- Report: #47911
Complaint Review: Safeway Stores - Covington Washington
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Safeway Stores
272nd Ave. S.E. Covington, WA. 98042 Covington, 98042 Washington, U.S.A.
Phone:
253-6300063
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Safeway Stores RIP-OFF Extremely stressful working environment nearly impossible to be promoted Covington Washington
I saw a report on Safeway, and how the person was extremely stressed-out working there. I completely agree with that person, and would like to share my story, too. I have worked in retail grocery stores since 1994, and I finally had enough. It's not only Safeway, but Fred Meyer, as well. I also worked at Top Foods stores (Haggen, Inc.), and found that I enjoyed working for them the most.
I began working at Safeway in Covington a few years ago. I started out as a Courtesy Clerk. I got paid $5.05 an hour to answer the customers' and fellow employees' every beck and call. It really is slave labor. Not only do you run out and get carts, you help the customers with their needs, do price checks, do a gigantic list of cleaning jobs, you bag groceries, and you receive poor treatment because you are the low man on the totem pole.
I did this for over year, working my butt off, never complaining, even training other new hires that came in under me. My best was never good enough. Time and time again, I watched as men hired below me got promoted to Helper Clerk positions immediately, I watched older women be promoted to Bakery and Checker positions, and I became frustrated.
I talked to my boss, and she said, "Oh, I thought you were still 17 and that's why you were never promoted." I had turned 18 some 6 months beforehand. So, I got promoted to Helper Clerk.
I got a raise of 25 cents an hour, and couldn't believe the workload. In a 6 hour shift (closing shift), I was required to fill and face all ad and coupon items on every aisle, I was required to fill and face all the end displays, I was required to fill and face the entire dairy section, and this is all while attending to the needs of each and every customer.
The person that filed the first complaint about Safeway is completely correct in saying that they force the Superior Service bit down the employees' throats. We were told to stop what we were doing whenever a customer walked by, smile, greet them, and ask them, "Are you finding everything okay?" We were also forced to bring them to each item they were looking for. This sometimes meant walking to the other side of the store, then getting stopped by 4 other customers on the way over.
It clearly lead to abuse of our courtesy. I found myself spending much of my shift walking around with a lazy person's grocery list, helping them find every item on it. To make matters worse, those annoying Secret Shoppers would come in to monitor our service. I always did well on mine, but because I was forced to be kind and was afraid of the consequences if I didn't do right.
I was severely stressed out. I was working up to 65 hours a week, developed carpal tunnel syndrome, and I got sick all the time, working in the dark, dusty, rat-infested back room. Customers seemed to just go out of their way to be rude, too. I remember getting screamed at for not having egg nog in July. I remember having to do so much work in such a small period of time, I would rush to do a job and have a major catastrophe happen, i.e. 6 crates of milk gallons falling off of a 6 wheeler, spilling all over the floor or crates of pop explode all over the place.
I'd be mopping it up, pouring sweat, and someone would have the nerve to jokingly say, "Missed a spot!"
I wanted the chance to be a checker, because I knew I was smart enough to learn the codes, and the best pay lies in the checking jobs. I was continually passed up, offered excuse after excuse for why I shouldn't be a checker, i.e. too young, not smart enough, not the right look, etc.
On top of being only 18 and completely stressed out, our Safeway seemed to be continually going through remodels and resets. We were forced to work and be courteous, trying to push huge carts of milk and towers of bread through crowds of angry customers, all while dodging gaping holes in the floors.
I was good at my job, and became good friends with Jeannie, the Dairy Manager. She is a wonderful person, and completely overworked. She even talked about wanting me to take over Dairy when she retired. She was a beacon of light in that dark work environment.
I asked to get out of Helper Clerking, and was moved to the Produce department. I was the only girl working there, and was told the first day by the men that "girls never last in Produce."
With that cloud hanging over my head, I tried to learn the tricks of the trade, and found that most of the time, the guys were too busy to train me because the holidays were coming up. I was left to close on Thanksgiving and Christmas, basically not knowing what to do. I was constantly reprimanded for my poor job, yet always scored perfectly on my "Spy" Shopper visits. I was also working about 70 hours a week. I missed my family and boyfriend so much, and felt so alone.
I was depressed, and would go to work completely in dread and overwhelmed. I felt numb. Finally, my manager pulled me aside and told me, "Honey, you'd be better off working in a Nordstrom, or something." Yeah, that hurt. So I left, going back to work as a Helper Clerk (aka SLAVE)
After 2 more months of that, I was brain-fried, a physical and emotional wreck. I knew it was time to move on. I was and still am a hard worker, with a strong work ethic. This was just too much, though, for ANYONE.
It's hard to find jobs elsewhere, because retail is all I know. I moved from store to store, hoping it would get better, but it didn't. I found that being a Checker for Haggen (Top Foods) was a great job, and where I finally fit in.
Nunnayerbeezwax
Kent, WA, Washington
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Safeway Grocery
I began working at Safeway in Covington a few years ago. I started out as a Courtesy Clerk. I got paid $5.05 an hour to answer the customers' and fellow employees' every beck and call. It really is slave labor. Not only do you run out and get carts, you help the customers with their needs, do price checks, do a gigantic list of cleaning jobs, you bag groceries, and you receive poor treatment because you are the low man on the totem pole.
I did this for over year, working my butt off, never complaining, even training other new hires that came in under me. My best was never good enough. Time and time again, I watched as men hired below me got promoted to Helper Clerk positions immediately, I watched older women be promoted to Bakery and Checker positions, and I became frustrated.
I talked to my boss, and she said, "Oh, I thought you were still 17 and that's why you were never promoted." I had turned 18 some 6 months beforehand. So, I got promoted to Helper Clerk.
I got a raise of 25 cents an hour, and couldn't believe the workload. In a 6 hour shift (closing shift), I was required to fill and face all ad and coupon items on every aisle, I was required to fill and face all the end displays, I was required to fill and face the entire dairy section, and this is all while attending to the needs of each and every customer.
The person that filed the first complaint about Safeway is completely correct in saying that they force the Superior Service bit down the employees' throats. We were told to stop what we were doing whenever a customer walked by, smile, greet them, and ask them, "Are you finding everything okay?" We were also forced to bring them to each item they were looking for. This sometimes meant walking to the other side of the store, then getting stopped by 4 other customers on the way over.
It clearly lead to abuse of our courtesy. I found myself spending much of my shift walking around with a lazy person's grocery list, helping them find every item on it. To make matters worse, those annoying Secret Shoppers would come in to monitor our service. I always did well on mine, but because I was forced to be kind and was afraid of the consequences if I didn't do right.
I was severely stressed out. I was working up to 65 hours a week, developed carpal tunnel syndrome, and I got sick all the time, working in the dark, dusty, rat-infested back room. Customers seemed to just go out of their way to be rude, too. I remember getting screamed at for not having egg nog in July. I remember having to do so much work in such a small period of time, I would rush to do a job and have a major catastrophe happen, i.e. 6 crates of milk gallons falling off of a 6 wheeler, spilling all over the floor or crates of pop explode all over the place.
I'd be mopping it up, pouring sweat, and someone would have the nerve to jokingly say, "Missed a spot!"
I wanted the chance to be a checker, because I knew I was smart enough to learn the codes, and the best pay lies in the checking jobs. I was continually passed up, offered excuse after excuse for why I shouldn't be a checker, i.e. too young, not smart enough, not the right look, etc.
On top of being only 18 and completely stressed out, our Safeway seemed to be continually going through remodels and resets. We were forced to work and be courteous, trying to push huge carts of milk and towers of bread through crowds of angry customers, all while dodging gaping holes in the floors.
I was good at my job, and became good friends with Jeannie, the Dairy Manager. She is a wonderful person, and completely overworked. She even talked about wanting me to take over Dairy when she retired. She was a beacon of light in that dark work environment.
I asked to get out of Helper Clerking, and was moved to the Produce department. I was the only girl working there, and was told the first day by the men that "girls never last in Produce."
With that cloud hanging over my head, I tried to learn the tricks of the trade, and found that most of the time, the guys were too busy to train me because the holidays were coming up. I was left to close on Thanksgiving and Christmas, basically not knowing what to do. I was constantly reprimanded for my poor job, yet always scored perfectly on my "Spy" Shopper visits. I was also working about 70 hours a week. I missed my family and boyfriend so much, and felt so alone.
I was depressed, and would go to work completely in dread and overwhelmed. I felt numb. Finally, my manager pulled me aside and told me, "Honey, you'd be better off working in a Nordstrom, or something." Yeah, that hurt. So I left, going back to work as a Helper Clerk (aka SLAVE)
After 2 more months of that, I was brain-fried, a physical and emotional wreck. I knew it was time to move on. I was and still am a hard worker, with a strong work ethic. This was just too much, though, for ANYONE.
It's hard to find jobs elsewhere, because retail is all I know. I moved from store to store, hoping it would get better, but it didn't. I found that being a Checker for Haggen (Top Foods) was a great job, and where I finally fit in.
Nunnayerbeezwax
Kent, WA, Washington
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Safeway Grocery
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Matthew
Omak,Washington,
U.S.A.
They care more about how well you do with custumers then how much hard work you put in.
#2UPDATE EX-employee responds
Fri, November 28, 2003
I Know how you felt. I to worked at safeway for as a Curtisy clerk. I liked it for maybe a week or so. then i started to get stressed out. i would also get 125% productivty and effecencey, but i wasnt the best in talking to people that i didnt know. I tryed my hardest though , but i suffer from social anexity disorder so it is difficult but i always did my best. I too remember the Secert Shoppers all to well. One time i got a perfect shopper report and the manager of the store left a good job msg on my anwser machine , that was nice , i would of like it better in person but it was still nice. Then other time i got a failing shopper report, and that wasnt good , i got some info from other employees on how to do better, one time the a*s man (assistant manager) pulled me a side and said that i needed to get a good shopper report or i might have to go though a special TRAINING thing i guess its like brain washing reprogramming to do a good job on it and if i failed that they would fire me. I thought ok..i did my best thought still and still felt under apprecated. all i ever got was critism and hardly no gradatude. It was very stressful and depressing I came in like 2 minutes late a few times and they wrote me up for that. then after they supended me. I then decided that they didnt think i was good enough to stay around and help so i never went back to that store again. i worked my a*s off for 7 LONG months and they reward me by suspending me? They arnt worth all the hard work i give them every time i work there. They care more about how well you do with custumers then how much hard work you put in. heck i was like the only one curtesy clerk to bring in carts. and i did it in the snow at 10+ carts at a time. My third leg also got frost bit if ya catch my drift. I was suposed to be in a union , heck they garnished money from my check ever few months nearly 100$ a time. I was under the impression that this gave me some ammount of power about not being over worked, but there was many times were my time was up and i was about ready to clock out, and the Supervisor said that i COULD NOT! leave and i had to work overtime. I should of quit right them, but i was new to the work force and didnt knwo better. what i should have done was tell the supervisor to stick her name tag were the sun dont shine , and use my Union worker trump card i signed up with when i joined and leave for the night, but chances are they would proberly just fire me or somthing. I read your story and i totally relate with how you feel about this store. They are thee most uncaring employers in the US. all they care about is making Money and pleasing custumers. heck a couple people i worked with stole money from them and one stole video tapes from them lol, both are fired. You know it should be painfully obious to anyone who sees that there is always different people working there in the store over a period of a year. with exception to the OVERPAID managers, meaning that they all quit or get fired and are replaced by others, that should tell ya how well the employers theat there employees! i could talk on for pages but i better stop lol. its nice to see others that feel the same way about them that i do. Thanks :)
Lori
Kent, WA,Washington,
U.S.A.
In Safeway's defense, they aren't the only ones in retail that are hard to work for.
#3Author of original report
Thu, March 13, 2003
I filed this report when I was having a bad day. I shouldn't have complained, being that it was a long time ago that I had worked for the company. They did cause me a lot of physical and emotional scars, but they could be a great company for others to work at. I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder. In Safeway's defense, they aren't the only ones in retail that are hard to work for. Pretty much all retail sales jobs are awful and hard on a person. Thanks.
