BevMo Reviews

Pros

Getting familiar with various types of wines, liquor, beers and their brands
Educational classes offered once every so often
Wine & Beer tastings offered help in making recommendations to customers

Cons

Need a better way to track expired or expiring items
Mainly male based employees and environment; need better respect training of some sort
Not necessarily trained in all types of alcohol which makes it hard to attend to customers

Advice to Senior Management

Provide better benefits to employees to continue to keep them as long term customers!
Offer more educational sessions in store rather having to travel distances

Pros

Best for people who are outgoing but need a part-time and flexible schedule. Managers are generally cool, respectful and polite

Cons

Rules are strict and there is little room to advance. When corporate applies pressure on the store (especially during sales and the holiday season) to succeed and do better, it can put tension between management and associates. Some associates can be unreasonably vindictive and trash talk about others behind their backs for things that are not even personal or problematic-- just simply to gossip and smear someone.

Advice to Senior Management

I do think that communication is important, but management is always stressed. It's hard to say what more management can do when I know that they are burdened with too many responsibilities while it is corporate that has the power to actually do anything. I think management does the best it can, but for problems beyond that, they can only remedy the symptoms.

Pros

Getting to learn about wine and beer and spirits. It's generally a fun atmosphere, occasionally you'll get a snobby customer but most often everyone is in a good mood.

Cons

It may just have been because it was Christmas time and things were unorganized and hectic, but training was virtually non-existent. I was shown the basics of the cash register and them I was just expected to know what I was doing after that.

Advice to Senior Management

Make sure new employees, seasonal and otherwise, are getting properly trained. Keep associates up to date with changes in the store.

Pros

10% off purchases, free glassware, and alcohol sometimes.

Cons

All the weirdos that come in..

Advice to Senior Management

Have better communication so one manager isn't tell you on thing then other!

Pros

its fun to work with alcohol

Cons

i got let go after seasonal even though i did the best out of the seasonal group.

Pros

An overall relaxed environment to work in.
Customers are generally easy going and just looking for some reassurance.
Occasionally there are training classes and product tastings.
General flexibility with student schedules.

Cons

Each store is grossly understaffed.
Benefits are only offered to full time employees, and as they no longer offer full-time employment, only a handful receive benefits.
The hours offered to each store directly correlate to the store's performance to the prior year, so if your store, which may be counter-productive to increasing sales.
You are expected to be in multiple places at the same time, meaning at a register and assisting a customer in an aisle.
The corporate structure and policies lends itself better to a discount clothing store then to,as they see themselves, a specialty retail store.

Advice to Senior Management

Prices are not competitive compared to local and regional competitors, simply offering to match a regional competitor, ie Total Wine & More, by a penny only if a customer mentions the price will not suffice. Over time it becomes a hassle as prices are continually being beat.
Some of the techno-logic equipment is over 15 years old, which tends to crash during heavy use =busy times. Update this as well as inventory systems as it is much more difficult then it should be to order new inventory.
A skeleton crew may work in a retail environment like Sears/Kmart but doesn't work in a store where employees are expected to offer expert advice on products.

Pros

Pay was acceptable. The medical and other benefits were more than decent. Better than having no job at all I suppose. Wilfred Wong is the best and only good thing BevMo has going for itself.

Cons

Incompetence abounds. Back-stabbers are valued and rewarded. Management doesn't care about anyone but themselves. The company is successful in spite of itself because the products it sells are in demand and always will be.

Advice to Senior Management

No words of advice. Keep doing what you're doing, seeking your own level and reaping what you sow. Stay where you are because as long as you do, you're not released onto the rest of the working world.

Pros

Almost everything. The pay is fair with room for raises. Lots of recognition given for a job well done-theyre amazing at placing people where they do best. They definitely take care of their employees and promote a fun atmosphere. I used to always be bitched at for conversing with customers where here it is encouraged. Most customers are locals and regulars.have sent me to 3 classes in 2 weeks and everyone is more than happy to share what they know and their opinions. The trainign is fantastic-they I've never been happier-love it.

Cons

The only thing is that because bevMo is such a big company, they have t be very careful. We are not allowed to taste wines that are left over from wine tastings (How am i supposed to sell something I dont know what it tastes like???) and that theyre VERY strict about ID..its company policy to ID if they look under 50! A coworker who everyone loved was actually fired for not IDing a woman who looked +25 yrs old...

Advice to Senior Management

Regional manager could be a bit more available but it really doesnt matter.

Pros

(1) Customers are generally very positive and appreciative of your help and advice on product selections.
(2) Ten percent employee discount on purchases.
(3) Training in tasting various wines.
(4) The employees and managers are generally amiable people.

Cons

(1) High Expectations Not Commensurate with Wage
       (a) All employees carry heavy responsibilities regarding penalties ($1000+ fine and imprisonment) for selling alcoholic beverages to minors. For this reason, the hourly pay seems imbalanced compared to the other retail sales, which have no such liabilities attached (e.g. McDonalds,Home Depot, etc).
        (b) Employees are expected to clean restrooms and the store facility (no OSHA training given) and to stock shelves.
        (c) Employees must be very knowledgeable (an expert) about as many products as possible, i.e. taste qualities of the various wines, beers and spirits.
(2) Superficial new hire orientation and inadequate training on how to run a cash register and customer checkout.
(3) Part-time status: no benefits, no 401-K, no PTO and no bonuses for outstanding performance,
(4) Breaks are unscheduled - break room is poorly equipped and doubles as a storage room.
(6) High turn over of sales associates.

Advice to Senior Management

Develop part-time Sales Associate tiered wages based on longevity and product knowledge certifications.
Offer full-time Sales Associate positions.
Contract for a custodial service and a maintenance service.
Use online elearning to augment sales associates' training and manager soft skill training.

Pros

People are pretty laid back, you get a chance to learn about wine, there is really no job pressure at all.

Cons

Disgruntled middle agers, worse pay than most other places, lots of boring busy work, you can get in trouble by the Liquor Board.