Some CVS and Walgreens pharmacies are closed on the weekends owing to a lack of available employees. Katie Adams – the fourteenth of January, 2022
Why are some US pharmacies closing on the weekends?
(CNN) Due to a recent spike in Covid-19 that has caused a lack of employees, two of the largest retail pharmacies in the United States have decided to temporarily close several locations and pharmacies over the weekends. Walgreens (WBA) stated that the recent increase in the Omicron version is creating a substantial strain on its company in the short-term and is generating demand unlike “anything seen before.” This is a phenomenon that is occurring across many different businesses.
“While the vast majority of our stores are open and operating with normal business hours, the ongoing labor shortage combined with the surge of COVID-19 cases has resulted in isolated instances in which we’ve had to adjust operating hours or temporarily close a limited number of stores,” a spokesperson for Walgreens named Kris Lathan said in a statement that was provided to CNN on Friday.
Lathan stated that the corporation takes every attempt to minimize the inconvenience caused to consumers when making decisions regarding shop hours changes. One way in which the company does this is by choosing days with “the lowest prescription demand.” She also mentioned that in the event that a store is closed for refurbishment or renovation, the firm will transfer some pharmacy services to the closest Walgreens that is still operating.
According to Mike DeAngelis, executive director of CVS Corporate Communications, CVS said on Friday that the majority of its stores are running on their typical weekend hours. This information comes from CVS’s announcement. On the other hand, he pointed out that “a tiny percentage of businesses are temporarily closing on one or both days of the weekend to assist solve acute staffing concerns amid both the omicron spike and the labour deficit afflicting practically every industry and firm.” According to him, the rescheduled business hours that are in effect at these locations are just temporary.
According to Mitchel Rothholz, chief of staff at the American Pharmacists Association, the trend of pharmacies shutting down as a result of staffing shortages is becoming increasingly widespread across the country. “It’s a problem across the whole healthcare system, not just in pharmacy,” Rothholz said in an interview with CNN a month ago.
What happens when a Walgreens pharmacy closes?
Both Walgreens WBA 0.52% and CVS have said that they are unable to quantify weekend closures, as these vary from week to week and can often take place with little to no advanced warning. Customers have reported coming across abruptly shuttered drive-throughs and pharmacy counters in recent weeks in a number of locations, including Washington, District of Columbia, New Gloucester, Maine, and New Paltz, New York, amongst others.
- People have reported showing up for their planned appointments for the COVID-19 immunization, only to discover that the pharmacy was closed.
- After coming home following surgery to mend a broken leg on a recent Friday, Zach Fox, who lives in Akron, Ohio, stated that his wife went without the pain medicine she was prescribed for a period of twelve hours.
He had a prescription delivered to the couple’s regular CVS, but when he arrived that evening, he saw a notice that said the shop had closed at 6 p.m. and wouldn’t open again until 10 a.m. on Monday “due to circumstances beyond our control.” He was unable to fill his prescription.
- He proceeded to a different CVS, but the pharmacist there was unable to offer the pain medicine since it was a restricted substance, and prescriptions for controlled substances cannot be transferred from one pharmacy to another.
- He left empty-handed. Mr.
- Fox reported that the pharmacist gave him instructions to approach his insurer to make it possible for another location to fill the prescription.
However, the automated voice system of Mr. Fox’s insurer informed him that agents were busy and might not be available until the following day. WALGREENS GAIN AN ADVANTAGE THANKS TO COVID-19 VACCINES A CVS store in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, United States (Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket through Getty Images / LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images) “At this point, I’m starting to feel enraged.
- Less than two days after undergoing major surgery, my wife has already gone without her pain medication for a total of twelve hours “Mr.
- Fox remarked.
- “She is through a great deal of suffering.” He traveled to the hospital where his wife was having surgery in order to ask a doctor to make an exception so that the prescription could be filled at a different CVS, which he was successful in doing in the end.
“In order to acquire my medicine, I had to go through a lot of hoops that nobody really ought to have to jump through,” he added.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVS | CVS HEALTH CORP. | 100.06 | -2.09 | -2.05% |
| WBA | WALGREENS BOOTS ALLIANCE INC. | 36.00 | -0.80 | -2.17% |
img class=’aligncenter wp-image-189362 size-full’ src=’https://www.drexrx.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/zhegolepyburaepiqejae.jpg’ alt=’Why Is Walgreens Pharmacy Closed On Weekends’ /> A workforce shortage is affecting nearly every industry and company, and a small percentage of CVS’s nearly 10,000 stores in the United States will be closing on one or both weekend days, according to a spokesman for the company. “to help address acute staffing issues amid both the Omicron surge and the workforce shortage,” the spokesman said.
- A spokesman for Walgreens stated that the company’s regular business hours are being maintained at the great majority of its 9,000 locations across the United States.
- “The continued scarcity of manpower, combined with the increase of Covid-19 cases, has resulted in isolated situations in which we’ve had to change working hours or temporarily close a limited number of stores,” she added.
“The reason for this is because of the combination of the two factors.” According to the spokesperson for Walgreens, the company makes an effort to shutter pharmacies on days when there is the least amount of customer traffic and then prepares other stores in the area to take on additional customers.
- Through the use of signs, prerecorded phone messages, and alterations in refills, the corporation makes every effort to notify consumers as quickly as feasible.
- She stated that it is common practice for employees from stores that have closed to be transferred to other sites to assist workers there.
- She stated, “We are working through this along with our communities, and we are dedicated to giving the assistance that is required to get through this surge.” WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FOX BUSINESS? CLICK HERE! As a result of the severe lack of available employees, Rite Aid Corporation announced a month ago that it would begin shutting its shops an hour earlier and would restrict the availability of walk-in vaccinations to just one hour each day.
Both CVS and Walgreens have seen increased sales and earnings as a result of the rising demand for Covid-19 vaccinations and testing. Recent reports indicate that Walgreens saw its largest quarterly sales rise in the past 20 years. This week, CVS increased their earnings prediction for 2021, mostly owing to the increasing demand for Covid-19 injections and testing, both in-store and at customers’ homes.
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- On the 22nd of December, 2021, a customer enters into a Rite Aid shop located in Los Angeles, California.
- (Images by Mario Tama courtesy of Getty Images and Getty Images) The new customer base has resulted in an increase in expenses.
- The chains are spending more money to solve staff shortages, which have resulted in intermittent pharmacy closures, hectic situations in shops, and difficulty providing consumers with Covid-19 testing and vaccinations.
These issues have contributed to the sporadic closures of pharmacies. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians report that they are experiencing burnout as a consequence of balancing an excessive number of responsibilities while also working long hours and additional shifts.
- According to the pharmacy workers, they are also vulnerable to verbal abuse from consumers who are frustrated with the lengthy wait periods and scheduling problems.
- Walgreens blamed the limited hours of pharmacies and the fact that pharmacists were too busy to call patients to ensure they were staying on top of their medication regimens for the lack of growth in prescription revenue that the company reported during a call with analysts that took place the week prior.
The Wall Street Journal was the first publication to feature this subject.