Walgreens Complaint - Wrongful Termination

Posted by PassingBy on 2008-12-03:

Consult with an attorney. But I'll bet that Walgreens's attorney will counter that you violated company policy of not ringing up family members. I hope that somehow you can at least recover your 401k.

Posted by JohnInSoCal on 2008-12-03:

PassingBy is right. I'm pretty sure in all retail establishments it is against company policy to ring up a family member, even if witnessed by another employee. The manager should have rung up the sale.

Posted by Principissa on 2008-12-03:

When my sister worked at Children's Place, she wasn't allowed to ring me up, she had to have someone else do it.

I also think you can talk to an attorney, but like PassingBy said, they will find some way to prove you violated company policy.

Posted by PassingBy on 2008-12-03:

The OP has already pleaded guilty to violating the policy. But I feel that taking away the 401k and other investments is cruel. An attorney should be able to get a copy of Walgreen's employee handbook or whatever they call it and see if the termination results in losing the benefits.

Posted by Principissa on 2008-12-03:

I feel terrible about it too, that's their money and they are entitled to it. At least I think they are.

Posted by JohnInSoCal on 2008-12-03:

The company cannot take away the employees 401k. The employee should get any amount that they contributed, as well as any amounts that were already vested. If not fully vested, then they forfeit the non-vested amount because they are no longer employed with the company. I believe they also have to offer the employee medical benefits under COBRA if they were already insured, but the employee would be required to pay the premium.

Posted by yoke on 2008-12-04:

Agree with John. The company can not keep the 401K that the employee has contributed to.

Posted by M_G on 2008-12-08:

Walgreens doesn't have 401k, it has a profit sharing program. You have to work for the company for X amount of years before you are fully vested. So, this person, who was completely terminated on a legitimate charge, would have gotten all the money they put in, but not the companies money.

Posted by CalzMom on 2009-02-11:

I was discharged from an "unnamed company" after working 3 years of service for them. I was speaking with another employee at the register. I was ringing them (I will not leave a name for privacy purposes)up and finished the sale. I continued to converse with the coworker and their family. This coworker introduced their granddaughter. I was sharing with the granddaughter that she had a great grandparent that they would do things with their granddaughter. I then said to my coworker and their granddaughter that my grandmother used to tap me on the back of the head to get me to sit up straight. As I said that i reached over and demonstrated with a quick tapping motion what my grandmother did to me. My coworker never said anything about the incident, we kept conversing and ended our conversation well. A week and a half later I was called into the office and loss prevention asked me to write out what happened on paper. I asked if I was going to get fired and they said that we would talk about it after I wrote out my side of the story. Loss prevention read the paper then handed it to the EXA. He read it and said it was a firable offense, handed me my last payout in cash and asked to clean out my locker and walked me out the door. This was at the end of August. I'm currently on unemployment trying to get a job in this tough economy. I guess why I'm writing this is to warn people in any job that they think is safe to be careful of who you touch and for why. I personally was depressed because of the way that I got fired but I am trying to turn it into a positive and say that I need to move on and go do something more with my life since I am middle age. I want to warn others that touching others even if not intentionally to hurt can and will come back to haunt you. I have learned to not trust any coworker because they will turn you in for anything and to keep my hands to myself. And with that I'm going back for a certification in a different field of work and I'm going to work in a more fulfilling job that fits my personality and passion. I'm not looking back except to warn people that even the simplest action can get you fired from your job.

Posted by CalzMom on 2009-02-11:

I am a previous employee of Walgreen's and the policy was you were not allowed to ring up your own family....period. There were not exceptions to the rule about having someone watch you. I think they should have given you a warning or the person (manager) watching should have told you that this is an unacceptable action but unfortunately, we both worked in a big corporation. In today's world, Corporations are cold and callous to employees. You are just a number and if one number in the chain (meaning employee) does even the simplest mistakes or bad judgment, they don't care who they hurt, you're out of there. It happened with me and I did a good service for them for 3 years and I was the insurance provider for my family. I used poor judgment, suffered the consequences by getting discharged and I'm moving on. They are not worth my time, energy or feelings to be hurt any more. If I hang on to the anger and resentment, then they've won and to be honest, they don't care about you anyway. You are not a person to them. You're a number and a paycheck.

Posted by Bob Jones on 2011-07-14:

I was terminated from Walgreens, supposedly for sexually harassing another guy. Here's the thing, I filed a hostile work environment claim three months before. Three months to the day later, this false claim was bought and I was fired. This company will make up anything they can to get rid of anyone who they feel causes trouble. If you are still there, get out. Do all you can to boycott them. Walgreens sucks.

Posted by mindy on 2012-02-13:

Yes so I also worked for walgreens for three years.I admitt I did give a employee discount to a employess mother.but I'm not the only one who has done so.the last few months my managers and co workers had been treating me like crap.just so happend the employee who I gave her mother a discount to hates me for some reason..and I'm sure this was a set up fpr me.I don't understand how anyone else can do it but I slip up one time..lose prevention comes in a

Posted by crocus on 2012-08-06:

I have worked for walgreens for 12 yrs I just quit recently . Yes the company has gone downhill. I have seen managers set up people to fire them. I have seen harassament go unchecked. I have seen EXAs remain unpromoted one for 10 yrs and one for a little less. They were told by the DM they would not getthere own store

Posted by Jo on 2012-08-11:

Crocus, I hear you. They're going downhill thats why they are setting up people to get fired. I think who kiss #$#@$% stays and get promoted.

Posted by Also enraged on 2013-03-07:

I currently work for this company. I was written up for a no call no show because I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT. My friend, who was in the car behind me but was not involved in the accident, did me the favor of going to my store and letting management know I would not be in. He informed them there was an emergency but did not want to disclose any other details without my consent. I called the day after and informed my boss I was in an accident. Her response? "IF you were REALLY in an accident, I need to see the police report." Okay, fine by me. I went in BEFORE my next scheduled shift, gave her a copy of the police report and a doctors note statingi could not immediately return to work due to injuries sustained in the accident. My boss then informed me that, "even though it was clear" I had actually been in an accident (maybe it was the two black eyes, broken nose and chemical burn from the air bag that gave it away?) I was still getting written up for a no call no show because she "didn't believe" I was in an accident and assumed I was "out partying and too hungover to show up" because I had tried to switch that shift with a coworker the day before. I see where she is coming from her in thinking, but the fact remains I WAS in a car accident and I gave DOCUMENTATION showing it. I find this write up unfair. I also find that now I am being bullied by her and the other managers. I have never even had a verbal warning the entire 7 months I have been there, I have two absences that weren't excused with a doctors note and have never had a customer complaint. Yet I am being punished for her ASSUMPTION.

Posted by Brandy on 2013-04-20:

I was fired today for using register rewards a customer had claimed they didn't want on one occasion and unclaimed register rewards on 2 other occasions. The total for these rewards was $4. Loss prevention came in and basically bullied me into signing a statement and add things when he wasn't satisfied with what it said. The store manager then came in and said I violated company policy and was terminated. They gave me my final pay in cash and walked me out the door as well. Prior to this "offense" I had received recognition as a top salesperson in the district for about 2 months straight on every one of my shifts. But the store manager(a female) has given me a horrible attitude since about a week after I started. I had never done anything wrong to warrant her bad attitude(no-callins, no tardiness, no customer complaints, and all the other employeees and managers adored me) in the 4 months I've worked there. The only thing I can come up with is she came outside when I was leaving after work and we talked behind my car. She looked at the back of my car(where, among other bumperstickers, I have a gay pride sticker). The very next shift is when this attitude started. My biggest complaint is I didn't know I wasn't allowed to use them and was told by another employee(who ended up promoted to manager) that at the end of my shift if they were unclaimed I could keep them. Couldn't they have just written me up? Or repremanded the now manager that originally told me it was ok? Or at least showed me in the policy book where it said keeping them was against policy? Walgreens is a HORRIBLE place to work! I had been looking for another job prior to termination because of our store manager's attitude and total lack of professionalism, but now I'm looking without being able to get a paycheck to support my family in the meantime.

Posted by Courtney on 2013-05-17:

I'm actually on suspension right now, bc of a loss prevention case. No idea what it is or anything they just told me to leave and they'll contact me, I'm almost determined to not answer. I don't want to deal with all the crap I have been reading online, I loved working their it was like my second family.. And now this? I'm thinking about jus going and finding another job and NOT answering at all wen they call.