warehouse worker

operator

order picker

shipper/receiver

warehouse assistant manager

Trenton Cold Storage

Out of all the warehouses I've ever worked at, this was the coldest. Working in a freezer definitely has a downside, but the upside is that it keeps you moving quickly. You're provided with a freezer suit which is nice, a boot allowance and all the frozen Kirkland blueberries you can find on the floor after June drops a pallet from 3 levels up. The operation is set up in a way that makes things efficient, except for the employees that really just don't care. The WMS is in-house designed and works well. The machinery (Raymond Reach & fork lifts) are kept in good shape and repairs are done when needed. 

I actually really enjoyed working there and like to think that I was a fantastic operator while there. Management at the Toronto site didn't seem to care too much about anything other than the perception of the higher ups in Trenton. The day shift supervisor at the time was fantastic. He was there grinding along side you if necessary and was kind enough to teach or show you anything you wanted to know. I believe he was made manager in Toronto (well-deserved). 

Now the downsides. The pay is atrocious for the work and schedule. I would definitely want to continue working there if they were paying at or above competitively. For the level of experience I hold, the responsibilities and the standard they SAY they live up to, $20-$23 per hour would keep people there and happy. Again, this is speaking for the Toronto operation.   Unfortunately with the bulk of the operation based in small-town Ontario, that is where they seem to get their pay structure from. So good luck breaking the $17-$18 mark. It's a rotating schedule where you do days/afternoons/nights week to week. Awful if you happen to have a family. If you happen to be good at what you do, you'll notice that night shifts will be organized in a way that the strongest operators will be on shift together with the weakest of the weak. So at the end of the night, I have worked myself hard and fast while my coworker eased through the night doing barely anything, all for the same pay. Also, since that employee would happen to be able to work overtime, he would be praised for that, instead of trained to be better or reprimanded for losing pallets of product of mis-shipping items. This was discouraging. 

I spent my days liking what I did. I was told I did a good job and felt a sense of accomplishment at the end of most shifts. I spent my days whistling and singing throughout my shifts, that shows how much I actually enjoyed it. 

I would apply again if the pay was commensurate with the job requirements. 

Typical Day: You came in, got a headset after your shift meeting and went down to do the cooler or freezer with a walkie and began your whole shift of the same brutal work

What I learned: In the long run? What I don't want to do for the rest of my life or ever. Valuable learning experiences to carry on? Learned how to operate forklift equipment. Walkie's, Reach Trucks, Forklifts, Cherry picker, etc.

The Management at the facility I was posted for this job was awful. Favoritism of employee's was not well hidden at all, giving more opportunity to the ones who did better then others that had been there longer, regardless they were still making the quota. To sum it all up. If you don't make 2x the quota, other employee's will be given more opportunities.

Coworkers: The employee's at Trenton Cold Storage were about the only goo thing about the job. When you needed help with something, it was better to go to an employee and request help rather than the Supervisor. Everyone here only cares about themselves except a select few.

The Hardest Part of the Job: The hardest part of working at Trenton Cold Storage and possibly one of the worst things about them is their ridiculous Quota. The Quota you had to meet was 130 Cases per hour to be picked. The split average between the cooler and freezer was 130+ cooler/100 Max Freezer. I was in the freezer close to everyday, bringing too much harm to my body trying to make this quota. For what they pay there, it is not worth the damage you will inflict on your health such as, a very frequent Cold, odd fever (which thrashes your attendance, that NEEDS to be perfect to be considered for hiring on), headaches, body and muscle pains, nausea or dizziness from leaving the workplace worn out on a hot day. To sum it up, what is expected of you at this establishment is FAR more then what you are being paid for.

Most Enjoyable Part Of The Job: There is not much to enjoy about the job other than the end of the day, since they wont train you on any of their other jobs until close to 10 months in, unless they have no other choice on a light work day with too many employee's in.

Things I missed:
- Management does not care for employee's well being and work/life balance. Only themselves
- Shift Change can heavily impact life/work balance

the morale is unreal there. management constantly using fear and intimidation, constantly making you feel as though you can lose your job any day. no recognition at all. management expects way too much from employees - very unrealistic goals.. which also creates a potentially extremely unsafe environment - many times I had close encounters from being crushed by improperly put away heavy juice skids etc - and many near misses from collisions and being run over by fellow lift truck drivers as everyone is rushing to meet their quotas or be fired - every time anyone gets in each others way, they hate each other a little bit more (which is constantly) - the shifts are timed to work best for the company and in no way realistic to have a life - they rotation you all over during the same week which just adds to the already insanely unsafe working conditions. basically 75% of the workers that have been there for a year+ (which isn't a lot of people since no one stays) hate new people and don't even care to know your name or talk to you.

This place used to be a good place to work when management was good there but then management changed in 2011  and he seemed all they would hire is Filipino workers on two-year contracts.  Managements mentality in this place is nothing is ever their fault and they never do any work to make the company better.  On my last couple years working here mandatory overtime was all the time you would work 12 hour days seven days a week for up to three weeks straight before getting a day off   And you wouldn't get paid for your overtime being told it was an accounting error but the next  paycheque you still didn't get your overtime  I worked mandatory overtime for two years and never saw any of my overtime pay to this day.

My job was unique in that I was required to travel to our Edmonton Alberta location frequently.  As the Human Resources Manager I had to be available to attend and solve problems in any one of the five Trenton location and the Edmonton, Alberta location.  My job also required me to be part of the senior management  team and to organize and set up Company sponsored picnics, retirement parties, Christmas Dance and Awards Banquet and to organize and prepare the Company Newsletter which was mailed to each employee, retiree and customer. I enjoyed working at Trenton Cold Storage every day I worked there.  The people are friendly and helpful and participate in Company sponsored  events.

I worked at TCS Try county wearhouse for 13 months with a perfect attendance record and never late, I was an order picker it was steady but repetitive work and cold.
Fellow employees were good to work with because they all knew how much of a gong show Trenton cold storage is. 
Supervisors and managers are by far the WORST, they dont care about employees they would rather harrass us every chance they get if our numbers werent met I was even threatened to be sent home if my numbers didnt change. If you like being treated like garbage this is they place for you, I wouldnt even recommend TCS to my worse enemy, take my word for it dont waste your time, they need a revolving door for how many people had enough and walk out. 

Just don't do it

Worst company that I've ever worked for.  The management and supervisors think way too much of themselves and treat everyone else like they are worthless.  HR department is there for the supervisors and management, not for the actual people that work for them. Tri-County Apple growers is the worst warehouse to work at - not because of the work but because of the management. They push and push for more and more and you might get a 20 to 30 cent raise at the end of the year... maybe.  They don't award achievements and they focus on your faults.  All together, it's a horrible place to work, unless you actually like feeling like you're worthless.

This is a "do the bare minimum to help employees pizza party" company. It's a decent job while you look for a career.
There are busy days you'll be scrambling to keep up with OT, and slow days you could be sent to another warehouse to help or given the "dirty jobs".
Departments have become understaffed over recent years including HR. Not very sensitive or time responsive to employee matters such as workplace injuries or mental health. 
Training is strongly pushed as a good idea, but not provided when it's requested, such as CPR/First-Aid.
2% standard annual raises based on performance with not much room to move up in the company.

The job itself isn't bad once you get used to the cold. Both managers at the Toronto location are friendly and approachable if you need anything.

Machines are well kept and are fixed promptly when issues come up. Staff is 99% Phillipinos which is great but a bit of diversity would be nice. They mostly just hire referrals so it's always a friend of a friend etc..

Work load isn't distributed evenly so you could end up picking in the freezer for 40 hours a week or working on the dock. There is a big difference and it's up to the supervisor. Pay rate is the same so it can get a bit tiresome but overall a decent place to work.


What is the best part of working at the company?
There is no best part. The manger is not friendly person to work with. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The manger and supervisors don't care about the employees at all. Just making the quota at the end of the day it's all about the money.  

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Sucks. There is none sad to say. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Stressful the manger can make your life and unpleasant if you are nice to him and he is in a good mood then you might have a good day

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Warehouse worker 8 salaries reported	$20.78 per hour
Operator 2 salaries reported	$42.50 per hour
Order picker 5 salaries reported	$19.79 per hour
Shipper/receiver 4 salaries reported	$19.63 per hour
Warehouse assistant manager 2 salaries reported	$66,710 per year

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