Customer service gone too far in the wrong direction - Shift Supervisor CVS Health Employee Review

2.0
Aug 17, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I enjoy the family atmosphere with my coworkers and I have an excellent relationship with my store manager.

Cons

Several years ago many companies, CVS included, decided to severely overhaul their customer service policy. I've been in enough of a variety of retail establishments to notice what it has come to and the bottom line is that companies are catering way too much to customers just to make a few dollars. CVS has one of the worst customer service policies in the nation. In fact, I've seen pop up several times on various listings as "Companies with the Worst Customer Service." The company currently sends out surveys randomly after purchases to customers who have a registered email. If the customers don't give a rating of "5" for each category the store's overall service rating takes a major hit and then the store manager gets "talked to" by the district manager. I realize the company is not asking me to move mountains with my customer service, but when I read some of the reviews that customers write, it blows my mind at how fickle and petty people can be about something as simple as dryer sheets. One time a lady was looking for a particular brand of dryer sheets, we didn't sell that brand and I offered to honor her coupon with another brand, she said no and then gave us a rating of zero in the category of "item in stock." And then upper management still criticizes me, basically saying it's still my fault and I didn't do enough. The worst is how the company has come to handle disgruntled customers. I always listened to complaints and dealt with them to the best of my ability but sometimes customers would resort to personal insults, screaming, and just being a downright you know what. There was one time that a customer belittled me on the phone for a half hour over a return policy. I told him the policy and he asked for an exception because of the price, I told him no and reaffirmed the store policy on returns. Long story short, the conversation turned into him telling me in various ways how I don't know how to do my job and that I'm unintelligent (I have a Master's degree for the record). He ended up writing an angry email about me that ended up in front of my district manager. He sent an email to my manager with a copy of the complaint with one sentence, and this is an exact quote, "Resolve this and get back to me." I think any person who endured what I went through to be given the benefit of the doubt for any complaint, but I have yet to be consulted on any of them. Instead the managers, or the company, issue gift cards year round totaling probably in the thousands of dollars to these rude, vulgar, and cheap people who are just trying to cheat the system. "Yes you can be rude and disrespectful to our employees, we don't care, we'll even reward you for it." It then becomes a vicious cycle: the company doesn't care about how its employees are treated, I start to care less about the customers sometimes. After all, I'm supposed to be representative of the company, right? Ironic considering the company's slogan is "To better the health and well being of people." What about your own employees?

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Pros

Positive work environment, and great benefits package

Cons

Weekend and holiday work requirements

5.0
Dec 13, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I learned a lot working there as far as how to run a business as well as how to develop a team. I had one of the most successful teams in the company ranking as the top store year over year in two separate markets, one in the Northeast one in the Southeast. I was a paragon winner with the company as well. My most recent DM was very supportive. I genuinely thank them for the opportunity and the knowledge that I acquired while working with them.

Cons

Work hours were excessive. To be successful hours worked were borderline slavery. While I willingly worked them to be successful, the week you didn't you were immediately behind. Vacations were almost non existent due to constant visitors from corporate stopping in to do reviews. Holiday weeks were paid 4 days regular 1 holiday and you worked all 5. The facade of the stores looking great when these people stop by versus the reality of the business is polarizing. There were always teams of people and excessive expenditures of payroll thrown into stores prior to their visits. While I understood the need to make an appearance, it was always will always be a backwards way off thinking. Company preaches quality of life for their clients while quality of life for their employees is non-existent. As a "manager" in your average store you will be "managing" a total of one person during your shift, with a total of 10 people at location. Location open hours will exceed total payroll hours ie Sun-Sat 7am-10pm = 15hrs per day x 7 days x 2 people = 210 hrs which excludes the need to have a person unload deliveries that come in during non opened hours. Your budgeted hours will be approximately 208 hrs. I will only mention that during the month of December that there are extended hours for the stores but no budgeted hours to accommodate. Stores are held to strict shrink targets with little to no control over external theft. Remember 2 people at location, if four people enter to steal there is nothing you can do to stop them. These are facts not personal prejudices.

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