cashier

grocery associate

clerk

deli associate

bakery clerk

Loblaw

This was my first retail job (personal shopper), and I was only given a brief overview of the job: Pick products from online orders, call customers, then load their orders into their trunks. They told me there are teams designated for each process (picking, calling, and loading), but they completely hid what the job was really is: You’re doing 3 jobs at once - Picking, Customer Service, and Concierge. Since I was working with an understaffed team, I was forced and pressured to being all three parts of the job at once, all by myself for the most part. The work environment is completely hectic. HECTIC. I’ll do my best to break it down:

Picking: You’re only given a 2 hour timeframe to pick orders that dropped in, and there’s no limits of orders, so on average, you’re forced to be picking at least 100-300 products within those 2 hours. You’re pushing around a trolley with 8 bins, and customers do not have a quantity limit, so you can expect to be picking and carrying around 5-10 cans, water cases, large products in one trolley. The most frustrating part of this job is that you’re running around with a trolley on the floor, where hundreds of customers are walking around. Some customers intentionally block your path, which makes it difficult to even express your stress of dealing with them. Most of all, floor customers ask us the most  regarding location of products, and even ask you to go fetch it for them while you’re busy trying to finish as much as orders possible before the time deadline. 

Customer service - Despite the fact a customer service department exists right beside our department (PC Express), there’s always customers calling us to either inquire about store services, complain of missing items or spoiled food (we’re not responsible for missing items/spoiled items because deliveries are done by third party and other departments are responsible for spoiled product, yet we’re forced to re-pick those items), or calling us at the most busy periods of the shift just to ask questions that can be discovered on their own. During training, I was told that I just need to be making calls to customers to let them know their order is ready, and go over any substitutes or shorted items, yet I was misinformed. I had experienced so many customer complaints, and most of them were based on orders that were days or even weeks ago. It’s more stressful to be dealing with a customer complaint while other customers are calling to let us know they’re here to pickup. Plus, the most irritating part of this job is that we’re forced to be packing up products in paper bags that can easily rip for deliveries. One more thing I want to mention is that you will encounter certain customers who will fill a slot to come pickup at 8 or 9 AM, yet they arrive either during the afternoon (most busy period), or even evenings, which creates a ton of stress.
 
Concierge - You’re pretty much doing an entire different job by being a concierge as well. You’re going to take out the order, load into trunks, and then once you get back into the store, another customer will call already and you’re going to have to take out their order as well, and the whole process repeats for the whole day. If you’re doing this part, you’re also doing the customer service part, so pretty much it’s stressful and hectic since my department is a small space, so trying to load the orders onto the carts to takeout to customers is difficult, as you’re running in the cold without a jacket nor any warm outfit provided by the company. Based on my experience, some customers are kind enough to step out of their car and help you load their orders into their trunks while delivery drivers won’t even bother helping.

The work culture and management is terrible, where there’s no promotions or recognition and favouritism/nepotism unfortunately exists at my workplace. My manager had crossed my boundaries many times. He tends to call me last minute (literally 30 mins before a shift) to call me in, or assigns me to doing full time shifts on busy days (weekends), despite the fact that I had requested him to assign an extra member during busy shifts. As a result, I’ve missed multiple lunch breaks. Despite the fact that this job requires you to be fast and accurate, my manager had hired slow performing members and went to the point of telling me that I should be constantly picking orders because the other members were slow. I’m not getting a raise, promotion, or recognition, yet my manager expects me to be working 3 jobs at once. 

The work culture isn’t suitable if you’re expecting the workplace and management to accommodate your needs. They only provided me a shirt despite the fact that my job requires me to be frequently running in and out of the store (to load the orders into customer’s trunks), and they won’t even provide us sweaters or even gloves despite it being cold outside, and they’re well aware of our duties. 

Most departments in the store treat PCX department poorly and tend to disrespect us (I’ve been shown passive aggressiveness/aggressiveness approach by  employees in other departments just for asking if they have a specific product in stock, though our job requires us to ask). 

I won’t recommend working as a personal shopper/e-commerce associate to anyone ever, so try asking for a different role like a cashier or even stocking associate since it’s a safer role for what you get. The company is desperate to get their hands on people as personal shoppers since there’s a high turnover rate (I’ve already seen 6 new employees leave my team within a time span of 4 months without informing my manager). 

The only benefit I’ve seen from this job was getting to work as both a front and back end associate since the role requires you to frequently visit the back end to find products, along with locating products much faster with the phone provided and knowing the entire store front to end quickly since you’re always going to be running all over the store. Otherwise, the fact you’re being paid minimum wage and you’re pressured to do this much work while a cashier or stocking associate earns the same as a personal shopper and they don’t have any pressures is what makes this job the worst. 

I was hired at a time that an extra employee was MUCH needed in my department; there is a great deal of work that needs doing each day, and a minimum number of people needed to accomplish it all, and unfortunately the HMR department was severely short-staffed prior to my arrival. I very quickly took advantage of the opportunity I was faced with to really show them what I was made of. I made (and currently still make) myself available to go into work whenever they need me to cover a shift and more than that, every time I go into work, I go to work my hardest for them. I legitimately enjoy the fast-paced work environment, and the face-to-face customer interactions. On any given day there is the chance to work one of several different shifts, whether it be making sandwiches and pizza, filling the salad counter, or cooking. It's a wonderful thing to go into work and know that there is a variety in tasks that need doing. I love the feeling of knowing that when I go into work, I make a positive difference. My co-workers and I have no choice but to work as a team, and working in a place like Loblaws makes that a very easy, and enjoyable task for me. Having said that though, one of the hardest things for me working in HMR is to cope with the fact that we do not have a manager and therefore no one to give solid direction. As an employee of Loblaws, I'm part of the union, and with a union comes the task of dividing hours by seniority, not by a persons capability and productivity. I'm a leader, I always have been, and I've got a strong personality. I'm a fast learner, and a very competent employee who has a strong understanding of the tasks that need doing. It comes naturally to me to take charge of a situation, and because I became such an asset to our management right away, I was given responsibilities and hours that my co-workers (who are above me in seniority) felt they should be given. That is hands down the hardest thing I've had to deal with. I'm only there to work hard and get the job done, not to step on people's toes. It's unfortunate that sometimes people have negative thoughts about me strictly because I work harder than some of my co-workers, and reap the benefits.

As I mentioned, I was hired a time that my presence was a much welcomed necessity for the functionality of our department. Right away after I started I made myself known to our management team in a positive way. From the get-go they knew that I was going to be one of their most reliable, hard-working employees. Because of the obvious efforts I have put forth in being an asset to our company, my management team has come to really appreciate the work I do, and rely on it. I have had the opportunity to get to know my immediate managers on a somewhat personal level, in the sense that we have jokes, we work well together, and we have a mutual respect for not only each other, but the job at hand.

To talk specifically about the management of my department, it is extremely lacking. We have been without a manager for about three months now, and because of my efforts and abilities and my goals to move forward, I had a lot of optimism when I applied for the position myself. I stepped up to the challenge of working even harder while taking on additional tasks, and with confidence, to show my managers that I would be an excellent candidate for the job. Unfortunately though, my store manager and I discussed the fact that due to my lack of managerial experience, it's not the right time for him to offer me the position. I took that as not only an opportunity to continue my hard work, but to learn as much as I can about managerial tasks and to offer my help in any capacity I can, so that if or when the position becomes available again, it will be a better time for me to step into it.

Working as part of the Loblaw Great Foods team has been such an enjoyable experience for me for so many reasons. I'd have to say that the most enjoyable thing about it is working as part of a team, and every day having different interactions with customers, and different employees throughout the store. It makes my day so much more fun, and meaningful, when I can create an environment of laughter and hard work among my colleagues and more importantly the customers that come through my department and see such a positive environment; it makes their time in the store that much better, as well as their likelihood to return.

Thank you so much for your time in reading this, and I hope it has given a little bit of insight as to my character, my work ethic, and my goals. I look forward to hearing from you if you think I might be a valuable asset to your team!

I have worked at this location for a few years. If you had asked me about 2 or 3 years ago, I would likely have given a rating of 4 stars. 3 minimum. 

When I first started, things felt much more consistent and goals felt attainable. Management (at least on a department level) felt like they were rooting for you and cared for their workers. You felt like you were a part of a team. Policies felt consistent. People felt more pleasant. Criticisms were constructive, and not destructive. The hours were pretty reasonable.

Many of these things, and more, have changed. Below are the most common complaints that come to mind. I wish I had more good to say. I've had worse jobs that left me feeling much better than this one.

*Management*
The current store manager has been pretty great. But he still leaves much to be desired. At first he was very approachable, but as time has gone by he has let a lot of things slide in departments and it's made it feel like there is rarely a point in expressing your opinions. He's still very pleasant. But good vibes only go so far.

The lack of consistent management as a whole has been difficult. In my time, we have had 4 or 5 store managers and several assistants. Just as you have gotten into the groove of one, you're surely going to have another. Whether it's store manager, assistant store manager, or department manager. 

One of the most consistent issues... is the lack of consistency and communication between managers, department heads, and staff. Instructions from one often don't match the others, and you can never be too sure.

*Workplace Culture* 
Many of the collegues are pleasant and helpful. You may make some pretty great friends even. Sometimes there are mini events that even seem to bring people together. 

But being in a smaller town, there is a lot more drama than the average workplace. Everybody knows everybody's buisiness. When this begins to affect the work environment, management is unfortunately not quick to take care of the issue. Drama in departments has lead to many good workers leaving, or beginning to slack. Recent years have felt defeating.

Some departments are worse than others. It's best to avoid front end, deli, HMR, and meat if you can. They are the most likely to leave you wishing you didn't work there. Front end, deli, and HMR will just make you feel like you're in high school again. Meat is pretty good if you can avoid the others. 

The other departments are actually pretty great a majority of the time.

*Hours*
They used to be much better. Now, even at top seniority, you're lucky if you're managing to hit 15h. They also won't often work with you with other jobs. It's fine for students, but definitely not okay for most adults. 

A lot of departments have pretty consistent call ins. Not taking them definitely affects your standing with your department head. Even just not taking a few can hurt you.

You are also required to have open weekends and Fridays. You will also lose hours if you can't do evenings (even taking one or two evenings off can reduce your hours).

*Union*
The only good thing they do is guarentee you pay raises. Nothing else. They will rarely help you. Not even to get the benefits that they and the company have agreed upon.

Additionally, the main store rep will talk to everyone about your information, questions, and grievances. So try to avoid her (she's also a department manager lmao).

*Conclusion*
The jobs are all easy. If you don't require many hours, it's an option. The people can be great if you stick around the right ones, and many of the events make things feel a bit better. But it's not a great place to be, and most people eventually start to cave to the stresses. If you apply, I hope the issues are taken care of by then and I hope things work out for you.

Zehrs at one point may have been a average place to work
With the recent few years of the culture of attack on its employees
Zehrs is not such a good place to work. Grocery stores have always been a starting point for some. Should you start your children off working for a company like Zehrs the answer is no absolutely no to be more clear.
Zehrs has gone on like many corporate entities and started to attack its employees about a decade ago. With the culmination of spinning off into its own sub company of Loblaws. The attack on its employees has resulted in basically a very hostile work environment with minimum wage expectations and the point of employee professionalism to either work like a robot compete with a robot act like a robot or expect to be terminated.
You would be better off setting your children to start there carreers in the work place in any other type of industry and certainly any other grocer rather then a zehrs or loblaws employee
The amount of money the loblaws companies makes is so convoluted and dishonest like every company in the grocery industry.
They all say they earn less then 3 cents on any item they sell.
Nothing could be further from the truth except if you told me that there was ice water in hades. Which working for this company is akin too.
If your a adult and considering working for zehrs consider other options any other options before you choose zehrs.
If local customers actually knew what goes on in the grocery industry they would shun them even though there a vital part of every local community some are better then others. zehrs was like that at one time long ago in the past. it wanted to be a different grocer today its no different then any large corporate entity profit above all else rules the day. Even at the expense of the customer and certainly above any employee concern well mostly, you must consider that zehrs violates every brotherhood union agreement there is. They have managed to have low level management aka union members act as management this is a violation of any union agreement ever signed to have one union member above another in a position of authority. 
Does zehrs sell a variety of products yes does zehrs make any of those products no yet it wants you to believe it is something other then a first point of sale retailer.
I will not allow any of my children to ever work for a grocer again and certainly never for another loblaws company especially zehrs.
Zehrs cares little for its work environment its responsability to be fair and honest in what it expects of human beings working for them regardless of there age 
a 16 year old is to be expected to work like a 25 year old and a 50+ individual is to be expected to compete with proficiance and production of a 25 year old.
What happened to the tenants of age discrimination at zehrs.
There is no way either a 16 year old or the average 50+ individual to do so certainly there are some laws being broken here including many health and insurance tenants.
I couldnt condemn zehrs more if i had the time or willingness to stand on a podium in a stadium. A dispicable company indeed
the bean counters rule the day a good canadian company i say not a chance on this earth
Even wal mart is somewhat better then zehrs and that isnt saying much.

Im a student, whose worked at loblaws for 5 years, since highschool. It's a decent job to have as a student whether your in highschool or college; I wouldn't say university though. It's good money to save for school/daily expenses. However, you bust your balls for every dollar you make. I would say this job is above average in terms of physical labour, depending on your department. I worked in the dry foods. The scheduling and hours/life balance at Loblaws is absolutely beyond atrocious. Like it's literally beyond atrocious. 

When your new, they tarnish you with a unreal load of hours and/or give you brutal shifts (2:30-11 back to back shifts, constant back to back 8 hour shifts, a 8 hour closing shift then a 8 hour opening shift the day after; even though there should be a 10 hour time difference in between shifts. The store i worked at didn't give a flying f...). I would give my availability of when I can work depending on my school schedule, and i would say about half the time ive been at this company for the last 5 years, every 2-3 weeks the manager would book me a shift that wasn't according to my availability. And the scary thing is, i'd get called out for not being able to work the shift or get complained at by the manager himself even though i specifically left an availability note saying i can not work that certain day.

 At this company or well atleast at the store i worked at, you have to show them you work hard in order to get a mutual respect and build relationships from that point on from management/supervisors. However, no matter how hard you work and appreciated you are, you still ultimately get bent over with the scheduling no matter your seniority. It's a lose-lose situation, if they like you as a worker, they'll try to do everything add more hours and shifts to your life and then complaining back to you if you talk to them about the unwanted shifts.

 At the end of the day, it's a good job for a student to make some extra side money for spending, but you must be ready to give up 70% of your social life for two simple reasons: 1 - no energy after an 8 hour shift to do anything, 2- if you act soft towards management/supervisors they'll take advantage of you and pump you with disgusting shifts and a crazy load of hours. I constantly had random people come up to me during work hours telling me how they use to work for this company but quit later on due to having no life outside of work due to the hours/types of shifts given at an unconcious rate.

If you can work under intense time crunches, want to build muscle, or want some decent benefits, this job would be alright.
Problem however, is that the company cares little about your wellbeing, training, and or quality of the job.

Employee's are often encouraged to move and work fast. Even at the cost of safety and stability of palettes. And being that the company often judges you on these numbers you reach, it is not only anxiety inducing, but sometimes unintentionally competitive as often other workers can be aggressive or rude. 

Another major issue is dirty floors and cracked floors. These small slips and bumps are not only tripping hazards (in two cases i nearly slipped on wet floors), but can cause vehicles to move uncontrollably with no option to steer or brake, or spill palettes full of food. Not helped by the fact custodial staff is not given any sort of wet floor or caution signs, making these imperfections hard to see.

But for me, my biggest issue with the company and why I left the distribution center were the inconsistent hours and pay. Loblaw does not operate on a schedule, rather by a quota. Which depending on the day, season, and or time. Can last either the full 8 hours or (more likely) just a little less or a little past half of that time. Whatever hours you work you don't get paid, which makes it difficult to plan days and budget for the future. This confuses me as more often then not there's enough to be done around 8pm, yet new employees are often hired and put through training and more often then not there's no alternative for staying later to compensate. 

Also, the training at the center was simply atrocious, and to end my critical review of my time at Loblaw, here is a list of everything my trainer should have told me during the program, but didn't:
-How to change batteries in Palette Jacks
-Stacking multiple bags of potatoes or onions
-Wrapping up Banana's with bags
-When and when not to wrap serene wrap around a palette
-Who to report to during accidents or spills
-Time management in a place that demands efficiency
-leaving early
-What to do when equipment breaks or acts faulty
-what to do when palettes tip or fall
-Resetting or restocking wrapping machines
-Your right to take breaks when you miss them accidentally
-What to do when suddenly put in a new division of the warehouse
And SO. MUCH. MORE.

The training is honestly a joke. If you can make it past that, you might be fine.



I easily get in my 10,000 steps daily doing my job.   As front end manager, I answer every call.  Whether its a price check, or to retrieve a dozen eggs cause one is broken in the pack.  I jump on cash whenever needed.  I make sure things run smooth on the floor, in the cash office, out in customer service.   I handle customer complaints with empathy and genuine concern.   I love teaching newbies everything I know.  And I seem to learn something new everyday myself.   With my years of experience from Dominion Days till now, I can do almost anything. I have learned to write on cakes, cook a lobster, slice deli meat, wrap meat serve up food in the deli, tally up invoices, order product, do payroll,  make schedules, and more.    I love my job, but alas, the cement floors have taken it's toll on my body.  Vericose veins in one leg developed in the early years as I put all my weight on one leg, and made the turn table spin by pushing on the peddle with the other. Next heel spurs,  and eventually osteo arthritis in the knees,  and as of late,  my wrists are getting in on the bad joint action.   Time to retire and let someone younger take over .  Close to 50 years in retail and it's time to back off a little.   Not entirely though.  I think I would go stark raving mad if I didn't get out of the house.   I will continue to work PART TIME and work only a few short shifts a week.  This way I can look after my health, my husband, my house.. and spend more time with friends and family.  But still be around to help sort out any problems that arise in the cash office if needed.     Thanks to my steady paycheck and bonuses I have recieved over the years my house is paid for and I am debt free as of this moment.  At the beginning of my career I was young mother of a special needs child, and married to a violent alcoholic.  Work saved me. That is the truth.   To make a long story short, my beautiful daughter is doing very well for herself, and my life has turned around a few times over.  Always moving forward.  I have developed many great friendships with co workers.  This maritime girl has now settled in Ontario and is here to stay.  I feel the company gave me the drive and opportunity to grow as a leader.  When I retire, which will be soon, I will be leaving with the feeling that i earned the respect of all i have worked with.  

I did not expect this job to be so demanding. they want new hires to be operating at 75% by their 3rd week(1 week of training and 2 weeks of regular work) which means picking about 1500 cases of product per 8 hour shift. the shoty equipment and constant setbacks and delays make it extremely difficult for average people to succeed at this job, here are some examples- machines are not maintained until they stop working, constant headset disconnections, most products packed in uneven and irregular shaped containers some products packed with ice in cardboard boxes. frequent delays do to reach truck drivers who are also "competing" for numbers, sometimes large amounts of product at end of isles required to be picked until another picker needs access to isle in which case you move up and they take that spot leaving you with no option but to carry 40pound boxes 20-30 feet which takes more time than the system allows, only 3-4 wrapping stations working/available which causes you to have to hand wrap your pallets which takes time that the system does not allow, short orders of 10 or less items that take you all around the warehouse( bad for numbers), if any injury occurs they will tell you to go to the hospital or keep your mouth shut and work through it ( even though hospital is a hotbed for covid), wearing a mask while preforming heavy lifting at a fast pace causes rapid fatigue. you will hear about some people who make 100k or more per year working here but these people have been here since the facility opened, they make 26$-27$ per hour, are protected by a union and have seniority which means they often get to chose to preform other duties that are much less strenuous. speaking to many others who have been there for a couple years are disgruntled and claim the amount of work needed to be preformed to reach the 95% standard ( abut 2000 cases per shift) increases but this is not disclosed to you. if you want to make 2500$ a month breaking your back and being so physically and mentally exhausted that you only want to sleep when you are home then this is a job for you. If you have a family and like to have the energy to do stuff with your kids then this job is not for you.

The only good thing about this job? The coworkers. I met some amazing people over the years—hardworking, genuine people who made the long shifts a little more bearable. I miss some of them, but sadly, most didn’t last. And for good reason. Almost no one stays because this job will break you. The only ones who do are either completely trapped and unable to afford to leave, too scared to take the risk, or have convinced themselves they can’t do anything else.

The most stressful part? You are just a number. And not even a real one—your “performance” is tracked by a broken computer system that isn’t even accurate. If management doesn’t like you, they’ll make sure your numbers look bad and that your job gets even harder. Meanwhile, if you’re one of their favorites or know how to suck up, they’ll take care of you. It’s not about how hard you work—it’s all about politics. The best workers are overlooked, while the lazy ones who play the game get ahead.

The work environment? It’s a toxic, high-pressure atmosphere. You’re expected to work yourself to exhaustion, while management barely lifts a finger. They put you under constant, unrealistic pressure, and if you can’t keep up, they’ll either replace you or push you even harder. There’s no appreciation, no recognition—just stress and constant demands.

A typical day? From the second you clock in, you’re treated like a machine. The pace is relentless, the expectations are ridiculous, and the only reward for hard work is even more work. There’s no future here unless you know how to play the political game.

It’s crazy how much this job makes you forget your worth. You get stuck in a cycle, thinking this is all you can do or all you’ll ever get. I almost let it break me, but one day, I realized I deserved better. I walked away without looking back, and it was the best decision I ever made. I wish I’d planned to leave sooner—I never knew it was going to be that bad, but leaving opened up a whole new world for me.

Don’t get me wrong—if you’re homeless or in a tough spot, this job can serve as a temporary solution. But the longer you stay, the worse it gets. Even if you’re good at the job, you’ll eventually realize it’s a toxic environment that will wear you down. If you’re stuck or scared, know there’s so much more out there waiting for you. Don’t settle for this. You are worth more than they make you believe.



Ok so there's a lot to say about my experience, so I'll start with the negatives:
- There's a habit of opening shift workers leaving work that they are meant to get done for the closing shift workers which leaves us with more to get done in a short period of time. 

- Management is horrible at their jobs despite the fact that they get paid a very large amount more (my manager didn't even train me, he passed that on to a part-timer with only a few months more experience than me)

- You don't get benefits until you've worked there for at least a year, I believe

- I've found that the older workers are often unreasonable with the younger workers and will leave a ton of work for us that we either weren't trained by them to do or wasn't our job in the first place

- We. are. always. short. staffed. Some of it can be owed to the fact that there is such a high turnover rate, but a LOT can be owed to the fact that the manager will not schedule enough people to close or to open. 

- Customers can be very rude and quite difficult to deal with. If you add on the fact that we're short-staffed, that almost always means that I am working some of the busiest days of the week alone or with only one other coworker which means dealing with multiple customers at a time to the point that hardly any of our work gets done. 

Now on to the positives:
- I enjoy working with people around my own age because we try to make each others jobs easier (i.e. if one of us completes our work, we'll do a couple tasks for someone else who's busy), and because we work hard to get our tasks done, we usually have free time at the end of our (closing) shifts to hang out and chat

- As much as the older workers can be difficult, they will defend the younger workers from rude customers (i.e. one of my older coworkers defended me when a customer complained that I was taking too long to return with an item). 

- The work isn't that difficult and on slow days, you can get it done super quickly

In conclusion, you should really only get this job if it's your first job or if it's needed to gain experience for your resume. I can guarantee you that there are way better jobs, even in the same store. Try stocking, produce, or meat department. Seriously. Bakery department is a nightmare. 
 

Top Job Titles	Average salary
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Clerk 297 salaries reported	$18.20 per hour
Deli associate 167 salaries reported	$18.17 per hour
Bakery clerk 161 salaries reported	$18.18 per hour

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