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Walgreens Complaint - Walgreens corporation treats their employees like *CRAP*!!! - Pharmacy Tech
Pharmacy Tech - Complaint
I have worked with this company for several years, and once wanted to be a retail pharmacist. But now, if I ever do become a pharmacist, I would never work for Walgreens or any other big corporation! Surprisingy (hah), they are all about the money, to the saddest degree!
(1) Walgreens is hurting financially right now, and that means one thing for us - layoffs and cut hours. But, as a corporation, Walgreens doesn't want to "lay people off", they want us to quit. They sent out presentations to every pharmacy manager instructing them to cut hours, and to *encourage people to quit*! Why would they want us to quit? Here's why -- Because if we get fired, they have to pay us unemployment! If we quit, they save money! This presentation told the managers to "use a form of attrition" to meet the reduced hours standard! Meaning, if they want to fire a bad employee, just cut their hours until they quit on their own. If a manager ever fired an employee for whatever reason, the manager would then get in trouble by Walgreens for firing someone!
(2) Walgreens has a little thing called the W Card, which allows uninsured patients to receive discounts on prescriptions. The W Card costs the patient $20 to sign up, and then most generics cost $10, or $12 for a 3-month supply. My biggest proble with the W Card is there are signs all over the store that say "Pay less than $1/week for Generics!". These signs are misleading because (1) The signs don't mention it costs $20 to sign up and (2) It is only $1/week if your doctor wrote a 3-month-supply script, and that particular medication must qualify. Not all generics qualify for that. SO, the signs themselves cause a lot of drama. Because the $1/week thing is only possible when you get 3 months for $12, which cracks down to $1/week. You never only pay a dollar. Many people think that if they have a prescription for 7 pills, it will cost $1, but unfortunately that is not the case. Confused yet? :)
On top of that, as I mentioned earlier, the W Card costs $20 for the patient to sign up. First of all, Walgreens shouldn't charge anyone $20 to sign-up, since they profit on the medication anyway... But anyway. The pharmacy tech who signed the person up used to get $3 in commission. So, when a patient signs up for the W Card, Walgreens corporation makes $17, plus the cost of the medicine, and the lowly pharmacy tech makes $3. I think the pharmacy tech should have received $10 in commission. After all, they have to input all of the information, and re-submit the claims, and explain the terms to the patient, all which usually takes around 10 minutes. And they only got $3 commission. BUT now, since Walgeens is in an economic crisis, they cut the commission down even more! The pharmacy techs now make $1 for every sale of the W Card, when Walgreens makes $20 plus the cost of the medicine! One dollar?!?! What a joke! Whenever someone asks me about the W Card, I will now tell them to try Walmart's $4 presciptions, since they don't even make you pay to sign up!
(3) Back to my first point of Walgreens cutting the hours of all the empoyees... We were short-staffed anyway. We have always been short-staffed. That's why it takes 30 minutes to fill a 10-pill prescription. Because the *one* pharmacist is usually on the phone 24/7, and the *two* techs are running around like chickens with their heads cut off since 10 people just walked into the pharmacy and they all need their medicine immediately. So, Walgreens answer to us being short-staffed? They told us to work "more efficiently"! Since we never worked efficiently before. So now we have to work even MORE efficiently with fewer workers!
*****Please, PLEASE, boycott this evil corporation. Go to your local family-owned pharmacy. They won't have a drive-thru and they won't be open 24 hours, but they will appreciate you more. Walgreens treats its employees like chattle.********
Also, on an related side-note: As much as I hate Walgreens and all other retail pharmacies....The next time you yell at your local pharmacy tech, please keep in mind that (1) you are not the only person who needed a prescription filled that day, and (2) 90% of the time, whatever you are going to yell at me about, it's probably your insurance company's fault. So call them and yell at them.
(1) Walgreens is hurting financially right now, and that means one thing for us - layoffs and cut hours. But, as a corporation, Walgreens doesn't want to "lay people off", they want us to quit. They sent out presentations to every pharmacy manager instructing them to cut hours, and to *encourage people to quit*! Why would they want us to quit? Here's why -- Because if we get fired, they have to pay us unemployment! If we quit, they save money! This presentation told the managers to "use a form of attrition" to meet the reduced hours standard! Meaning, if they want to fire a bad employee, just cut their hours until they quit on their own. If a manager ever fired an employee for whatever reason, the manager would then get in trouble by Walgreens for firing someone!
(2) Walgreens has a little thing called the W Card, which allows uninsured patients to receive discounts on prescriptions. The W Card costs the patient $20 to sign up, and then most generics cost $10, or $12 for a 3-month supply. My biggest proble with the W Card is there are signs all over the store that say "Pay less than $1/week for Generics!". These signs are misleading because (1) The signs don't mention it costs $20 to sign up and (2) It is only $1/week if your doctor wrote a 3-month-supply script, and that particular medication must qualify. Not all generics qualify for that. SO, the signs themselves cause a lot of drama. Because the $1/week thing is only possible when you get 3 months for $12, which cracks down to $1/week. You never only pay a dollar. Many people think that if they have a prescription for 7 pills, it will cost $1, but unfortunately that is not the case. Confused yet? :)
On top of that, as I mentioned earlier, the W Card costs $20 for the patient to sign up. First of all, Walgreens shouldn't charge anyone $20 to sign-up, since they profit on the medication anyway... But anyway. The pharmacy tech who signed the person up used to get $3 in commission. So, when a patient signs up for the W Card, Walgreens corporation makes $17, plus the cost of the medicine, and the lowly pharmacy tech makes $3. I think the pharmacy tech should have received $10 in commission. After all, they have to input all of the information, and re-submit the claims, and explain the terms to the patient, all which usually takes around 10 minutes. And they only got $3 commission. BUT now, since Walgeens is in an economic crisis, they cut the commission down even more! The pharmacy techs now make $1 for every sale of the W Card, when Walgreens makes $20 plus the cost of the medicine! One dollar?!?! What a joke! Whenever someone asks me about the W Card, I will now tell them to try Walmart's $4 presciptions, since they don't even make you pay to sign up!
(3) Back to my first point of Walgreens cutting the hours of all the empoyees... We were short-staffed anyway. We have always been short-staffed. That's why it takes 30 minutes to fill a 10-pill prescription. Because the *one* pharmacist is usually on the phone 24/7, and the *two* techs are running around like chickens with their heads cut off since 10 people just walked into the pharmacy and they all need their medicine immediately. So, Walgreens answer to us being short-staffed? They told us to work "more efficiently"! Since we never worked efficiently before. So now we have to work even MORE efficiently with fewer workers!
*****Please, PLEASE, boycott this evil corporation. Go to your local family-owned pharmacy. They won't have a drive-thru and they won't be open 24 hours, but they will appreciate you more. Walgreens treats its employees like chattle.********
Also, on an related side-note: As much as I hate Walgreens and all other retail pharmacies....The next time you yell at your local pharmacy tech, please keep in mind that (1) you are not the only person who needed a prescription filled that day, and (2) 90% of the time, whatever you are going to yell at me about, it's probably your insurance company's fault. So call them and yell at them.
Comments:
Posted by goduke on 2010-04-15:
Interesting post. I really don't think you understand how the W Card works.
Of course they are going to use some quick language to describe it. Other stores have a sign up that says "$4 Generics." Do you think they mean all generics are $4? Nope. It's a marketing hook.
The charge the $20 in order to make it an insurance plan. If they didn't, the rock bottom price (or cash price as it's known without the plan), affects the amount they are allowed to charge health insurance plans for the same medications. Because the $20 plan makes it a insurance plan, there's not impact on reimbursements.
Folks don't understand it? It's kind of your job to explain it to them. Insurance issue? I believe the Walgreens policy and procedure is that you'll interface with the insurance company to see if it's worked out.
Right now the economy has hammered all businesses. Everyone is having to make do with less labor. That's why there is high unemployment. This gives an opportunity for the exceptional employee to rise to the occasion and establish themselves well for the future.
Of course they are going to use some quick language to describe it. Other stores have a sign up that says "$4 Generics." Do you think they mean all generics are $4? Nope. It's a marketing hook.
The charge the $20 in order to make it an insurance plan. If they didn't, the rock bottom price (or cash price as it's known without the plan), affects the amount they are allowed to charge health insurance plans for the same medications. Because the $20 plan makes it a insurance plan, there's not impact on reimbursements.
Folks don't understand it? It's kind of your job to explain it to them. Insurance issue? I believe the Walgreens policy and procedure is that you'll interface with the insurance company to see if it's worked out.
Right now the economy has hammered all businesses. Everyone is having to make do with less labor. That's why there is high unemployment. This gives an opportunity for the exceptional employee to rise to the occasion and establish themselves well for the future.
Posted by PepperElf on 2010-04-15:
goduke +++
indeed if there are extra steps one must take in order to get the $1/week deal, one would suspect that the policy would be explained to the customers who want it.
and if not explained, at least documents given to them that detail exactly how one obtains the deal.
If someone suspected the customer didn't understand, it would be very professional to explain to them what the upfront costs are and what steps are needed in order to receive the price.
indeed if there are extra steps one must take in order to get the $1/week deal, one would suspect that the policy would be explained to the customers who want it.
and if not explained, at least documents given to them that detail exactly how one obtains the deal.
If someone suspected the customer didn't understand, it would be very professional to explain to them what the upfront costs are and what steps are needed in order to receive the price.
Posted by Stew on 2010-04-15:
I don't know about walgreens financial condition or the 'W' card or presentations to managers. What I do know though is that after years of being GREAT my local Walgreens is going down the tubes. In fact the service and ineptitude got so bad that I switched to another big box chain, CVS, which as of now is doing alright.
I can't say if my experience is typical for the country but it is for one particular store. It makes me wonder if has to with exactly what the OP posted about manipulative attrition.
Good review!
I can't say if my experience is typical for the country but it is for one particular store. It makes me wonder if has to with exactly what the OP posted about manipulative attrition.
Good review!
Posted by goduke on 2010-04-15:
I suspect it has more to do, Stew, with a change in the store leadership. That's generally what brings about great service or poor service.
Walgreens has been hurt by the economy, and by a slow flu season. They've been pretty candid about that in their monthly financial releases. But if you're not selling as much, chances are you don't really need as many hours of work in the store, right?
Walgreens has been hurt by the economy, and by a slow flu season. They've been pretty candid about that in their monthly financial releases. But if you're not selling as much, chances are you don't really need as many hours of work in the store, right?
Posted by Justice-4-All2 on 2010-04-16:
The unemployment tactics are that way in nearly all companies. But I sense in the tone of your letter, that you are out to "get yours", and if it's not in YOUR best interest, then you want no part of it. (i.e.-the sales aspect of the "W" card). I'm not sure how pharmacists are paid, hourly, salary, commission? But where I work, it's hourly. If it's commission, then you have a legitimate point. But if you're hourly, then you should be open to doing pretty much anything that is asked of you, all in the name of the company that employs you. If you wish to decide how much profit or commission you should get, then start your own company and you can make the rules and policies all you want. Unfortunately, you don't. Neither do the rest of us.
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