Goodbye, and good luck (I fear you're going to need it)

George Harrison's first album after The Beatles broke up was called "All Things Must Pass", and that has become the case with this blog.

After 10 years working for Can't Value Sanity I am no longer with the company. Several months ago I made the move out of their grasp, and haven't been this satisfied at work in YEARS. Just being out of the world of CVS's own particular brand of corporate bullshit has had such a calming effect it's almost too good to believe. On those occasions when I have stressful moments at my new job I just take a moment to remember how much it would suck to be back at CVS and I am instantly appreciative of where I am.

That being said there's no real point in continuing to post since I am out of the day-to-day grind of having to constantly work short-staffed while having to deal with more and more corporate bullshit and ridiculous requirements that have absolutely NOTHING to do with healthcare. I couldn't look my district manager in the eye one more time while he tried to tell me that all the phone calls begging people to refill their prescriptions were about compliance and helping people stay healthy. It was about sales building, plain and simple. You don't think for a second that some VP sitting in the ivory tower gives 2 fucks about whether your grandma takes her lisinopril, or that your metformin is 7 days overdue and that might cause you problems with your blood sugar. He cares about 2 more refills that he can bill to your insurance company (which is probably managed by Caremark, thereby creating a tidy little double-dip). 

I knew a pharmacist who moved from the stores to the world of corporate CVS where she works with a group that makes decisions on how things should operate at store level. She was amazed at how completely out of touch these people were with what goes on in the trenches. The people she works with are either not pharmacists, or have been off the bench for so long they have absolutely no clue how the real world of pharmacy works. Next time a new procedure comes down from on high and you look at it and think how completely ridiculous it is, just remember that it was developed by a group who have either never worked in a retail pharmacy, or haven't done it since computers were introduced.

One thing that happened recently that shocked me was the decision to cease the sale of tobacco products as of October 2014. One side of me thinks "it's about time." I don't know how you can pretend to be a member of the healthcare community and turn around and sell tobacco products. Of course, it is a legal product and I hate to see the slow erosion of personal freedom in this country. The most amazing thing is they have acknowledged that the company will lose some $2 billion in sales and are giving that up voluntarily. So we all know what that means, your tech budgets are about to be cut back by another 10 or 15% to make up for the cash loss. SOMEONE has to pay Larry Merlo's bonus, so why not place it on the backs of the overworked and underappreciated worker bees? In 2011 he got a 33% raise, and in 2012 it was up 51% from THAT number. Stay tuned for his 2013 numbers to come out sometime in March. But don't worry, if you are really really really good at what you do (and you don't already earn their allowable max) you can hope to get a 2% raise. Practically golfing at the same country club as old Larry before you know it!!

I wish all of you who are still laboring for the ivory tower crowd the best of luck. I'd like to say I hope it will get better, but I know that's just not going to happen. Here's hoping you get the experience and confidence so that you can someday go to work for an employer who respects you and values your knowledge. It won't be CVS, that much is obvious. Hopefully you are able to get out before someone in your store makes some fatal mistake due to being grossly understaffed and overworked so that it doesn't follow you around for your whole career.

So for the last time, goodbye, good luck, and BITE ME, CVS!!!!!!!!