Pros
Working at Rite Aid is a great stepping stone for students who are looking to experience pharmacy at the retail level. They offer on the job training supplemented with their computer-based training programs for new hires. Working in the retail setting, will allow the pharmacy technician the opportunity to interact with many of the patients, it builds a small community. The pharmacy system that is used by the company to track patients' medications is very simplified and easy to use, the program is very efficient at preventing medical errors. The set-up of the pharmacy work flow is very efficient, starting with the technician computer bench to dispensing then the final review by the pharmacist and finally pick up window. Rite Aid locations are spread out around many major cities, making it very easy to transfer employment.
Cons
The pay does not necessarily reflect the amount of work and experience. Negotiating a raise is dependent on the District Manager. Retail pay is usually low. There really isn't any encouragement for the technicians to obtain national certification. One time the store was closed due to a power outage (ice storm), I was scheduled to work that day but was not paid, a friend who was employed at another pharmacy had to close their store too, but paid their employees who were scheduled to work that day. This may be due to the fact the her pharmacy had unions.