Training is usually too fast for acceptable comprehension of actual duties. It is normally rushed due to short-notice termination of quitting of previous employees, hiring too late after job vacancy, and the need to quickly fill gaps in hourly coverage in designated area. Employees are given minimal on-hands training and maximum boring un-realistic video training (15+, easily). Hours are quickly cut during economic troubles. In less than a year "full-time" has gone from being defined at 40+ hours to 37.5 hours, now down to 36 hours (for non-management employees: management has gone from having a guaranteed 4 hours of overtime [4 hours guaranteed] to 40 hours being maximum hours allotted), with a whole position being elimated (down from 3 full-time beauty advisors to 2 beauty advisors working 4 days a week (2 8hour shifts and 2 10 hour shifts apiece). Working 2/3 major holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years) is absolutely required by EVERY employee. You must be available to work 365 days a year. Requesting time off is possible but up to the discretion of store manager. Unfortunately, it seems like extra tasks are constantly be added to the list of personal responsiblities required of each employee. You are expected to complete every task even if unexpected circumstances (for example, helping a particularly needful customer for 2 1/5 hours, trying to fix an unexpected mechanical problem on a film processor) prevent you from completly finishing tasks to expectations. Complaints from all customers are treated equally, even if the complaint is completely unfounded or undeserved, employees involved are normally always reprinmanded in some way. Outlandish requests by customers are often accepted nonchalantly, which although temporarily appease customers, at the same time teaches them that is acceptable and even easy to abuse the system. (An example being absolutely aware that a customer has bought an item at an extremely discounted price and is now returning for the full value, even though the product has been excessively used and the customer readily admits that nothing was actually wrong with the product) Employee suggestions and opinions are not regarded with the respect they often deserve, they are often just brushed aside by the corporate managers. Having exception customer service is expected, but not necessarily rewarded. Even if customers purposely seeks out store managers to compliment specific employees, it is hardly ever acknowedged or highly recognized. The only way to be rewarded is if the customer calls 1-800-Walgreens, which customers (even highly appreciative ones) are unlikely to to or even know about. The number is located on the sales reciepts, but customers rarely pay attention to, much less repond to. Even with the "Fair Scheduling Act" established, and undesirable and often random schedule is usually created. Unless your coworkers in you specific department can agree on a "set" schedule, your time will most likely be at the complete mercy of the manager. Although wages are generally fair, there are generally extra-large gaps (basically a 1:2 ratio) between the wages lower-level employees and assitant managers, although responsibilities, technical difficulty, and knowledge is generally not exceptionally different. On the same note, executive assistant managers (EXAs. between assistant manager and store manager) are generaly salaried with a bonus(dependant on yearly individual store sales), usually carry the exact same responsibilities as assistand managers, with the exception of having to work long hours 6 days a week during the holiday season, and make double the income as an assistant manager. Whether the 1:2 ratio of this income difference is fair or not is debatable, depending on specific store circumstances. Also, Corporate Walgreens seems to be falling into the unfortunate but common rut of highly named retailers, they are starting to lose sight of what the customers want, and are starting to focus more on their shareholders bottom line: it's all about making more money. They are trying to hard to push Walgreen's brand items, competing a bit obcessively with name brands without which they would not even have a market. They are overdoing their own branding: while it is nice to have a cheaper, comparative product selection, having a store brand item of everything offered is a bit oppressive to consumers.
