Customer Service Associate / Cashier | Chicago, IL | Oct 5, 2015
Jewel-Osco
Jewel-Osco was a great place to work, there were many opportunities to grow and expand my horizon in knowledge. I was able to start off as a bagger and work my way up to a supervisor position in the matter of two and a half years. While working at Jewel-Osco I also became the Front-End trainer which included, bagger trainer and cashier trainer. I was also appointed the position of "code checker" which entited me to go throughout the store and check the codes on the food to make sure they were not expired.
A typical day at work as a cashier was always different I clocked in and went to the service desk and was told who to relieve for a break or to what register to get on. The fluidity of the day depended on the day of the week, normally the beginning of the week was relatively slow, and i would work in the mornings at the beginning of the week, and by the end of the week i was working at nights dealing with people in my age range. There were many days where it was so busy i had to stay later, but i was willing to do so so i can help bring the commotion of the store down.
As a "Front-end trainer" i was able to come in contact with all the incoming employees and deal with them and talk to them train them and share with them my knowledge and how to make their work experience worth it. Park of being a bagger trainer was to teach the incoming baggers how to do their job and show them that bagging is not the only thing that they would be doing, that there was so much more than jus
Prosdifferent faces, sometimes free luch, free cake
Poor management, ignorant employees and terrible wage
My time at Jewel Osco was an adventure. Working in the deli department can turn you bitter from all the negative gossip you hear in the mornings, to having no help from mid morning to midday, and to having so much to do in so little time at closing. There were few employees I enjoyed working with, but most hid behind the sink “doing dishes”, making “sandwiches” that take 30minutes to make 60 of them and would take HOURS, would constantly take personal phone calls 3-5 times a day on the work phone to talk to her son, or hid behind the chicken sink all to avoid helping customers. I worked under 3 different managers and all were POOR. One of them would come in still drunk from the night before. I was not paid enough to fulfill a managers job as I was left in charge many times. I had been asked to go into the managers program multiple times but nothing ever happened with that. Breaks are not long enough, or some employees would “extend” their breaks by 10 minutes each 15 minute break or give themself an extra break. I had been assaulted by customers by having things thrown at me as I was helping another customer and told another customer waiting that someone would be with them in just a moment as I was serving my customer. We were told to use out of code meats for sandwiches, I always cut fresh because that is disgusting and unacceptable. I always felt like I was under stress 24/7 because of the amount of responsibility I was given. In the 4 years I worked there I only made $1.25
ProsDiscounts
ConsShort breaks, mean employees, poor management, hostile environment
Typical day at work
I would expect to be on cart pushing for 1-2 hours everyday I was there. I only worked 4 days for 4 hours. Also expected to be yelled at for things I did that my manger did not like, just because they felt like it. I would take all of the chores that would need to be completed and kind of left standing there then getting yelled at because there was nothing else to do.
What I learned?
don't ever work for Jewel again. They don't care about their employees.
Management
My manager had favorites and seemed to yell at me the most. About non sense, and things that should be covered by the Union in the first place. Like they had coats and boots for cart pushing during the snow but no gloves? That also goes for the gloves to clean the bathroom. The assistant mangers where nice and I got along with everyone.
My co-workers
They seemed to move slow. I have a witness that one co-worker just pushed the carts in the corral then walked away for the next person to collect. Or that it took someone more than 3 hours to put a small cart of re-shop away. Oh yeah if you use any other word for products that need to go back to the proper spot that are not overstock everyone looks at you like you are crazy. The cashiers ring up product so slow and it takes awhile for transactions because most cashiers are under 21 and they have to call when an alcohol purchase is in action which is almost every other transaction. When some of the baggers are over 21. Because that makes
ProsWeekly pay
ConsPay amount, Work amount, Management, Promotion process
I worked here upwards of 7 months part time as a cashier and bagger. Often times I was publicly addressed for my mistakes by my store director. In one case we were talking about the district's valentines sales, which I had helped floral with, and she mentioned we had gotten 3rd place and I asked which stores had gotten first and second. They happened to be stores in wealthy high populated areas by Chicago so I made the comment "Oh that's because they have better stores than us" in which my store director responded "Do you think before you talk?" and "You should use different words like "newer" instead" just for complimenting a fellow store of ours. All while in front of my coworkers and customers in front of the service desk, I cried to say the least. I do agree with my statement that those stores were better than ours though, the first week I was there I saw we had mold in the monster cooler and it took all the way until i left for it to be cleaned. Our customer bathrooms always smelled terrible, the lighting was poor and the doors had poor locks on them. We had multiple pot holes in the tile around the store that have been there since i was a kid, even with an old store that's just ridiculous to not fill them. The worst part I would have to say, is the amount of expired items i pulled off the shelves, i was a bagger at the time and at night when we slowed down i would take a cart and go through the first 2 aisles and pull down everything that was bad, it would go from baske
ProsFriendly
ConsBad management, lack of hydration, expired items
A typical day at work:
To start off your day, you remove all the out-of-code products from the floor and replace it with new items. Then breads, danishes, etc. need to be baked to have all the displays filled and ready for customers to buy the product. After the floor is filled, other tasks are started such as special order cakes completed, cookies baked, and so on. It is all about time management and knowing what to do next to successfully keep product available for customers to purchase.
What You Learned:
I have learned so much from this job. I've learned about time management, problem solving, correcting mistakes that you have done, and how teamwork can make a large task seem small when each person takes a task.
Management:
The management at the store I work at is phenomenal. The department managers are understanding and are there if there is a problem or situation that needs to be addressed and will always answer questions in their fullest. The store directors are great. They are there to answer questions that you may have, problems that may have come up, and sometimes just there to get to know you better.
Your Co-Workers:
The co-workers in the department are great. They are very responsive when asked if they can complete a task, and aren't afraid to ask questions if there is something that they don't understand. There is definitely no such thing as a "dumb question" here, and that is stressed to new employees, so that they aren't afraid to ask questi
Proshelpful management, friendly coworkers, seeing the "usual" customers everyday and talking to them like they were your friends
Consskeleton crew in departments, not enough time dedicated to training employees
I worked as a bagger, a floral assistant, and a cashier while I was there (floral being the most enjoyable of them all).
As a bagger, you'll be bagging groceries, pushing in carts, cleaning just about everything, helping people to their car, and occasionally being sent to help a different department to keep you busy.
As a cashier, you'll be bagging, handling transactions, keeping the registers clean and organized, and sometimes they'll switch you to bagger if it's not busy.
Floral is more versatile. Usually the manager gives you a list of things to do and after you do them, just clean and organize. If you're a fast worker, you'll finish the list in no time. You'll be taking orders for balloons and flowers, taking care of the plants, and blowing up the balloons. I also learned how to make corsages since I worked around homecoming time.
When I started working there, It was the start of the recession and there was a lot of shifting around going on with the managers, so I can't blame them for that. I think I saw 4 different managers while I was there and when I went back recently, there was another man in the position who I didn't know. Take that as you will.
I really liked my co-workers. Since it was the recession, no one was leaving their jobs, so I got to know everyone really well. The people up-front change often (they're mostly high school and college kids), but there's always something going on. It's a very friendly environment.
The hardest part was dealing with angr
I work in Chef's Kitchen at Jewel-Osco. As for job details, it's hard work because we are responsible for so many operations. We work fry shop so we are constantly roasting chickens, frying chicken, making soup, etc. We also have to keep hourly temp logs. We also make sandwiches, party trays, we cater and have to fulfill those orders as well. We also have to keep the case stocked with meats and cheeses as well as make salads for the salad case. On top of all this we are also constantly cleaning, answering the phone, and helping customers on the counter. So it can be quite exhausting. The good thing is because there's so much to be done everyday you are rarely bored. Your time is filled up pretty much from the beginning to the end of your shift. It teaches you about using your time efficiently and multi-tasking.
As for customers, majority of them are friendly and easy to please. However you will occasionally run into a customer with a bad attitude and the drawback of that is Jewel has adopted a "customer is always right" attitude which I cannot disagree with more. Sometimes the customer isn't right.
Also you work in an area in which you have to be able to communicate and get along with your co-workers. We work as a team in Chef's Kitchen. I lucked out and work with people I like pretty well. But I'm sure it could be worse if you had co-workers you don't like.
The pay is okay, but I personally believe we aren't paid enough for the workload we have.
Management is
ProsCustomers, co-workers, discount, vacation time, job security
I work in Chef's Kitchen at Jewel-Osco. As for job details, it's hard work because we are responsible for so many operations. We work fry shop so we are constantly roasting chickens, frying chicken, making soup, etc. We also have to keep hourly temp logs. We also make sandwiches, party trays, we cater and have to fulfill those orders as well. We also have to keep the case stocked with meats and cheeses as well as make salads for the salad case. On top of all this we are also constantly cleaning, answering the phone, and helping customers on the counter. So it can be quite exhausting. The good thing is because there's so much to be done everyday you are rarely bored. Your time is filled up pretty much from the beginning to the end of your shift. It teaches you about using your time efficiently and multi-tasking.
As for customers, majority of them are friendly and easy to please. However you will occasionally run into a customer with a bad attitude and the drawback of that is Jewel has adopted a "customer is always right" attitude which I cannot disagree with more. Sometimes the customer isn't right.
Also you work in an area in which you have to be able to communicate and get along with your co-workers. We work as a team in Chef's Kitchen. I lucked out and work with people I like pretty well. But I'm sure it could be worse if you had co-workers you don't like.
The pay is okay, but I personally believe we aren't paid enough for the workload we have.
Management is
ProsCustomers, co-workers, discount, vacation time, job security
Easy-going with opportunities, but don't let that fool you
Working at Jewel-Osco is very easy and practical. They purposely hire young people and people with disabilities to provide them opportunities. This can be a set back, though, for those who dislike being talked-down to. The managers tend to assume you don't understand what they tell you, so things get repeated once, twice, or many many times. It gets annoying. It's also extremely easy to get promoted and work management full time, so many of the managers are very disorganized and unprofessional. The co-workers can range from useless to very helpful and intelligent. Some baggers and occasionally workers from other departments are able to get away with slacking off and doing almost nothing at work. Others are very motivated and work very hard to make both, employees and customers, happy. Everyone at Jewel-Osco either hates it or loves it and the people who claim to hate it have been stuck there for the longest time. The hardest part of the job is dealing with stupid customers. There are several people who simply don't understand and refuse to listen to you even after you explain SEVERAL TIMES what the problem is. And, in most cases, they start problems that you aren't able to fix as a cashier since you don't have as much power or access to things as a service desk supervisor. Being unable to fix their problems just makes them more mad and all you can say is "they can help you at the service desk." Customers are ALWAYS impatient and usually always blame you for the wait even tho
I have found that the store management has reasonable expectations and do not expect anything other than what typical managers expect: fairly decent work, good attendance, good attitude, respectful towards others and responsible. I don’t think they ask for much more than that. I have found it to be fair working there. If you work hard and display these characteristics, there’s a good chance that you will do well here. You can always switch departments if you want more hours or a different pay schedule. Each department is different. You can even switch stores.
The benefits are absolutely phenomenal. The company pays for almost everything and very little is paid for by the employee. I am very grateful to Jewel for offering this, because with rising healthcare costs, this really means a lot.
I really like that we have a union. The union isn’t perfect and I don’t like how it gets into politics; but, overall, I really like having them there as a resource. I think they help reduce conflict and increase worker’s rights – without hurting our employer, either. It seems fair to both sides.
My co-workers are great. My bosses are also great. Our customers are also really wonderful and we are lucky.
It’s great serving the community. It’s been great especially through the COVID crisis, knowing that we are helping provide for families. Jewel donates food to food shelters and this is really, really important in our current times. Many families are struggling and I really think it’s
ProsVery community-oriented.
ConsStarting pay may need to be a little higher to keep up with rising inflation.
Questions And Answers about Jewel Osco
If you were in charge, what would you do to make Jewel Osco a better place to work?
Asked Jan 14, 2018
Get rid of the higher ups who are inconsiderate and like to ignore doctor's notes. And workers who like to run and tell on you every chance they get because they have nothing to do. Bosses that complain EVERY 5 seconds because they want you to move at mach speed, which is impossible for humans to do.
And make a part-timer hours LITERALLY part-timer hours; that "full time with no benefits" stuff is annoying...
Answered Mar 29, 2021
Something of time management. My superiority always bicker. Nibyinbgg
Answered Dec 8, 2020
How long does it take to get hired from start to finish at Jewel Osco? What are the steps along the way?
Asked Jul 3, 2016
3 days. I applied on a Friday and they called me Monday morning. I scheduled and went in for an interview that same day.
Answered May 4, 2020
You have your interview you fill out paperwork you take the drug test and you're pretty much hired oh yeah background check also
Answered Sep 8, 2019
How are the working hours at Jewel Osco?
Asked Jun 17, 2016
Although the union at my store made sure I had 12 hours minimum, the wage they pay didn't make up for it, and I struggled for hours. I've seen them work people for 11 days straight, and seen some only in twice a week. The schedule is made two weeks in advance, yet the employees only get it one week in advance, making any long-term plans difficult to make.
Answered Aug 17, 2020
Not flexible
Answered Sep 11, 2019
What is the work environment and culture like at Jewel Osco?
Asked Jul 16, 2016
The environment isn't all that bad but the employees in my opinion are very rude you can say hello to somebody in a different department and they will walk by you and not give you the time of day.
Answered Sep 8, 2019
Good company to work with and I have worked in grocery store in past
