Here’s the latest masterstroke from one of the major pharmacy chains still standing after COVID, Bidenomics, crime-ridden cities, and the opioid lawsuit avalanche.
Walgreens, already plagued with short-staffed, overworked stores after the collapse of Rite Aids across the country – has now decided to scrap paid holidays for hourly workers who don’t show up to work on Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day.
This comes after the pharmacy giant was acquired by private equity firm Sycamore Partners with a $10 billion buyout.
According to industry reporting [1], pharmacy store closures across the United States are fueling longer waits, reduced hours and understaffing for the pharmacies that remain open.
Walgreens responds to this with… paying fewer days off for the folks on the front line? Genius. I’m sure that’ll keep the hourly workers at Walgreens eager to continue working for them.
So how does this help you, the consumer? It doesn’t. Thinner staffing = longer lines, slower prescriptions, frustrated techs, and maybe even mistakes. A TIME report [2] says pharmacies are completely overloaded. And when that happens, they’re putting patients at risk.
If you’re hoping for better service at your neighborhood pharmacy, keep dreaming. Walgreens’ cost-cutting playbook now says: we really don’t care about you – whether you work for us or shop at our stores.