Publix Reviews

Pros

Benefits of long term employment are great: PROFIT Plan (stock given just for working), 401k, tuition reimbursement, and more.
Great leadership and sound organizational structure.

Cons

Some store level associates are immature.
Most customers are nice, but like any other customer facing role there are 'difficult' ones.

Advice to Senior Management

Offer easier movement to associates with higher education who have been with the company.

Pros

Very flexible scheduling, learn great customer service, oppertunities for advancement, awesome management, learn accounting abilities, get to work for a company who cares about their employees.

Cons

Once you get used to a store sometimes to move up you have to change stores, you have to cut overtime hours and go home early without keeping the overtime.

Advice to Senior Management

There's not really much for me to say, I thing it is ran great! I can say though that a lot of people I spoke with who work there do not like the new scheduling system Oasis.

Pros

The pay was good compared to other stores. The work was not too difficult and it was a fun environment.

Cons

Management is always being shifted around. There is no set schedules. Could not leave until the work was done and NEVER clocked off when I was supposed to. Management was not concerned with me missing classes or being late for tests.

Advice to Senior Management

Making changes for the sake of making changes does not seem productive. Make sure that safety (especially in the stock room) is important and make sure OSHA guidelines are being followed...they are there for a reason.

Pros

The pay is better than other retail grocery stores in the area. They offer a good benefits package.

Cons

Do not expect to be off on the weekend unless you ask well in advance. Even with the new Oasis scheduling system, managers still show the favorites the enjoyment of spending time off on the weekend. The system may work in stores with fair management but not in ours.

Advice to Senior Management

Remember you were once the associate who would have liked to spend time with family and friends. Remember to be fair in your decisions and treat each associate like you would like to be treated.

Pros

Stable, great retirement, friendly environment.

Cons

Would like to see a more aggresive growth plan outside of the southeast US.

Pros

I had the greatest baker manager (@ Publix in Paradise Shopping Center). He had been with the company for a long time and was more than willing to teach you whatever you wanted to learn. Ernie was also very good to his employees and worked very hard to create balanced work schedules to suit everyone and their personal lives. In my years there, I started as an inexperienced sales clerk and eventually worked up to learning how to become a baker and also attended their cake decorating training. The company is employee owned so there is a wonderful stock given to the employees even if you don't put money into it.

Cons

As with a lot of places, sometimes the people can make or break your experience. It used to be a company that cared about you and your family life...now it is all about the number. The DM that is there now preaches alot about Publix customer driven policies and being courteous....but I know from experience that isn't how he really is...matter of fact I was just in the store the other day and do you think he even turned around to say hi or offer any assistance to me (guess he doesn't consider me a customer???) Funny thing is I am on very good standing with the company and have the option to come back....They truly overwork there department manager and a lot of the store mgrs. are down right disrespectful to their employees even going as far as to yell or curse them out. The whole vibe of the company had changed dramatically over the years...but when its all about the money that is generally what happens.

Advice to Senior Management

Store manager...WORK...instead of struggling to make things look good when the DM walks in...learn how to treat your employees and please please stop micro managing over your department managers when it is clear that you have NO CLUE how to do their jobs.

Pros

Good benefits, even for part-time employees

Cons

Not all managers are fit for their position.

Advice to Senior Management

The competency of the management team, at my store anyway, is anything but uniform. District management approvals may need to be a bit more structured.

Pros

If you're a high school kid looking for 20 hrs or so of work then go for it.

Cons

Publix like to promote family values. What a bunch of BS! It's all about the bottom line with this company. They don't care who they hurt as long as they are overcharging for their products and making that bottom line. Upper management (corporate) is absolutely ridiculous and has no clue what's going on at the store level and every month has some new tedious task for you to do on top of all the other tedious work they expect you to do! Everything they "expect" you to do is near impossible to accomplish with the overload of work/paperwork/tending to customer needs. Customers walk all over you because they know they can and the associates just have to take it up the rear. The work environment at Publix is at it's all time lowest. When people's jobs are threatened by upper management because of their ludicrous goals and demands don't expect the associates to have good morale. Everyone fears repercussions if they speak their minds. They say they have an "open door" policy, but who are they kidding!? Nobody can speak freely without being afraid if they'll cut your hours or be demoted to some kind of punishment. If you need to take a sick day or want to plan a vacation you always get the third degree and made to feel like crap in doing so. People get sick and people take vacation. Get over it Publix! The medical insurance that this company offers is absolutely a joke! Not only do they not contribute you still have to pay deductibles for medication and doctor visits. This is a multi billion dollar company and this is the best insurance we can get? Unreal

Advice to Senior Management

Corporate needs to get a clue on how the store level associates have to deal with everything they are tasked to do. Not read just a bunch of spreadsheets and numbers. We are human beings and not robots. Wearing them down to the bone and still say it's not good enough is just a kick in the teeth. Leaders listen to their employees and doesn't ignore their concerns.

Pros

Great benefits, management team is very involved. promote from within company, great customer service. they have very high expectations. great job

Cons

pay is just ok, they sometimes have impossible expectations. part time hours are very inconsistent, not that many bad things to talk about.

Advice to Senior Management

spend more tme training your associates. practice what you preach. give more hours to all associates, have more fun at work

Pros

Publix is a good company with good policies and the potential for growth. If you come into the job while still a high school student, you may well never have to work anywhere else.

Cons

The problem comes when you are an adult who respects the company and would like to work there. The insistence on starting people as part time, without a clear way to improve their situation, sucks. Telling people that you went from bagboy to store manager in 'only' 15 years is great, really, but as someone who already has a wife and kids, I can't wait that long. Sunday will be my last day with Publix.

Advice to Senior Management

I was told by a DM that I was overqualified for my position, but it wasn't going to get me where I needed to be any faster. Does that really make business sense? Isn't the goal to hold on to quality people when you get the opportunity to? There really needs to be some fast track paths, to get qualified adults into jobs where they can earn adult pay a bit faster.