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Ballyhoo-45 t1_j2dner4 wrote

I have spent multiple hours in line two to three times a month at this location for more than six months. On top of routine meds not being available on time, anywhere from 2-3 or even 5 days late a couple times. These meds are now filled offsite instead of at the location, btw.

It’s frustrating and unacceptable. Now I go at 6 a.m. and have slightly better luck. I finally talked to the manager (who says they are constantly hiring techs but everyone leaves within a few weeks). I said they need to raise wages and improve conditions then. He blew me off.

I also filled out a survey online and reported everything to the Missouri Board of Pharmacy. There are regulations about customers/patients having reliable, timely access to their medications.

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Advanced_Car1599 t1_j2dpn7h wrote

Of course he blew you off, those things are out of his control. He needs actionable items that can have real value in his store.

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hummmnow t1_j2ee03l wrote

Fighting for employees to have better conditions and pay is the actionable item that will provide him real value.

Go to his GM with how many people they’ve hired in x timeframe, what they were hired at and correlate that information to how long they stayed.

Now, obviously nothing is guaranteed to work, but outright dismissing the idea saying it’s not actionable isn’t participating in good faith.

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Advanced_Car1599 t1_j2ehwi8 wrote

Define "better conditions" and "better pay." These are highly ambiguous terms. In that industry, these workers will just jump around to whomever is paying 50 cents more per hour. As long as Walgreens continues to have an increasing bottom line, that is all that matters to them.

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hummmnow t1_j2eik8x wrote

Better conditions: it currently seems that these folks are working a very busy location that appears to be severely understaffed if folks are waiting hours. This is a brutal work environment. If you have the appropriate number of techs scheduled at the right times, this would probably take care of a majority of this category.

Better pay: you said it yourself, they jump to the highest bidder and good for them. Be at or near the top of the pay grade and this issue is also fixed.

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Advanced_Car1599 t1_j2ev69p wrote

From the Walgreens leadership perspective: Our competition is minimal, we have plenty of customers that are clearly willing to wait their turn... why should we hire more/skilled people and reduce our bottom line?

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Ballyhoo-45 t1_j2efynl wrote

Walgreen’s first obligation is patient safety and health. You may not have medications that you depend on to live and feel well, but I and many others do. The manager definitely has control and can himself report the failings to the board of pharmacy if he doesn’t have the resources he needs to operate safely.

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Advanced_Car1599 t1_j2ehhoa wrote

False. Walgreen's first obligation is to provide earnings for its shareholders. Walgreens, just as many other companies do, might "frame" themselves as putting customers/patients/health first to increase their business, but in reality, nothing goes above profits.

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Ballyhoo-45 t1_j2ex4r7 wrote

They are licensed by the state and legally obligated to follow the regulations and laws as a pharmacy. Patient safety in the pharmacy is a completely separate consideration from their retail activity.

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Advanced_Car1599 t1_j2ey1s4 wrote

Sure. Then you must realize that lawmakers are heavily influenced by corporations and businesses such as WG... which therefore make them not really accountable to anyone. "Ethics and compliance" is basically bullshit just to keep the public at bay and make people "feel" like WG is out to help them. I, too, have extensive experience in this... but one day, decided to open my eyes. Furthermore, if WG single most important objective was not to have business profit... then they wouldn't even have a pharmacy to begin with. Clearly, the business objective of increasing the bottom line is more important than "patient health and safety."

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iced-macchiato t1_j2dt4qf wrote

I have had the same problems. My monthly medications went from being ready the next day to 3-5 days when they started doing the offsite prescriptions. I have had to adjust my filling schedule for this and sometimes I still run out before they are ready.

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