Time to find a different job...advice requested

[Retail Associate]

I have worked at the hell hole I'm at now for over 7 years, off & on. I hate the work, I hate the customers, I hate the hours, I hate the pay and I hate the lack of respect management has toward us peons. I've had enough.

Also, Meijer is unionized and I hate the union. It's disgusting to think that I'm making minimum wage yet have to pay dues out of my measley wages. The UFCW is nothing but a bunch of worthless, money greedy pigs who have gotten rich off the backs of the poor.

What I'm wondering is this, when filling out applications what would be the best answer to the following question:

"Reason for leaving present/last employer?"

I can't exactly tell them the truth...can I?

.

[RammsteinGirl]

Is Meijer really that bad to work for? I enjoy shopping at Meijer. I applied for a job there (before I got the job with Kmart) but I never heard back from them. Maybe that was a good thing.. but Meijer can't be much worse than Kmart!

You could just bullshit.. "While I enjoyed the fast-paced, challenging work environment at Meijer, I am looking for a job that has better wages and more hours."
Or something like that. Just a suggestion. I wish you good luck. Where do you live, out of curiousity? You don't have to tell me the exact location, but I'm figuring somewhere in Michigan or nearby since you work at Meijer.

[Retail Associate]

Is Meijer really that bad to work for?

In my opinion, yes. I could write a book about why they are so bad to work for, but no one would read it. The biggest thing is their low rate of pay. They are one of, if not the lowest paying retailer in the Midwest.

I worked there for 5 years, left for a bit, then went back. When they hired me back I started at a whopping $6.15/hr. I've been back for over 2 years and I'm earning minimum wage (which just increased to $7.15/hr here in Michigan on July 1st).

You have to work 1,000 hrs before you get a 25¢ raise. When the minimum wage increase went into effect last Oct 1st, all the hours I had toward my raise were wiped out...I was back down to 0 hrs worked toward my 1,000 hrs. Minimum wage increased again July 1st. Once again, all my hours worked were wiped out. So, instead of a 25¢ raise, I got 15¢ and have to start all over again toward 1,000 hrs worked.

Just think, I pay union dues for this kind of crap!

...but Meijer can't be much worse than Kmart!

I've never worked for K-Mart but I imagine it sucks, too. Retail is retail, afterall.

Things have really gone downhill the last 10 years and moral at the store is very low. They try to run the place with the least amount of people possible, including cashiers. Which means we are all running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to get things done and take care of the SCs at the same time. Management's unhappy, employees are unhappy and the SCs are unhappy.

They do a customer survey and post the results about once a month. The last one was awful. One of the questions was, "The Meijer employees were friendly and helpful?" It only got a score of 65%.

You could just bullshit.. "While I enjoyed the fast-paced, challenging work environment at Meijer, I am looking for a job that has better wages and more hours."

Thanks for the suggestion.

[Knightmare]

Have you left Meijer yet?
On my applications I put "still employed." That way, it gave me time to think of a good response when it was time for an interview.

Good luck on finding a new job. I've been in retail for mostly 18 years, and finally got a city job. Try the city, county or state governments. You won't get rich, but you'll be comfortable!

[Broomjockey]

When asked, you can give a lot of reasons, including this gem: coporate culture had shifted away from a customer-centric position, and I disagreed with the alterations in priorities.

Translation: Corporate gave more of a crap about lining their pockets than making sure people were actually getting what they needed.

[digilight]

Simply put, you are looking for a new job with better room for advancement then you currently have.

[AirHostess]

"Looking for a new challenge to advance my career."

What kind of job are you looking for?

[CrazyCashierGuy]

Is Meijer really that bad to work for?

In 95% of the departments, yes it is, and our non-union stores are just as bad (I lost my paid days off a few years back because of a union agreement with the company that NOBODY in the state had a say in).

We just went through a massive management reorganization (out of 32 team leaders, we're down to 19, including a MASSIVE chunk of the better team leaders. The guests treat us like crap, our bags ARE crap, I can't say how many times my go-home time has been pushed back, and its overall just a depressing place to work, especially when you figure how much money you put into that register compared to how much we make in a week.


I got 7 days before my educational leave kicks in and I go to my university job that pays less, but covers my living expenses 100%. I'm quiting when I come back from the leave next May.

[Gurndigarn]

"Need more hours" is bad to put on an application.

"Seeking better position" and "Need better pay" are both OK, so long as you don't have three "seeking better position"s in a row.

"Seeking non-unionized employment" will raise eyebrows, but not disqualify you. It may hurt, though it's more likely to help.

[Retail Associate]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I am still at Meijer, won't leave until I find another job. Right now I'd take almost anything just to get out of there. The stress level is at an all-time high all over the store. Two of my co-workers just filed a grievance against our manager Thursday. They asked if I wanted to. I have plenty of reasons to but I've been down the "sorry, there's nothing we can do" road with the union before. Nothing ever changes.

CrazyCashierGuy ~

Our store just canned a couple managers, too. They would get rid of more but there's only 5 or 6 of them left on the GM side. We've also been informed that every employee must be registered trained, learn to mix paint, get training for hunting licenses, pets, garden center...everything but grocery. In other words, we will all be expected to cover the entire GM side of the store while on shift. A few people are refusing to do it. We'll see what happens.

They're also testing large-order self checkouts in 30 stores. Is your store one of them?

Congrats on your escape from Meijer hell. I wish you the best!

[CrazyCashierGuy]

They're also testing large-order self checkouts in 30 stores. Is your store one of them?

We were the very first store to get them (last July was when they were installed, during my brief time in grocery, (in fact if you saw the photos from the finished install from the first store in the company newsletter they have in the break-rooms (or at least used to, haven't been in the break room in about 6 months, cafe is better), I was off to the side holding those stupid poles they used to stick on the end of the bag carousels, on my first day back in service ). We also got new express checkouts about the same time, ones that don't rely on cameras. We're also testing out a lane designed for MASSIVE orders where the cashier actually has two conveyor belts that they switch back and forth on, while another person bags. The guest then takes a payslip (IOW a suspended transaction) to a paystation that uses the same software as our SCOs. It's actually not a bad idea, because while you are ringing up one huge order, the next guest can have their stuff unloaded on the other belt and ready to go. There a re alot of guests that are intimidated by it for some reason, although if we can get them to see how they scan the payslip at the paystation, most quickly realize that "OMG, this is almost exactly what I have to do at the REGULAR registers!" I think people will start to come around to it in time.

[Retail Associate]

I never go in the break rooms so I haven't seen the photos. I just happened to see a notice the other day that was posted on the bulletin board near the stairs. That's the first I'd heard of it.

...We're also testing out a lane designed for MASSIVE orders where the cashier actually has two conveyor belts that they switch back and forth on, while another person bags.

Sounds confusing! When I was cashiering, one belt was more than enough for me.

[CrazyCashierGuy]

Not really, theres a physical barricade between the two belts and the actual terminal is on a sliding platform that you move and back forth. Plus then you don't have to worry so much about morons who don't use the order dividers....

Plus you have a bagger...

[Estil]

I work at Kroger (Meijer is one of their "sister stores") and morale is no better here. My GM claims there will be more full-time positions at the new store (80K+ square feet) and we do have a new union contract coming up next April, but needless to say I'm very skeptical of both to say the very least. Maybe the recent strikes in Texas and elsewhere will make Kroger think twice about screwing their employees while the suits get to live in splendor off their $1.2 billion in profit last year? :P Maybe... Seriously, does ANYONE in the retail or food service business CARE about their employees?

[CrazyCashierGuy]

JFTR, Fred Meyer (owned by Kroger) and Meijer (owned by uh... the Meijer family ) are two separate entities.