I want to see how many will respond to this and how many will just read it.
What department do you work in?
Night Grocery
Why do you work in that department?
I like long hours, hard work, low pay and dealing with very few customers directly.
What would you change in your department?
I would fire the 12 coworkers I am in charge of and hire 6 coworkers like me.
What would you not change in your department?
Me.
What do you not like about your job?
Babysitting 10 of the 12 6th graders trying to force the work to get done. Reteaching the same tasks every night. I swear they play stupid with me. No one can be that dumb naturally.
What do you like about your job?
I love changing the baler.
Would you work in another department?
No. Night Grocery is where the action is. I am at top pay and compensated well for the aggravation to get the work done.
If yes; Do you have a preferred one you would choose? Why would you want to work in another department?
If no; why not? Why are you satisfied working in that department?
Why do you work in that department? - It was the one I got hired in for, so it's the only one i've ever really known. Plus, I do like the department.
What would you change in your department? - If it was up to me, I'd increase the hour budget for not just my department, but my whole store, because being in a really small store means the company things we can function on a ridiculous amount of elms hours.
What would you not change in your department? - The night closer is pretty awesome, and I think bigger stores would love to have a worker as good as she is.
What do you not like about your job? - The pressure that gets put on department heads right before these store walks especially.
What do you like about your job? - The pay is pretty good if you stick with it long enough and become a department head. I've also gotten to know some great people I would have never gotten to meet if I hadn't gone into the training.
Would you work in another department? - No not really because bakery is all i've ever known. I wouldn't mind learning more though of course, in case I would ever want to switch departments or become a co-manager (not planning on that right now) but to actually transfer to another department, nah i'm pretty happy where I'm at. The bakery can be hard work but i'm enjoying it.
I want to see how many will respond to this and how many will just read it.
What department do you work in?
Deli/Bakery
Why do you work in that department?
Applied for it on a him. But have enjoyed TV programs about cooking and making creative things to eat. So seeing all the different colors for frosting cupcakes and such. I looked forward to stuff like that.
What would you change in your department?
Let's see. Communication and information being conveyed is 2 big ones for sure. After that, I think both Deli and Bakery should be managed in a similar fashion. Not just have our DH mention a couple of things to the Deli peeps but spend all his time in the bakery. It's a large enough section for the both of them. And he should spend his time helping out both sides.
Totally cut out the drama. I get everyone is adults and should behave properly on the job. But there is so much gossip and drama at times, that I feel like the DH doesn't do his job in cutting stuff like that off. And it leaves folks to fester in their feelings and so forth. And just doesn't make for a comfortable environment at times. Sure there are good moments but still mostly gossipy ones at times. And never sure if someone has been talking about you like they have other people or not.
I'd also love to see the more lazier folks and the ones that call off team too many times receive some kind of repercussions for not being as reliable as they should be. Namely our back up cake decorator. I'm supposed to be on the same shift as her this Saturday. And even though she is getting out at 8 p.m. I have a feeling she is going to have some reason to call off or get even sicker than she already is and can't make it her full time. So I think if she had some kind of suspension for a time or something, maybe she could straighten up a bit more often. And likely other associates doing the same thing too.
Having more hours so I don't have to cover for someone else just to make money in the first place.
Having a cut off time on cake orders and putting messages on cakes. I get that they have a desire for us to be as open and friendly to customers at ALL times of the day. But sometimes, just like in the case of us being out of a particular pastry at a certain point during the night. Then there should be a cut off on doing messages or taking orders too. Most especially if someone is looking for something uber specific and I haven't a clue if it's possible to do it or not as the decorator is already gone for the day. But the person is like "you guys did X,Y, and Z for me before. So it shouldn't be a problem." I'm sorry, but I got hired on just last freaking year, I don't have a clue all the decorations they okayed back then. And if they still are. So I'd like to say come back the next day to talk to someone that can better accommodate your order better than I can.
All the drive to be the champ at every sales competition that the stores have. I get our DH is all about the sales goals at times. But dude, sometimes it's good to be like let's go for just a simple 70 and if it's possible to achieve more then that's a bonus. But no need to shoot for selling such high numbers of stuff all at once.
It's been mentioned before, but be great to get the higher ups to come behind the counters to help out. And I don't mean for just a day, I mean for 2 months or so. As I think they are vastly out of touch about the things that their associates really do on a day to day basis.
And for sure, making time for actual training. The better trained some folks are the better they are at doing their jobs is my opinion.
What would you not change in your department?
Having far more understanding back up managers than our DH.
Getting help from Deli during closing shift(that is definitely a major one for me).
Being able to sample some of the food sometimes. Like the Brioche that got turned into French Toast for customers to sample.
Strangely enough the amount of faith that peeps have in me and my skills. I'm no nincompoop by any means. But I kind of had a control freak of a mom that instead of being one to demonstrate many things to me in regards to cooking or something. She'd be more like, "let me just do it, myself instead of instructing you on doing it". So although I'm no fan of being treated like I just can do anything and there is no proper training involved. I do to some extent appreciate being treated like I am capable of learning and doing things I've never officially tried before. Kind of a good faith gesture.
What do you not like about your job?
Not enough hours, only one person doing the truck at a time, most especially having one person on closing(as if everything is getting done if there is just one person on and no real help), the beef that occurs most often in regards to first and second shifts ideals of each other. Also, that the manager still can't get my name right. I think he does it on purpose though at times. For instance, just yesterday, I had gone on my break and he got finished in his meeting and just looked at me and said "see you later alligator". Not a big deal really if there is a rapport of that sort of thing happening to other associates throughout the store. But as our relationship is not like that. I felt like instead of simply saying have a good evening (insert my name here), he chose to do a cute little saying versus, attempting to say my name that is right on my name badge. Like didn't even try and get my name right or ask me to pronounce it. Anything else can read in my previous response.
What do you like about your job?
It's in-doors. I had a previous door to door marketing gig that had you trudging through really bad precipitation at times and it sucked. For the most part, only having to do my job in one central area vs. folks in Grocery or other parts of the store seem to have tons of aisles and different things to stock. I for sure have a feeling I'd be uber tired doing that all day, everyday. I used to even enjoy the fact that I'd be on earlier shifts at one point and then on later shifts the next. I guess the routine to a certain extent. I mean sure there are different orders here and there at times. But for the most part, it's nothing TOO totally different that can't be handled(although saying that just makes me more annoyed that the training part of things just never happened as it should have for me. As there isn't anything super daunting. But for the stuff that needs to be done often and properly, it should totally have been in my training so I don't feel so unprepared i.e. doing the bread slack out).
Would you work in another department?
If yes; Do you have a preferred one you would choose? Why would you want to work in another department?
If no; why not? Why are you satisfied working in that department?
I keep thinking about Clicklist in regards to changing depts. Only because it seems so much more freeing than all the other depts. in general. As they are essentially like a personal shopper that goes from aisle to aisle getting stuff off the shelves for people. And never really having someone riding their case about there not being enough product on the sales floor or it's not as filled as it could be.
I could be totally mistaken on that. But it does seem to be the dept. most of our former Deli peeps have transferred into. And the only negative I've heard from them is that their manager just doesn't like for them to be talking as they are doing their job. Not sure if that is on the phone or to other associates once they are looking for a particular item. But even then I can't say that could be a big negative for me. As I sometimes enjoy doing my job by my lonesome and not feel like I have to engage or participate in the drama of my on dept. at times.
I want to see how many will respond to this and how many will just read it.
What department do you work in?
Front end. I'm a cashier.
Why do you work in that department?
I was hired into that position, and made the mistake of doing a good job. That mistake has trapped me in this position until I complete my education and move on in life. Bad cashiers might get bounced to a department to save their job.
What would you change in your department?
Holy crap, give us some more hours. We have managers and departments on the registers all day. This is retarded. Lines back up regularly. Management can't get anything done, which also prevents them from answering Service 1's or 2's, which makes the lines back up even more. The departments are also poor cashiers. They tend to be short or even rude to the customers, as they have a lot of anger and frustration since their departments suffer every hour they spend up front.
Increased pay and strictness in hiring. And run the background check before hiring, not after. We once lost a whole wave of new hires when they all failed the background check. Holy crap. We do hire a lot of weirdos, retards, tweakers, and the occasional homeless. It takes a special kind of person to work for minimum wage. Try to attract some normal people, or at least not the usual simps, gimps, wimps and chimps. It would be cool if we had a semiprofessional workforce instead of a bunch of minimum wage burnouts and losers. A lot of them also quit when it turns out that 12 hour weeks don't pay bills. Full time is also impossible. Is a living wage out of the question? A path to promotion or even a career would be absolutely wild.
Don't give me grief about CCG's. After a couple months on the job, items per minute and tender time start to depend more on the customer. Lately, I've been studying ergonomics for personal comfort, and efficiency in movement for personal entertainment, and I'm faster than ever. Except, my scores are bleh since customers absolutely struggle with the chip readers. Although, in all fairness, the card readers barely work. And only most of the time.
What would you not change in your department?
Sometimes, we have cool management. Working here is dead end no skills minimum wagecuckery; let's be realistic. It's almost Walmart. If I show up sober and on time, then I'm actually doing pretty damn good and better than many. Only a few managers realize this.
What do you not like about your job?
Most things. I really hate the customers. I mean, I was never a people person, but now I seriously hate people. I've lost all faith in humanity, and all sympathy for other people. I had no idea the average person was an oblivious and semi-sentient retard. Idiocracy is real. I feel like some kind of high powered supergenius since I'm able to successfully organize and use a wallet. Most people...can't. It's bizarre. I'm dumb enough to work here, and even I can figure out a wallet. A lot of customers actually carry a deck an inch or two thick of every single gift card, business card, temporary card, social security card, and every other card they've ever gotten in their entire life. And a handful of crumpled up bills. And they keep their ID and payment cards placed randomly in that deck. They don't go on top of the deck, as that would be too easy. Nope, the important cards are hidden towards the bottom of the deck. Every single purchase, everywhere they go, they look like an amateur magician doing a really bad card trick. And self-checkout? It might as well be in classical Greek. I don't know how some customers can even find the store.
Women's purses. You see a Coach (OMG!!!), I see a Hefty sack (Hefty Hefty Hefty) full of loose bills, change, coupons, important cards, unimportant cards, makeup, and literal garbage all swirled together in an incoherent mess. Hefty Hefty Hefty.
The union. They are apparently worthless. I hear they just roll around in baby pools filled with cash from union dues all day. That sounds unsanitary.
I hate getting sick all the time. The average customer is stuck in the dark ages. They will sneeze and cough right in your face, on their hands, on their cash, card, ID, and coupons. So will their children. They will lick their fingers. Then, they will touch your hands. I was sick every two or three weeks the first two or three years I worked here. Now, it's more like every three to six months, except now the colds last two weeks.
And I hate the smelly customers. There's a few morbidly obese customers that smell overwhelmingly like cheddar cheese. I can't eat cheddar cheese anymore. A lot of old people don't bathe either. Or, they bathe in perfume or cologne instead to disguise this. I've actually developed serious and frightening allergies to a few perfumes and colognes. Usually, the customer leaves before I have an asthma attack, my nose starts to bleed, and my eyes start to swell shut. But not always. We also have a large Indian community. They all stink of some combination of body odor, onions, fried onions, and curry.
Scheduling and flexibility. I don't get a regular schedule, and there is no flexibility. It's a special occasion if I get the same shift two days in a row. Theoretically, we get to pick our own schedules. Actually, those with enough seniority get a phone call whenever it's most inconvenient (either early in the morning, late at night or 10 minutes before they leave for work), and are threatened to have their schedule picked for them if they don't pick over the phone RIGHT NOW. If they are lucky. Half the time, my schedule is just picked for me regardless.
I'm going to have to start keeping a clipboard and a calendar on my bed since I've missed so many birthdays, family events, weddings, parties, and everything. And it still won't help half the time.
If you have no seniority, you just get whatever leftover shifts there are. Opens, closes, whatever. Occasionally scheduled overtime if too many people quit, and a lot of 12 hour weeks until more people quit. Or get fired, I suppose.
Holidays. Almost every single holiday the whole time I've worked here has been ruined. And most of them, ruined for nothing since we shouldn't have even been open. There's no reason to be open after 9:00 or 10:00 pm on New Year's Eve, for example. Costco closes on Thanksgiving, so why can't we? And most of us don't even get holiday pay for it.
The payscale. It's outpaced by minimum wage increases until you've been there for about 5 years.
Work-life balance is nonexistent.
The Grab-and-Go. It's now the job of the front end to fill them. That doesn't really work. A lot of drinks are in the back... except we are the front end. It also makes the grocery department look bad since we just end up clearing the shelves instead.
What do you like about your job?
I get to demand people's ID's and see how old they really are. Don't smoke, by the way.
Cutting boxes. The sensual whisper of the blade as I gently pull it through the cardboard (or perhaps a snarl if I'm rough), the grain of the cardboard splitting open before me, the scent of fresh cardboard hanging delicately in the air. It's intoxicating, almost erotic. I get the shivers typing it out. It's one of the most enjoyable things I've ever done in my whole life. I had no idea it was that good. Cutting open a whole U-boat of boxes of bags for the front end just makes me deliriously happy. I could be truly happy and fulfilled in life, just sitting in a room, cutting boxes open all day. I'd come in almost a quarter punch early, and leave almost a quarter punch late, every single day. I would be. so. happy. I realize it's weird, probably a little disturbing, but I just can't help it. Not that I would. It makes my heart sing and my spirit soar.
Would you work in another department?
Sweet Jesus, yes.
If yes; Do you have a preferred one you would choose? Why would you want to work in another department?
I've done fuel center training and worked a couple weeks out there. An on-site fuel center is hell on earth. An off-site fuel center is vacation at the gas station.
The fuel center is designed to be just too much work for a single person to do. You can't get anything done, you don't get breaks since nobody wants to work out there because it's so goddamn miserable, and absolutely everything is your fault.
The off-site fuel center is almost fun. It's all exactly the same work. The difference is that there's two people out there for liability reasons. It's actually a cakewalk for two people. You only need to put in 3/4 effort, and you still come out ahead. There's a lot of time just enjoying the clouds drifting by. And the variety is wonderful. You get to walk around, clean and inspect the pumps, fill coolers, run the till, all kinds of stuff. Not just standing in one place all day, praying for an aneurysm.
Produce looks like fun, although it depends on management. My buddy in produce had to step down to cashier. He was spending too many hours cashiering instead of actually working in his department, resulting in write-ups for poor job performance.
Frozen is supposed to be the easiest department from what I've heard from coworkers.
I did an overnight GM shift once. It was wonderful. Plenty of boxes to cut. Cut the box, stack the tampons. I had no idea there were so many varieties. Almost fun.
Why do you work in that department? I was hired for that department. I actually wanted to work in bakery, but Deli was the position that was open.
What would you change in your department? How management communicates with their employees. You don't tell others, another employees business. You go to that employee. I would also change the amount of hours I get.
What would you not change in your department? The fact that all equipment we use must be cleaned and sanitized every night. When it's done right, it makes me want to eat the foods we cook and slice.
What do you not like about your job? The seniority list. I feel that it doesn't matter how long you've worked there, It's how hard you work. If an employee came in and worked there for the 90 day probation, never called in, was never late, and has already proven that they work harder than those who have worked there for years, their seniority would start rising above the others.
What do you like about your job? The customers. We sometimes get some rude ones, but most of the time we get some pretty decent ones. I like seeing different faces and talking to the customers.
Would you work in another department? Yes,
If yes; Do you have a preferred one you would choose? Bakery, Meat, or Seafood.
Why would you want to work in another department? I like learning new things. So going to a different department would teach me something new.
Why do you work in that department? Because according to management, every other department in the store is full.
What would you change in your department? My coworkers, fire the current ones and replace them with better ones.
What would you not change in your department? Nothing, everything sucks about it.
What do you not like about your job? I don't like being the only person doing the job while most of the people around me do their most minimal-amount of work.
What do you like about your job? The fact that it's a job and that I'm making some kind of money, while getting out of the house.
Would you work in another department? YES!
If yes; Do you have a preferred one you would choose? Why would you want to work in another department? Dairy Department. Worked there before while someone was out for the week, and it's amazing imo.
been in dairy for 3 months. double my pay, still wouldnt want to work front end. better to battle yourself by shelving a ton or 2 of milk than battle idiot flesh columns. love my sanctuary cooler
