4 out 5 managers to be fired or demoted to $12.50/hour shifts

The value concept is a loosing strategy, Sales in core Drug Store categories are down double digits. These sales declines are made up by super low margin sales in soda and beer and other low gross commodities. The people or person behind this concept is to invested in this prgram to admit the failure. With each new value store we get further away from profitabilty. All that anyone in the Executive management team care about is top line sales. They actually think they can fool Wall Street with this hocus-pocus. It is exceedingly easy to get top line sales when you are giving things away. The continuing errosion of margin is an EBITDA killer and is not sustainable. Anyone at Riteaid that mentions this is chastised or worse. The official line from corporate is don't worry about margin, we'll figure that out later. I was shocked listening to the analyst conference call because it mostly sounded like lies. Segmentation is the battle cry at corporate, and it is the answer, however it is being done tottally wrong. A one size fits all value concept for the South will be a disaster. The current value concept can only work in highly economically distressed areas. Stores in good, affluant neighborhoods are being crushed.True segmentation means taylored offerings for stores in diverse areas. The big, huge, mistake is the assumption that all people in the South are poor, ignorant, rednecks, who live in trailers, also rural Pennsylvania apparantly. It also follows that our corporate leaders also believe that they can foist this incredibly stupid multi-store manager concept on these same dumb redneck managers in the South and Rural Pennsylvania. It is not too late. To any corporate person who might hear about this,abandon this program before it is too late. It is more honorable to quit than to forge ahead to even greater disaster. Just look at the results to date. I know the argument, "it's a great plan the dumb managers just can't execute it", please some of these dumb managers have way more since than you!!!!!!!!!! Sorry, for the poor grammer and spelling, but I'm from the South remember.

We just got word that some stores in GA are being covereted to Sav-a-lots, are these stores managed by Multi-Store Managers?

No, the Sav-a-lot stores keep their manager and actually pick up more assistants to help, but your job will not be easier! Sav-a-lot/rite-aid stores are the same size as they were, becoming about 75% groceries and 25% drug store with a pharmacy in the back. You won't have enough stuff for a person to do all their grocery shopping, nor will you have everything a drug store should carry and therefore you won't have many every week customers. How about handling raw meat, dealing with fruit and vegetables spoilage on Rite Aid payroll? It is a mess and yes your sales will go up, while your proftis go down.

Don't be surprised if they fire from within and promote from outside for the POD Managers. It happened to me, a loyal asscociate! 15 yrs succesful management with Eckerd/RiteAid in Chattanooga. Interviewed for the position with experience and a 4 yr degree. Let go w/ 8 weeks only to find out someone from outside filled one of the positions. He did not last....I am glad to have been forced into moving on.
Shady company!

I have been with Rite Aid for 20 years and finally left the HR department feeling guilty for what I had seen go on year after year and never said a word for fear of being on the "out". Rite Aid has for long as I can remember passed over current associates for promotions to hire outside the company because they failed to train their very own people and because they felt new blood is a lower risk than the people who have been there for them for years. At its current management its a company with no future.

The Rite Aid Way wrote:

I have been with Rite Aid for 20 years and finally left the HR department feeling guilty for what I had seen go on year after year and never said a word for fear of being on the "out". Rite Aid has for long as I can remember passed over current associates for promotions to hire outside the company because they failed to train their very own people and because they felt new blood is a lower risk than the people who have been there for them for years. At its current management its a company with no future.

We employees see that all the time. Rite Aid makes no secret of it's hiring outside.

My manager is a multi-store manager and it's so hard to get things accomplished. I have been up for a promotion to shift suporvisor twice, and have yet to be promoted, because he hires someone in over me. I work my butt off, and I'm the only person practically on the FE who does hard work, and I get no appraise for it. I've tried looking for another job but the economy is so bad, no one is hiring, so I'm stuck at my hourly associate title getting very little, and having to support my mother, grandmother, and sister!

GA girl wrote:

My manager is a multi-store manager and it's so hard to get things accomplished. I have been up for a promotion to shift suporvisor twice, and have yet to be promoted, because he hires someone in over me. I work my butt off, and I'm the only person practically on the FE who does hard work, and I get no appraise for it. I've tried looking for another job but the economy is so bad, no one is hiring, so I'm stuck at my hourly associate title getting very little, and having to support my mother, grandmother, and sister!

I have watched my front store manager work his butt off trying to get promoted to DM. I also see those above him using him as a personal slave because they know he will do anything to get DM. They do this under the name of "training". Makes no sense. Can really bring a person down. RA is not very smart about morale of their employees.

Well I used to be an abused asst mgr for Rite Aid. It was almost as bad as when I managed stores for Dollar General. I'm glad I got out after almost 5 years as an asst. The DM would never promote me, "why buy the cow", anyway I was salaried then, now I have learned that the asst mgrs are hourly, and from what I've gathered from you guys posts, that even the Store Managers will go hourly!!!

Wallgreens and CVS sure apprieciate it Rite Aid, when you lose quality of management, you lose!

I was employed by riteaid for seven years, I walked out the first of Sept. They fired our manager in Aug and the new manager came in and starting changing everything around, told us we were dumb and didn"t know our jobs. The funny part, she walked out before Xmas, the job was to much for her.

I work at a Rite Aid in Cleveland, TN and our store manager is a multi store manager too. He works so hard helping us and everyone loves him but as soon as he builds us up our district manager will come in and tear us down telling us nothing we do is right when all we did is what our multi store manager told us to do. So im happy to have a job just not happy with this job.

Concerned Cleveland wrote:

I work at a Rite Aid in Cleveland, TN and our store manager is a multi store manager too. He works so hard helping us and everyone loves him but as soon as he builds us up our district manager will come in and tear us down telling us nothing we do is right when all we did is what our multi store manager told us to do. So im happy to have a job just not happy with this job.

It's that way everywhere chain wide and even in the other chains. These higher ups have to justify their jobs. I just don't pay any attention to their crap. I know in my heart I'm doing the best job I can. The same stuff happens to our store manager, he does stuff and increases sales and the DM comes down on him. Seems like if it's not their idea it's no good regardless of the outcome. In our store the Front end DM amd the Pharmacy DM don't like each other. It's a job in itself just trying not to get in-between them!

I have been with Rite Aid for 20 years, have a 4 year business degree and have met or surpassed every expectation placed on me since I came to this company. I have been a multi store manager for over a year and when our district manager position opened up I applied for it only to be beat out by another multi store manager who has been with the company 2 months. He is younger, came from a hot company (Target) and plays the game better I guess. I trained him and now he is my boss. Hard pill to swallow.

Hard pill to swallow wrote:

I have been with Rite Aid for 20 years, have a 4 year business degree and have met or surpassed every expectation placed on me since I came to this company. I have been a multi store manager for over a year and when our district manager position opened up I applied for it only to be beat out by another multi store manager who has been with the company 2 months. He is younger, came from a hot company (Target) and plays the game better I guess. I trained him and now he is my boss. Hard pill to swallow.

Pardon my english, but there is only one way to say this. "It's not who you know...it's who you blow".

Breaking news on the on the "value concept" and MSM position. The value program is dead. Heard them say it myself. Corporate is not going to spread it to any other stores as it is too expensive and the return is too little. Whether they are going to close these stores or convert them back has not yet been decided. The MSM position is gaining steam and areas with "low volumes" are going to start converting to it for the cost savings of cutting out one manager for 4 or 5.