Bear with me.
They treat their employees horribly. They push them around and have a lot of negative reinforcement. There are too many tasks without enough time, and we get yelled at when it's not done. Then, they add more tasks and cut hours. There's a lot of overstress and misery among the employees. I've never heard anyone say "It was hard, but I'm glad I stuck with the company." I heard "Get out of Randalls. Don't stay like I did" and "I've worked for Randalls since before they were owned by Safeway. That was back when they actually cared about their employees" FYI, several employees are college degree holders falling on hard times. Many of us are not whiny dropouts or slackers who are reaping what we sow.
Customer service is rigid and excessive. We have to speak/pester every customer we come across, including in the aisles. We have set questions we have to ask, and at times we have had stupid gimmicks where we tell customers about a product, offer a sample, and before they've even said whether they want it, ask them how many they want. That's pushy salesmanship. We can't just neglect it either, because we get graded on doing all of it, and it goes on our file for review. It can also be graded by a company secret shopper, so you're affecting the store's grade. Your name will be posted for everyone to see how you did.
Donations are a dread. Not only do you have to ask every customer, but they are watching if you do. If your donations aren't up to their standard, they pull you aside to question you. They also post everyone's donation earnings by name and rank for all to see. They will write comments by certain people. I used to simply tell people about our donation opportunities so I wouldn't seem pushy. The management told me that didn't "prompt" the customer enough and that I had to ask customers if they would donate.
Pay is cheap. The raises are usually about 20-30 cents per half year. I once go 50 cents, and that was a big deal. They aren't supposed to work an employee Christmas and Easter, but they will. The volunteer holidays aren't volunteer. You will be scheduled regardless. The Christmas bonus: one extra dollar per hour. That's it.
Don't support this business. Support other businesses that treat their employees correctly. Then, those businesses will have more money to hire more employees and give them an opportunity.
