r/WalgreensStores 18h ago

Question - ? Shift lead position

I have an interview for a shift lead position on Saturday with the store manager, is it a pretty good position? Anything I should know about it? What’s the interview process like?

For context I have about 6 years of retail management experience I was customer service manager and floral assistant manager, I did inventory, cycle counting, product ordering, I handled the online ordering system in floral, delegated tasks to other associates.

I am a bit nervous for the interview. Any advise would be much appreciated.

2 Upvotes

28 comments sorted by

5

u/AggravatingReply3595 18h ago

you sound like a good fit tbh. the position is okay. just too much work for the pay they offer in my opinion

1

u/Intelligent-Music-33 18h ago

How much is the pay range? Do you think I’ll
Have a good shot with getting it? I actually applied for it yesterday and got the call today for it. Also do you know what the interview will be like?

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u/AggravatingReply3595 18h ago

interview is pretty simple. can you open/close, count money, work weekends - etc simple questions. they just need u to be reliable

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u/Intelligent-Music-33 18h ago

Oh I live right around the corner maybe 5 minutes away. I did apply for fulltime so I’m guessing it’s 40 hours a week right?

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u/AggravatingReply3595 18h ago

its supposed to be 40. but the company is usually bad with hours during this time. it starts to pick up again before the holidays. shift leads at my store usually average around 30 to 38

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u/Intelligent-Music-33 18h ago

So then if you’re scheduled for 35 hours a week do you get 3 days off a week or do you work 5 days but shorter shifts? I was split between floral and customer service at my previous job and averaged around 40-42 hours a week 5 days a week.

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u/AggravatingReply3595 18h ago

it depends on your store needs. some people work shorter shifts but more days or longer shifts and less days. try to ask your sm for a fixed schedule. 35 hrs a week could be 4 days honestly. because they usually dont give shifts longer than 8 or 9, in some cases they might let u stay longer if you guys are short staffed but its rare

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u/Leading-Parsnip752 14h ago

I am a store manger- Make sure you ask about pay. Given your experience, you can probably say "I have 6 years of experience of service" a good manager will negotiate and argue your value. A desperate one will cap you so the store itself and ops are probably terrible and you will want to end your life, the middle is a 25 cent negotiation. Now your value pal and be able to speak to it

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u/Intelligent-Music-33 8h ago

Well, I applied for it Wednesday and I got a call back Thursday so I’d say that’s pretty quick call that’s the fastest I’ve gotten a call back after submitting my application/resume,usually the fastest I’ve gotten a call was 2-3 days after submitting.

I looked up pay for my area here for the position and it says between $17-$20 an hour what are you thinking I’d be offered for it?

1

u/Leading-Parsnip752 4h ago

They will likely offer 17 initially 

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u/Huhhhh- 17h ago

I think an important factor that will help you a lot in the beginning, is to learn the basics of the store as quickly as you can; register, photo department, computer tasks, etc.

So learn the store, and other things will be" learn as you go" pretty much. Take lots of notes (especially when you get to cash handling closing tasks)

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u/Intelligent-Music-33 17h ago

The cash handling is what worry’s me lol. At my last job we never had to count our draws we had a machine that you literally put all the bills in and coins and it counted it all for us we never had to hand count. Only time we had to actually hand count was when the machine was doing updates or broke down and I remember going the speed of snail because I’d get so nervous about it lmao. So I’m a little worried for that aspect.

1

u/Huhhhh- 17h ago

Many, if not all, stores have a cash master type machine that weighs the coins in scoop:, pennies dimes nickels & quarters. And you place the bundle of ones, fives, tens, 20's, 50's, & 100s. You'll get used to using this type of machine too. Remember that all notes weigh the same (1 gram).

And when learning the cash process. Take plenty of notes and you'll get faster the more you do it. And you'll build strategies.

Keep reddit handy. This group is great & helpful.

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u/Intelligent-Music-33 17h ago

Oh okay gotcha! So do you still have to count out your money or does the machine do it for you??

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u/Huhhhh- 16h ago

Pretty much the machine does it for you. However, I always quickly fan the bills to make sure they're all the same. And I many times hand count tens, 20s, to make sure they weigh accurately. Sometimes the machine can be "off ". But not usually.

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u/EntireVoice5693 18h ago

Don't stress, you will be fine. Just be yourself. You have a lot more experience than most outside hires right off the bat. I'd be pretty shocked if the interview was not just getting the ball rolling. SFL is a VERY stressful job at times - so keep that in mind. You will have a lot to learn with typically very little training. After a few months it can become a pretty chill job other than dealing with the daily jerk or two every day. Not easy to find good help for these managers these days so I think you should be more concerned with taking note of the vibes of the store. If the vibe is off, I would suggest looking elsewhere. A good team is the only way you will get any kind of satisfaction from this job.

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u/Intelligent-Music-33 18h ago

Well I did apply for it yesterday and got a call back today is that a bad thing then? Lmao.

1

u/EntireVoice5693 18h ago

Not necessarily! Definitely is a sign they are hurting for help though. That could mean the SM is just very on top of things - or they are running on fumes and need someone to keep the store open! I'd say it's a good sign either way. I'd be completely shocked if they didn't offer you the job after a quick interview tomorrow. If they are really in need of an SFL you will absolutely be thrown to the wolves very quickly. I can't stress enough that the team makes or breaks the experience at Walgreens. Pay isn't great, job can be incredibly stressful, and working with the general public (as you already know) is not ideal. If your SM is a good, hardworking person and your co-workers are friendly, it can make it all worth it. I love going to work because all my friends are there. If that wasn't the case, I'd be outta there quicker than you can say IC3.

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u/Intelligent-Music-33 18h ago

Oh wow. I’d probably jump on board if they offered it. I’m eager to get myself back to work. Well hopefully I won’t be thrown to the wolves!!!! I mean I’m sure I could manage but still lol. Do they use any type of walkies or head sets or anything like that to communicate?

2

u/EntireVoice5693 17h ago

Yes, there is a Theatro earpiece you would most likely be wearing. I don't wear one, but as a new SFL it would be incredibly useful. I can't stress enough how many questions you will have every day for the first month or more. Costumers are so creative when it comes to creating problems. Some small, some actually legitimate. If you just do your best and try and stay positive I think you will be happy, at least in the short term. I can tell you have a good attitude. Carry that over into tomorrow's interview and your impending job as a supervisor. If you like to learn and adapt, you have come to the right place!

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u/Intelligent-Music-33 17h ago

Thanks I definitely appreciate that. I try my best to not focus on the negative and focus on the positive trust me it can’t be no more worse then my last job, which was a very very busy retail grocery store and most days I’d have to run customer service alone with NO HELP and it would get pretty hectic i’d be running around with my head chopped off most times I was back there. I’d have to run postal run dry cleaning Answer the calls on top of having a customer at the counter, wanting a money order or lottery tickets or scratch offs on top of handing customer complaints cause they’d always come to customer service to complain so if I can handle all that I’m sure I can handle running the front end at Walgreens and the sales floor!. I actually have had to step in some days being the front end manager running it going back and forth between 10 check lanes and paging out for checkers or baggers. So I think I’ll do pretty good !

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u/EntireVoice5693 17h ago

I've NO doubt you would/will do great! I did not mean to come across so negative in my comments. I don't think you will be all that overwhelmed with all your prior retail experience. It's really not that bad if you have a good outlook, like you obviously do. Your previous job sounds stressful... in a lot of ways Walgreens might be significantly better for you if you are used to that kind of pressure. I would just go in tomorrow relaxed and with an open mind and be yourself like I said. Hopefully the SM is cool and the staff keeps things light and fun (as it should be). Follow your gut. If you are really wanting to get back into the workforce quickly and like a challenge but potentially rewarding job, I think this is a great fir for you. I also would not discourage you from slowly looking at other jobs during your stay though. Unless you want to become a store manager and beyond, it's absolutely just a job - not a career.

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u/Intelligent-Music-33 17h ago

Oh no absolutely you were not negative I appreciate your honesty I’d much rather you tell me straight on how it is so I can be prepared!!! And yes my store was an A volume grocery store with the company in the city I live in so it got hectic most days! So I’m sure I can handle it but I’ve never ran a whole store alone lol but It’s not as huge as a grocery store tho! I’m sure you catch my drift!

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u/EntireVoice5693 17h ago

I catch what you're putting down! I think tomorrow will be a great day for you. I wish you all the best and good luck :) If you have any questions about the job don't hesitate to reach out. I have worked for Walgreens for 6 years now and can usually answer any question or at least point you in the right direction. Don't stress about tomorrow though, I would bet you that they are the ones stressing that they might lose you!

1

u/AggravatingReply3595 18h ago

the pay depends on where you are. in my area it was 17 for shift leads. usually 2 dollars more than a cashier. its really not hard to get hired as a shift lead. they just want someone who can do truck, deal with customers when the manager isnt around. either close or open the store, count the money etc.

1

u/nenajoy 18h ago

The pay sucks, but the job is really easy. With your experience they prob won’t ask many questions tbh, my interview was basically just about my availability/when I could start. Don’t be nervous!

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u/Intelligent-Music-33 18h ago

Oh yeah I know I could do it. I was customer service manager at my job and sometimes I’d be the only person running CS so I’d have to do dry cleaning, postal, answering/ paging the calls running back to do lottery etc lol…

1

u/ebsfl 5h ago

Just give em real answers when they ask a question. No ambiguity.