the worse place to work as a Pharmacy Technician

in pharmacy tech classes right now. in Chicopee, Massachusetts said: lol im in class right now and this makes me want to quit

I did quit!!!!

Run,run,run

People in here saying that we should be glab we have a job are the reason why big corps get away with employees not taking breaks or lunches. Just in case you guys didn't know, it is against the law not to provide breaks/lunches (30 minutes and being able to leave the store) or enough hours to run a store. People, think before you post stuff about being glab we have jobs! There is a lawsuit going on right now for cvs not providing lunches/breaks and all the wrong stuff WE employees know they are doing, if you want to join call Righetti Glugoski Attorneys at Law. Cvs is breaking the law each year and we don't do anything about it, so enough is enough and make your voice be heard!

People in here saying that we should be glab we have a job are the reason why big corps get away with employees not taking breaks or lunches. Just in case you guys didn't know, it is against the law not to provide breaks/lunches (30 minutes and being able to leave the store) or enough hours to run a store. People, think before you post stuff about being glab we have jobs! There is a lawsuit going on right now for cvs not providing lunches/breaks and all the wrong stuff WE employees know they are doing, if you want to join call Righetti Glugoski Attorneys at Law. Cvs is breaking the law each year and we don't do anything about it, so enough is enough and make your voice be heard!

Great job it is about time Hopefully you guys get enough people to shut down CVS They totally suck.

SummerDay in Atlanta, Georgia said: CVS hands down!!!!

-the pay sucks
-understaffed
-no breaks
-no lunches

I had lunches, but no breaks... The hours weren't that great, the pay was not impressive, and they fired me for not completing TWO online training modules on time. Ridiculous. I'm in the middle of a lawsuit with them right now for discrimination from when I was pregnant.

Tech in Minn in Snoqualmie, Washington said: All retail technician positions are going to suck no matter what company. TARGET blows for example! My manager knew the prescriptions I took and then would ask me if I took them that day because I have ocd and adhd and then told me she didn't think it was a good fit for the pharmacy, not cool! I went to my HR and my manager still has a job! She even talks about her sexual experiences with us from her recent vacations. We also don't all of breaks and they give all of the hours to the new employees and shaft everyone else. You only start at 9.00 and 10.00 tops if your lucky. They also completely unserstaff entire store and that includes pharmacy so that store managers can get larger raises. Target also hates to hire from within so don't ever try excelling in the company cuz they would rather hire your manager from outside of the company so they don't have to pay them as much. If you go above and beyond in the company don't plan on getting recognized cuz they only recognize the their pets who are the biggest slackers ever. If ur a hard worker they don't care. They only care about their management making more money and working with the least amount of staff on as possible to do so. Ever notice why you can never find any help when your shopping at a Tar jay? Or while there are always huge wait lines at their pharmacies? Well there is your answer. Until Target actually truly cares about their guests then you will start to see a change but don't plan on seeing that anytime soon.

Target Pharmacy was HELL to work for. Although I started out with great pay (almost $12 an hour), one of my pharmacists (not even the pharmacy MANAGER) was a complete ass. He thought he ran everything and reported back to the pharmacy manager that I had a bad attitude, although at that time I was excited to finally be working in a pharmacy and supporting my daughter. He had sooo many customer complaints and is STILL WORKING THERE!!!

I work with people who actually clock out and stay on and work extra hours so the RPH's don't get in trouble for going over budget. Any time I stay extra I stay clocked in, and if they don't like it then they can not have me stay extra time and not have to pay me.

Are these people naive or are they getting kick backs that regular employees aren't getting? Who would do this place any favors for free, or any corporate giant favors for that matter?

theangrytech in Moorhead, Minnesota said: Hey John what and where is the new wage implementation you saw? Is this CVS policy? Who? What? Where? Curious as I worked 18&1/2 years and was making $15.55 here in Minnesota. Yes, most techs are over worked and soooo underpaid.

worked for longs,before cvs took over, making 17.50/hr not very good for 19yrs exp, also never had hours cut before, first meeting with cvs management told the Pharmacist if they didn't like cvs policys they could go to wal-mart (great moral builder)

your co workers sound like a- holes

concerned in Troy, North Carolina said: A CVS pharmacy tech employe for 18 years 9 of it Certified Pharmacy Technician ($13.43)an hour CVS SUCKS

ive been with the company for almost 9 and only make $11.oo/hr. yeah cvs BLOWS!!!

Whydotexe in cvshell, New York said: I work with people who actually clock out and stay on and work extra hours so the RPH's don't get in trouble for going over budget. Any time I stay extra I stay clocked in, and if they don't like it then they can not have me stay extra time and not have to pay me.

Are these people naive or are they getting kick backs that regular employees aren't getting? Who would do this place any favors for free, or any corporate giant favors for that matter?

I've been going through the same thing. I'm told that the DM is upset that I stayed back to help and worked 1 1/2 hours over my time. I work 10-15 hours a week and was told that I will have the time docked from my next shift. However, tonight at work, the pharmacist said that I will be written up if I don't clock out when the pharmacy closes. At the end of the day she told me to clock out, but I will have to stay behind to finish my work. I complained that why am I required to work for free. I don't work enough hours as it is, but you are going to write me up if I don't clock out at the end of my shift, but give CVS my free time to finish their work. She was very rude to me, so I walked out. However, the time will be deducted from my shift this thursday and friday. I'm out of there in 2 weeks.

You know, you can walk into Target, Publix, Sweetbay, Walmart, Walgreens, Duane Reade, etc. every other pharmacy that is not CVS and there are 5 or 6 techs standing there not doing a damn thing. You walk into the CVS and there are two or three techs that are rushing to do so many different things at once and its pathetic to see them (including me) run around from station to station trying to make sense of the situation - answering phones just to put them on hold for at least 10-15 mins while trying to get the people in the store to come back hours from now, calling insurance companies, etc. (if you work for CVS you know how this goes).

CVS is all about giving the customer whatever they want (that's a whole different issue when District Managers are pressuring pharmacists to fill illegal scripts) so wouldn't it make sense for CVS to properly staff their stores so that their customers get better service and their techs are not stressed to the max? CVS gets more business than any other pharmacy with the crappy service we provide so it just seems like COMMON SENSE for this company to provide sufficient staffing.

Bottom line: CVS is the worst company to work for... end of story.

Island Princess in Miami, Florida said: I've been going through the same thing. I'm told that the DM is upset that I stayed back to help and worked 1 1/2 hours over my time. I work 10-15 hours a week and was told that I will have the time docked from my next shift. However, tonight at work, the pharmacist said that I will be written up if I don't clock out when the pharmacy closes. At the end of the day she told me to clock out, but I will have to stay behind to finish my work. I complained that why am I required to work for free. I don't work enough hours as it is, but you are going to write me up if I don't clock out at the end of my shift, but give CVS my free time to finish their work. She was very rude to me, so I walked out. However, the time will be deducted from my shift this thursday and friday. I'm out of there in 2 weeks.

Yeah... completely illegal for them to require you to work off the clock. CVS has the stupidest people in corporate positions because the biggest lawsuits come from people working off the clock and getting hurt. Call HR... Go above peoples heads if you have to. When my pharmacist would not give me a raise from associate to tech, I went above him to the district manager and he didnt respond to my email he just put in for a 20% raise the next day - shows you how stingy they are with their money but they are not willing to let complaints get high up in the corporate ladder. Dont work for free... start threatening to complain and start emailing people higher up in the ladder.

I'm not sure if CVS really sucks. I work at Target. The start pay is pretty much higher than CVS. My friend who's certified makes $9.50 at CVS, whereas I make a few bucks more without a certification at Target. A few customers have also told us that CVS charged them more on medicines when they pay with cash. Just my experience.

Rorschach Paradox in New York, New York said: I've worked for CVS for 5 years now, and in my opinion they are the worst when it comes to retail pharmacy. Definitely better organized corporately than Rite Aid, but not by much. CVS treats their employees like slaves, do not give breaks/lunches, and will try to get away with paying as little as possible. I'm sure if there was no federal minimum wage they would try to pay nothing at all. They used to value experience and quality employees, but now that times are tough they will hire anyone (and I do mean ANYONE) as long as they either: A. Have a license if they're a pharmacist, or B. Have a pulse if they're a PSA/Tech. My advice to anyone in the field? Stay away from CVS or Rite Aid. Walgreen's is where it's at in the retail game.

I disagree in regard to Walgreen's I have worked for both CVS and Walgreens...the grass isn't any greener on the other side.....Walgreens treats all their employees poorly and they too cut tech hours they cut hours so bad they have the techs working on the sales floor instead of the pharmacy to get hours...if you do not want to work out in the front store they cut your hours even back more...they too are in the fast food style of pharmacy...just waiting for a patient to get killed for their total disregard of healthcare to save a buck and make a profit! The gov't needs to crack down on all chain pharmacies they treat their employees and patients like crap! They claim they have to cut back to save money yet they have tons of money to buy out other smaller chains. Our profession is a joke anymore....might as well work at taco bell atleast they give you food! lol

joe in Henderson, Nevada said: it's not just CVS who is having an issue in treating their employee equally. its also happening in walgreens pharmacy here in las vegas. once you reach a highest pay rate as a pharmacy tech they will look for a reason to fire you. it happened to me and to all the senior techs that i know who worked in walgreens for a long years, some have been there for 15 to 20 years, but that doesn't count when somebody in the corporate office who happen to be a manager and selfish person.

Amen! It's corporate wide!

I KNOW SOMETIMES IT CAN BE REALLY CRAPPY AT CVS BUT THE ONLY COMPLIANTS I HAVE AT WHERE I'M WORKING IS THAT I DON'T GET ENOUGH HOURS. I MEAN I UNDERSTAND I JUST KINDA STARTED AND LEARNING STUFF MAYBE THAT'S WHY IT'S NOT MUCH BUT I DON'T THINK I'M DOING HORRIABLY BAD THAT THEY CAN'T GIVE ME MORE HOURS I HOPE AFTER I GET MY CERTIFICATION THEY WILL GIVE ME AT LEAST 25-30 HRS A WEEK. PAY RATE THAT I STARTED IS OK CAN'T EXCEPT MUCH ESP. WHEN I NEVER WORKED AT A PHARMACY BEFORE

overworked in Katy, Texas said: CVS has a very bad work ethic. I'm an hourly supervisor that usually works over 40 hours a week, but the manager deletes the hours so I end up with 40 exactly so she wont get in trouble. She does this for everyone too. I can't document my hours because she finalizes everything sunday morning and the evidence is changed. I think I'm going to do a little detective work and see where I can screw them over the way they screw us.

I'm a store manager and you can see on your paper you sign to pick up your check or stub if its a manual punch or if someone changed it. If they really are changing your punches you just need to call your DM or the ethics line and they will take care of it for you. All this CVS bashing is really making me sad because I love working for CVS and I would never treat any of my associates the way I am reading some of you are being treated. If you truly believe you are being wronged and you have gone to your managers and DM's then go to HR or call the ethics line that is what it is there for. And by the way, managers do not take classes on how to lie like someone said. We actually have to take alot of classes on how to treat associates fairly and how to help them in any type of situation they may be in. Sometimes there may be bad apples in the bunch but don't feel like you are alone or you have to quit, CVS provides many outlets to help you stay an employee and to have a fair, safe and happy work enviroment. Also I dont know about all of the states but in MD where I am it is a state law that the techs have to take breaks and lunches and if your pharmacist is not allowing you then number one you should be getting paid for the time you are on the clock and number two get with your manager because in my store I make sure my techs get thier breaks like they deserve because you all do work very hard and alot is expected from you to keep our customers happy and healthy. good luck to you all.

well okay thn

I agree with RX Slave...I work for Walgreens in OK...We have 4 techs (3 of us CPhT's), along with 2 pharmacists to cover the entire week...Most shifts there is only 1 tech/pharmacist with maybe 3 hours of overlap, and we get slammed during the lunch hour(s) from noon to 2, and again from 4-8pm...Problem is that our hours are constantly getting cut (especially after losing the ExpressScripts contract)...I'd love to be able to just one day work one (and only one) station (filling, drive-thru, in-store drop-off/pick up), but NO...I think all retail chains have their own horror stories, but PLEASE don't exempt Walgreens...My advise, get into a hospital environment as soon as you can...I worked hospital pharmacy for 3 years before retail, and can't wait to return :)

Anyone who work for CVS notice the major increase in 1-800 survey's on the register receipts? Seems like they come out nearly every transaction. What's up with that? Nothing like making you feel even more pressured with a huge jump in the survey's. Do these corporate big wigs have nothing better to do than come up with all this stuff?

Pharmacy Manager said the other day they (meaning DM or corporate) should come watch how hard we work. We work so hard, get so many new customers because of the Express Scripts Walgreens situation, yet they want to still cut hours?

It's hard to keep a smile on your face when constantly abused by rude customers who think it's ok to come in and just abuse the heck out of the person at the counter.

I don't even bring home $250 a week with the amount of hours I'm given and the low pay. I need "some" sort of job so I keep putting up with it at this point until something else comes along.

I'm not a happy camper and I feel like a slave.

sharon in Louisville, Kentucky said: its no better in louisville ky they have there pet techs

Just feel lucky that u have a job because when i was off for short term disabilty then tried to go back to work with a doctors release they have me down as being terminated with no insurace but they want to pay $2900.00 per month to keep my insurance with no pay for 3 months thinking about calling a lawyer any body have a suggestions

sharon in Louisville, Kentucky said: its no better in louisville ky they have there pet techs

Just feel lucky that u have a job because when i was off for short term disabilty then tried to go back to work with a doctors release they have me down as being terminated with no insurace but they want to pay $2900.00 per month to keep my insurance with no pay for 3 months thinking about calling a lawyer any body have a suggestions after working for them 21 years as pham tech

After reading all these comments one wonders why does CVS gets away with all this? isnt there some law that they are breaking? oh I believe every word of it, it is the worst place to work if one walks in to these stores one can see there are no empoyees available they only have the cashier and maybe one other person. I have never worked in this kind of environment but I kow someone that does. If one reads the paper recently the CEO quit whit 55 million in his pocket and if you look at the DM's they get big bonus. If I was a stockholder of this company I would sincerely pull my money and invest in another.

Does anyone work in CVS 24-hour pharmacy? How is it compared to regular hour?
I prefer working evening or night shift, so I can go to school in the morning or afternoon. Are nigh shift at CVS as hectic as day shift?

I stopped by CVS in San Ramon, CA in this morning. Everything seemed calm. I don't know if it had anything to do with the area because San Ramon is more like a suburb than a city. Even parking space is plentiful, so I guess it's not too bad as it sounds.

Have you worked in any retail pharmacy before? Stopping by at any particular time and assuming it's always quiet at that time is a big mistake. Things can change in the snap of a finger. Plus it's never busy at the same time each day. It varies so much. Any shift at CVS is hectic because they never staff enough people to make sure you're not running around like crazy. Best advice ... go somewhere else. Working for CVS is bad news.

Frank in San Francisco, California said: Have you worked in any retail pharmacy before? Stopping by at any particular time and assuming it's always quiet at that time is a big mistake. Things can change in the snap of a finger. Plus it's never busy at the same time each day. It varies so much. Any shift at CVS is hectic because they never staff enough people to make sure you're not running around like crazy. Best advice ... go somewhere else. Working for CVS is bad news.

Thank you, Frank. I'm still training. My externship coordinator is trying to look for externship in hospital. So far she hasn't been successful. Some Walgreens are willing to accept students. Lots of CVS are eager to extern me and my classmates. If CVS is as bad as people here describe, why do they want to take my class? Is it to lure us to work with them?

theangrytech in Alexandria, Minnesota said: Troy in NC, I'm with ya $13.43 with your experience is a crock! I live in MN, my last review put me at 15.55 and I got fired a mmonth later. I'm so upset that I wasted nearly 1/2 my life dedicated to a career (I loved) only to have the rug pulled out from under me because of the white collar superior/authoritive pompous asses who are intimidated by us technicians who only thru experience know just a bit more on the whole aspect of retail. So if your hating your wage,hours,boss get out before they get you. We deserve alot more money and the demand is a bunch of bs. Take care fellow cpht

they got to have a reason to fire you a month later after getting a raise, or else you would have sued CVS and won already.

Little dirty secret- Alot of RPH's and Store Managers will try and pressure employees into taking the survey receipts so they can fill them out. Emails and text messages with threats to fill out whatever the next stupid learnnet BS is at 11pm on a Sunday night. Meanwhile budget goes down with 350+ scripts per day being filled.

Dispensing incidents are almost a weekly occurring now. Maybe because you have one pharmacist and 2 techs for two to three hours at random hours every day? Right up against the legal limit. Which the legal limit doesnt take into account customer's at the register and the scripts in QP.

I would love to talk to any former employees on this forum. You may be able to help me. Just email me.

fraudbuster903@gmail.com in Alpharetta, Georgia said: I would love to talk to any former employees on this forum. You may be able to help me. Just email me.

I was a store Manager for 8 years. I'll answer any questions you have!

ManagerJoe in Columbus Area, Ohio said: I was a store Manager for 8 years. I'll answer any questions you have!

Thank you, I would love to talk to you. Email me.

certified black pharmacy technican in Boston, Massachusetts said: CVS is the worst place to work. First, if your a person of color. I recommend you skip the pharmacy technician position. Go to a community collge and major in Chemistry or Biology and work real hard and get excellent grades then apply to Pharmacy School. I spent 7 months as a slave working at CVS/Pharmacy(worst place to work). Poor Management/Racist White people. They put me through hell for 7 months. I took the test and became certified and completed the forms to register as a pharmacy technician and I now have my state pharmacy technician license.

The pay was horrible for the workload(think assembly line for drugs). Second, in order to pass the PTCB test get this book and study for 1 month to 4 months "Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam Review by Patricia K. Anthony"(search amazon.com for the cheapest price). The PTCB which is now computer based this book is the closest thing you will get to the actual exam. I passed the test immediately after purchasing this book and studying it for 4 months.

1. Stay away from CVS/Pharmacy(the most racist place to work if your a person of color/poor management/you will be treated as a slave by the pharmacist.) Retail pharmacy sucks, do not put yourself through that kind of stress.

2.If you need experience and you don't have any. Volunteer in the pharmacy department of a local hospital .

WE ARE ALL PEOPLE OF COLOR AND NOT ONE PERSON HERE HAS A GOOD THING TO SAY ABOUT THIS COMPANY

fraudbuster903@gmail.com in Alpharetta, Georgia said: Thank you, I would love to talk to you. Email me.

Prefer to keep it in the forum---don't want to give out my personal e-mail. Trying to keep myself anonymous--don't want to burn any bridges.

OMG I never thought that so many people understood how horrible it is to be a tech. at CVS. It doesn't matter how hard you work you are treated like absolute garbage. There was a time where I was exposed to physical and mental abuse working at CVS. I can not tell you how horrible I felt there...I will never go back and strongly urge everyone not to work there. It is HELL

ManagerJoe in Columbus Area, Ohio said: I was a store Manager for 8 years. I'll answer any questions you have!

Unless you can tell us why CVS treats their employees like crap in apparently more states than one, and why I got ignored even when I filed a complaint TWICE AND wrote a letter to corporate about the physical and mental abuse that I suffered then I don't really have much else to ask...

ManagerJoe in Columbus Area, Ohio said: I was a store Manager for 8 years. I'll answer any questions you have!

Unless you can tell us why CVS treats their employees like crap in apparently more states than one, and why I got ignored even when I filed a complaint TWICE AND wrote a letter to corporate about the physical and mental abuse that I suffered then I don't really have much else to ask...