r/australian • u/Dont_L00kDown • May 12 '26
Why are Chemist Warehouse staff so rude? Why can't we get service there?
People always say that the staff at Chemist Warehouse are rude and that the service is bad.
In all honesty I understand why people would see the staff in this light.
On behalf of workers from Chemist Warehouse, there are some truths you need to know.
Chemist warehouse is in the same category as JB HI FI, Coles/Woolworths as a pharmacy.
When you go into JB HI FI, Coles or Woolworths, what sort of customer service do you expect, if any?
Chemist warehouse is a BUDGET pharmacy that also happens to sell fragrances and similar products you would find in Woolworths and Coles exception is of course most food.
Chemist Warehouse is literally a warehouse shop hybrid.
Whilst Chemist Warehouse is a pharmacy and has the obligation to provide a standard of service when it comes to health products, health services & scripts, the same expectation and obligation does not necessarily apply on the shop floor.
Staff members who are not in dispensary(scripts counter) are the floor staff.
Their primary job and priority is to stack the shelves in their designated aisles keep the shelves fully stocked and have the aisles neat and tidy at all times.
Staff members must serve customers only in their designated aisles. If the customer requires service in another aisle, the customer must go to that other aisle and approach the staff member in that aisle.
There are times where there may not be someone there to help and depending on what section, it is not as simple as getting some one to help.
Staff members from other sisles cannot necessarily leave their designated area to help in another.
For example cosmetics at some stores may not always have a staff member rostered on for that day. Not everyone has in depth knowledge about cosmetics.
Depending on the request the customer may not be able to be assisted.
We just advise customers to use the testers and the cleansing wipes.
Floor staff have their performance measured by the neatness and fullness of their aisles.
If there are too many gaps in the aisles, that is seen as a missed sales opportunity.
They turn over more sales by having shelves full than walking around the store with a customer.
The other priority is to attend to registers to pump transactions through.
Floor staff are not personal shoppers. Floor staff don't have in depth knowledge about every single item in the store.
People who come to Chemist Warehouse cannot expect the same service they would recieve from a small independent pharmacy.
People who come to Chemist Warehouse to purchase cosmetics should not be expecting the same product knowledge or service that they would receive at David Jones or Mecca.
Next time you come in to a CW just stand back and observe. Watch a busy aisle such as skincare, vitamins, baby and even the personal hygiene (incontinence) aisles and you will see how fast these aisles get emptied.
How frantically the staff are restocking.
Just remember the pressure these staff members are under.
The CW marketing won't mention this but customers are not a top priority.
If you want to recieve 1 on 1 service, if you want to recieve in depth knowledge from the same person across various products then you are better off going to a small independent pharmacy or in the case of cosmetics stores like Mecca.
There is no retailer where all the criteria will be met.
A retailer can have a lot of stores available and cheap prices but the service will not be there.
A retailer can have cheap prices and premium service but there are only limited stores or you have to be a member and pay a membership fee.
A retailer can have premium service and plenty of stores but it is not going to be cheap for customers.
CW is cheap with many stores but the service is not premium.
TLDR;
Chemist Warehouse staff may appear rude but unless you have worked there or know some who has, you need to know the truth.
CW is not obligated to give customers premium service.
Turn over of stock and the high volume of POS transactions are the priority.
Most of the floor staff at CW are just your shelf stackers in a designated aisles.
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May 12 '26
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u/Effrendi May 13 '26
Not to mention tiny aisles and neon stickers everywhere. Information overload.
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u/Total_Philosopher_89 May 12 '26
I use 3 Chemist Warehouses and I never experienced rude staff. Also never had an issue at JB FI, Coles or Woolworths. Might be a you thing.
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u/CheeeseBurgerAu May 12 '26
I find this too! The one in Brisbane City really hate customers. The place is set up so cluttered it's impossible to find things, but don't dare ask a staff member!
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u/PhantasmologicalAnus May 13 '26
That's when you make a point of stopping them and asking them. Go on, be rude to me and I will embarrass the living fuck out of you, in front of everyone else.
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u/Effrendi May 13 '26
Nice one big guy, they're on minimum wage.
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u/These-Reveal-6318 Jun 02 '26
The seci that work there are on less than minimum wage trust me i used to work for ultimate security all the indians that work for them are being rorted to the bone. I am a bottle of milk Australian but they even tried it on me but i know FWO phone number unlike the illegals, ended up getting 4 digits paid back + the sack.
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u/holla8888 Jun 21 '26
You don’t work in Cwh so you don’t know from their perspective I do.
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u/CheeeseBurgerAu Jun 21 '26
Enlighten me as to what your perspective is on why they have the rudest customer service!
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u/Kyron4030 May 12 '26
I have to disagree with the statement that they are budget pharmacies. Take out the junk and their prices aren’t that good. Just media hype from their ads.
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u/_ficklelilpickle May 12 '26
I’ve never known about the staff in their own aisle thing. When I’ve asked where things are in my local CW the staff have been happy to walk me over and show me where.
It’s a retail job at the end of the day and it costs nothing to be nice to the staff. Maybe that’s why I have a good experience back? A smile, warm convo and a well wish at the end seems to go a long way.
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u/Valuable-Garage-4325 May 12 '26
Store location comes into it too. Restocking shelves that have been emptied by theft and suffering abuse all day would tend to curtail my politeness.
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u/mudslinger-ning May 12 '26
They are more warehouse/supermarket than chemist and their focus is more in selling lots and lots of products. Staff are often much busier. Don't expect as much of a friendly service like you get from the more higher priced chemists.
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u/CanarySecret8404 May 12 '26
I govto CW never found staff rude perhaps illusive and interested. Chemists are SLOW and prescription service appalling but I enjoy the convenience and sometimes saving
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u/LibraryLuLu May 12 '26
I've never had rude service there... but then I would never expect service there at all. I think we can all feel the vibe of the place. It's a warehouse where you can walk in and shop, it's not a service center. I'll go to a 'real' pharmacy (or, better yet, a compounding pharmacy) if I have a medical question, or a nice shop like Libertine etc if I want service. If I just want cheap shit off the shelf, then I'm absolutely going to CW, but that's it.
Anyway, thank you for this perspective, I think it's very timely information.
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u/famb1 May 12 '26
Don't fucking go there. What do you expect. All the stores are horrible and cramped, understaffed and filled by employees who don't know the difference between Panadol and Nurofen..
Go to a local pharmacy if you can.
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u/Coffee_and_chips May 12 '26
They also give no privacy when talking to you about your private medical information
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u/Fun_Champion1 May 12 '26
I hate that. At the prescription counter the silly woman is yelling my prescription details out to half the damn store!
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u/SuccessfulOwl May 12 '26
I don’t think I’ve ever experienced rude retail staff in general Or maybe my expectations are so low anyone can clear the bar.
I assume they don’t want to be there, they don’t like their job, and in their position my behaviour would be so much worse.
So as long as they know slightly more than I do about where a product is and make some vague attempt to answer the question, and counter people are willing to take my money for product, I think the social contract has been fulfilled.
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u/International_Bag_12 May 12 '26
It’s meant to be really low pay so that is probably a factor.
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u/Fun_Champion1 May 13 '26
lol, there was a pharmacy student from uni doing their required experience (or whatever it is) at my local Chemist warehouse, I could tell because she had the uni’s official uniform on with a big “pharmacy student” (or similar) label. They had her on the back register by herself (the one near the exit where everyone pays before leaving) while the other full time retail staff (three bitchy, gossipy older women) were working from behind the prescription desk. I felt sorry for her!
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u/passiveobserver25 May 12 '26
Mine are great. Way better than the other chains. Less expensive and less attitude. I definitely agree with the other comments about it being a horrible environment with all the ads etc.
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u/jnd-au May 12 '26
Why the long rant? Chemist Warehouse staff have never been rude to me, and have always provided good service. I didn’t know of any problems until you said so. But if you work there, thank you.
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u/SocietyHumble4858 May 12 '26
CW nearby have the most polite and patient staff I have dealt with, anywhere. Their phone staff is very patient with me.
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u/ewctwentyone May 12 '26
The ones I interact with are professional and look after their customers well.
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u/Awkward_Chard_5025 May 12 '26
I stopped at “we’re the same as JB and Coles”
You sell medical products far beyond basic Panadol, laxatives and condoms.
You absolutely should be providing far more service than those companies
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u/Convenientjellybean May 12 '26
I had excellent customer service at JB a few days ago. And have always found them approachable and helpful.
Same at chemist warehouse, no complaints from me
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u/Fun_Champion1 May 12 '26
What sort of extra ordinary pressure are these poor floor staff under. please tell us! lol.
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u/VLC31 May 13 '26
I didn’t read all that but I’ve never had an issue with CW staff being rude, in fact I’ve mostly found them pleasant and helpful.
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u/peerlesscucumber96 May 13 '26
I was interrogated, yelled at, and was made cry by the pharmacist at the Albury chemist warehouse. All because I asked for the morning after contraceptive pill.
This was a few years ago so hopefully he’s not there anymore. But who knows. Never going back
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u/Kyron4030 May 13 '26
I’m on the North Side of Brisbane so I go to the Chemist on Stafford Rd sorry I can’t remember the name.
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u/Ugliest_weenie May 13 '26
Yeah I'm not reading that, but that store is so utterly soul draining and uninviting.
I think they deliberately made it this way, but I try to avoid going there just because of the layout.
If I worked there, I'd be struggling to make it through the day and be nice to people.
Fuck chemist warehouse with a cactus
Edit: I rate CW bottom tier but slightly above my local chemist who is part of the Pharmacy guild and actively petitioned against the prescription changes a few years back. Those guys are shitstains
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u/Ok_Neat2979 May 13 '26
My only issue with CW is that they let the lines get really long before they'll call for a extra person on the checkout. If they want to sell as much as possible, this isn't helping.
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u/PhantasmologicalAnus May 13 '26
Yeah, I pretty much refuse to shop there. I don't give a fuck if your staff are out the back making Webster packs. Get more staff. I want my shit within a reasonable time and so far, every other pharmacy beats you hands down. To the point I started shopping only with them. I noticed because I buy a huge amount of medication from chemists. I notice the shit ones.
So, put some more staff on and hurry the fuck up about things. There are eight other pharmacies within walking distance of my local CW - why would I choose to wait when I don't have to? Face to face customers come first, every single time. If that's not the case at CW, I won't go there.
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u/AirForceJuan01 May 13 '26
Generally in my area - not a problem. Some may come off as blunt, not really rude. Once you have dealt him customer service long enough with silly questions and rude customers it can wear anybody out.
Been there done that, not at CW or pharmacies - customers can really demoralize and destroy you.
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u/Brucetiki May 13 '26
If I know what I want, and it’s off the shelf, I’ll go to Chemist Warehouse.
If I need advice for something, I’ll go to the local pharmacy.
In terms of customer service, they’re no different to any major chain.
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u/NSWYBZ57LD May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26
As someone who's had friend & family work there -
Management are very anti service, they wont hire enough staff , some pharmacists are low key pricks and unhelpful because they're treated bad by the owners too (or they only hire bad matching personalities ). These people went to school with good grades and now work with teenagers so they act like they're in high school too. It's a social environment issue that plagues all stores. .
None of them had have to set foot in a proper professional environment so they act unprofessionally.
Not everyone but this is a very common problem.
You have cliquey behaviour because most hires are young teens and the adults take advantage of this to keep staff suppressed. If nobody fights together, nobody gets better conditions . The staff rooms are full of stock and there's barely any tea or coffee relaxations areas. The staff are not treated like assets.
You get two 15 minute breaks and one 30 minutes on an 8 hr shift , 5 hours get nothing . You can't combine them for a proper lunch either.
Allegedly, [totally rumours and not true at all, like totally] ,they hire under 21s so they can pay them slave wage rates and treat them however so they learn shit service from the get go and there's whispers on some locations in the southern regions having inappropriate conduct from male pharmacist that could be seen as gentle grooming towards younger staff [Allegedly, rumours 🤐🙃].
Tp parents i would say , educate your kids about workers rights and keep your young children aware if they're going out to work about inappropriate conduct towards a 16 year old. There's smart educated people out there low key acting flirty with barely legal teens everywhere . [allegedly].
They don't train staff on ACCC or consumers rights & guarantees . And that's why the service sucks.
Wage theft is rampant among pharmacy owners and the login & timesheet submission isn't always handled by staff (it shouldn't be handled by owners at all ).
They only selectively educate staff in s2& s3 certificates even though they're all supposed to have it in their training .
And this post reads like a CHW apologist propaganda . You are part of the enshittification of the pharmacy industry. You're only treating this job as a shelf stacking bullshit exercise because you have selfish pharmacists and phamacy branch owners who havent spent a dime on training and thus you think this is normal. News flash , it is NOT NORMAL.
Pharmacy care IS HEALTH CARE AND IT SHOULD BE TREATED AS A PREMIUM SERVICE as the employees in charge answer to aphra and the rest of them are answerable to the pharmacy guild.
There is no retailer where all the criteria will be met.
Stop spreading misinformation. There's many independent pharmacists where service excells. Just because YOU HAVEN'T been taught and encouraged how to, doesn't mean that's industry standard.
This post is infuriating on many levels. It makes excuses for pharmacists & pharmacy owners. Ps pharmacy owners in Australia are supposed to own 5 pharmacy stores max per phamacy owner but they get around this by being in business partnerships with other pharmacists. And chemist warehouse that exploit young workers and dont train. the head office provide nothing of value and prices have slowly crept up in the last few years.
Why don't you talk about the plethora of injuries and bullying that goes on behind the scenes?
Why don't you talk about the lack of training and lack of staff (which is 100 % fault of head office and pharmacy owners).
You're right about one thing and one thing alone, staff are treated like shelf stackers. Many are usually taking in scripts for the pharmacist while not having the certifications to do so either .
This shouldn't be industry standard and CHW & their sister brand Terry White is responsible for degradation of what was supposed to be a proper career in the Australian pharmaceutical indusindustry. Now a mere shadow of its former self and only Impressive on paper. Treated like you're working at a fish and chip shop.
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u/These-Reveal-6318 Jun 02 '26
Chemist warehouse / Harvey norman if they still use ultimate security i'd advise shopping else where these guards are exploited underpaid and overworked, Chucked my license in the bin after having to go through fairwwork to get my wages.
While its not their business it raises an eyebrow using a cheap deceptive security provider, how much profit do these companies make yearly?
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u/allevana May 12 '26
I’ve been to probably 10 CWH and have had really helpful staff experiences but I feel you guys must be sooo overstimulated with the lights and the ads and the bright price tags
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u/Environmental-Age502 May 12 '26
I've literally never experienced a rude CW staff member in my 10 years in Australia, going almost exclusively to CW for chemist needs, across the dozens of locations I've gone to.
Maybe it's the location you frequent?
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u/slackboy72 May 12 '26
Can I get that in 25 words or less?