Lowest and Highest Retail Wages, Bonuses, 2021-Experienced Candidates

[quickpic007]

Whats the ranges people been hearing now summer 2021??

LOWEST I was offered-47/hr no bonus, Walgreens in South/central US. DM telling me on the phone theres too many schools and graduates lots of RPHS...etc , but she cant even fill this job for 4 months. Wouldn't budge on wage. She was not happy when I balked at punching out for lunch break.

HIGHEST offer CVS just 3 hours away from the lowest WG. 72 for a Manager position. no sign on. Tough DM (with a reputation...haha) and guarantee hard work. Four major retailers with significant vacancies in this locale.

Honorable mention-Walgreens corp is at least giving back some with sign on bonuses in select locations. Recruiter pitched a 50k sign on for only 2 year commit-Manager. Wage was 11/hr less than where it needed to be though. But still 50K up front is no joke. Walgreen is also offering 3 yr/25k in more "popular" locations in this region, staff or manager

Reddit is reporting 85/hr retail in rural AK, just wanted to check here.

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[RN2RPh]

Walgreens also offered retention bonus to my friend (staff RPh) last year : 10k for 2 year commitment. Her store is in Pacific Northwest area.

 

[GrandTheftAutumn]

Sign-on bonus is nice but a good chunk of it will evaporate into taxes.
And from what I hear, if you leave the company before that period, you have to pay the bonus back (not sure if partial or full amount), but you won't get the tax back that you paid.

 

[Dred Pirate]

Sign-on bonus is nice but a good chunk of it will evaporate into taxes.
And from what I hear, if you leave the company before that period, you have to pay the bonus back (not sure if partial or full amount), but you won't get the tax back that you paid.

you pay the full amount back unless you negotiated (and have in writing) the agreement.

I took a 15k sign on bonus back in the day for a 3 year commitment - I only stayed 6 months, so I paid it all back, but "rolled" it over and negotiated the same sign on bonus, BUT my contract stated for each year I work, 5k is forgiven. I stayed a year, paid back 10k, and negotiated 10k for a one year commitment at my next job, stayed a year and GTFO out of retail

 

[Dred Pirate]

low- I know a friend in NC got 47 an hour for wags
high -I was offered 69 an hour for hospital in the midwest.

 

[ValeRx]

Another year of no raises for Kroger.

 

[RN2RPh]

low- I know a friend in NC got 47 an hour for wags
high -I was offered 69 an hour for hospital in the midwest.

$69/hr is less than 50 percentile in some hospital in the PNW

 

[Dred Pirate]

$69/hr is less than 50 percentile in some hospital in the PNW

it is in the top 5% of my hospital

 

[VA77]

Can't wait for the schools to have to adjust to the new pharmacy economics. Less students applying and with no PCAT and no seat deposits then lower tuition will be the new carrot at the end of the stick.

 

[metformin800]

Can't wait for the schools to have to adjust to the new pharmacy economics. Less students applying and with no PCAT and no seat deposits then lower tuition will be the new carrot at the end of the stick.

I heard my alma mater recruiting kids who didn’t get into other program ( DO, DMD, PA) to pharmd. Desperate times.

 

[DH1987]

Walgreens also offered retention bonus to my friend (staff RPh) last year : 10k for 2 year commitment. Her store is in Pacific Northwest area.

Wtf, I get a stupid ass keyboard/mouse/headset kit that probably cost $5 to make, for my 5 year reward...

 

[RN2RPh]

it is in the top 5% of my hospital

The top earners at those hospitals make ~$90/hr

 

[RN2RPh]

Wtf, I get a stupid ass keyboard/mouse/headset kit that probably cost $5 to make, for my 5 year reward...

Probably people were happy in your market and no one left hehe. It was the time that every chain ramped up to hire RPh for Covid shot. I didn't even know how some of their recruiters even got my personal email !!!

 

[CarpetTable45]

Wage was 11/hr less than where it needed to be though. But still 50K up front is no joke.

How is this not a joke? $11/hour less is ~$22k per year so over a 2 year commitment, that is $44k of the $50k. Let’s assume a generous 10% return you can get on post tax $50k (a generous $40k) for two years, so that is roughly $8k.

I am calculating a total swing of $15k at most, in exchange for working at what must be a ****ty store in a ****ty location with ****ty staff where you will be short on help. So you will work extra unpaid hours. Divide $15k by all of that, and I do not see how it makes sense to anyone other than highly indebted people who need to enslave themselves to dig their way out of the hole they are in.

Plus you most likely have to return all or a portion of that $50k if you leave before 2 years.

 

[RN2RPh]

How is this not a joke? $11/hour less is ~$22k per year so over a 2 year commitment, that is $44k of the $50k. Let’s assume a generous 10% return you can get on post tax $50k (a generous $40k) for two years, so that is roughly $8k.

I am calculating a total swing of $15k at most, in exchange for working at what must be a ****ty store in a ****ty location with ****ty staff where you will be short on help. So you will work extra unpaid hours. Divide $15k by all of that, and I do not see how it makes sense to anyone other than highly indebted people who need to enslave themselves to dig their way out of the hole they are in.

Plus you most likely have to return all or a portion of that $50k if you leave before 2 years.

I agree. However, if you survived there after 2 years, you would have a good chance to get out of retail. Like the old saying "what doesn't kill you would make you stronger" hehe. You would earn your "RXM retail combat action" tab. Just hope that you wouldn't get any significant PTSD hehe

 

[quickpic007]

How is this not a joke? $11/hour less is ~$22k per year so over a 2 year commitment, that is $44k of the $50k. Let’s assume a generous 10% return you can get on post tax $50k (a generous $40k) for two years, so that is roughly $8k.

I am calculating a total swing of $15k at most, in exchange for working at what must be a ****ty store in a ****ty location with ****ty staff where you will be short on help. So you will work extra unpaid hours. Divide $15k by all of that, and I do not see how it makes sense to anyone other than highly indebted people who need to enslave themselves to dig their way out of the hole they are in.

Plus you most likely have to return all or a portion of that $50k if you leave before 2 years.

~35K post tax lump sum day one is impressive to me, call me old fashion! My last sign on only 25K before tax, and had to wait till 1 yr to get the whole darn thing.

Grossing 162.5K annual (if you split the bonus, offer is 63/hr,42 hrs a week guarantee) in this area is still impressive. New grads at WM are nowhere near this, and even externals with experience at WM are lower.

Stay the two years take your 325k gross and be happy!

 

[CarpetTable45]

~35K post tax lump sum day one is impressive to me, call me old fashion! My last sign on only 25K before tax, and had to wait till 1 yr to get the whole darn thing.

Grossing 162.5K annual (if you split the bonus, offer is 63/hr,42 hrs a week guarantee) in this area is still impressive. New grads at WM are nowhere near this, and even externals with experience at WM are lower.

Stay the two years take your 325k gross and be happy!

The premise is that the regular compensation is shortchanged by $11 per hour, or roughly $24k per year assuming this 42 hour workweek. So the analysis is you receive $50k now in exchange for losing $48k over two years AND being under contract for 2 years lest you have to repay all or a portion of the $50k. And you are a manager, so you will be working more than 42 hours per week, frequently filling in for the rest of the staff that the company will shortchange you on.

That is even worse. But of course all of this is only true if the premise is true, and that you would have received an extra $11 per hour somewhere else.

And if you have to wait to get a sign on bonus, it is not a sign on bonus as far as I have understood the term.

 

[CORPh81]

Wtf, I get a stupid ass keyboard/mouse/headset kit that probably cost $5 to make, for my 5 year reward...

I got a YETI for my 10 year reward. 10 years was worth about $35 to them. I never heard of WAG offering retention bonuses to anyone. I left in July 2020 right before the masses started leaving.

 

[Lexington2012]

Walgreens also offered retention bonus to my friend (staff RPh) last year : 10k for 2 year commitment. Her store is in Pacific Northwest area.

Wait, retention bonuses are a thing? This was for an existing employee?

 

[RN2RPh]

Wait, retention bonuses are a thing? This was for an existing employee?

I guess so. They offered it to RPh & Store Manager. There has been a mass exodus of mid-level management (SM & DM) from Wag.