CVS Situational Judgment Scenarios 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A customer asks you to hold a specific high-demand product for them for three days because they are short on cash. Store policy does not permit holds. What do you do?
- Agree to the hold to make the customer happy
- Refuse abruptly without explanation
- Explain that store policy does not allow holds, and suggest alternatives such as checking back or asking about layaway options (Correct answer)
- Hide the item in the back without telling anyone
Correct answer: Explain that store policy does not allow holds, and suggest alternatives such as checking back or asking about layaway options
Applying store policy while offering alternatives shows empathy and maintains operational fairness for all customers.
Question 2: A minor asks you to purchase tobacco products on their behalf, offering you money to buy it. What is your response?
- Purchase it discreetly since you are not the one being carded
- Decline firmly and explain that you cannot purchase age-restricted products for minors (Correct answer)
- Ask a coworker to handle it instead
- Ignore the request and walk away without responding
Correct answer: Decline firmly and explain that you cannot purchase age-restricted products for minors
Purchasing tobacco for a minor is illegal and a serious policy violation regardless of who is making the actual transaction.
Question 3: Your store is understaffed today and your manager asks you to handle a task outside your normal duties. You are not fully trained on it. What should you do?
- Attempt the task without saying anything to avoid seeming incompetent
- Refuse to do anything outside your usual duties
- Let your manager know you are not fully trained, ask for a quick overview, and do your best with guidance (Correct answer)
- Do the task incorrectly and blame the lack of training afterward
Correct answer: Let your manager know you are not fully trained, ask for a quick overview, and do your best with guidance
Communicating your training gaps before starting a new task allows for proper guidance and reduces the risk of error.
Question 4: You observe a customer placing merchandise in their bag in an aisle when they think no one is watching. What is the correct action?
- Confront and detain the customer yourself
- Ignore it and continue your work
- Alert a manager or loss prevention associate immediately and describe what you observed (Correct answer)
- Follow the customer around the store until they leave
Correct answer: Alert a manager or loss prevention associate immediately and describe what you observed
Loss prevention decisions and customer confrontations are the responsibility of trained management or LP staff, not frontline associates.
Question 5: A customer is upset because the pharmacist told them their prescription has a dangerous interaction with another medication they take. They want you to override the pharmacist's decision. What do you say?
- Override the decision since the customer is insisting
- Agree with the customer to calm them down and say you will handle it
- Explain that the pharmacist's decision is final on clinical matters and encourage them to speak directly with the pharmacist or their doctor (Correct answer)
- Dispense the medication and let the pharmacist handle the fallout
Correct answer: Explain that the pharmacist's decision is final on clinical matters and encourage them to speak directly with the pharmacist or their doctor
Clinical decisions belong to licensed pharmacists; technicians must never override them, and the patient should be directed to the appropriate professional.
Question 6: You find a wallet on the floor near the checkout area with cash and credit cards inside. What is the right course of action?
- Keep the wallet until the end of your shift and decide then
- Hand it over to your manager or the customer service desk immediately (Correct answer)
- Leave it where it is so the owner can find it
- Remove the cash and turn in only the wallet
Correct answer: Hand it over to your manager or the customer service desk immediately
Lost items should be immediately turned in to management so they can be secured and reunited with the owner.
Question 7: A customer asks you a detailed question about a product you are unfamiliar with. You are not sure of the answer. What should you do?
- Make up a plausible-sounding answer so you do not seem unknowledgeable
- Tell the customer you do not know and offer to find someone who does or look it up (Correct answer)
- Shrug and walk away
- Redirect the customer to the product's website without helping further
Correct answer: Tell the customer you do not know and offer to find someone who does or look it up
Admitting uncertainty and actively seeking the correct answer builds more trust than guessing and giving wrong information.
CVS Situational Judgment Scenarios 4
A customer asks you to hold a specific high-demand product for them for three days because they are short on cash.
Store policy does not permit holds.
What do you do?