Pros
CVS is better than Walgreens. Coming from someone who has worked for both companies, CVS treats its employees much better. As with any large retail chain, you must expect to be placed on a short leash- at any level, but CVS's management development system, at least in our district is second to none. The discount you receive is 20 percent- comparable to other employers, but you do get a larger discount on store brand items that is, 30 percent. A new full time hire gets 1 week of paid vacation off the bat and two weeks following the one year review. Management is highly competant and is hired exclusively from within. Because of this practice, rapid advancement is easily achieved by the more motivated job seeker. On a more speculative note, CVS is now part of Caremark, the nation's largest health insurance provider. Lately I've noticed new benefit programs emerging as a direct result of this, such as 20%discounts at both ATT and VERIZON, and potentially, as the novel store based minute clinic is rolled out into new areas, basic healthcare services may become very cheap if not free for CVS employees at these locations. CVS has a brilliant managerial hierarchy, while I'm not exactly privy to the upper echielons at the moment I can say rather confidently that anyone with a sliver of retail experience, and a degree can start working as a SHIFT SUPERVISOR or ASSISTANT MANAGER and become a DISTRICT MANAGER in less than 10 years. Ten years is a HUGE sacrifice in retail, but the rewards are almost worth it... that is, if you have the right stuff.
Cons
CVS is a large retail drug store, 'nuff said. You can expect to be paid very close to minimum wage if you have no prior experience. If you are not full time, you are not entitled to any hours whatsoever, and even if you are full time, CVS considers full time to be 30 hours or more... and the company DOES NOT pay overtime. If you are a self motivated, hard worker with good people skills, or you have a plethora of retail management experience in good standing you may find yourself promoted or hired as an ASSISTANT MANAGER. At CVS, the ASSISTANT MANAGER position is really the entry level position for someone who needs to support themselves realistically. As an ASSISTANT MANAGER you can expect to work in excess of 65 hours per week on a retail schedule- not exactly glamorous even in light of a decent salary. For those who are commited, and well suited for the demands, promotion to STORE MANAGER can (and has often) come within 2 years. As a STORE MANAGER, expect the only positive change to come in the form of a 50% raise, and the satisfaction of having your own store to run, your own crew to shape and your own customers to cultivate. Promotions to DISTRICT MANAGER are few and far between and are almost never given to STORE MANAGERS without at least a 4 year degree. Watch out for what I like to call the CVS health benefit scheme. As a new full time hourly hire, you will be told that you are eligbile for insurance after 90 days with the company. What they don't tell you is that you are only elgible for part-time insurance at this point and full health benefits are not available until you've been working an entire year. While the full time health benefits are very comprehensive and competitive, the part-time benefits are lackluster at best, and catastrophically insufficient at worst. Whats more, is that if you miss annual enrollment during the course of your untold 1 year "waiting period", you may not receive full health coverage until well into your second year with the company.