r/WalgreensPharmacy

guys i’m really trying hard to get a pharm tech job as i plan to become a pharmacist in the future and i want to get my foot in the door. The pharmd advisor for the school I wanna go to said that working a pharmacy job also looks good on a application but for some reason idk what’s going on every single walgreens location in my area that i applied too denied me and same with albertsons. i don’t rly want to waste money as i know these places help u become certified but im starting to feel discouraged

i’ve been working at walgreens for almost 7 months now and i have been getting slightly better, but insurance issues do still confuse me and im not very fast at filling. i am feeling very insecure since the pharmacy manager tells me to be faster and typically asks senior techs to “keep an eye out on me if i need help.” i wish i had the experience that my coworkers had so id stop bothering them. i would like to say that im definitely not the worst but there is some need for improvement, i know i’ll need to study more and ask questions but i just feel so nervous since i feel like a bother most of the time.

i never really get put on filling or to do deletes or ordering stuff so its hard to familiarize myself with how medications look. they seem to like me in drive thru since i have previous customer service experience (i used to work in fast food and i would get timed) so im somewhat fast there. i frequently get called in to come earlier or on my day off so im sure im helpful in a way but not helpful enough. most of the pharmacists are nice enough to explain insurance issues to me and deal with angry customers or they let me fill since i have to learn how to sooner or later but the pharmacy manager and another pharmacist who is not just mean to me, but every pharm tech can be very hard on me.

any other pharm techs that feel this way? im working more now so im sure i’ll get better, but is there any suggestions

there’s like 2 or 3 techs at my job who literally feel like they don’t have to do their full job description. There’s a girl who would work a 9am to 5pm and fill the whole entire time but that’s not the issue the issue is constant complaining while filling, she’ll complain about waiters, how many it is is to fill, and even complain if you print out new labels for the prescriptions you do have ready. it’s annoying and I can feel myself itching to say some real soon if the smart ass comments keep happening. my thing is it normal for stores not to rotate how they should be? or is it normal for someone to fill the whole entire shift? im jus kinda confused and see why ppl get burnt out when they throw you on a register every shift. ( I also started in December by the way, I can fill, do TPRs, pretty much everything, just seems im always getting stuck on a register when certain people are on the schedule)

Hey all!!

We got the lovely talks for our overlords about how we’re not allowed to have a no vaccine day and if we do… we have to write them an action plan for it. 🙄

So, I haven’t had to do that yet… but… would it be wrong of me to rebut and ask what their plan is to get us paid better by insurances for the everyday scripts we sell?

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.

Hi all,

I was just curious about anyone who was able to get hired onto Walgreens in the pharmacy with a misdemeanor on their background in CA. I have a wet reckless driving on my background but BOP cleared my license and I don’t have any probations. I’m thinking because my license is clear I should be fine? I finished my drug test already so this is just the last step. This is also for the pharmacist role.

Thanks !

Has anyone recently made the switch from WAGs to CVS? Do you still have all the different task at CVS as WAGs? Does the phone ring nonstop? Holidays off? Short staffed? Like, WAGs are so barebones lately. Pharmacist overlap? CVS said I would receive more per hour, but then I worry about how much their health insurance would be per month since I’m currently paying ~$230 /check. Just curious if anyone made the switch and found it better. I also worry about whether Walgreens will be around in a few years.

So recently I made a mistake of reading reviews to pharmacy I work at and people were absolutely dog shitting on pharmacy stuff, which I took personally.

I feel like I am very empathetic person and try to go above and beyond for patients and treat them as myself. So seeing people talking absolutely awful things about pharmacy stuff made me frustrated, and honestly, guilty. I feel like I already give my best to people which also leaves me absolutely drained after my shifts. Some things I can’t control like how walgreens being greedy and not giving us enough hours and keeping only one tech on weekends. But sometimes it gets so busy that I don’t even think about how my face looks and what emotions I show (I guess being on a spectrum is not helping my case at all) which may make some customers upset? I don’t know. How do you deal with feeling frustrated/guilty when customers complain?

I’ve been working as a pharmacy technician for two weeks now. I was having serious doubts at first. However, it’s getting easier every day for me. The one thing I struggle with the most is crying when angry/upset patients get upset. I know they aren’t upset with me. They are upset with the insurance or the doctors or their wait time, whatever it may be I know it’s not personal and they are frustrated/sick. I still can’t help but to cry when their frustration falls on me. It makes me nervous to go into work. However, I don’t want to give up!

Does anyone have any tips for these kind of situations? I have 9-11 hour shifts lined up and I’m trying to mentally prepare for them.

Havent closed in a while WTF is with this new dpi rule 😭. Fym “one person must be in complete physical control of the lid” 😂😂😂

I have been asked to apply for a position as inventory specialist. Anyone that works that position care to tell me about it? I was told that I will pretty much manage myself.

The job description is very long but I did read it just curious on what people think of the job.

Our whole store has been outta power since Monday ! It’s now Wednesday & nothing ! I don’t understand why our business is not a top priority to OGE ! Customers are probably mad , workers are getting no pay due to no power, they just want us to sit in a dark building with no ac & just hope it gets magically fixed . I’m so irritated.