A Year In Review... from MGT to EXA

On one hand I see all these websites and blogs bashing Walgreens by disgruntled employees, and others praising Walgreens. I have been with the company for exactly one year and here are my thoughts (if anyone cares).
Walgreens is NO different from any other job in that you get out of it what you put into it. I like to work. And I like to work hard. If other employees, including MGTs, EXA's or MGR's want to slack off, so be it. I take pride in my work and also take pride in the way my store looks. I've been in retail for over 25 years. I've learned more new things over the past year then the previous 25. I dare anyone to find another company which offers the same learning experience.
Let's see...I've learned all aspects of running a photo department, a small grocery store, and a pharmacy.
Now I will give some advice to present and future employees and ask advice from veterans. If you are new to the company, hang in there. My best advice is become friendly with staff who share your same goals. Get acquainted with other MGT's or EXA's in your district and share ideas and get advice. My motto is "I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to make money". So, always try to do what's in the best interest of you and the company.
Alright veterans, I'm starting ADSM soon. Any advice? Anyone know a good ADSM project to work on? Anyone know the formula they refer to to figure out your bonus?
Time to go to work. I love my job.

hello rookie,i have been in retail for over 35 years,manage 7 stores,own and operated 2 successful business that sold for a nice profit.according to the standards in my neck of the woods you have another year to wait to make it to exa class.now about that other company are referring to you did not shop around or you can't.as far as making friends,you lack of proper management experience tells me,"no man is an island",without those friends i suggest you update your resume.you are suffering from that i have arrived sydrome.now for your project i suggest you look at the stores report card also know as the p/l statment,their is no doubt you will find more work then you can shake a stick at.if that's perfect try your kpi's.as far as the bonus goes ,i glad to hear you love your job !!!

P.S. I'm not big on making friends either - especially with nonmanagement. I work with my coworkers, not my friends. We try to work as a team. We respect eachother and we are friendly. But in the end, we each have our own back's - no one else's.

When I was a mgt, I learned more from an exa in 6 months, than I did in my year and a half before hand. after my first year, I thought i was ready for asdm, I moved to a different area, and boy was I wrong. I now know I am ready after getting a kick in the ass with the right MGR, and EXA. In my area, most of the ASDM projects involve increasing red zone sales. But if your photo sales are below $400 daily, then you may want to think about that. Photo is the most profitable department in the store if it is ran correctly. If you have a high 'script count, check out your store's generic jobber. As lizzyd said, KPI's are a big step, if you can work on your bottom 5, and show increases then you are set.

[I am pregnant and I am an assistant manager with walgreens - I was up for an EXA position and my hopes were all up to be dashed because I am pregnant - so my question is how can I train while I am on leave - rathers learn about the position so I can be ready for next year. What do I look for to study on my own time.