Complaint Review: Safeway Markets Genuardi's 1027 - St. Davids Pennsylvania

I started working at the Genuardi's near my house last summer. I had applied for the produce and floral departments and was hired as a night crew produce person in the produce department. My co-worker Jackie didn't like me to begin with and in fact told me that she was really upset that there wasn't this other girl that she knew that took the job (she had apparently left produce to move to Florida).

Since I was on a 5 night schedule I worked with Jackie three nights. She would complain that I bopped my head to the music on my headphones or that I wore my pants too low - just really menial petty complaints. Around this time I met a couple of entrenched old time employees who had been at this store for 10 and 27 years respectively. One of them insisted I was "Puerto Rican" every time he talked to me for about the first 4 or 5 months I worked there. Both him and this other guy always made gestures like they were holding a spoon of coke up to their noses and sniffing.

At first I put on a glad face and tried to bond and be friendly with all of my co-workers. The produce manager and me never had any bad blood. I had my first performance review in November of 2003 and got a 2.25 which is like a B+ and then received a raise. At the same time I was receiving praises from co-workers and all levels of management. One of the assistant managers who rotated over to our store named Joe Baker would tell me I was doing a "great job" and was very courteous with me.

At around the same time I called this same assistant manager to report problems with two co-workers about the "Puerto Rican" comments and the drugs gestures. He talked with these co-workers on my behalf and then they wouldn't talk to me for quite awhile and one of them always had his head down when I would see him and the other one called me a snitch. As a result of my complaint I was called into the office to talk with the store manager (David Margavich) who told me he had numerous complaints about me and that he saw a pattern of me not getting along with co-workers. It was as if he'd been watching me. He said he noticed that I didn't go over and get coffee with those same guys when they came in mornings.

He asked me if I was having problems at home et cetera. Eventually I told him that I was on some cough medicine that made me sort of hyper and mean and he said "well I'm no doctor" but that maybe I should stop taking it. My produce manager suggested that it mightmake me "dumb". The whole effort was to undermine my position and I could see the gears turning in his head like he was punishing me for whistle blowing or even complaining about being mistreated. I told him that John Salamone had threatened to punch me in the face (at this point one co-worker was stepping up the situation to physical threats) and he completely discounted it. To this day nothing has been done to this employee who threatened to punch me in the face, with a close fist raised two times in front of witnesses.

Then in April I received another positive performance review and got the maximum allowable raise (after I complained) of 4% Eventually I was fired for telling a new hire to "Get out of my face, p***y" after he insulted me several times, said he was perfect and never made mistakes - and this employee, Jordan had worked at Genuardi's three nights. Jackie came forward crying to a manager and shaking and stuff and said I was asking her questions. Prior to this she called me a Psycho and all I said was calmly that "I disagree" about her hateful attitude towards me. She screamed "I Do Hate You!" and walked away looking not the least bit shaken or upset. She went to a manager in Pizza Shop who she had complained to before about me even though Pizza Shop is all the way at the other end of the store and Pizza Shop manager John Marco really has no authority over night crew. She went to him basically because she knew he could be easily manipulated and because the night crew leader can't stand her. He ended up sending me home.

I was suspended for a week, interviewed by Human Relations and then terminated one week later for "misconduct". I never missed a day doing 40 hour weeks at the beginning and eventually 48 hour weeks at the end, did a wonderful job, worked when I was sick et cetera. Basically, I was pushed out for sticking up for myself and trusting too many shady, manipulative employees.

My main feeling about my experience at Safeway/Genuardi's is that they don't get it. They are screwing new employees in terms of wages and benefits and the older entrenched workers just don't know the circumstances. They probably thought I was getting the same great pay and free benefits that they get. Eventually, those employees are going to retire or die et cetera and Safeway will be in no position to retain quality employees.

I thought I was a quality, reliable employee and obviously David Margavich and Joe Baker and Chris Miller did too or I wouldn't have gotten such raises and praise. I was very humble about what I earned and the crazy hours I worked but in the end I was made an example of because I'm apparently a lightning rod. But from reading the other accounts of Safeway on this site I can easily see that mistreatment of employees and customers ( such as PUSHING products on consumers, rather than selling) is rampant in the company culture.

Christopher

St. Davids, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.

Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Safeway Grocery