of others.
• Fullmetal Alchemist cemented its central themes of religion, philosophy/alchemy, and the brothers' quest for redemption with Father Cornello.
• The first villain to pose any kind of legitimate obstacle in InuYasha would be Yura of the Hair.
• For Sailor Moon, it was Jadeite.
• Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann gave us Viral*.

*I am counting characters who began the series as villains or antagonists, who later became allies.

My brain has run out of steam, so please forgive the uneven distribution of info for each entry. I'm mostly going off of memory.

I (36f) have already started submitting my resume, and am in the process of consulting with job placement agencies. It's at once liberating and depressing; I've given this a great deal of thought for such a long time. On the one hand, it's a tremendously difficult decision because I love the work itself, my coworkers, immediate bosses, and the vast majority of our patients are great. On the other hand, when I compare that to the absolutely titanic stress, insufficient pay, perpetual lack of hours, and ever-expanding list of responsibilities--I can't justify staying any longer.

I've been with the company for over 6 years, and I've learned so much in my time. I've always taken great pride in doing any job to the best of my ability. I enjoy learning, and I fell in love with the medical field thanks to being a pharmacy tech (something I never expected or planned to be). Nowadays, even though I'm good at what I do and feel confident in the routine, there's a constant struggle to get enough hours to even pay for my basic living expenses, let alone eliminate credit card debt and save for a vacation.

I'm going back to school in June for my degree as an OTA, so I know where I'm going to land long-term. It's terrifying and nerve-wracking to come to this decision, but I have to look out for my physical and financial well-being. I feel so burnt out, frustrated, and disappointed. If the company culture hadn't deteriorated to this rotten state, I would've happily stayed for much longer, but I can no longer excuse the wage ceiling, the unreliable hours, or the way corporate is constantly criticizing and moving the goal-post, expecting a skeleton crew to do the work of a hundred people, all the while hounding us to get more vaccines. Because--apparently--the business model has become so broken, RXs actually lose them money once all is said and done with insurance reimbursements. This is absolutely mindboggling to me, seeing as the company started solely as a pharmacy, and it's already shouldering the lion's share of the supposed profits compared to the front-end sales.

I honestly don't expect W*lgreens to be in business in another few years, with the way they choose to run things compared to even a decade ago. The string of poor investments, the costly legal missteps, and yet they seem to see no issue with underpaying, understaffing, and overloading the staff they do have to de*th.