2 job offers need advice

[Rogueman2016s]

How well does the Whole Foods model work on a MACRO basis with changes in the value of the USD? I would think Aldi and Lidl would offer better job security than Whole Foods, etc. But I never would have guessed people way pay to watch TV filled with commercials, so what do I know.....

I prefer govt and state entities for a career. Always had steady work no layoffs pay raises great medical pension plan deferred compensation weeks of paid vacation and multiple holidays off. Am I rich no do I have college debt no. I’ve owned cars and toys homes in good neighborhoods have money in the bank and eat good. There’s a saying different strokes for different folks.

 

[CKN]

I prefer govt and state entities for a career. Always had steady work no layoffs pay raises great medical pension plan deferred compensation weeks of paid vacation and multiple holidays off. Am I rich no do I have college debt no. I’ve owned cars and toys homes in good neighborhoods have money in the bank and eat good. There’s a saying different strokes for different folks.

Until a state files bankruptcy. And at least two or three are heading that way fast. There goes your pension.

 

[Rogueman2016s]

Until a state files bankruptcy. And at least two or three are heading that way fast. There goes your pension.

I’ll have to take my chances I know more that are living, loving and enjoying retirement from state jobs over states being bankrupt. State pensions are overseen and managed pretty closely. Listen times are uncertain my life’s uncertain I may not even live to see my retirement but I’m glad it’s there and glad to know my wife and kid at least have something.

 

[Rmay635703]

Walgreens and CVS are like fast food but with drugs.

Even have a drive through with a hundred mile line to match

 

[John105]

I’ll have to take my chances I know more that are living, loving and enjoying retirement from state jobs over states being bankrupt. State pensions are overseen and managed pretty closely. Listen times are uncertain my life’s uncertain I may not even live to see my retirement but I’m glad it’s there and glad to know my wife and kid at least have something.

What I’ve heard from some friends is with public jobs it can be hard to make a difference and do things the way they want. One friend is an MD who said this and he also flies jets. The good news is he retired at 48 with a pension and could then work in the private sector.

 

[Rogueman2016s]

What I’ve heard from some friends is with public jobs it can be hard to make a difference and do things the way they want. One friend is an MD who said this and he also flies jets. The good news is he retired at 48 with a pension and could then work in the private sector.

He did it right. I wish I got started younger but that’s old news I left the New York State pension system wasn’t yet vested took my money out and reinvested privately. I’m currently in the state pension fund where i now reside. Looking at this for the long haul or at least the rule of 90 where my age and service time will equal 90 which I’ll have around the age of 63. Hey I’ll be glad if my body and mind make it there.

 

[andrew_j]

Walgreens and CVS are like fast food but with drugs.

Even have a drive through with a hundred mile line to match

Great stepping stone into working at mail order or hospital pharmacy. From pharmacists and techs I know they enjoy that role a lot vs retail/customer facing.

 

[VanLifer39]

How much do they pay at both places? Even minimum wage at McDonald's gets you over $30k a year these days.

Walgreens $17 Whole Foods $19. There's now a big dilemma with WF. The manager said I was put into the system, but I'm not on the roster to be scheduled for the job because my background check is still pending, yet the manager texted me back and said it was complete. Walgreens is already finished with their background check. I was called by their general manager to come in on Thursday to onboard. I'm very close to just taking the Walgreens position since everything with regard to background and drug screening is complete. The Whole Foods situation is deceptive. They already know about the Walgreens offer. Perhaps this was a desperate move on their part to keep me as an employee eventhough things are in limbo.

 

[VanLifer39]

Hmmm. Not in college. No desire to return. Got a degree that doesn’t lead to any career path. No desire to join the Army.

So, what do you expect? I’m curious.

You don’t want to make an investment in yourself. The key to a good future isn’t “sleeping with a manager” as you suggested early in this thread, the key is to invest in yourself.

Expand your Human capital. Build your skills. Develop your resume. Broaden your opportunities. Take a hard job, because it is hard. Get training that leads to a better job. Start a career that requires discipline, not just showing up for an hourly wage.

Or, sit there and consider two hourly wage/clerk positions and wonder which is better while failing to make the effort necessary to succeed.

The "sleeping with manager" was a joke, but also all too common within the restaurant/retail work environments.

 

[VanLifer39]

Whole Foods and grocery chains seem more solid than the pharmacy market currently. Neither are going anywhere anytime soon. Is this somewhere you want to be several years down the road or just a placemat? Whole Foods with the potential of management is a career move as in pharm tech I don’t see supporting a family and household on that income.

I'm in extreme limbo with where I currently reside which is Chicago. I've been here for 9 months now. I don't like it, but the pay rates are high here because the minimum wage is $15.80. I'm originally from tyne east coast. I find Chicago to be unfriendly and lacking of qualified managerial staff. I previously stated that Whole Foods said in a text that I passed the Background check, but today I go in to provide i9 documents. I was told that I'm not in the roster to be schedule. This is a perfect example of lackluster managerial staff that have zero experience in the position they're in.

Now, with regard to what I envision..... I want something longterm with growth potential. I was previously a waiter, but it's extremely stressful mentally and physically, because of relying on tips as a means to survive and the pain associated with constantly walking the dining floor throughout the shift. It's also never a dull moment with crazy guest requests or complaints. It's quite lucrative to take home $200 for a dinner shift of 6 hours.

The bigger picture in mind is to get out of Chicago and back to the east, but both jobs have growth potential, which would prolong my stay in Chicago.

 

[Rogueman2016s]

I wish I could be of more help but I do understand where you’re coming from I been in that similar position a few times. Do any of these jobs offer the opportunity to relocate?

 

[Pew]

I'm in extreme limbo with where I currently reside which is Chicago. I've been here for 9 months now. I don't like it, but the pay rates are high here because the minimum wage is $15.80. I'm originally from tyne east coast. I find Chicago to be unfriendly and lacking of qualified managerial staff. I previously stated that Whole Foods said in a text that I passed the Background check, but today I go in to provide i9 documents. I was told that I'm not in the roster to be schedule. This is a perfect example of lackluster managerial staff that have zero experience in the position they're in.

Now, with regard to what I envision..... I want something longterm with growth potential. I was previously a waiter, but it's extremely stressful mentally and physically, because of relying on tips as a means to survive and the pain associated with constantly walking the dining floor throughout the shift. It's also never a dull moment with crazy guest requests or complaints. It's quite lucrative to take home $200 for a dinner shift of 6 hours.

The bigger picture in mind is to get out of Chicago and back to the east, but both jobs have growth potential, which would prolong my stay in Chicago.

Chicago and it's suburbs are a fast pace, mind-your-own-business type deal. Go 30 minutes to the West and life slows down more to normal Midwest.

My company has some starter positions open for Environmental and Industrial Hygiene positions available that I can shoot you a PM about if interested but it does require continuing job-specific education.

 

[Dave Hess]

My dad's career was in hospital pharmacy and after he got his Masters he was mainly in pharmacy management for 30 years. He was able to successfully recruit several of my college friends to work as techs back in the early 1990s while they were going to school. It was one of the best part time jobs you could get at that time. They would work weekends and go to school during the week. It paid close to $20 per hour at the time which for back then was really solid money for a late teens/early 20s person.

I would take the pharmacy tech apprentice position and go for your certification. You don't have to keep working for Walgreens, once you have some experience under your belt you can work in a more clinical setting without the annoying resale/retail side of things. The demand is high for anything in the medical field.

I work in healthcare and it seems like there is a shortage in various career fields, I attend morning (Zoom) huddles with administrators and hospitals always needing help.

I think many decided to retire early after the various waves of Covid and it was time to finish their career.

 

[VanLifer39]

I wish I could be of more help but I do understand where you’re coming from I been in that similar position a few times. Do any of these jobs offer the opportunity to relocate?

I'm sure I could transfer to another store, but with most jobs there is a certain amount of time that you must work for them to qualify for a transfer. I don't want to ask right away, because it could be taken as a red flag.

 

[Hillbilly Deluxe]

I really disliked working at a grocery store age 15-19 however it paid well and people were decent. Zero interest in managing anything there.

I’d pick pharmacy and work myself up in healthcare.

I worked at a grocery store for 3-1/2 years, 17-20. I also worked a couple of other part-time jobs while working at the grocery store AND going to High School...

I'm mixed about the experience. Many times, I hated it more than anything else. But those times were when I was under the management of a complete AH and someone that didn't like me because of the color of my skin, others because they had an ego problem, power trip, etc.

While under the management of great people, I enjoyed working there a great deal. I worked better, I felt good about my job and put 110% into it.

I started out bagging groceries. You know, entry-level work. Minimum wage. Within 2 weeks, I was asking to stay LATE (imagine that today) and stock groceries on the overnight shift. Why? Because I was 17 and was saving up to buy a vehicle. My mother wasn't able tot buy one for me on my 16th birthday, pay for insurance, gas, maintenance, etc. and hand me the keys with a large bow on the hood, a $3500 birthday party and all the other stuff....

Within 6 months, I was working in the Produce department (hated it, according to the produce manager I could never do anything right). Shortly after that, I found myself in the meat market. I loved it. I stayed there until I left. A week or two after I had taken an engineering job after college, I was in one of the stores of that chain. I was at the checkout line and one of the major regional managers from the corporate office saw me. He approached me at the checkout line, it was a busy Friday evening. He was literally begging me to come back to work for them. I mean offering me a job and everything in front of all these people. It was kinda embarrassing....

Working in the grocery store and meat department in general taught me a LOT about groceries, meat, life, etc. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I assure you that I know more about groceries, marketing, merchandising, cutting meat and more than most people could ever imagine.

 

[VanLifer39]

Update: I'm working at Walgreens, but I've only been there 3 days. The entire job is still an unknown because I can't work in the Pharmacy yet, because Illinois hasn't generated a license number for me as of today. I've been doing computer training in time photo department, which has been extremely boring. Whole Foods has finished their background check process and has sent me a welcome email.

The manager that will do my onboarding has texted me that they want to do onboarding this week.

I still don't know what the Walgreens pharmacy position is all about. I've only heard that they are eager to have someone else in that department. I still have yet worked 1 on 1 with anyone in that department to determine what types of personalities I'll be working with. The retail portion of the store has nice staff. There's too many unknowns right with Walgreens.

Both positions weather Whole Foods or the Pharmacy Tech Apprenticeship seem to be far in few on the employer job boards. It's now a matter of one Whole Foods paying 4k more per year than Walgreens

 

[Dave Hess]

I still like the idea of Walgreens pharmacy technician and eventually getting a hospital job.

 

[Dave Hess]

I worked at a grocery store for 3-1/2 years, 17-20. I also worked a couple of other part-time jobs while working at the grocery store AND going to High School...

I'm mixed about the experience. Many times, I hated it more than anything else. But those times were when I was under the management of a complete AH and someone that didn't like me because of the color of my skin, others because they had an ego problem, power trip, etc.

While under the management of great people, I enjoyed working there a great deal. I worked better, I felt good about my job and put 110% into it.

I started out bagging groceries. You know, entry-level work. Minimum wage. Within 2 weeks, I was asking to stay LATE (imagine that today) and stock groceries on the overnight shift. Why? Because I was 17 and was saving up to buy a vehicle. My mother wasn't able tot buy one for me on my 16th birthday, pay for insurance, gas, maintenance, etc. and hand me the keys with a large bow on the hood, a $3500 birthday party and all the other stuff....

Within 6 months, I was working in the Produce department (hated it, according to the produce manager I could never do anything right). Shortly after that, I found myself in the meat market. I loved it. I stayed there until I left. A week or two after I had taken an engineering job after college, I was in one of the stores of that chain. I was at the checkout line and one of the major regional managers from the corporate office saw me. He approached me at the checkout line, it was a busy Friday evening. He was literally begging me to come back to work for them. I mean offering me a job and everything in front of all these people. It was kinda embarrassing....

Working in the grocery store and meat department in general taught me a LOT about groceries, meat, life, etc. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I assure you that I know more about groceries, marketing, merchandising, cutting meat and more than most people could ever imagine.

I worked produce department at Publix for 3 years while in high school and also learned a lot.

I also met the founder of Publix when he visited our store.