pharmacist

pharmacy assistant

staff pharmacist

assistant technique en pharmacie

pharmacy technician

Shoppers Drug Mart

What is the best part of working at the company?
The best part of working at Shoppers Drug Mart often varies depending on individual preferences and roles, but several common positive aspects are frequently mentioned by employees:

Employee Discounts: Shoppers Drug Mart employees typically enjoy generous discounts on products, which can be a significant perk.

Flexible Schedules: Many employees appreciate the flexibility in scheduling, which can be especially beneficial for students or those with other commitments.

Work Environment: The work culture at Shoppers Drug Mart is often described as friendly and supportive, with a strong emphasis on teamwork.

Career Development: There are opportunities for career growth and development, including training programs and potential for advancement within the company.

Diverse Work Experience: Working at Shoppers Drug Mart provides exposure to various aspects of retail, customer service, and healthcare, which can be valuable experience for future career opportunities.



What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful aspects of working at Shoppers Drug Mart often depend on the specific role and location, but some common stressors reported by employees include:

High Customer Volume: During peak hours or busy seasons, such as holidays, the stores can get extremely crowded, leading to high pressure to manage customer service efficiently.

Multitasking: Employees, especially those in customer-facing roles, often need to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, such as stocking shelves, assisting customers, and managing the cash register.

Dealing with Difficult Customers: Like in many retail environments, employees at Shoppers Drug Mart may encounter challenging or dissatisfied customers, which can be stressful to handle.

Workload and Staffing: There can be times when stores are understaffed, leading to increased workload for the present employees and causing stress due to the additional responsibilities.

Sales Targets: Some employees, particularly those in sales or managerial positions, may face pressure to meet sales targets and performance metrics, which can be stressful if the targets are perceived as high or unachievable.

Pharmacy Demands: For those working in the pharmacy, the role can be particularly demanding due to the need for accuracy, regulatory compliance, and managing prescriptions while providing excellent customer service.

Physical Demands: The job can be physically demanding, involving long hours of standing, lifting, and moving inventory, which can lead to fatigue and stress.

Shift Work: Irregular hours, including night and weekend shifts, can disrupt work-life balance and contribute to stress.

Overall, while there are many rewarding aspects of working at Shoppers Drug Mart, these common stressors can impact employee satisfaction and well-being.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment and culture at Shoppers Drug Mart are generally described positively by many employees, though experiences can vary depending on the specific location and management team. Here are some key aspects of the work environment and culture:

Team-Oriented: Shoppers Drug Mart places a strong emphasis on teamwork. Employees often work closely with their colleagues to ensure smooth store operations and customer satisfaction. This collaborative atmosphere is frequently highlighted as a positive aspect of the work environment.

Customer-Focused: The company prides itself on providing excellent customer service. Employees are trained to be attentive, helpful, and responsive to customer needs. This customer-centric approach is a core part of the company culture.

Supportive Management: Many employees report having supportive and approachable managers who are willing to provide guidance and assistance. Good management is often cited as a key factor in job satisfaction at Shoppers Drug Mart.

Inclusive and Diverse: Shoppers Drug Mart is known for promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace. Employees from various backgrounds are welcomed and respected, contributing to a positive and inclusive work culture.

Opportunities for Growth: The company offers numerous opportunities for career development and advancement. Training programs, mentorship, and internal promotions are commonly available, allowing employees to grow within the organization.

Community Involvement: Shoppers Drug Mart is actively involved in community initiatives and charitable activities. Employees often participate in fundraising events and community programs, fostering a sense of pride and purpose.

Dynamic and Fast-Paced: The retail environment, especially in a busy pharmacy and convenience store, can be fast-paced and dynamic. Employees need to be adaptable and able to handle multiple tasks efficiently.

Health and Safety: Given the nature of the business, particularly in the pharmacy, there is a strong focus on health and safety protocols. Employees are trained to maintain high standards of cleanliness and safety for both themselves and customers.

While the work environment at Shoppers Drug Mart is generally positive, it's important to note that experiences can vary. Factors such as store location, management style, and individual roles can influence an employee's perception of the work culture.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day for an employee at Shoppers Drug Mart varies depending on their role, but here’s a general overview for some common positions:

Sales Associate/Cashier
Opening Duties:

Arriving at the store before opening time.
Performing tasks like stocking shelves, organizing displays, and ensuring the store is clean and presentable.
Setting up the cash register and preparing for the day’s transactions.
Customer Service:

Greeting customers and assisting them in finding products.
Answering questions about products, prices, and promotions.
Processing purchases at the checkout counter, handling cash, credit, and debit transactions.
Stocking and Inventory:

Replenishing stock on the shelves.
Checking inventory levels and notifying management of any shortages.
Assisting with inventory counts and ordering new stock.
General Store Maintenance:

Keeping the store clean and organized throughout the day.
Ensuring promotional displays are up-to-date and visually appealing.
Handling returns and exchanges according to store policy.
Closing Duties:

Cleaning and organizing the store for the next day.
Balancing the cash register and preparing bank deposits.
Securing the store and setting alarms.

You get to interact with a lot of great customers and coworkers. I started off as a Merchandiser and got a lot of opportunities to grow and learn through my Front Store Manager and Associate. I learned about every single part of the store with the exception of post office and pharmacy. Overall, the store has a positive work culture when compared to other stores in the area. As long as you work hard, and as long as you don't wander around aimlessly in lalaland, you will get noticed and praised.

I was involved with purchasing, receiving, cashiering, merchandising, and supervising. Most of my shifts were night shifts, which typically involved facing the entire store, restocking shelves, rebuilding end caps, making new signs/talkers, and cleaning up the backroom. I had to help customers with their app and loaded coupon problems. You had to be available for passport photos for your entire shift, but the overall process was easy to teach and learn. I also had to deal with the electronics section. I did everything I could do to teach nighttime cashiers on how to do job functions related to merchandising, but there's only so much time and too many distractions sometimes. Training/coaching was an ongoing task. If it was a daytime shift, I would be responsible for performing a low stock walk, replenishing shelves, cleaning up the backroom, receiving, purchasing, cashiering, and helping with supervisor calls. For both the day and night shift, I juggled a lot of hats, but the work made the day go by a lot faster. Overall, the job was pretty stressful since it's retail.

The wage and benefits were good relative to other employees. My manager always did his best to get me a good raise. The owner was open to wage negotiations if you could actually prove a good reason for them. If you’re at the top wage for your job title, your Associate might not give you a raise. In retail management, your wage is based on what you actually do, not what you know, so I had good wage growth over the years. I've encountered people from other stores who have a lot of training in every department, yet they still do the work of 1 employee, and so they get minimal raises. If you can prove that you're worth multiple people, you'll get a good raise. If you're creative, then you'll get noticed even more.

I ultimately ended up quitting because of my poor work life balance. I frequently got night shifts and didn't get enough morning shifts. Night shifts are the most difficult in the longrun due to fewer staff members working - you end up having to do the job of 3+ people most of the time. Daytime shifts are the easiest, except for Thursdays during Seniors Day, because you have more staff working during those hours. I also found that my family/social life suffered due to the odd sleeping hours that I had, which was a symptom of my night shifts. Ever since the pharmacists stopped being the primary key holders in 2017, it became harder to get morning shifts since they always needed somebody to lock up at night. I would probably come back to working at this store location if my shifts weren't night shifts. 

My only major criticism has to do with head office and how they operate certain things (LEAD and their Continuous Improvement team). LEAD is marketed towards AFSMs to help them get ready to run a store as a Front Store Manager – that was what two District Managers told me. LEAD doesn’t adequately prepare you, though – if it did, lots of AFSMs who completed LEAD wouldn’t get turned down for FSM positions since they came from a “slow” store. A good chunk of the time, Associates choose people with more experience, which tend to be from other retail stores like Walmart or Superstore. This is a huge waste of time for AFSMs and gets their hopes up. Since I communicated on Yammer a lot, I met at least 12 AFSMs who are done LEAD but can’t get a store until they’ve worked in a so-called “busier” store. Most have 8-10 years of management experience already and are discouraged after applying for so many FSM positions. I lost contact with many of them because they’ve moved on from the company. Thankfully, I was smart enough not to waste my time with the program.

The Continuous Improvement initiative also has been inadequate, and it showed a lot during the pandemic. They did the same job as the Store Technology Specialists with respect to showing how to perform certain tasks, except they used more forms. They show and introduce certain ideas to stores that technology specialists have already shown us. For example, our technology specialist in 2019 showed us tips and tricks on how to get our self-checkout percentage higher. In 2020, BC’s CI person repeated the same exact tips and tricks, except I didn’t see him actually ring people through. They're great talkers but that's about it. The CI team is made up of ex Front Store Managers, and a lot of them don’t have Six Sigma or other certifications like most CI teams. When the CI specialist for BC helped our store with stock during March 2020, he didn’t show any efficiencies when working the order. He worked slower than most of our guys, because for whatever reason he thought the least organized cart was the best cart to work stock off of. There was never an emphasis on target metrics like “SKUs worked per minute” or “items scanned per minute” like you would see from HEB, Costco, or Amazon/Whole Foods. The money should have gone towards PC Optimum IT support or an extra Store Technology Specialist.

The Positives: 
Good employee discount.
Flexible scheduling, accommodating if you have a second job and/or studying. 
Cosmetic manager was a very good person to work for.
You definitely will learn a lot, one of the most extensive places in terms of gaining knowledge and experience in the customer service field and on various products.
Bonus goodies, such as gratis or gifted items.
It was a bit touch and go at times, but the job security offered during peak times of Covid lockdowns was appreciated. This circumstance varies depending on stores since not all were the same that regard, but at least in this case it was favorable. 


The Negatives:
High School setting and atmosphere. Double standards are rampant when it comes to penalizing workplace transgressions or offering rewards. Almost EVERYONE in the store gossips, badmouths and complains about each other behind their backs (Whether personally or work-related annoyances) but will act like best friends face to face with all the perks, backing, selfies and shallow faux preaching on kindness, praises, teamwork and community - with any aforementioned grievances not addressed or corrected and support uneven. And it is all ages that do this. There are or were some wonderful staff members and colleagues, but the former issue is significant and overshadows a lot. Employee of the Month is a joke, it is more of a popularity contest and less on actual merit. Nepotism is common. Turnover is very high. Some of the managers or supervisors over the years have been weak and/or have favourites, so discussing matters with them can be troublesome or moot. 

Training is basic, lot's of self learning and outside assistance.

Inconsistent on providing updates on new rules or policies. Overall the store could use more organization. 

Dealing with busy fast paced seasons, devices or power shutting down, difficult customers, thieves and other certain personalities daily is also a factor and can be very stressful and tiring, but that goes without saying when it comes to retail. Understaffing does occur, as well as workers being inconsistent or unreliable in terms of shifts.

Duties and responsibilities in the beauty department are high and constantly growing/evolving, yet income doesn't equally reflect this nor get much acknowledgement from fellow staff.

Teamwork in the Beauty Department when it came to sales and commission was relatively fair and positive with minimal competitiveness, however you will get other colleagues or customers who will purposely be selective in terms of who they purchase from who, providing advantages which could prove frustrating at times.

There have been mistakes in pay that required correction. 

Sometimes not the greatest hours due to the nature of the store. 

Altogether grateful for the experience and for some of the positives, but happy to have moved on.

I loved my job, the amount of knowledge I’ve gained, and working in an industry that I’m passionate about. I’ve met amazing people, both staff and clients, who motivate you to spring out of bed and keep going. But your success in the role largely depends on the owner since stores are franchised. 

Some owners and front store managers collaborate with the cosmetics department, offer support, and promote a fair and healthy work environment. They value their cosmetics manager’s input and recognize stellar work and talent. Others brush off the cosmetics dept as beneath them, and leave you with expectations of being a top performing dept in spite of stripping you of resources and real support.

In some stores, cosmetics managers are allowed to run their dept how they see fit. They have the freedom to schedule themselves and the team however they like, make their own attendance and sick policies, performance manage employees on their own, take time off whenever they like, delegate responsibilities and tasks to the team, etc. Of course, this could go either way for the dept. Some cosmetics managers in this environment use this freedom to build a truly amazing team and positive environment while others abuse it. 

While at other stores, every tiny facet of your job is controlled by the owner and store manager. You are treated like a salaried employee in spite of being hourly. So you are expected to be at everyone’s beck and call, coming in on your days off and constantly staying late to get the work done since in spite of being management, your hours were slashed but your workload remains the same (even increases), can’t take even a few days in a row off without it being an issue, being expected to cater to problematic, defiant employees since the rest of management wants to preserve their image even though their decisions are at the expense of others’ well-being.  Have an employee who stands around and does nothing?  Too bad, you are expected to do their work on top of your own because they’re untouchable. And to top it off, you’re scapegoated for all the problems related to your dept even though they were problems that were already present long before you even started. No matter how hard you work and how well your dept is performing, you’re constantly told it isn’t good enough, even when you’re exceeding targets and are a top performer.

It can be a very rewarding job if you work with people who hold themselves and others accountable for their actions rather than doing whatever it takes to make themselves look good to corporate. Like they say, it’s all about being in the right place at the right time.

While unfortunately I was laid off after I started university (if you are able to work any shift and have no other priorities, you have a solid and secure job with them), I absolutely loved almost every moment of working at Shoppers. Management was fantastic, I had good friends among my coworkers, and my customers were absolutely amazing people who I was always excited to see.

I ended up losing my consistent job as a cashier for university, which turned out to be a horrible decision. They always warn you growing up to go to university or college so you don't end up working in retail the rest of your life- Shoppers is not the kind of place they were talking about. I'm now dropping out of university in hopes to find a pleasant merchandising job at another Shoppers because I really didn't enjoy my major as much as I enjoyed working in retail at Shoppers, which sounds ridiculous, but it's genuinely true. I really enjoyed how fulfilling and satisfying a good day's work was when we did the count at the end of the night, and while I wasn't supervisor for long, being able to use those skills I learned to help out at the end of the night so the actual supervisors didn't have to worry as much was really gratifying.

It made me feel like I was actually having a positive impact on people, and being the best cashier I could be and being as kind as possible always yielded with the beautiful results of returning customers who always knew my face and my name, and were always just as happy to see me as I was them. However, if it were up to me again, I would choose merchandiser.

The only downside I would say is a lack of medical benefits, and that there also tends to be a bit of gossip and competition among the Beauty Boutique. I was never really effected by this but seeing how it stressed out my supervisors bothered me because usually they already had so many other things to be worried about. There were some Beauty Boutique employees who were racist and discriminatory as well, which did not spell well for Indigenous, teenage, or tattooed customers.

Overall my biggest complaint would be them not using me to my full potential, and limiting my abilities because they didn't know what to do with my skillset, or they didn't want to use my entire skillset. 

Working at shoppers is an easy job, it's easy money, but it doesn't provide much room for advancement within the company. the environment can be fast paced or slow depending on the task you're doing, the people you're doing it with, and most importantly, the time of day. I'm a main cashier in a shoppers in downtown Edmonton, I wake up at 5:45 every weekday morning and I get ready, wearing comfortable Nike runners (not provided), my uniform shirt (which resembles a bowling shirt but is provided for free) and black pants (also not provided) , catch the bus at 6:30 get to the store at 6:45 and start my shift. the first thing i do is head to the cash office, a small room in the back of the store, where i weigh the money in my register and count my lottery, a manager or supervisor is always in there with me while I do this. then i head to my designated till where i put in my password and open my till, set my lottery inits place and make sure my area is clean and presentable. I'm in charge of logging into the lottery terminal and filling out the paperwork for the new and returning newspapers before the store opens. at 7 a.m. we open the doors to the first customers of the day, and its usually pretty slow until about 8 when the office people start coming, since i work in a downtown location. i help the customers at my till until i go for my first break around 8:45, for 15 minutes. while helping the customers i feel like im harrassing them with mandatory questions like the optimum card, do they need a bag for five cents, and on and on, but i really enjoy talking to them and making conversation, i have a few regulars that know me by name and i love it. the customers can make or break your day and we usually have such awesome pleasant customers, it makes me excited to go to work each day, knowing i get to see them. i take my lunch around 11 followed by my last break, then i cash out and im done my day, very simple easy and stress free. of course theres bad days and they pay is barely above minimum wage and hours tend to get cut very badly sometimes, and management is bipolar, but if youre looking for a dependable, fun and easy job that keeps you busy, shoppers is a good fit, its a great experience and I'm grateful to work here.

SDM provided daily challenges from a multitasking perspective. Working on projects in other provinces meant constantly reaching out to other team members and vendors to ensure that the project timeline was respected; and to reschedule priority tasks, when necessary.

Moving into the role of Bilingual IT Project Coordinator allowed me to apply knowledge gained in my previous support role to the best effect when scheduling the installation, move, addition or change of any IT related equipment. It also provided an avenue to learn about Project Management; and build the necessary skills to work toward PMP certification.

The corporate culture at SDM is such that from the top down, management and co-workers promote a positive work environment. The people I knew and worked with appreciate hard work, dedication, a willingness to learn and the ability to back each other up whenever needed. I developed a familial bond with many people throughout the company. (Including in other provinces)

The most difficult part of my time at SDM was when they made the decision to switch from Microsoft Office products to Google's Gmail and Office products, which are not very conducive to a large business/office environment. Using the Google product meant automatically adding several steps to tasks that we had honed down as a team to their most efficient processes. In short, we went from being very efficient, to being as efficient as frustratingly possible with extremely inefficient tools.

Working with people would have to be the most enjoyable part of the job. Whether on the phone with someone in another province, or with other team members, or with people from other departments. It was extremely rewarding to share experiences with such wonderful people on both a professional and personal level.

At the end of my contract, my co-workers/friends all pitched in to buy my a propane BBQ; and many of them took me out to farewell dinner parties, as well as the cake party at the office. Truly wonderful people!

Life Balance: 4 stars.

As a weekend part-time supervisor, it was a pain to get a replacement for a day unless I was sick. Sometimes appointments happen, and I'd have to come in anyway or risk losing my position. Luckily my co-workers were fairly open to covering shifts, and likewise, I would come in during the week to cover sometimes as well.

Salary/Benefits: 1 star

I had to ask for raises or they weren't given. When I'd ask, they would tell me about the company policy of raising between 1 and 3 percent.. put it this way... new regular employees caught up to my salary within a couple months due to minimum wage raises, and you don't get compensated in any way... minimum wage for much more responsibility like: learning to use postal service P.O.S and perform their jobs to cover for their lunch breaks, troubleshoot any other issues on the floor, at the cash, at the lab, in cosmetics, deal with angry customers regularly, in charge of insuring all tills and the safe balance out, administrative duties, etc. But you know, that is a minimum wage job right?

I've also been aware of multiple times management withheld information about benefits to some full time employees because they were too scared to ask for them. 

Job security: 4 stars.

Basically, unless you are a manager, or in cosmetics in sales, you're safe. Cosmetics managers were constantly being replaced. It's quite difficult to lose your job there unless you are in one of the above mentioned positions.

Management: 3 stars.

During my brief time working at pharmaprix, I worked under 3 different managers. 

The first one, who was working there for many many years prior to my arrival, was a foul mouthed power tripped individual who constantly verbally abused some of the employees. Cosmetic department girls would often leave his office in tears and we would often hear what inappropriate names he called them. The other two managers were kind and fair, and I honestly loved my time working under them, as I'm sure the rest of the staff did as well. This is why I have given the management 3 stars rather than fewer.

Job culture: 3 stars.

Honestly, the job was not bad. There are always tyrants in most jobs you go to, at one point or another. The pay was minimal, and there are no benefits for part time workers, but if you are looking to work part time and you're in school, most positions offer an honest pay for honest work. No more, no less.

3 stars overall

I was a co-op student who was hired immediately after my co-op term ended. The stores in Markham, in particular, are extremely welcoming towards students. I had built a strong bond with the majority (if not all) of my coworkers not only in my department but within other departments as well since the store itself was small and does not require many employees. Generally, most stores do not like to hire people who they don't know, so if you have a friend who can vouch for you or if you speak to the manager and have a conversation, you're most likely getting the job. They don't have an official training program for you, so you'll mostly have to rely on observation and mimicry to learn how to operate the cash register and the lottery machine. For beginners, the lottery is one of the most confusing parts because there are so many different types of lottery tickets, and certain customers want specific picks, etc... Remembering a few barcodes for certain products was also another thing that was expected from you, but not nearly as many as say grocery stores. Some locations are busier than others, but on days when there are in-store events or during holidays, it gets crazily jam-packed. You get flexible hours and your supervisor is willing to work with you towards a schedule you can both agree on (assuming you work minimum 18 hours part-time & 30 hours full-time). The shifts can range from 5-8 hours maximum for part-time cashiers, which isn't too bad. Uniforms were also comfortable and there weren't any appearance expectations which allows for workers to be freely expressive. Your breaks can be easily coordinated with your supervisor during your shift, unlike some other companies that dictate when you get your break. A warning to those who think they can slack on the job: employees and supervisors within the store notice EVERYTHING that you do, and if you're off-task, lazy, or don't try to put effort into your task, you'll most likely get fired without a second warning. The store culture and work environment at my location were extremely enjoyable and I wished I could have stayed there longer had I not moved out of the city.

The typical day at work consists of setting up your cash register, usually I was a lone cashier at the register so it was not the most enjoyable job in the world. If you're working the morning shift, you'll have a quiet couple of hours until customers start coming to buy their morning groceries (eggs, milk, etc.), which is when it starts to get busy. When lines grow long, it's quite ridiculous as you have to call for backup which doesn't always arrive quickly, resulting in you stuck with a line of impatient customers (though I was working the best I could). Through this experience, I learned that in order to be successful in this job, you must have the patience to deal with angry customers with love. Speaking of patience, the store I worked for had poor management and I wasn't always paid in time for the first month. Additionally, they did not even give me my uniform (including the name tag), until a month into the job so I looked like I infiltrated the cash register and posed as a cashier. In terms of workplace culture, there wasn't much that I found noteworthy about this store in particular, just a regular convenience-type store. The hardest part of the job is definitely dealing with impatient customers, especially those who have me scan about 10-15 lottery tickets (the lottery scanner at the front has been broken for months on end, yet it is not fixed), and get ticked off because the machine cannot go any faster. In addition, these lottery-goers hold up the line because as mentioned before, the lottery machine is broken, hold up the line which has me calling for the inconsistent backup which awakens the impatience in the line of customers waiting. The most enjoyable part of the job is talking to my co-workers on break. Although some may not be as reliable as others, remember that they do not mean any harm and are always trying their best to help you even if it may not feel like it sometimes.

Tl;dr: The store I worked at was understaffed at cash, customers get impatient as I was the only one on cash (and calling for backup isn't as efficient as having 2 cashiers in the first place). The management of the store was slow (not receiving uniform and first 2 payments-ish were delayed). Co-workers are pretty nice but the management is not optimal in my opinion.

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