Pros
- Health benefits are pretty good - ESOP behefits after a year - Working in a 30-35 degree cooler has it's benefits - 30 minute lunches, and two 10 minute breaks means the day goes by faster - Good workout for some departments - More hours put in will result in better opportunities - Employees and customers are generally nice, and can create a good atmosphere on those good days, however far or few in between - Bonuses are nice, and fairly frequent - Dress code is pretty lenient, and being able to wear black, white, or red is cool - Hey, it's a job...
Cons
- Pay is less than satisfactory, but better than some other places (around me at least) - Increase in pay is based on the amount of work you do + Pay caps at around $14/hour for part-time + Promotions to full-time (management) are generally met with over 60+ hours per week on a regular basis causing managers to become stressed and causing a negative work environment for everyone - Schedules are given on a weekly basis, no way to check online, and shifts can change constantly (especially for veterans who know what they're doing) - Constantly understaffed which leads to a heavier work load on the remaining, faithful employees - Management can be very unappreciative of hard work, leading to the feeling of worthlessness as an employee in this "employee-owned" company - The point system is borderline military levels of strict + No sick days. You get sick, and call in (with or without doctors note), or get sick at work and leave... 3 POINTS!!! + You miss clocking in/out 2 MINUTES before or after your scheduled time? 2 POINTS!!! + Caught in bad weather, or traffic? 2/3 POINTS!!! + 9 points within a certain amount of months, or 15 points in a year, and you're left without a job + This causes employees to often work sick to avoid getting points, meaning those who work around food contaminate it - No phones, no exceptions - You can get written up for EVERYTHING, regardless of whether or not the sole cause was your fault or not + At first, they are lenient, because you're new, and they want you to stay, and feel comfortable, but after a couple of months, it's no holes barred, and you better watch your back Now, for my final, and most personal point: - The workload I've worked several jobs that can be defined as physical labor jobs, but only one comes close to this one, and that's landscaping (It's still easier). The amount of work you are expected to put in, is quite honestly legendary. I'm not sure about other departments, but in produce, and especially for opening (4am-12pm), it is simply stupid what you are expected to get done in an 8 hour day. I still crash from pure exhaustion at the end of each day, and I've worked there for 6 months. Any slip up, or mistake you make is met with a write up. Couple that with the fact that the department has a ridiculous turnover rate (I've seen a multitude of people come and go in mere months) that upper management refuses to investigate, managers that have little respect and appreciation for the time and effort you put in, and the constant stress of being on time with pin-point accuracy every day (2 minutes? Seriously? What if you run into unexpected traffic, or weather?), and worrying whether or not the load that comes in every day is going to be massive, or whether the last person slacked off or missed something that will result in a POd manager. It can be a lot for one person. I'm not saying other jobs aren't difficult, and I know they can be, I've had several. But unless you are ready for a mental and physical beatdown, I'd recommend something else...