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Walgreens is a massive retail store that has approximately 9,021 locations across the United States as of 2020. To keep these thousands of stores running, Walgreens hires teams of capable and professional employees for various positions.
Before bringing a new member onto the Walgreens team, the candidate must go through the interview process. While every situation is unique depending on the position you’re applying for, there are a few questions that hiring managers will typically throw at you during a Walgreens interview.
Below are the top 15 questions that are commonly asked during an interview for a position at Walgreens.
To kick off the interview and ease the tension of an evaluation, the hiring manager will pose an easy-going starter like “tell me about yourself.” The goal of this question is to get a brief summary of a candidate’s professional story.
Since there’s still an entire interview to go, it’s good to keep your response to this question succinct. The majority of your answer should only include relevant details about your career, but it’s okay to add a little tidbit about your personality to give the response some flavor.
Example Answer:
“My name is James, and I’ve been working in the customer service and retail industry for the past eight years. I originally got into the business when I got my first job as a grocery store cashier in high school. I enjoyed working with people to assist them in the tasks of their day, so I decided to continue my career in the field. Most recently, I worked as an assistant manager for a major retail chain. When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my fiancée Matt and going on hikes with my dog, Chuck.”
What can you tell me about the Walgreens company?
Part of a Walgreens interviewer’s job is to assess how much a candidate knows about the company. An applicant’s knowledge of the Walgreens company demonstrates how prepared they are and shows how invested they are in working with the organization.
While the question is fairly open-ended, try to provide both broad statements about Walgreens and more specific details like the company’s core values.
Example Answer:
“Walgreens is a major American retail company founded in 1901 and is the second-largest pharmacy store chain in the country. Walgreens specializes in prescriptions, health and wellness products but also carries photo services and grocery items. According to the Walgreens mission statement, the company adheres to its core values of trust, partnership, honesty, and quality care.”
Have you worked in a retail position before?
Walgreens needs to have a baseline understanding of a candidate’s previous experience before moving forward with them. This question is fairly simple to answer; just respond with your professional background in the retail industry.
Even if you don’t have much formal experience, Walgreens could be willing to give you a chance at an entry-level position. Make sure you’re honest about your experience since honesty is crucial to Walgreens.
Example Answer:
“Yes, I have worked in a retail position before. I worked as a retail salesperson at a major clothing outlet for four years. In that position, I started as an organizational staff and worked my way up to a sales position because of my effectiveness with customers.”
How do you think your previous work experience would translate into this position?
Once the Walgreens hiring manager has gauged your former experience, they’ll continue to ask a question like this one. This question asks the interviewee to go into a little more detail about their responsibilities in a former position and apply them to the Walgreens position requirements.
Mention responsibilities that were mentioned in the job posting to show your understanding of the position.
Example Answer:
“In my previous position as an assistant store manager at a retail chain, my days consisted of many tasks that the job posting mentioned would be relevant in this position as a Walgreens store manager. For example, I was responsible for making the weekly schedule for twelve employees, overseeing operations, and handling customer complaints. These responsibilities required problem-solving, delegation, and communication skills. I think all of these skills and management experience will translate well into a position at Walgreens.”
Why did you decide to apply for this position?
The Walgreens hiring manager will want to know why you decided to apply for the position with their company. Your response should demonstrate what stood out to you about the position or the Walgreens corporation that drew you in. Avoid broad answers about simply needing a job and rather mention reasons that are specific to the company.
Example Answer:
“I decided to apply for this position because I was looking for a new job at a company that was team-oriented and welcoming. After finding the job opening, I looked more into the Walgreens corporation and found several things tempting about the work environment. First of all, Walgreens has stated that what makes them a tough competitor in the retail market is its integrity. I appreciate this claim and want to work in an environment that values this quality. Additionally, I’ve noticed many former employees stated that Walgreens is an excellent place to work. This made me decide to apply for the cashier position.”
Who are some Walgreens competitors?
This interview question tests a candidate’s knowledge of the Walgreens company and the retail industry. It shows if they’re familiar with stores that are similar to Walgreens and their perspective on what they consider the competition.
Example Answer:
“Some of Walgreens’ main competitors are CVS Pharmacies, Rite Aid, and Walmart. I’d consider these the largest competitors of Walgreens because they also offer pharmacy services, grocery items, and beauty products.”
How would you handle an extremely agitated customer?
One of the common situations that any Walgreens employee will have to deal with when working there is an angry customer. While it shouldn’t happen often, it does occur from time to time. Therefore, Walgreens wants to ensure that the candidates they hire are prepared with customer service skills to take on this difficult scenario professionally.
Example Answer:
“If I had to work with an extremely agitated customer, I’d handle the situation in a few steps. First, I’d try to communicate with the customer and understand why they’re feeling the way they are. Hopefully, the customer would be calm enough to explain, and I can work towards coming up with viable solutions until the situation is fixed. However, if they were too agitated to explain the situation or work towards a solution, I’d explain that I’m available to help, but I need to understand why they’re angry before continuing. Usually, this would be enough, but if they’re still agitated, then I would escalate the situation to my manager.”
Tell me about a time you solved a problem at work.
While you’d hope that most days go smoothly on the job, issues tend to arise every once in a while when working in a retail job. Therefore, every member of the Walgreens team needs to be familiar with problem-solving at work to ensure that they’ll handle this situation correctly if it happens.
When describing the former problem that you solved at work, give an all-encompassing answer. State the job you were working, lay out the situation, and mention the outcome clearly.
Example Answer:
“In my last job, I was working as one of the managers for a popular American retail chain. The store easily saw over 1,500 customers per day, and we had to make sure that shifts were switched flawlessly. An issue arose where employees were often showing up late, which created a disruption when switching shifts. To remedy the issue, I held a staff meeting with everyone and told the team that being late would strike against them. If they got three late strikes, their position would be evaluated by corporate. The tactic worked, and people started showing up right on time.”
Why did you leave your last position?
The Walgreens interviewer wants to see how you’ll speak about your former place of employment when asking this question.
Many applicants will speak negatively about their last job, especially if they left on bad terms. This looks awful in an interview. If a candidate is willing to talk badly about their last job, they could say negative things about Walgreens in the future. It’s about displaying professionalism.
Example Answer:
“I worked in my last retail position as a salesperson for a total of three and a half years. In that time, I developed a great relationship with my co-workers and enjoyed being a part of the team. However, after my second year, I noticed that there wasn’t much upward mobility available about the business. So I decided to start looking for another job because I want more opportunities to develop my career.”
How long do you think you’ll work at Walgreens?
During an interview, the Walgreens hiring manager wants to know how long a candidate will stay with the company. It helps them decide if the person is the right fit for their goals. You don’t have to give an overkill answer like “I’m going to be working here forever.” Instead, your response should be realistic.
Example Answer:
“I’m currently entering my freshman year of college and looking for a part-time cashier job to help cover my living expenses. Since I’ll be at a university nearby for the next four years, I estimate that’s how long I’ll be working with Walgreens if I was offered the position.”
Tell me about your educational background.
Depending on the job you’re applying for with Walgreens, they might ask about your educational background. Some jobs at Walgreens require years of schooling, like being a pharmacist, but others have fewer restrictions, like sales associate positions.
Example Answer:
“As per the requirements for this cashier position, I graduated with my high school diploma. Additionally, I completed an associate’s degree in accounting at a local community college.
What are some of your strengths?
The interviewer from Walgreens needs to walk away from the discussion with an accurate picture of who every candidate is and what qualities they can bring to the table. To figure this out, they’ll ask about the interviewee’s strengths.
When responding to this question, bring up qualities relevant to the job you’re interviewing for.
Example Answer:
“Some of my biggest strengths are that I’m extremely punctual and also very social. In my last retail position, I was well-liked by my co-workers and customers alike for these qualities. I believe they would also be beneficial in this sales associate position with Walgreens.”
Do you work well in a team environment?
Every Walgreens out of the thousands is run by a team of individuals who function cohesively to provide a pleasant experience for customers. In any position with Walgreens, teamwork is important.
Whether working as a security guard or as a pharmacy assistant, Walgreens employees need to work with others effectively. Expect the interviewer to touch on this topic.
Example Answer:
“Yes, I believe that I thrive in a team environment. In my past ten years of working experience, I’ve always worked on teams of between five to thirty people. I greatly enjoy working in a team environment because everyone supports each other in running the store properly.”
What are your salary requirements?
Talking about money with a stranger can be a bit awkward, but it’s necessary when you’re interviewing for a new job with Walgreens. The various positions across the store each have their own salary range, and locations can differ slightly in their compensation packages.
The interviewer asks this question to make sure you’re on the same page regarding salary. Provide a salary range for the interviewer to consider. Make sure the lower end of the range is a number you’d feel comfortable taking.
Example Answer:
“Based on my five years of previous experience as a customer service sales associate, I would require a salary range of $35,000-$45,000 for this position.”
Many Walgreens recruiters will throw in this question when they’re interviewing for a position. It’s a bold inquisition, but answering it well can leave a lasting impression on the interviewer. When responding to this question, think back to the job posting and mention qualities that Walgreens is looking for that you exemplify.
Example Answer:
“From the research I’ve done before this interview, I’ve come to understand some things about the Walgreens company. Walgreens values teamwork, honesty, and hard work. These are qualities that I’ve embedded in my professional and personal life, making me think I’d be a good fit for the company. Additionally, the job posting stated that you were looking for a candidate who would be a model of good customer service, and that also sounds like me. In my last position, I was awarded employee of the month three times for my customer service skills. For these reasons, I think I’m the perfect candidate for this job.”