Pros
1. Flexibility in schedule: float pharmacy staff are allowed to request days off for the following monthly schedule and are rarely denied their requests. I have been able to enjoy trips to see family for the holidays, catch up with old friends, and take a beautiful vacation in the past 9 months. Staff are required to request time off much farther in advance and are not always given those requests. 2. Broad range of experiences: there are dozens of Safeway's within driving distance, so I am able to learn from many different styles of workflow and I get to pick up on tools and tricks of the trade. I have become more confident in my skills. I enjoy meeting new people and look forward to seeing them again from time to time. 3. Less involvement with politics: every store has their own issues and I don't have to get involved in any of them! I love knowing that I get to go home at the end of the day and not worry about what so-and-so thinks about me. I just get to go in, do my job, and not stress about gossip or negative feelings people develop about each other when stuck in close quarters.
Cons
1. Little hours: some months I only start out with 4 shifts total for the whole month. I endure this traumatizing experience at the end of every month. I feel sick to my stomach when given my "schedule". It is pathetic. Safeway should put a hiring freeze on float staff so that hours can build up again for those who have been working with them longer. 2 Beware of back office mistakes: every time I was given a promotion, the corporate office failed to update my hourly pay rate. My benefits discounts for being healthy were also overlooked. I had to monitor my paychecks closely and go through a huge hassle to get my pay and benefits updated. Thankfully they do fix things retroactively and give the retro pay that is due. 3. Salary is not competitive: many people I know in the business have done their homework and found that Safeway is on the lower end of salary for retail pharmacists. Little hours and less pay than my colleagues. Not ideal. 4. They keep cutting down on pharmacy support staff: I am burning out! They have this thing called "real time" scheduling. Hours and script counts are monitored on a daily basis and technicians are sent home if the counts aren't up to goal. Where did they get their algorithm from? They are going to wear the pharmacy staff down so much that patient safety may be at stake.