Anyone hearing about pharmacy layoffs happening today? It seems that some techs got axed - not sure how reliable the info is, chime in if you have any info...
538 replies (most recent on top)
For Those of us that were displaced on this site, are you taking the severance? It’s funny how the pharmacy times article says Walmart is actively working with displaced pharmacist to find employment elsewhere. My old supervisor has not contacted me once even though he/she said she would
For those fired, what reason have you been given?
I, too, was given a bogus coaching a few weeks ago and it was obvious that my number was up. I was fortunate enough to have a good reputation and found alternate employment before they could fire me and left the company on my terms. I started my new job and my stress level has plummeted. Hang in there. There is life after fricking Walmart.
Here in central Mississippi Walmart have gone wild firing many long term Pharmacist’s with bogus reasons, most with 17 years or more experience including myself. It’s obvious they are making the cuts to increase their bottom line with no regards for the long term dedicated professional associates and there families. The sad thing is that this will happen again in 15 to 20 years. I’am praying every day that Amazon and resurgent specialty mom and pop community pharmacies and Dollar General will send them the way of Fred Pharmacies. Maybe they should stop the slow hemorrhaging death like Fred’s pharmacy and shut all there pharmacies down now.
Conversations are locked down. I tried to get info on other displaced RPH in the district but no one will give up any info. We should all post our names phone numbers and address, so we can network on jobs. But we should probably wait till September. Somebody should compile the list and post it.
Has anyone that was displaced(BS!!) heard anything? My previous pharmacy manager has not even tried to txt or call me, not that she was very friendly with any of her workers before! I have called the DM and he said nothing has come open in our market but you can apply to anything you see on Walmart careers
Opinion
Just wondering, is the previous reply below true (i.e. actually heard it from someone higher up), or is it just an opinion of what will be occurring in the future?
They are going to write up tenured pharmacists for every little nit picking thing going forward. Write them up and then terminate them "for cause". No messy severance pay. No negative press. District supervisors will be used as henchmen. They will have an unspoken quota of senior pharmacist jobs to make go away to try to pump up profits. Some of them will know what they are doing is wrong and will step down or leave the company, but the rest of them will prostitute their morality and dignity to the company and do what they are told until they shrink their market to the point that they will then also lose their jobs.
It will be hard to feel any sympathy for them at that point.
What are the updates? Who else is getting displaced? Articles keep saying up to 40% of senior management. Who else has been effected? Any market directors yet?
Saw this and understand fully. I am a pharmacist from one of your competitors. This is happening industry wide. Our profession is being squeezed by the fight for market share tied to reimbursement rates. Retail will be brutal for new grads who have to work in dangerous conditions with thankless management and patients. My advise to interns is to pay off your debt as fast as you can. Live lean and save early on or spend the time in residency to work in another environment. I can't see anyone doing this for 30 years like I have. I'm only 55 and have good years left in me but it won't be in pharmacy.
the company is always quoting from Sam Walton and acting as if his character was vital for the business to succeed. Sam Walton would be so ashamed of how the company is treating their Pharmacists and technicians. Respect to the individual, right?
The reason Walmart is going downhill so fast is the new pharmacy VP. He came from CVS.
They don’t care about safety! They talk out of both sides of there mouth! God forbid there is a error!
Well plenty more errors will be made now with layoffs. Worked for them over 14 years! They always cut staff! They never gave us enough qualified help! I was 65 when I left! Why the DM Gave me a very hard time of it! He was obnoxious!
Glad I got out on my own terms at that point! They care only about making money!
What Facebook page sent you here?
Hey @lztw - yep, I am scared it's #3 too
It is unsafe and very irresponsible to do the pharmacist and tech cuts at the same time. Cuts do and will happen, but the way with which this was rolled out means one of 3 things: 1. We are combining with Humana or UHC as a means to survive. 2. Wal-Mart has decided to get out of pharmacy and we are going the Target/Cvs route and our spaces will be ran by another company and Wal-Mart just leases them the space (could also be Walgreens). 3. Our upper and middle pharmacy management are Bigeven more underwhelming than they seem.
I’m praying it is #1, can live or #2, but scared it is #3. I’m going to say there isn’t another option than the three I have laid out. I’m hanging in just long enough to figure out which one it is.
We are not functioning safely...they “displaced “ our FT cashier to the front end, and now our technicians are cashiering, while the pharmacists are inputting and filling. Our very busy everyday overlap store has transitioned to a 12hr single pharmacist store w/ minimal overlap on Mondays & Tuesdays. We (staff pharmacists) work half our base hours in our store and have to float the other half, while the workload just piles and overflows into the next day. It is dangerous for everyone, and will get worse with w/ flu season coming...
Did they shut down this thread? Can't believe that nobody has posted here in days!
What I don’t understand is why didn’t they cut off in the vision centers also? They sit around all day long staring at customers as they walk by. The vision center could cut half of their staff and customers wouldn’t even miss them. If half of their staffing was cut the customer service wouldn’t suffer one bit. They could then use that staff to help in the pharmacy. At the very least vision center associates could help out some in the pharmacy. One or two extra techs in the pharmacy would probably increase profits more than the entire vision makes.
Incredibly ironic that several years ago, I knew of at least 3 pharmacists who went to work for Wal-Mart thinking that it would be better over there. Costco pharmacists? Losing money on hot dog vs losing money on pr-scrip-ion is a totally different ball game, especially with that many pharmacy staff behind the counter. It is only a matter of time before it gets to them,too.
I guess something as simple and obvious as eliminating the $4/$10 list doesn’t enter all the corporate MBAs’ minds at Wallyworld, AR.... money would roll in, profits would increase, jobs would be secure... 🙄
Called to the back by the DM last week 3.5 hrs into my shift. He gave me the talking points, went back to the pharmacy handed me my license and I was on my way home in 10 minutes! I thought our store was doing well! When I was hired 6 yrs ago they needed me now I am costing them too much money I guess! I never thought I would be the richest pharmacist doing retail but thought I would have a career to take care of my family like my father! 2nd generation pharmacist with 20 years in and feel lost!
I just read an article that 20 percent of pharmacist are here with foreign work visas. That's 2 out of every 10 pharmacists. Why are they here? To destroy our careers?
Where in Tennessee is this happening?
I got the call last Monday. I was a float and only got paid if I worked. I got very few shifts this year. My severance is based on last 12 week average. Which is very low. This seems to be a well thought out and devious plan that has been in the works for sometime. Also reviews this year did not give us any opportunity for input or disagreement. My review was low with bogus reasons. Script counts will suffer with poorer service. Then what will they do ? My only salvation is I am 70 and was planning on retiring soon anyways. I really feel sorry for all the new grads with debt who will have to work in bad conditions for low pay. Close some pharmacy schools !!
Has anyone got any kind of paperwork from being let go? Im having a hard time trying to get sny kind of paperwork with my name on it...Anyone else get any paperwork?
My Sam’s club pharmacist friend said they laid off 1,000 pharmacists and techs this week.
Those of you who got laid off/terminated...
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How long did it take you to get your final check in the mail (if you did not sign for it to take it with you the day you were told the bad news)
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Were your left over PTO hrs included in the final check?
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Did you get your usual direct deposit last Thursday but got the same amount withdrawn by wmt?
If everyone that was done wrong by this place never bought from them and told their families to do the same it would start to sink in. The employees or customers too.
#occupywalmart I like that idea. A march on Bentonville and at a local Walmart nearest you for all those laid off recently. A national day of protests in front of every Walmart all on the same day.
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I don't even know which is worse, being laid off and hopefully trying other things or being "spared"and work in the hell that is Walmart now. They laid off 2 pharmacy techs in my store here in San Diego. Our DM said we can still hire part time techs. We lost our PCSM position and he will be staff rph. We also gained pharmacist hours, we got 8 more hours. How sensible is that? Maybe the DM just gave us the hours he had taken from us. Absolutely no sense! Who's the genius behind these decisions. I'm pretty sure they will lay off more pharmacy staff in the near future but our DM said the lay offs are over, or should I just say displacements?🙄
I’m not sure if this has been mentioned on here, but as a former PCSM since 2016 it’s pretty clear that Walmart is preparing to sell off pharmacy and just rent the space to...”fill in the blank” (UHC would be my guess). None of this comes as a shock to me and as a single provider with a wife and two kids I don’t believe that there’s space left in retail pharmacy for the majority of us. Jobs are shrinking due to central fill, automation and various other technologies and the number of retail pharmacies left in the country shrinks every year. Get out while you still can— no position is safe at any retail pharmacy. I don’t blame Walmart, but I understand everyone’s frustration. Happy hunting—
Joke of a company. The corporate email sent out this week said all the layoffs and changes were done to benefit customers. Well, my pharmacy has no more cashiers, no more rph overlap, and tech hour cuts, but the scrip counts aren't going down. Customers used to 20 minute waits will start leaving when the minimum reaches 1 hour+. Benefits only the shareholders.
Pharmacist mandaded breaks in all my years working for Walmart pharmacy have never seen them take one break not one but thats exactly how Wal-Mart works the system... because of the workload where is the time and staffing to do that ?! Now with all of the staffing shortage its only a matter of time when big mistakes will be made due to the rush and stress of vaccinations, 90 day adherence and pushing to get scripts out fast ! With no cashiers at our busy store we have techs trying to be both techs and cashiers and still get things done . One pharmacist per day at our store long hours no breaks and their licence on the line if a mistake is made. Guaranteed the people that ultimately decided this have never worked a day in a pharmacy. The top whos only worry is keeping there pockets fat .Wait until a huge lawsuit takes place due to someone getting the wrong med and for that I dont blame the pharmacist but corporate greed ! We are not making hamburgers back there , we are giving medication !
With decreased staff the H&W DMs might be condensed again too.
Unionization. Now that's a word that instantly and explosively cures the chronic constipation of every anal retentive company clone bureaucrat who ever haunted the hallowed halls of the home office in Bentonville.
It will never happen.
But one can dream.
Not sure why retail pharmacists don’t unionize...sounds like these long hours, high Rx volumes, understaffing is very unsafe. You guys need representation
If we weren't all so afraid of appearances and finding another non-existent job we could start up a movement and march on the home office in Bentonville for their sleazy tactics and poor treatment of their long-term associates. Kind of an Occupy Wall Street type of thing. Imagine the media coverage we could muster if even half of the people "displaced" from their jobs at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club in the past couple of years within an 8 to 12 hour drive of Bentonville showed up and marched on the home office in an organized and peaceful manner. Wal-Mart would hate that kind of public shaming, but they damned well deserve it. We could probably get half the democrats running for president to speak at such an event.
Occupy Wal-Mart! I love it!!!