CVS has become a very challenging place to work lately ... even for those of us who are not scared of working. - Store Manager CVS Health Employee Review

3.0
Apr 28, 2012
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

1. friendly co workers within the company 2. my pay is in line with retail standards 3. helping our customers

Cons

As a manager that has been with this company for 15 years, I have seen the good times and the bad. I am not scared of working and I consider myself a guy that can get it done. I have always enjoyed my job, and am good at it and I used to like it ... BUT ... Lately, there is a negative charge in the air around CVS. It seems every one is on edge and heads are beginning to roll. It's not the same company that I have grown to love and accept this past decade and a half. Something has changed for the worse and I am not quite able to figure it out. It's like a bad marriage. I want out unless the counselor can get it back in line ! This company uses Store Managers to do the dirty work. Call us the GRUNTS. We are glorified cashiers, stockers, janitors, ad builders, sign makers, price changers, we set plan o grams, we do our own cosmetic resets, we handle product withdrawals and damages weekly, we run pharmacy registers when Rx get backed up and busy, (who helps us when we get backed up and busy), we vacuum, we set seasonal, we take down seasonal, we place pack away seasonal in a back room that was designed too small and cramped to hold 8 years worth of seasonal 'pack away', we push overstock weekly, we scan outs weekly and try to manage our inventory, we get out stores ready for inventory usually alone or with very minimal help, we prepare our stores for visits, we write endless and pointless action plans, we have monthly store manager meetings with our DMs that usually has to be on our days off, we hire and perform interviews, we do new hire paperwork, endless training modules and certifications that we have to keep up to date, we try to keep up with all the office paperwork (IAR's, LP Audits, Daily Store Walks, Work Load Planner, Email, Payroll, Etc) ... the list goes on and on endlessly and then starts all over the next week...GET THE PICTURE ? We as so called Store Managers are not managers at all ... we get the blame and finger pointing when something goes bad, then we are the 'Store Manager' ....all other times, we are all of the above. We are really a One Man Show for the most part. We do have other Front Store help, a p/t cashier that may or may not be a good employee who is trying their best (or not) to keep the lines from getting backed up, running film, helping the little old lady who does not know how to use the Digital Kiosk and needs someone to help her scan all 20 or her old black and white photos to put in a photo book, while simultaneously handling the hoard of couponers that just walked in armed with their coupon BINDERS and two buggies each looking like they just watched an Extreme Coupon Marathon on TLC. This p/t person has no clue how to handle all of this pressure, its no wonder they don't stick around long. We do not have the payroll, the help, the expertise, the drive or the patience to deal with all of this on a daily basis before we burn out, crash and then BURN. I have basically reached that point. Don't try to talk me out of it CVS. I know you care .... you care about your bottom line, you care about the numbers, you care about your shareholders, you CARE about anything and everything except your employees, especially the Store Managers that are out there every day giving it all they have, losing marriages, failing with their kids, missing the precious moments in life, because YOU ... DONT CARE ! So, I have stopped caring as well.

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5.0
May 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Very organized with great corporate structure

Cons

Onsite work but team was located in other cities

5.0
Dec 13, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I learned a lot working there as far as how to run a business as well as how to develop a team. I had one of the most successful teams in the company ranking as the top store year over year in two separate markets, one in the Northeast one in the Southeast. I was a paragon winner with the company as well. My most recent DM was very supportive. I genuinely thank them for the opportunity and the knowledge that I acquired while working with them.

Cons

Work hours were excessive. To be successful hours worked were borderline slavery. While I willingly worked them to be successful, the week you didn't you were immediately behind. Vacations were almost non existent due to constant visitors from corporate stopping in to do reviews. Holiday weeks were paid 4 days regular 1 holiday and you worked all 5. The facade of the stores looking great when these people stop by versus the reality of the business is polarizing. There were always teams of people and excessive expenditures of payroll thrown into stores prior to their visits. While I understood the need to make an appearance, it was always will always be a backwards way off thinking. Company preaches quality of life for their clients while quality of life for their employees is non-existent. As a "manager" in your average store you will be "managing" a total of one person during your shift, with a total of 10 people at location. Location open hours will exceed total payroll hours ie Sun-Sat 7am-10pm = 15hrs per day x 7 days x 2 people = 210 hrs which excludes the need to have a person unload deliveries that come in during non opened hours. Your budgeted hours will be approximately 208 hrs. I will only mention that during the month of December that there are extended hours for the stores but no budgeted hours to accommodate. Stores are held to strict shrink targets with little to no control over external theft. Remember 2 people at location, if four people enter to steal there is nothing you can do to stop them. These are facts not personal prejudices.

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