While considering a job at Walgreens, you may have thought about a few things about the company that can directly affect you. I’m talking about the pay and working conditions, to name a few.
In this article, I’ll provide you with plenty of much-needed information such as:
- The starting pay at Walgreens
- What the working hours are
- What is considered full-time and part-time
- Sick leave and leave of absence policy
- The many jobs available in stores and hourly pay and salaries
- Distribution center positions and what they pay hourly and yearly
- Whether Walgreens gives raises, and when they give them
- Walgreens break policy
How Much Does Walgreens Pay Hourly?
Walgreens is one of those rare companies that fluctuate in what they pay their entry-level employees. Depending on where you live, you may earn between $10 and $11 an hour to start.
In 2018, Walgreens had to make a move to raise employee salaries due to the pressure of other companies offering their workers a living wage. Walgreens gave employee raises to the tune of about $100 million across the board.
Before that, this company was usually paying its entry-level workers a minimum wage of $10 an hour.
*** Update — Walgreens recently announced it would raise its starting pay to $15 an hour, fully implemented by November 2022. It will begin raising pay in increments beginning in October 2021.
How much does Walgreens pay part-time?
Walgreens pays its part-time workers approximately $10-$11 an hour to start, just like full-time workers. However, part-time workers are not entitled to anywhere near having the same benefits as full-time staff members.
While full-time workers enjoy a comprehensive benefits program, part-timers only have access to the company stock purchase plan, flexible spending accounts, and employee discounts.
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How many hours is part-time at Walgreens?
Working less than 30 hours a week is considered part-time at Walgreens. This does not mean you’re only going to get less than 30 hours of work every week. You may be called upon to fill in for somebody’s shift.
If you’re looking for a full-time job eventually, you may want to place yourself in a position where management can always count on you to fill in for somebody else when they miss work.
Walgreens full-time hours
Anything past 30 hours a week for a period of 90 days consecutively is considered having a full-time job at Walgreens. After having accomplished this, you will be entitled to its full-time benefits program.
Additionally, judging from the reviews at Indeed.com, most workers said they were offered at least eight hours a day of work, fulfilling a workweek of anywhere between 34 to 40 hours a week.
Walgreens Leave of Absence Policy
If you need a leave of absence, be aware that you will temporarily be considered an inactive employee during that time. Additionally, you would only qualify for that if you have worked at least six months full-time at Walgreens.
By no means is it automatically given to you, either. You’re gonna have to get approval from your management team and human resources when you want to take a leave of absence. Of course, it would be unpaid while you are on leave.
You can download Walgreen’s disability benefit plan here. This will explain many disability benefits as well as when you have to take other leaves such as medical leave, family, and medical leave.
Call out sick policy
If you’re going to call out sick at Walgreens, make sure you reach the manager, pharmacist, or shift supervisor by phone at least a few hours before you are calling out.
You can begin accumulating sick days after you have gone your probationary 90 days, and they will accrue rather quickly. You should probably have anywhere between 7 to 10 sick days accumulated at the end of one full year of employment.
Walgreens Salaries in Retail Stores
There are many jobs to consider at Walgreens and they all have a variety of salaries attached to them. Keep in mind for entry-level positions, you can expect to make Walgreen’s minimum pay at $10 to $11 an hour.
Walgreens sales associate pay
As a sales associate, you’re going to make a minimum of $10-$11 per hour to start. Using $10.50 an hour as the average, you would earn roughly $21,840 per year. If you have a little more experience under your belt, and you are making $13.50 an hour, your yearly salary would be about $28,080.
Management will train you by either doing it themselves or by designating one of their workers to assist you in working the cash register as well as performing your other duties.
Walgreens customer service associate pay
The average salary for this position is approximately $12.50 per hour. This would give you a salary of approximately $26,000 a year.
Workers in this position say it’s a great job to use as a stepping stone to other positions. Also, the general atmosphere working in this position was described as enjoyable and pleasant.
Walgreens pharmacy technician pay
The starting salary for this position is approximately $13.50 an hour, depending on the location. The average hourly wage after a couple of years is approximately $16.20 an hour.
For a career such as this one, most people would say that the employees here are underpaid.
So, the average pharmacy technician at Walgreens can earn somewhere around the neighborhood of $33,686 per year.
The employees talk about how stressful this job can be, especially when there are not enough employees to cover shifts and perform their jobs properly.
Walgreens pharmacist salary
The typical Walgreens Pharmacy makes an average of $107,000 per year. This is a bit below the national U.S. average, and many pharmacists at Walgreens generally enjoy their position but have one major complaint.
They believe Walgreens is chronically understaffed and it makes their job much more difficult. They say they sometimes don’t have enough support to be able to perform their job to customer satisfaction.
Assistant store manager trainee
A trainee in this position can make approximately $15.50 to $22 an hour. Using $16.50 an hour as an hourly wage on average, an assistant manager trainee can make somewhere around $34,000 a year.
Some of the positive points discussed by people in this position were that the training was very good but sometimes it was rushed. Others said it was a great experience if you want to have a career in retail management because you learn the ins and outs of running a retail store rather quickly.
Walgreens assistant manager salary
A Walgreen’s assistant manager can make somewhere in the neighborhood of $37,000 a year.
Employees who work these positions talk about how their job is almost as difficult as being the store manager. In other words, they have many responsibilities to attend to and they take pressure off the store managers in doing so.
Some of the cons discussed about this job were that you should never expect to have weekends off or holidays. It’s one of those positions where you simply have to sacrifice yourself for a while until you reach the point of being a store manager someday.
Walgreens store manager pay
A store manager at Walgreens can average approximately $61,000 a year. This job comes with a lot of responsibility and plenty of stress.
Managers at Walgreens have consistently complained about how difficult it is to retain employees. This is probably due to the below-average starting pay and lack of appropriate raisers that many workers complain about at this company.
You can also expect to work long shifts, sometimes 10 to 13-hour days!
Walgreens Distribution Job Salaries
There are many different types of distribution jobs you can consider if you want to work in the supply chain division. These include warehouse workers, asset protection, office, computer room operator, maintenance technician, administrative assistant, group supervisor, and many others.
All of these positions carry different starting hourly wages, so when you apply, you can consult with your interviewer and ask those questions.
A Walgreens warehouse worker typically makes approximately $15 an hour. This job is a very physical one and indicative of the type of pay you can receive should you decide to work in a distribution center.
Walgreens Shift Hours for Store Employees
It is reported that you will usually work an eight-hour shift when you work at the Walgreens store unless you are working part-time.
You can use these shifts as an example of what to expect:
- 7 AM to 3 PM
- 10 AM to 6 PM
- 11 AM to 7 PM
- 2 PM to 10 PM
- 4 PM to midnight
- 8 PM to 6 AM, overnight
- 10 PM to 6 AM, overnight
Employee Dress Code
Depending on your store’s location, you will probably have to wear a uniform provided by Walgreens.
The uniform consists of a polo shirt with khaki or black pants. Some stores allow you to use jeans. For women, do not wear open-toed shoes.
Managers will wear khaki or black pants along with a button-down shirt and the company vest.
Does Walgreens pay weekly or biweekly?
Walgreens pays on a biweekly basis, and their pay period starts on a Friday. Therefore, if you begin working on the first day of the pay period which lands on a Friday, within two weeks the pay period will end on a Thursday.
Then, you will get paid for those two weeks of work on the following Thursday.
How Often Does Walgreens Give Raises?
After your first complete year as a full-time worker, you will be reviewed by your management staff for a pay raise. It appears employees rarely receive a pay raise of more than $.30 to $.70 an hour, according to reviews on Glassdoor.com and Indeed.com.
Be aware that these figures vary by location, and some workers say that certain jobs have a cap on the number of raises you would get for that specific position.
They say this cap exists because Walgreens encourages its workers to apply for higher positions within the company.
This works well for people who aspire to eventually have a management position. But it is bad news for people who enjoy not having as much stress and working as an associate within the store!
Walgreens break policy
If you are scheduled for an eight-hour shift, you will receive two 15-minute breaks and a 30-minute unpaid lunch.
This is a little misleading, however, according to employees who have worked at Walgreens. Due to the possibility of having to work in a store that’s short-staffed, you may come across a few days here and there when you don’t have the chance to even take a break or to have your lunch.
I suggest in this case that you communicate effectively with your manager if this ever happens. Federal law prohibits not allowing employees to take adequate breaks as well as a meal break during their shifts. Consult your local state laws for this.
If I don’t want to take a 30 minute lunch break can I ask to leave 30 minutes early
This is something you’d have to ask your manager about. Usually, management would deny it due to employee coverage, but it is possible.
How long do you have to work there to get holiday pay?
Only full-time employees working at least 3 months (in some states, it’s 6 months) for an average of at least 30 hours a week get holiday pay. You must also work your scheduled shift before and after the holiday.
Now, if you don’t work on the holiday, and you qualify, you get paid the average hours you work every day for that holiday (usually between 6-8 hours). If you work on the holiday, you get paid for the holiday hours and you also get paid for the actual time you work on that day!