Probably just a scare tactic my the manager to get someone, anyone...to show up to work.

wow. some managers get on a power trip, thats insane. i would tell that manager exactly where to shove it.

Reminds me of working at Wal-Mart when I was younger. 2' of snow on the roads? 'How come you're not here?'

Dear Houston, meet Baton Rouge. It'll take a few days, but you'll be fine too. Everyone please understand. Love, fellow hurricane victim.

Wow... just wow.

This guy is some piece of work. I guess the good news is that if any negative action was taken against you, it would be pretty easy I'd think to sue the heck out of em.

Unsafe working conditions, putting someone intentionally in harms-way, etc.

If Himma Can, Hurrican!

Quit. That. Job. Immediately.

Actually, Walgreens was open the day after the worst ice storm in 20 years hit here. The lights were off and the checkers were using calculators. I wrote a check for $30 worth of batteries.

My friend got out of Houston in time, but as of Saturday was under the (mistaken) impression that she might be able to go home on Sunday. Good luck to everyone down there and be careful.

My guess is that we'll soon be hearing how Walgreens corporate office "takes this very seriously" and uses it as a "teaching experience" for their managers.

So if you need 3 for 1 pantyhouse packs, electric nose-hair trimmers, bouncy balls, or singing Hallmark Christmas houses,

Food, water, cleaning supplies, quick-fix essentials, necessary replacement daily amenities...

It's a fucked up job, but somebody's gotta do it.

Roofs are overrated you still have 4 walls unless they got blown away also. In my day we sat around with our 4 walls and threw rocks at each other for fun.

It's nice to see how Walgreen's takes the health and safety of their employees seriously. Sometimes companies like to hide that but apparently Walgreen's is fine with everyone knowing it.

I would love to know what he is measured on for his incentive plan. I'll be there are components for attrition and absenteeism.

Does the Walgreens have a roof? Cause, if it were me, I'd rather be there than at a house with no power and no roof.

It's lose-lose. The employees whine about "OMG hurricane! I can't make it into work!" then those self-same employees that can't make it to work go out to buy the things they need to clean up their hurricane scattered lives, and find that all the stores are understaffed, because the employees all called in and said "OMG Hurricane!"

Having lived through numerous hurricanes in Florida, I can't help buy point and laugh at people like this. I mean, we're talking Houston. They don't get a LOT of hurricanes, but this isn't the first - won't be the last. It's a fact of life, and you need to understand that even in a disaster zone you're expected to grow up and act like an adult.

As far as the New Yorkers that write this blog - did it never occur to you that the neighborhood Walgreens MIGHT be the closest place for people with smashed cars and no water to go buy emergency supplies, like first aid stuff, bottled water, batteries for radios and flashlights, etc etc? Believe it or not, Walgreens DOES carry things other than "3 for 1 pantyhouse packs, electric nose-hair trimmers, bouncy balls, or singing Hallmark Christmas houses".

I rate this news post: FAIL.

It's just an unfortunate fact that retail/fast food employees get treated like crap. When I was working for Captain D's, my manager was mad that "I didn't want to come to work" after a hurricane hit. This was after I explained to him that I was literally trapped in my house because of downed trees. I was pretty pissed; but if I didn't have power, water, or a roof... I can't even imagine.

Correct me if I am wrong, but if your place of employment has no running water, isn't it unfit for people to be in? I know that is how it is in NJ. If either of your waters(hot or cold) is out, you have to shut down until service is restored.

Besides, if you have no roof, then it's a hazarous condition, and they would have to issue you hard hats. Of course, thanks to OSHA, you would need to be properly trained in hard hat usage and fitting, which requires a class, etc... Unless your building isn't as bad as it is made out to be here, there's a nice labor board investigation coming. Make sure to document!!

Virtually every manager in every retail job I've had has been like this, and I've never worked in a place that sold "essential" items. Any major snow storm that closed schools and government buildings was no match for the high-end clothing store! We were OPEN. I finally quit when I called out for a migraine (related to a TUMOR!) and the manager called me personally to tell me, "she gets headaches, too" that the Excederin would kick in by the time I got in to work. Absolutely ridiculous.

Why is it that retail jobs, the jobs that pay the least, always expect the most out of their employees? Most companies worry about their turn over rate; retail keeps employees through attrition. I know people who make 300% more than their retail counterparts that call in whenever even the most minor of inconveniences happen. Hell, I almost had to call in today because I couldn't find anywhere with gas in stock regardless of the price.

My girlfriend works retail in the illustrious Apple Store. Guess what? You might love Apple, but it's just another shitty retail job where they expect you to work on-call, give you no notice of your schedule ahead of time, and give you a scowling look if you dare request time off.

Quit your job. I doubt Walgreens is doing anything special for you on top of the whopping $7 an hour you make to keep you there. And on your exit interview, which they'll ignore anyway, you can at least feel vindicated when you say "my store manager is an asshole who expected me to drive through a disaster area to sell coloring books and hoola hoops to customers too busy piecing together what is left of their shattered lives".

We were living in South Carolina when Hurricane Hugo blew through years ago, in areas that hadn't evacuated because the they weren't supposed to get hit. We lived in one of those areas, which was devastated by hurricane-spawned tornadoes in large swaths. Our house was fine, while neighbor's homes were nearly destroyed.

My ex worked for DuPont at the time, and showed up for work like normal.

DuPont sent him and everyone else home with loads of free gloves made from one of their miracle fibers, told them to use the gloves to help themselves or help their neighbors, and to come back the next week.

No one had to beg for time off or plead for understanding. They later extended time off for people who had severe damage.

That is the way to handle this sort of situation, almost effortlessly good about it.

@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->: the problem isn't the Walgreen's has no roof. The OP's house has no roof.

Also Hurricane has an "E" at the end.

I'm just guessing here, but with how specific this article was with names and situations, this will soon have been submitted by someone who used to work at walgreens, but no longer does.

I'm sure the local McDonald's and such are open too. When I worked fast food, there wasn't much that could make us close. Walgreens seems to be the same way. Do they think it makes a good impression on customers when the Walgreens is open and everything else is closed? Personally, I would see that and I'd be tempted to find the manager and punch him in the face for making employees come in during a natural disaster.

@dancing_bear: Incentive plan? In a place like that? I doubt it.

@The Replay Booth Disinfectant Intern: The OP stated they were out of supplies anybody would need. I would think that would include necessities such as those you listed. And, for the record, the somebody who should be doing that f-ed up job: FEMA. Not people who are victims of the hurricane.

This takes "Open 24/7" to a whole new level.

@The Brady Crutch Tape Intern: he said the store was sold out of all of that stuff last Thursday

I was fired from walgreens after working for them as a technician for 5 years. I was taking a heavy load of college classes and told them on specific days I could not work simply becuase I would be in class. They scheuled me for the same days and told me "if you do not come in, it is a no call no show." So I did not show up and was fired. So I feel your pain. My advice is quit walgreens is worthelss to work for.

Crappy situation for the employee, but I can see the other side of the coin. People are probably going to be storming any store that is open for basic supplies, drinking water, food, etc. Someone has to man the store...

@chris_l: Simple, Walgreens employees are replaceable. The lowest paying jobs are those that require the least amount of training and schooling. I don't know how much training the average Walgreen's employee gets, but my guess is it can be done in an afternoon. It's simply cheaper to train a new employee than to allow for more time off or to raise salaries.

That said, I actually feel bad for the manager here. The corporate office expects the store to be open. They don't care how the manager does it. If he had some flexibility, the manager should offer time-and-a-half to any employees who can work now. But he may not have that level of autonomy.

The corporate structure is probably not adept at handling situations like this, though this really could be an opportunity to change their training and corporate policy. In the event of a regional or local disaster, the store manager is authorized to increase wages to x in order to keep store open.

Of course the manager might simply be a dick.

@The Replay Booth Disinfectant Intern:

OP said they were out of all the important stuff. I believe it, Florida walgreens will run out of stuff the day before a hurricane too.

@whitefang2000: Nobody likes a grammar nazi. Discuss the comments meaningfully; if you want to post to nitpick other people's grammar, please do it elsewhere.

I can see plenty of things Wallgreen's could supply after a natural disaster that would be useful. Who's going to be there to help clean up, or help the diabetic customers. If you can't be there, make other arrangements. If you can't persuade your manager to work with you, sounds like you would be happier in a different job.

So, you can get on the internet to post this story, but can't make it to work? hmmm....

My brother-in-law lives in Houston, so I know it's bad. But seriously... if you can make it in, make some money instead of waiting around for a contractor to tell you it's going to be a month before he can fix your roof... If you really can't make it, then so be it. Just have your records in order to produce when necessary.

I feel sorry for him, I had a manager do the exact same thing to me a few years ago after a major storm. I told her I couldn't make it in because our area was barricaded, not to mention flooded past your waist. She asked, "Well, can't you get a cab or something?" Thank goodness that manager is no longer here. 2 1/2 years putting up with her stupidity and power trips was too much.

I think people are unfairly targeting the manager. The manager didn't decide to open the store up. Corporate did. So the manager has to try to get employees to show up to work. And beyond the stern message, was anyone threatened with termination? The fact is an employee can claim a reason not to show up, but many times if a manager is stern the employee will miraculously make it into work.

My boss threatened to fire me if I didn't get out of Corpus Christi that Thursday when the storm was aimed at the city. Made that an easy commitment, the county I live in kicked all of us out. I went to Laredo and holed up there until Saturday.

The company I work for takes Rule 1: personal safety first, VERY seriously.

@Ouze: Same thing I was thinking. Overly specific. Done and done. They won't get him for not showing to work, they'll get him for complaining about the company on a national forum.

That's Texas for you...

BTW, hen did Consumerist become HRComplaints-erist?

Also, if "most of Houston" doesn't have power, how can the Walgreens be open?

BTW, Walgreens is a drugstore, first and foremost. People need their meds. Sorry.

If that Walgreens was closed, you could sure as hell see a post on here saying "My grandma needs her medication, and this Walgreens is closed!"

Reminds me of my days working retail when I was a teenager living at home, earning nothing more than my free spending money. I used to love to watch managers expressions when I told them I'm not coming in, even if you fire me. Too sad that some folks have to rely on this type of manager for their family's well being.

What terrible management. I was an assistant manager of a CVS in college and after major snowstorms the manager would have the assistant managers call all the employees and tell them to stay home if they wanted (not counted as vacation and if they came in he gave them time and a half!)and then we (the assistants)were expected to fill all the functions the clerks would.

jeez louise.

i used to work at a local drug store called happy harry's (which was recently bought by walgreens, actually), and i remember calling in one morning because i couldn't get my car out of the driveway; we had gotten about 2 feet of snow and ice the night before. my manager told me, in no uncertain words, i needed to show up "or else." i got my dad to help my shovel my stuck car out. :(

When I worked at Blockbuster, it was SOP that the closest CSR and Manager (store or assistant) would have to come in if there was inclement weather preventing whoever was supposed to work to come in.

Yes, this means that even if the entire route (for me that included a downhill winding backroad) was covered in ice, I'd have to come in. Even if there was zero chance of anyone coming in (due to, oh, ICE and unplowed driveways), I'd be expected to come in.

Luckily for me, it never came to that.

As a Floridian, this is pretty commonplace. The grocery store I worked at would not close unless a category 4 or 5 was directly hitting us, and once it was gone, they would start calling people in, even if the store didn't have power. Basically, this is the price we pay for being able to buy things right after the storm, someone has to be behind the register.

What he says: "When i called the store back to let them know there's no way in hell that I'm showing up..."

What he's thinking: "...because I need to go out and get supplies."

Someone's gotta come in to work to be the guy who helps other people that are skipping work. And someone's gotta be the guy to staff his store's registers. I wouldn't hold his attitude against him considering, maybe, his house is probably banged up too.

Man the title is terrible though! A complaint post shouldn't start with "Stop Whining..." :)

BTW, hen did Consumerist become HRComplaints-erist?

@BuddyGuyMontag: Many people base their shopping decisions, in part, on how the store management treats their employees.

Walgreens employees are not fire fighters or emergency room doctors. It is not reasonable to expect them to show up to work no matter what happens.

Hello hurricane victim.

I'm sorry you work retail, but that's the nature of the beast. You're
not the only one who needs help. If you're not a manager or assistant
manager at Wal-greens, you're a peon. That's their corporate structure.

Ask anyone in FL who survived the 2004 hurricanes. Most retail employees
had to report to work. I helped on a catastrophe team going to various
Home Depot stores in Orlando helping clean up and restock so people
could get tarps to cover the gaping holes in their roofs, etc. All the
employees at those stores reported for work. About half of them I spoke
with had huge holes in their roofs or were missing entire sections, had
trees on them, etc. Either go in to work, or quit the job and deal with
your roof however you like. Problem is, there's nothing in Wal-Greens'
corporate manual that says you don't have to go in if your roof has a
hole in it. What are you gonna do in the meantime? Call up a roofer?
Yeah, you and everyone else in the Houston metropolitan area, Galveston,
etc.

I was already at work one day when a hurricane went through our state. We weren't in the direct path, but we still lost power, trees were down all around the building and our basement flooded.

Our boss refused to let anyone leave, despite the lake in the basement, despite police urging everyone to leave the area, despite the lack of electricity.

Our oh-so-vital place of business?

An upscale hair salon.

@Rectilinear Propagation: How Walgreen's in Houston treats their employees in one store does not affect how the employees are treated in others.

For example, one Target by me is a complete DISASTER zone. However, 10 miles up the road, there's one that's a joy to shop in.

Do I judge the entire chain by the conduct of one store? No.

Now when it's store wide policies like Best Buy, I can see your point. But this sounds like an isolated incident, one where we don't have all the details.

For example, we don't know what this guy does. He could be the night cleanup boy, but he could be a pharmacist. If he is, he might HAVE to be there. Although one would think a pharmacist is smarter than to blab all this.

The other flip side to this, as I stated before; Consumerist runs stories about how "such and such" store was closed when they needed something, and how "such and such" store went above and beyond customer service in times of need.

@Consumerist-Moderator-Roz: Easy there Chief Wiggim, he made a valid point, and threw in the spelling correction - I saw no swearing, nor any offensive language - and he did make a point aside from pointing out the grammatical error. No one likes a grammar nazi, true - no one likes a comment nazi either.

Back on topic, I spent eight soul crushing, hellish years in retail. I saw this same story repeated at various stores during various natural disasters. Corporate tells District that they want the stores open. District tells the store manager they want the stores open. The store manager gets stuck in a position where he has to get people to come in any way he can. I'm not saying it's a good system or anything like that..... I guess what I'm saying is shit rolls downhill, and it really sucks to be at the bottom of that hill.

@The Replay Booth Disinfectant Intern: except that store was out of supplies a week ago. RTFA