Whole Foods Reviews

Pros

Wonderful for students or anyone in a transition.

Cons

Even with the discount, Whole Foods is expensive.

Pros

health insurance, 401K, paid time off, stock options, more of a laid back store than a typical grocery environment. Wellness account

Cons

not really too much over time offered. Too many unnecessary training classes. Communication from Coordinators is almost non existent. Monthly inventories.

Pros

Great company to work for
Competitive wages
Great scheduling

Cons

Hard to get promoted
Nepotism can be a problem
Customers

Advice to Senior Management

Give more credence to leadership surveys. When the majority of the staff disapproves of leadership, there is usually a reason why.

Pros

Hourly starting wage is higher than average grocery industry, discounts for employees and family members, education about healthy eating, good benefits

Cons

Nepotism is a problem, very hard to get promoted, customers can give you a hard time, store meetings at odd hours

Advice to Senior Management

Try to get to know your team members, listen to their feedback, and at least try to make them happy

Pros

Company is like a family. Lots of Team Members genuinely happy with their jobs and are friendly, outgoing people, good a customer service. Company lives and operates by its seven core values, shown on the web site and in the stores. Company tries to do the "right thing" in supporting local vendors, food security, animal compassion, healthy eating and lifestyles for customers and team members. Benefits good compared to other retailers, so company has remained non-union. Strong growth despite the recession.

Cons

Low pay in marketing and executive ranks. Retail is generally lower paying, however team member pay rates higher than other retail competitors. Always more work than there are people to execute it.

Advice to Senior Management

Silence John Mackey, the founder who is a wild card. Company is faring better in national media now that Walter Robb has taken over as the actual "operating" CEO.

Pros

Education about healthy eating, great health benefits, support from leadership.

Cons

Retail, dealing with unreasonable customers a lot of the time that think they know more about the industry than you do.

Pros

The benefits the hours the pay

Cons

the customers selection of food in the pepared foods department

Pros

This is a great place to work

Cons

I had long hours and had to stand a lot

Advice to Senior Management

Watch out for Trader Joes

Pros

Interaction with lots of different types of customers
Good discounts
Free samples of expensive food
Ability to check out books from library about health and healthy diets
Good camaraderie among team members
Flexible with work schedules and time off

Cons

Management not listening to employees' concerns (such as not taking someone seriously when they are afraid someone took money out of their till...personal experience)
Getting written up for being ill - even with doctor's notes (personal experience)
No workman's comp given, no investigation into what happened, getting written up for not being able to work because in so much pain (another personal experience)
Management/supervisors not recognizing good work and even yelling at employees that they aren't working hard when really, they are working their butts off
Management/supervisors nice to one person, turn around and yell at others
Making employees think they are going to make a difference, then never giving them the chance
Rewarding those who do not work hard
Cultish atmosphere - like the "cool kids" vs the "losers" in high school

Advice to Senior Management

Another employee said Whole Foods just blows "happy gas up our a**es," and I think he was right. It will not be a great place to work if you are portraying the company as perfect, a place where you can make a difference, a place where you have a say, if you turn around and do the things listed in my "cons." Listen to your employees, sympathize with them, realize they have personal lives and are human and sometimes get sick and have children, and don't act hypocritical in almost every situation.

Pros

From the standpoint of a service based job, it is probably as good as it can get. The compensatin is good in light of the skills needed to work there. That said, you need to be willing to work and if you hope to advance in that company you need to be willing to relocate and pretty much need to make "Whole Foods" part of your identity

Cons

See the above comment. I was a long time employee; it was a great company when I started with more of a family feel to it. As time has progressed, its corporate nature became far more evident and the push for corporate profit seemed more important than the happiness of everyone involved

Advice to Senior Management

For the most part, I think most of you are doing the best you can. It is disappointing to see how the company started versus what it has become, but that was inevitable since it went public and is now a much larger business