Pros
It is a union job; you are guaranteed a certain amount of hours and adequate compensation. The union provides additional resources for employees in need of them (like, IIRC, online schooling). Additionally, union representatives will frequent the store and connect with employees. It is easy to contact your union representative if you need to. Stimulating environment and relatively easy day-to-day work. Because most employees are not passionate about their work, it is easy to stand out. It is easy to earn overtime, and schedules are flexible. It feels like the company cares about its employees; when I had to take work off due to COVID, corporate sent me a get well card and Albertsons gift card. Additionally, there were times where lunch was provided for free in the break room. Uniforms are provided for some positions, but you are also expected to own clothing that aligns with their dress code. They allow you to wear a jacket in the store due to the temperature. There is also a store discount for employees. Managers are direct with their critiques, which can improve employee performance.
Cons
I worked at the Wabash, downtown Chicago location (off Roosevelt), so my review is based off this specific store. Safety can be a concern for some employees. It was common to see fights (physical and verbal) break out between customers/employees and rats invading the store. Shoplifting, public urination, and other aggressive behavior are also common. The store's public restroom is locked with a numerical pass code that changes daily, and customers are expected to get this pass code from the front desk (which they will pass on their way to the bathrooms, unaware that they are locked). You will be asked multiple times during your shift what that day's pass code is if you stock shelves within the vicinity of the bathrooms. Employees are not provided the pass code without asking. Additionally, despite the locked doors, the customer restrooms are reportedly filthy. Management exhibited unprofessional behavior, including misogynistic remarks and critiques of female employee's looks (unrelated to uniform or professional appearance). Senior staff members felt comfortable showing clique-y behavior; I was shunned from my senior Osco employees for accepting a position on the Jewel side. Because of the location, the store is frequently busy. When there are events downtown, the store floods with customers, even during hours you would not otherwise expect it to be filled. This could potentially be overwhelming for people not accustomed to working with large amounts of people. Additionally, because of the large amount of customers, items are frequently out of stock. It is normal for a shelf you just stocked the night before to be sold out in the morning. The training is poor, in part because the turnover rate is high, It is difficult to adequately do your job if you are not given the resources, direction, or support needed to be a great employee. If you work for Osco, you can expect to be called off your lunch break early to open the locked propane cabinet for customers. This store has a massive amount of products, and the placement for many of the items is not intuitive to shoppers. It can be overwhelming for new employees to learn where everything is. Additionally, Osco merchandise sections are mixed with Jewel merchandise sections, which can lead to employees being confused as to what to focus on facing/stocking, Some of the store practices seemed illogical or at least poorly handled. For example, we were asked to stretch out cheaply priced, overstocked items across empty shelves because "empty shelves look bad". This led to confusion among customers, as they could not tell what the actual price of an item was since it was placed above multiple, conflicting price tags. An additional example is "grief carts," which were shopping carts stocked with hundreds of items that shoppers had left out of order in the store. You were expected to return all of these items to their original places. In some cases, items in the carts hadn't been sold in the store for months. I can't imagine that waiting until a shopping cart is flooded with random, miscellaneous merchandise before re-stocking is the best way to keep items in their proper places. This is not a hygienic location. The shelves are dusty, and there isn't adequate time or supplies set aside for cleaning them unless corporate is expected to visit the following day. The clearance shelves are even filthier and thoroughly disorganized. It is also common to find half-eaten food items in random aisles throughout the store. In the back of the store, it is typical to find leaking, spilled, or opened products; it can be a messy job. Your coworkers will likely be dispassionate about the work, meaning that you will have to pick up the slack if you want the store to run properly. It can also be physically exhausting if you are unaccustomed to working for hours on your feet. I frequently got 25K steps during my shifts; it is not for sedentary workers. Communication is poor. Employees have to be proactive in order to receive direction. During my time at this store, I was expected to move from a part time position in Osco to a full time position in grocery. This did not occur due to incompetence in the rehiring process. I returned to my Osco position briefly, without any compensation for the wages I lost during the month I was not working. You should not expect to be compensated fairly or recognized adequately for your work, and you should anticipate poor and inept behavior from upper-level staff. If you are not careful, you can work full time hours as a part time employee, meaning you will not receive the additional benefits provided to full time employees (like insurance).