According to this article Rite Aid was implemented “wellness ambassadors” …walking around the store in WHITE COATS … and they also have “wellness stations”.. it is only operating in 300 of their stores…
From the article :
Rite Aid, however, contends that its patient safety is always a priority and that the role of its wellness ambassadors is to serve as liaisons to pharmacists, locate products and serve as store greeters.
“Our ambassadors do not give counseling or advice,” says Ashley Flower, a Rite Aid spokeswoman. “If patients have questions, like how a product may interact with another, they are referred to a pharmacist.”
She added that the wellness ambassadors are often walking throughout the store, rather than standing near the wellness stations, which are used to hold brochures and other resources. The wellness station, Flower notes, is often located in the center of the store, but depending on space, could be set up near the pharmacy.
Why are these “wellness ambassadors” .. dressed up in white coats… what is their goal… to push Rite Aid’s private label or GNC product line?
Two Senators have written Rite Aid a letter …expressing their concern of these “wellness ambassadors” making recommendations of supplements for treating a disease state or other uses not FDA approved for.
Filed under: General dumb-ass problems
I may have a fresh insight on the “Wellness Ambassador” role. My store continues to slash tech hours, hire 18 yo high-school part-timers for Pharmacy, fired our supervising Pharmacist.Now they have “cloud” programming to determine our schedules. Somehow the front-end shift supervisor is ALSO the Ambassador. She consistently shows up on the Pharm schedule as a Full-Time “wellness” assador. Hmmmm… Never seen her in a white jacket – or helping customers in that capacity – or assisting the pharmacy at all! Even when the part-timers DO NOT show up for work. Much to think about here. Maybe it’s a bullshit role designed to abuse the Pharmacist/tech ratio? Far more threatening than the color of their shirt. Schedule them in pharmacy – where they DO NOT work, using up our budget, and leaving us open to termination for “abusing payroll” for not adhering to
the “schedule”.
[…] deceptive marketing. This subject has also been handled admirably by fellow pharmacy bloggers Steve Ariens and Jim Plagakis. I’m just reiterating the point here for those that might have missed the […]
Its like we are copying Rite Aid. I give up my tech so thatbshe may play wellness ambassador for the store during “peak” pharmacy times. You know the time I need for my tech to be working in the pharmacy.
This is why RAD stock is hovering below $1. Someone, somewhere actually thought this was a good idea. I don’t know whether to be sad or scared about Rite Aid after reading a story like this. Either way, it isn’t good. They are on very thin ice if they have people posing in white coats looking like healthcare professionals recommending products to patients and customers. I wonder what some state boards in the states where the test stores are located would say about this idea?
The question must be asked… why did it take two US Senators to bring this to public attention… and where is the BOP’s?