Drugstore challenges and solutions

Your article “Pharmacist shortages, heavy workloads challenge drugstores heading into busy season,” (Freeman, Sunday, Oct. 8), underscores the problems faced by consumers.

Perhaps, those of us caught standing in long lines, or frustrated by waiting to speak on the phone with a pharmacist, can take cold comfort knowing that last year a pharmaceutical giant like CVS reported profits of over $4.1 billion dollars. CVS should direct some of those profits to hiring more personnel including its overworked pharmacists.

Another factor contributing to the current problem might be salaries. Consider the 2021 annual salary of $45,010 paid to full-time median CVS employees (as reported by Fiercehealthcare.com). Contrast that with the annual compensation package for CVS’s President and CEO totaling over $21,317,055.00, (as reported by Fiercehealthcare.com). That amounts to a 458:1 CEO-to-employee earnings ratio.

It’s also worth noting that the combined 2022 annual salary packages for the CVS President of Pharmacy Services and the CVS Chief Pharmacy Officer total nearly $20 million. It seems clear that someone isn’t minding the store.

As consumers, what can we do about the problems described in the article? I wish I could suggest picking up the phone and calling CVS to complain. Good luck with that! However, the next time you encounter a problem with your pharmacy chain, complain to the store manager. Corporations are sensitive to consumer complaints and store ratings, particularly if it has the potential to negatively impact their profits.

Joel Mason Kingston