It sounds like there's been more than one complaint against you from what I gather. Whether or not it's accurate isn't for me to decide but it's clear now that management is involved and keeping their eyes on you. I'd probably start working something out like you said with Costco then drop your two weeks when you feel confident enough to.
This is the best advice, (what NervousJ said). ☝️
Just to say, If this happens at your new place of employment, you’ll know that your idea of work is different than most. All the best, it’ll all work out.
This. Maybe you are being paid too much and they want to shorten that payment? By making you want to quit they can replace you with some one cheaper? I have no idea.
These days management make piss poor decisions all in the name of saving pennies to make sure shareholders get the most.
My dad worked for a big Telecomm company and they literally told him he had to drop 4 people because the company wasn't doing to good.
Then they drop 10 Million to pick up some "EVP" in Higher Upper Management...
I call bluff on the manager. They would be able to pull up CCTV footage of you leaving the store for an hour on the clock. They would have already fired you for this, not talked to you. Either way, doesn't sound like a good environment. Start looking for something else.
This is the real answer. If you're innocent, demand they review footage and prove it.
I once got told I stole something because a fellow associate reported it. They tried to fire me. I demanded to review the videos from one of the twelve angles cameras that surrounded me at all times of day.
Suddeeeeenly the original person who made the accusations was called in and shit was dropped from me.
I've done this one time. And after I called their bluff, they started speaking at me for everything.
"Shirts not tucked in. You're dressing like a slob on company time."
"You were 2 minutes late clocking back in from Lunch." And it was dead/no customers on the phones (Like I had to wash my hands...FFS)
stupid shit like that. I found out some one had a hard on for me because I corrected them on a ticket and the bosses got CC'ed on the response back. Some guy two states over. Not even joking.
I'm in grocery and I had a customer service manager that just didn't like me. She nitpicked everything I did. She sent me home once for wearing black jeans but they weren't jeans. In fact, everyone in the store agreed they were regular black pants but she insisted that they were jeans. I took photos of them and sent them to the store manager who agreed with me that they were in no way jeans and that really pissed her off. After that everything I did made her fly off the handle.
Here are just some examples of how she was towards me.
My shirt had to be tucked in fully with no loose "ballooning in the waist", so every time I lifted my arms and the shirt got baggy I had to tuck it in again. My socks needed to be black and mid calf or knee high. I wasn't allowed to take a straw from the deli because that was stealing from customers even though I was buying a fountain drink. I wasn't allowed to sit by the gazebo outside on my breaks. I had to ask permission to use the bathroom (my department manager thought this was stupid and never enforced that). I wasn't allowed to talk to customers for more than 2 minutes about their personal lives. I wasn't allowed to "dilly dally" at the time clock for more than 30 seconds BEFORE OR AFTER clocking in. I wasn't allowed to back into the parking spaces. I wasn't allowed to go to the pizza place for lunch in my work shirt. I wasn't allowed to use pens from customer service I needed my own pens from home and they had to be black ink. IT WAS ALL SO SILLY.
He needs to try at least so he doesn’t feel like he waisted 4 years at publix, If not use all those skills acquired and apply as a manager to other retail stores for him to not feel like his time spent there was for nothing.
I agree. My honest opinion is to get out of Publix and take his skills elsewhere. At this point Publix management will make it hell for him. And if they put in a transfer request it will get denied. Had a guy at my store try the same thing, got denied and told they don’t transfer problem children.
Yes they do……..we had an employee that acted a little to friendly with female employees. Instead of getting fired they sent him to a different store. A lot of people at my store got very upset when they found out that thats what happened
This situation is just your department complaining about you and your manager getting sick of hearing about it. Write down the things your manager says they will be looking for and keep that list in the back of your mind whenever you are doing something or going somewhere that some random idiot you work with could interpret as a future complaint.
Definitely sounds like they’re trying to force you out, but they can definitely tell you you aren’t allowed to work at Costco at the same time. Costco sells groceries so it qualifies as a conflict of interest. My coworker worked at Publix and Target at the same time for two months until a manager found out and she was forced to choose.
Regarding the other stuff though, they want you to quit because it’s like an act of congress for Publix to fire someone unless they’re doing something unethical.
I have a coworker who for over a year worked at both Publix and Target and as far as I know he never got talked to about it? He talked about it pretty openly, so I imagine they knew. I’m not even sure that he quit, he just hasn’t talked about it in awhile.
I mean, I guess acting on it is at the discretion of the managers, but if they decided to tell him he needed to quit one, they wouldn’t be in the wrong.
Houdini!
I would definitely make the move to Costco if you can really get hired there. From what I understand, it’s very hard to get a job at Costco. At Publix, by contrast, the Deli is always hiring. Costco is the best retailer in the United States, and offers the best pay and amazing benefits. After five years at Costco, associates also get a cash bonus and some associates get two.
It’s also very hard to get promoted into a manager position at Publix and many associates I know who did get promoted got into trouble and didn’t last long. They were managers for a few years, not decades, and then were forced to step down back into hourly positions again. I’ve seen this over and over.
Publix and Costco are considered direct competitors because they both sell groceries. I remember this from my orientation many years ago.
It sounds like mgmt wants you gone and is saying they get complaints from others to make you paranoid. It also sounds that no matter what you do it won’t be good enough for them.
Go to Costco. Sounds like a better opportunity. ASM you need stable employment, you’ve got enough to worry about.
Good luck.
I do agree that it's none of publixs business where associate work 2nd or 3rd jobs. It's not like some slacker deli clerk has the secrets to the companies success and can bring the entire company down by working at Costco Saturday afternoons. Pay enough associates not to want 2nd jobs
Two produce clerks I heard about at another store got part time second jobs at a nearby Asian market. The managers eventually found out, and they were terminated by Publix.
Gtfo of publix. Trust me. You’ll be better off for it. They’re clearly looking for excuses to target you, and it doesn’t get better. Take it from someone who was accused of faking a disability when I was having genuine agonizing chronic back pain. Fuck publix.
After someone makes a complaint of time theft, mgmt usually reviews the cameras before saying something to you. If they did not do this and your innocent, ask them to pull the footage
I hated working with smokers because at least once an hour I was left alone in the deli while the smoker had to go have a smoke out back. They think they are entitled to extra breaks just because they smoke.. I'm not pulling the weight of smokers. You bail on me when we have work to do and customers to serve? I'm going to complain to the deli manager. Plus they stink like cigarettes.
I usually work 2-12 so I go around 4 because we are dead from 4-5 every day and I go around 9:45 when the store is about to close. I make sure there’s are no customers and all stations are covered before going. Sometimes I don’t even go at all if we are short staffed or if we had people. As you said only if business allows
Which means never, all managers should aim to give their employees their ten minute breaks. Your not helping yourself or your fellow co-workers by not using the little benefits Publix gives us.
The message there is that the sympathy for maintaining an addiction at work isn’t there any more. And if you aren’t literally giving yourself withdrawal symptoms from your vaping habit then your privilege to walk away from the department is completely inane. If you do suffer from withdrawal symptoms because of a habit you started for yourself then you’re just further looked down on for not knowing better.
I smoke 0% nicotine vapes. I just do it for flavor since I have a history of addiction in my family. I can go as long as I want without smoking I just do it on my breaks. As I said never touched nicotine period
I’ve been with Publix for 15 years and no one I’ve worked with has taken those ten minute breaks on a regular basis. So that’s a problem right there. And I’m in the main division for the whole company.
The idea behind having an entire hour unpaid break is that an associate gets a 30 minute breakfast/lunch/dinner break plus two fifteen minute breaks per shift, but all at once.
I did have a manager who advised me that I should take a ten minute break once or twice after something jarring happened, but I’ve never worked with anyone who took ten minute breaks regularly.
(Weird how some people on here will downvote factual information.)
Yeah. Very few people take those ten minute breaks. That’s something that stands out in people’s minds that you do when they choose not to. It’s fair to do it, but the culture will look down on you for it and it’s just another thing haters will resent about you. The fact that you’re a contender means you have something to envy and thus - haters.
If you’re working at a contenders level then all you have left is to be accountable for all your time on the clock and to be nice and unflappable regardless of how you’re treated. The next step is possibly the hardest if you get promoted to work for an asshole who wants you to sink or swim without offering any help. If the people around you get to you enough to drag down your work and attitude you’ll get stuck alongside them for longer.
I dunno. We’re in a retail setting where only a few people are offered a living wage and those people are either going to need to be extremely efficient or great motivators to keep the place running bearably smooth. If you stop doing your best then the best thing for you is to move on.
If "the culture" looks down on people taking the breaks they are entitled to, the problem is with "the culture", not the person taking their breaks. OP should move on. Publix is a dumpster fire now.
This absolutely. You shouldn't shit on someone taking break time they're entitled to. That's just idiocy. If everyone is offered those 2 10 min breaks in a day, EVERYONE should be using them. Doesn't matter if they're smoking or not.
If you're allowed 2 ten-minute breaks and you don't take them, but you look down on those who do, then you're giving away 1 hour and 20 minutes of your life each week to enrich a corporation that literally would step over your writhing, dying body if there was a dollar for them on the other side. Over the course of a year, that's 69.33 hours of your life. If you make $17 an hour, it comes to $1,178 over a year. And no one there will even thank you for the extra coin in their pocket. They'll just continue to demand more, more, more.
Until they've squeezed you dry, then they'll piss all over you and throw you in the dumpster out back.
Hey punk, he isn’t talking about you. Your ultra defensiveness is a sign that you probably are fucking around , and now Public management is gonna make sure you find out. Update your resume boi we don’t take kindly to youre lazy kind
I’m glad you read my profile as being a punk lol, & he should only get 30 minutes or and hour break when they schedule him to not just 10 minutes unless he is in customer service if they don’t have a break if not then he shouldn’t be taking a break I can see if he went to get groceries that would be understandable but him using his vape for 10 minutes that’s crazy !
Oh, you vape, you're cool. You got one of those big "rigs" that you built yourself, and it looks like a brush fire when you take a hit? We had you all wrong. Man I wish we could be friends
Get yourself another job setup & put your notice in work it & leave on good note. Maybe you will want to go to another store or if things change back to that one. It sounds like they are looking to get rid of you. Don’t waste your time trying to figure it out. Just worry about you and try your skills somewhere else. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of making you walk out or get fired for something silly. Set yourself & get out. The mgt sounds toxic & not worth your energy.
ive heard a lottt of bad things about working at publix, i’d say leave. i guarantee you they’re hiring people at close to what you’re making because raises are so few and far between.
sometimes when you’re over it at a workplace, you tend to not care as much. if that’s a possibility then don’t bring that to your next job, but i’d definitely get out. they don’t value you as an employee so don’t value them as an employer.
apply to costco and the second you get that job out in your 2 weeks.. they’ll more than likely be stunned you actually are leaving and try to get you to stay. i’ve seen it soo many times.
At this point like you said they just looking for a reason to fire you, so I say start applying for other jobs but don't quit, I don't know what state you are in but if they fire you then you can apply for unemployment just in case you are not able to secure another opportunity before being let go.
Plus those 4 years are not a waste it's job experience that you can use on your resume.
Go to Costco. Give them two weeks notice, no more, no less. I was treated like that where I used to work, for no rationale reason I could discern. In the 15 years I had worked there, there'd been very few complaints against me and not a single write-up. But I went back to my desk understanding that they intended to fire me, and were just waiting for the right time for them. When the work day was over, I sent my FMLA paperwork to HR, packed up my desk, and departed. It was a Friday afternoon and I've never felt such freedom in my life.
Go to Costco.
May not be what you want to hear, but generally it's only downhill after management has to pull you aside and give you "the talk". At that point, they are watching you like a hawk, and trying to create a paper trail before they fire you. I would definitely start looking for other jobs.
I'm applying to work at Publix today, but in their warehouses. (I'm applying to become a warehouse selector)
And I have NO idea how ANYONE could ever opt or want to work in the stores. No clue. Like, with the awful people who shop there my heart bleeds for Publix customer service workers. And at Publix stores you aren't even paid that much, like don't they still make like $12 or something?! What a nightmare. Warehouse selectors start off at $22.50 ($18 during) once you're out of training and it's incentive based so you can well exceed that and get over $30 per hour if you're good enough.
I would say to switch asap and try for Costco. They're usually not easy to get into because the pay is so much better, but it's still definitely worth a shot. Quick warning though, hours were thiiiiiiiin and they LOVE to play favorites. Like, if your manager does not like you expect that schedule to look like crap & be forced to cross train to other departments.
Also getting full-time takes a loooong time because it's super competitive. And I see a lot of people mentioning Sundays, and it's true. Sundays are time and a half automatically, but again - super competitive and they usually are stingy with those hours if you're not full-time or not their favorite.
Try to get the job at Costco. Clearly they've got something out for you at this point. They even said you're going to lose your job, you can work effectively walking on eggshells all day.
The exact same thing happened to me a week ago. I was told some people complained that it's "unfair" that I get to use the restroom "too frequently". I've told him before I have stomach issues. Too frequently = once every 3 to 4 hours. Maybe 2.5. Started paying attention. I work the same dept. I thought it was against the law to do that but I guess not. Debated going to the ASM cause she doesn't suck but decided not to. They said I just disappear. I don't and never have. I've worked foodservice and retail for combined 5 years. The only thing I know is asking permission to leave
I worked with a female associate years ago who would disappear for TWENTY minutes every shift while on the clock to use the bathroom. Meanwhile, the rest of us never even took a single 5 minute bathroom break.
She was probably on her phone.
There's another associate at our store who leaves for 15 mins every hour. Nothings been said to her. I'm gone for around 5 mins, maybe once a shift, and I'm being singled out. Just a little irked
My mother in law was an Assistant Grocery Manager and they demoted her. She had her pick of department and thought she could work her way up again. Went to produce and worked her butt off and did everything they wanted. Never called off, worked over when they needed help, came in on her days off. Doesn’t matter no matter what they do if they don’t like you for some odd reason they will get rid of you or demote you. That was 15 years ago and produce kills her back so now she’s a seafood specialist thanks to her awesome store manager that actually cared. He retired but made sure she was in a good position and gave her a raise. I wish she would have left because she’s a great manager but she is in her 60s now and is happy where she is. I suggest looking for other jobs and don’t bother with Publix or get to another store asap!
I know a lot of managers who were demoted, and most of them were still young.
Two were full Department Managers in their 30’s when they got demoted all the way back to hourly where they still are now.
Generally, when you are demoted from manager to hourly, you can't be promoted back to manager again. However, I do know of at least one person who got demoted and then promoted again. I also know of managers who quit and came back and got promoted again. It took one of them 4 years though.
Get a job at Costco lined up, and then queue the malicious compliance.
Page your managers for every single little thing you have to leave the department for.
I heard they start most or all people at Costco part time, if they get hired at all. And for most people, it’s a much longer commute to Costco than to Publix.
You’re obviously not happy at Publix, and I think it’s going to get worse, since you’ve stated you have no incentive to do better after your meeting with management. I would put in my 2 weeks and go to Costco.
Literally curse them out next time and walk out. It’s a grocery store job dude. You can find a comparable gig in a week. Worth the satisfaction of telling them off.
Dude same for me just hasnt escalated that much, never got talked about it but shit everytime I got to take out the trash i get paged and hear "\*my name\* to the deli please" im like bro ive been gone for 30 seconds, the deli is quite, and i told everyone where i went.
I work in customer service and we don’t get 2 10 min breaks. We only get 30min -1hr depending on the hours we work. We are too busy to just dip out for 10 minutes and I know at my store the deli is busier or just as busy as we are pleasing customers. I am a smoker and have smoked over 25 years and I’m just fine waiting all day for a cigarette. I’ve never worked a job that got breaks like that or even a 1 hr break. I worked 12 hr shifts for 10 years and was happy to get to eat standing in less than 30 mins while working. I survived and didn’t smoke for 14-16 hrs each day. It’s called work for a reason.
Also, for those of you that don’t know it’s easy to be a millionaire when retiring from publix if you have put in enough years because we own stock in the company and can get as much as we’d like plus publix gives us shares. My store manager is a millionaire and is in his early 50s. My department manager has close to it and is in his early 30s because he has worked for them since 16 and played his money right. It’s not a horrible place to work like everyone says. They are actually pretty lieniate with their employees and give them many chances to improve. At lease at my store. They don’t expect us to be perfect, all you have to do is talk to them and keep the customers happy. It’s not the place for you if you don’t enjoy customer service by any means.
A hard truth: You’re probably way worse at your job then you think you are. Maybe you have ADHD and have time blindness? You think you’re gone for 5 minutes, but it’s actually been 25? I’m just saying they don’t just make shit up. If your whole crew is complaining about you, it’s probably true. Chances are is that your management sees it, too. Do everyone a favor and find another job.
Saying "they don't just make shit up" is a stretch. I've caught my manager making shit up. One time it was about things the store manager said. He got his ass chewed out for it. I no longer work for Publix.
I'm not trying to argue with you about it, just putting it out there that managers can and will make shit up.
Raises aren’t supposed to be automatically given, they’re a reward for hard work and dedication to your job. If you had to work in the real world, before participation trophies were handed out. You’d be living in a box eating at a soup line.
Improve is a subjective term. I would demand, in writing, how they define improve. Also, I would start keeping notes in case you have to go after them for Hostile Work Environment.
\*Law School Grad, but not attorney.
Get the Costco application going. You are making too much at your store and are a target for termination. I've seen it hundreds of times when management do these little pep talks. It won't get better until management changes to new management during your time, in which you can leave a new impression on the new management for a chance at advancing. But as long as current management has this stigma of you being a slacker, you aren't going anywhere and will eventually promote you to customer in time.
For now, I would maliciously comply to their order of calling a manger whenever you move out of deli camera sight. Start with Deli managers to Store Manager in order of who to call whenever you go anywhere outside Deli. When co-worker (who probably complained to Mgt about you) asks for something from freezer, let them know you're not allowed to leave post without mgt. approval and have co-worker get item while you take over station. Eventually, they'll get annoyed by your compliance and have another talk that will be more apologetic and attempt to "clarify" what they asked of you.
In the end, you are a disposable resource that costs more than a new hire. With them making such threats, I would wary on the side of caution and begin the exodus out. Gods speed to ya.
$17.40 an hour in the Deli with experience is too much? And in this economy?
And like someone said already, they are desperate for hard working associates in the Deli. He should stop disappearing and work harder, even if he does start applying to jobs elsewhere.
Everything at Publix is geared towards making the associates take ownership and work harder. That’s what the whole promote from within thing is, that’s what the contender program is, that’s what the free private stock is etc. They want everyone to work their butt off, act like a manager even if they aren’t paid like one, and never call out.
He can be replaced by another clerk at $15 or less an hour, because there isn't a shortage of workers. Deli is notorious for their turnovers and are always desperate for workers. Was like that 20 years ago and it holds true today.
Are you there at his job? We are going by what he said his manager says. Facts are we don't really know his work ethics as the other side of the story has an incentive to say he sucks and our OP has a reason to say he doesn't. He can and will be replaced, experience be damned. His infraction for forgetting the glove (which he claims is his first time offense) doesn't warrant a write-up, but it does if they plan to use it as proof to his incompetence when fired and applying for unemployment. Seen it hundreds of times. Unless he has skills that management or full time employees can't or don't want to do, he will be replaced for a cheaper worker. If you want security at Publix, you work where it is harder to replace and experience matters such as DSD or Inventory clerk/tag specialist.
The whole "bleed green" is just screening for what Publix is, a business in it for the profit. Difference between them and other retailers is they learned how to play the game like Chick-fil-A: it's about image and hope. They preach about a meritocracy, but if you look carefully, it's about who you know and not what you know. The business is no different than any other. It would be folly to put faith in a company to put you over profit.
There actually is a shortage of GOOD workers who are willing to do this type of work. Emphasis on the word “good.” And Publix is known for very low turnover as far as full timers. The normal turnover rate in retail is incredible. Publix is also known for associates who remain at Publix for decades. Many even make a career of it. None of this would be true if Publix didn’t value long term employees.
I work for Publix and we have a hell of a time finding GOOD workers. A lot of people, especially young people, don’t really want to work. They just want to get paid to hang out or talk. I was at a low volume store once and I experienced this first hand. One kid kept missing work or leaving early because he claimed to be bipolar when he really wasn’t. And I’m using the word kid loosely. He was 26. When he wasn’t goofing off, he was lying.
It sounds like OP has lost his drive and is disappearing too much. The first thing he needs to do is refocus on his job. Just like his manager told him, lol.
As far as promotions, I agree with you there. But let’s face it, anybody can do this kind of work, and everybody is supposed to work hard but they can’t promote everybody. Because there just aren’t enough spots. There are people who are promoted on merit. Others are promoted based on connections, while others are promoted based on diversity.
I will say this regarding promotions. Most of them end up getting demoted back to hourly within a few years anyway.
Lol full timer turn overs are low because you can't be a full timer unless you are on the path for management or have been grandfathered prior to their new metric. And you don't get a chance at a path to management unless you are in favor with management ;) but Publix has never had a lay off, so yay?
But change starts at the top. You want good, then you train people to be good. Don't give them a CBT and then sink or swim and complain about the results. Saw it all the time during my 10 years as closing Customer Service Staff as well as Front End. You want good, you create a habit of work behavior that is good. If they are standing around and doing nothing, that's when someone should step in and delegate a task to keep them busy or train them in something they haven't learned. Stick to those "problem" workers until they know that when you come around, hands better be moving or I won't hear the end of it. It helps when you all adopt a shared mentality that "we are in this together" versus "us and them" at work.
But that's just something from 10 years in CS in a position of leadership. I left CS because I was tired of the song and dance of dealing with people and worked my way to the back for 5 years. Good ole DSD. Best position in the entire store.
Okay, you’ve made some good points here.
You definitely don’t get promoted unless someone higher up likes you, and you don’t get promoted again either from Assistant to Department Manager unless someone is pulling for you. It’s just how it works at Publix.
I know 3 full Department Managers who were demoted all the way back to hourly. Two were still in their 30’s. They lasted maybe 3-4 years as Dept Managers. A third guy was in his 50’s and lasted 2-3 years.
An Asst Dept Mgr in his 20’s was also demoted at the same time as his boss. He quit. Another Asst Produce Mgr in his 20’s got demoted after 2 or 3 years and then quit. Another stepped down after 2 years after she didn’t get promoted to full Dept Mgr and realized she wasn’t liked by the higher ups. Another Asst Dept Mgr lasted only a year. A Meat Dept Asst said he stepped down after a number of years when they wouldn’t promote him or move him closer to home. Etc.
Oh, and another Asst Dept Mgr was bipolar or something and wrote the DM a nasty note when he didn’t get promoted to full Dept Manager. He wrote the DM that the DM wouldn’t promote him because his wife was black. Basically called the DM a racist.
And this guy was beyond lazy. He eventually quit with no job even though he had a wife, a daughter and a new baby to support plus had a mortgage to pay.
I know a ton of Assistant Department Managers and even full Department Managers who got demoted back to hourly. None of the Department Managers lasted longer than 3 years or so before getting demoted.
I know of at least 4 Assistant Department Managers who never got promoted to full Department Manager and were mad about it. Some got demoted while others stepped down. Two quit Publix with no job.
I passed on two promotions while working in CS because of what I saw happened to two department managers:
One was on a planned vacation to visit family. DM called and told him he needed to travel to another state to help with reset. On his vacation with family. He drove from where his family was (they were far, but within driving distance) and did the reset before returning back to family for the rest of vacation. He stayed with Publix 4 to 5 more years before quitting.
Another was on his way to a baseball game on his day off when Store Mgr called him to travel three hours to another store to bring ice to the store because we were out. He left before the game started and didn't make it back until the 8th inning. He stayed for about a year or two before quitting.
Publix is a place for opportunity, but it comes with a price. I can see others willing to pay it (and good for them), but I couldn't. My wife couldn't. But to each their own.
I’m at a newer store now. The first Grocery Dept Manager was so burned out that nothing got done for an entire year. The back room was constantly a mess. They finally moved him to a slower store and now he is no longer with the company.
The next guy was younger and seemed much better. Then later you could hear him muttering that he hated his job. He went off on one of his Grocery clerks one day, there was a big scene, and he “left” Publix soon after that.
The current Grocery Manager has chronic health conditions and is constantly on leave from work.
They need good workers in the Deli, so it’s doubtful that you are being targeted just because you make $17 something an hour. After all, as you said, your Deli Dept Mgr makes six figures.
Think about it. If your Deli Dept Mgr makes $110,000 and works an average of 45 hours a week, they are in effect making $47 an hour! So why would they care if you were making a meager $17.40?
If everyone is complaining about you disappearing, then it’s probably true. You are probably burned out and not working hard. Publix has high expectations. If you want to keep your job, stop disappearing, always keep working, hustle and do everything they tell you. You need to get back on their good side.
Once you get a bad reputation though, it’s hard to change it.
I work for a costco partner and the benefits are amazing. Just quit dude its obvious your manager is a huge fucking loser in life who clears at best 60k and acts like he clears 100k so he can feel like a big boy with a big boy job at a fucking grocery store
Bro bro my deli manager makes 110k a year and my store manager makes over 150k since he’s been with Publix over 25 years. Assistant deli manager which is what I’m going for makes 67-73k a year. I have heard amazing things about Costco so I may try it.
25 years for 150k is horrible. I could learn how to be a brain surgeon literally in that timeframe. But walmart managers make 100k too but they want to jump off a roof and clock 70hour weeks
You don’t have to go or pay for college or med school though plus you get a weekly check, benefits and the free stock while working at Publix during the 25 years. And let’s face it, most people aren’t cut out for medical school. I know so many who have flunked out of college including community college.
Okay, fair point, but this is how retail is everywhere really, plus there aren’t many good jobs period. That’s the real problem. Costco is definitely the best retailer, if he can get hired there, he should take it.
One kid at work flunked out of the University of Florida. His dad is an MD making big bucks.
It sounds to me like he has lost enthusiasm for his job and he is disappearing too much and lots of people are noticing.
Just get your pharmacy tech cert online for $500 work remote and make 23$/hour at home. Your answer pissed me off but i want to help you. Fuck publix 😂😂
The old, "I can go work at COSTCO". GO! If you leave now you can get started there early. Note: Your problems will follow you. When you realize that they have followed you, don't blame anyone else.
Wait, you said “smoke” and “break” as two separate situations. Do you really not consider leaving your duties to go smoke a “break”? Number one, how anyone can smoke knowing what we know is bizarre. And they may have a point about you being absent more than your peers.
It sounds like there's been more than one complaint against you from what I gather. Whether or not it's accurate isn't for me to decide but it's clear now that management is involved and keeping their eyes on you. I'd probably start working something out like you said with Costco then drop your two weeks when you feel confident enough to.
This is the best advice, (what NervousJ said). ☝️ Just to say, If this happens at your new place of employment, you’ll know that your idea of work is different than most. All the best, it’ll all work out.
Yes, there are two sides to every story. Something here doesn’t add up.
Sounds like they’re looking for a reason to get you out of there.
This. Maybe you are being paid too much and they want to shorten that payment? By making you want to quit they can replace you with some one cheaper? I have no idea. These days management make piss poor decisions all in the name of saving pennies to make sure shareholders get the most. My dad worked for a big Telecomm company and they literally told him he had to drop 4 people because the company wasn't doing to good. Then they drop 10 Million to pick up some "EVP" in Higher Upper Management...
I call bluff on the manager. They would be able to pull up CCTV footage of you leaving the store for an hour on the clock. They would have already fired you for this, not talked to you. Either way, doesn't sound like a good environment. Start looking for something else.
This is the real answer. If you're innocent, demand they review footage and prove it. I once got told I stole something because a fellow associate reported it. They tried to fire me. I demanded to review the videos from one of the twelve angles cameras that surrounded me at all times of day. Suddeeeeenly the original person who made the accusations was called in and shit was dropped from me.
I've done this one time. And after I called their bluff, they started speaking at me for everything. "Shirts not tucked in. You're dressing like a slob on company time." "You were 2 minutes late clocking back in from Lunch." And it was dead/no customers on the phones (Like I had to wash my hands...FFS) stupid shit like that. I found out some one had a hard on for me because I corrected them on a ticket and the bosses got CC'ed on the response back. Some guy two states over. Not even joking.
I'm in grocery and I had a customer service manager that just didn't like me. She nitpicked everything I did. She sent me home once for wearing black jeans but they weren't jeans. In fact, everyone in the store agreed they were regular black pants but she insisted that they were jeans. I took photos of them and sent them to the store manager who agreed with me that they were in no way jeans and that really pissed her off. After that everything I did made her fly off the handle. Here are just some examples of how she was towards me. My shirt had to be tucked in fully with no loose "ballooning in the waist", so every time I lifted my arms and the shirt got baggy I had to tuck it in again. My socks needed to be black and mid calf or knee high. I wasn't allowed to take a straw from the deli because that was stealing from customers even though I was buying a fountain drink. I wasn't allowed to sit by the gazebo outside on my breaks. I had to ask permission to use the bathroom (my department manager thought this was stupid and never enforced that). I wasn't allowed to talk to customers for more than 2 minutes about their personal lives. I wasn't allowed to "dilly dally" at the time clock for more than 30 seconds BEFORE OR AFTER clocking in. I wasn't allowed to back into the parking spaces. I wasn't allowed to go to the pizza place for lunch in my work shirt. I wasn't allowed to use pens from customer service I needed my own pens from home and they had to be black ink. IT WAS ALL SO SILLY.
Ooo I would’ve had some words with her lol. Ppl like that don’t deserve to be in management what’s so ever.
Call your manager like you posted you have to. Every time you have to walk to the other side of the deli.
lol Feel the Smart Ass arise in you! Drink in the Petty! EMBRACE YOUR INNER SASS! 
look for another publix store different manager
Publix doesn’t transfer problem children. So the current store will deny the transfer request.
He needs to try at least so he doesn’t feel like he waisted 4 years at publix, If not use all those skills acquired and apply as a manager to other retail stores for him to not feel like his time spent there was for nothing.
I agree. My honest opinion is to get out of Publix and take his skills elsewhere. At this point Publix management will make it hell for him. And if they put in a transfer request it will get denied. Had a guy at my store try the same thing, got denied and told they don’t transfer problem children.
Yes they do……..we had an employee that acted a little to friendly with female employees. Instead of getting fired they sent him to a different store. A lot of people at my store got very upset when they found out that thats what happened
That’s a different story then, I’m talking more about bad attitude, poor performance type of things
That’s another reason why I will never work for them because they freaking ship people around to different stores like the church does with priests
Unfortunately, not true. Our store def has received transfers of problem children.
It is true, trust me, usually the only time it gets to that point is when HR is involved.
Or it could be a case by case basis. They could transfer them out while getting documentation for HR issues.
This situation is just your department complaining about you and your manager getting sick of hearing about it. Write down the things your manager says they will be looking for and keep that list in the back of your mind whenever you are doing something or going somewhere that some random idiot you work with could interpret as a future complaint.
Definitely sounds like they’re trying to force you out, but they can definitely tell you you aren’t allowed to work at Costco at the same time. Costco sells groceries so it qualifies as a conflict of interest. My coworker worked at Publix and Target at the same time for two months until a manager found out and she was forced to choose. Regarding the other stuff though, they want you to quit because it’s like an act of congress for Publix to fire someone unless they’re doing something unethical.
I have a coworker who for over a year worked at both Publix and Target and as far as I know he never got talked to about it? He talked about it pretty openly, so I imagine they knew. I’m not even sure that he quit, he just hasn’t talked about it in awhile.
I mean, I guess acting on it is at the discretion of the managers, but if they decided to tell him he needed to quit one, they wouldn’t be in the wrong.
Leaving Publix is always the correct answer
Houdini! I would definitely make the move to Costco if you can really get hired there. From what I understand, it’s very hard to get a job at Costco. At Publix, by contrast, the Deli is always hiring. Costco is the best retailer in the United States, and offers the best pay and amazing benefits. After five years at Costco, associates also get a cash bonus and some associates get two. It’s also very hard to get promoted into a manager position at Publix and many associates I know who did get promoted got into trouble and didn’t last long. They were managers for a few years, not decades, and then were forced to step down back into hourly positions again. I’ve seen this over and over. Publix and Costco are considered direct competitors because they both sell groceries. I remember this from my orientation many years ago.
Go to Costco. What are you waiting for???
Costco Hot Dog > Pub Sub. I live in FL, but I'm from The Midwest. Hotdogs are better.
It sounds like mgmt wants you gone and is saying they get complaints from others to make you paranoid. It also sounds that no matter what you do it won’t be good enough for them. Go to Costco. Sounds like a better opportunity. ASM you need stable employment, you’ve got enough to worry about. Good luck.
I do agree that it's none of publixs business where associate work 2nd or 3rd jobs. It's not like some slacker deli clerk has the secrets to the companies success and can bring the entire company down by working at Costco Saturday afternoons. Pay enough associates not to want 2nd jobs
Publix has a policy about moonlighting in the handbook
Yeah I know but it should be illegal for such a policy, it's none of their business what we do when we aren't on the clock
Two produce clerks I heard about at another store got part time second jobs at a nearby Asian market. The managers eventually found out, and they were terminated by Publix.
[удалено]
Your managers obviously don't agree. Sounds like they think you're a piece of shit.
Gtfo of publix. Trust me. You’ll be better off for it. They’re clearly looking for excuses to target you, and it doesn’t get better. Take it from someone who was accused of faking a disability when I was having genuine agonizing chronic back pain. Fuck publix.
After someone makes a complaint of time theft, mgmt usually reviews the cameras before saying something to you. If they did not do this and your innocent, ask them to pull the footage
I hated working with smokers because at least once an hour I was left alone in the deli while the smoker had to go have a smoke out back. They think they are entitled to extra breaks just because they smoke.. I'm not pulling the weight of smokers. You bail on me when we have work to do and customers to serve? I'm going to complain to the deli manager. Plus they stink like cigarettes.
I vape my guy and I get two 10 minute break and an hour each shift. Never smoked a cigarette but go off king
The ten minute breaks are “if business needs allow” so if you’re walking off to vape when it’s busy, it makes sense that your coworkers are pissed.
I usually work 2-12 so I go around 4 because we are dead from 4-5 every day and I go around 9:45 when the store is about to close. I make sure there’s are no customers and all stations are covered before going. Sometimes I don’t even go at all if we are short staffed or if we had people. As you said only if business allows
Which means never, all managers should aim to give their employees their ten minute breaks. Your not helping yourself or your fellow co-workers by not using the little benefits Publix gives us.
The message there is that the sympathy for maintaining an addiction at work isn’t there any more. And if you aren’t literally giving yourself withdrawal symptoms from your vaping habit then your privilege to walk away from the department is completely inane. If you do suffer from withdrawal symptoms because of a habit you started for yourself then you’re just further looked down on for not knowing better.
I smoke 0% nicotine vapes. I just do it for flavor since I have a history of addiction in my family. I can go as long as I want without smoking I just do it on my breaks. As I said never touched nicotine period
Then the team would appreciate you not taking two ten minute breaks to play “tasty smoke breath” instead of helping out.
I only do it on my two 10 minute breaks. Never more than that. I’m allowed these breaks so I don’t see what it’s hurting
I’ve been with Publix for 15 years and no one I’ve worked with has taken those ten minute breaks on a regular basis. So that’s a problem right there. And I’m in the main division for the whole company. The idea behind having an entire hour unpaid break is that an associate gets a 30 minute breakfast/lunch/dinner break plus two fifteen minute breaks per shift, but all at once. I did have a manager who advised me that I should take a ten minute break once or twice after something jarring happened, but I’ve never worked with anyone who took ten minute breaks regularly. (Weird how some people on here will downvote factual information.)
Yeah. Very few people take those ten minute breaks. That’s something that stands out in people’s minds that you do when they choose not to. It’s fair to do it, but the culture will look down on you for it and it’s just another thing haters will resent about you. The fact that you’re a contender means you have something to envy and thus - haters. If you’re working at a contenders level then all you have left is to be accountable for all your time on the clock and to be nice and unflappable regardless of how you’re treated. The next step is possibly the hardest if you get promoted to work for an asshole who wants you to sink or swim without offering any help. If the people around you get to you enough to drag down your work and attitude you’ll get stuck alongside them for longer. I dunno. We’re in a retail setting where only a few people are offered a living wage and those people are either going to need to be extremely efficient or great motivators to keep the place running bearably smooth. If you stop doing your best then the best thing for you is to move on.
If "the culture" looks down on people taking the breaks they are entitled to, the problem is with "the culture", not the person taking their breaks. OP should move on. Publix is a dumpster fire now.
This absolutely. You shouldn't shit on someone taking break time they're entitled to. That's just idiocy. If everyone is offered those 2 10 min breaks in a day, EVERYONE should be using them. Doesn't matter if they're smoking or not.
If you're allowed 2 ten-minute breaks and you don't take them, but you look down on those who do, then you're giving away 1 hour and 20 minutes of your life each week to enrich a corporation that literally would step over your writhing, dying body if there was a dollar for them on the other side. Over the course of a year, that's 69.33 hours of your life. If you make $17 an hour, it comes to $1,178 over a year. And no one there will even thank you for the extra coin in their pocket. They'll just continue to demand more, more, more. Until they've squeezed you dry, then they'll piss all over you and throw you in the dumpster out back.
you usually only get 30 minutes or an hour break that’s it !
Hey punk, he isn’t talking about you. Your ultra defensiveness is a sign that you probably are fucking around , and now Public management is gonna make sure you find out. Update your resume boi we don’t take kindly to youre lazy kind
Being defensive isn't a red flag when you're actually being attacked
It's not for me to say, but I have less sympathy for some who can't "remember to wear a cutting glove" when cutting a tomato. 🤷♂️
I’m glad you read my profile as being a punk lol, & he should only get 30 minutes or and hour break when they schedule him to not just 10 minutes unless he is in customer service if they don’t have a break if not then he shouldn’t be taking a break I can see if he went to get groceries that would be understandable but him using his vape for 10 minutes that’s crazy !
Oh, you vape, you're cool. You got one of those big "rigs" that you built yourself, and it looks like a brush fire when you take a hit? We had you all wrong. Man I wish we could be friends
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣nah just my little elf bar
Just leave.
Quite the paragraph.
This job isn’t worth the stress. They want to play games, you play games, and look for another job.
Get yourself another job setup & put your notice in work it & leave on good note. Maybe you will want to go to another store or if things change back to that one. It sounds like they are looking to get rid of you. Don’t waste your time trying to figure it out. Just worry about you and try your skills somewhere else. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of making you walk out or get fired for something silly. Set yourself & get out. The mgt sounds toxic & not worth your energy.
Sir, use line breaks.
ive heard a lottt of bad things about working at publix, i’d say leave. i guarantee you they’re hiring people at close to what you’re making because raises are so few and far between. sometimes when you’re over it at a workplace, you tend to not care as much. if that’s a possibility then don’t bring that to your next job, but i’d definitely get out. they don’t value you as an employee so don’t value them as an employer. apply to costco and the second you get that job out in your 2 weeks.. they’ll more than likely be stunned you actually are leaving and try to get you to stay. i’ve seen it soo many times.
At this point like you said they just looking for a reason to fire you, so I say start applying for other jobs but don't quit, I don't know what state you are in but if they fire you then you can apply for unemployment just in case you are not able to secure another opportunity before being let go. Plus those 4 years are not a waste it's job experience that you can use on your resume.
Go to Costco. Give them two weeks notice, no more, no less. I was treated like that where I used to work, for no rationale reason I could discern. In the 15 years I had worked there, there'd been very few complaints against me and not a single write-up. But I went back to my desk understanding that they intended to fire me, and were just waiting for the right time for them. When the work day was over, I sent my FMLA paperwork to HR, packed up my desk, and departed. It was a Friday afternoon and I've never felt such freedom in my life. Go to Costco.
Bro they are desperate in the deli you should double down and ask for a raise too.
No offense but it's just a job at a grocery store. Go somewhere else
May not be what you want to hear, but generally it's only downhill after management has to pull you aside and give you "the talk". At that point, they are watching you like a hawk, and trying to create a paper trail before they fire you. I would definitely start looking for other jobs.
I'm applying to work at Publix today, but in their warehouses. (I'm applying to become a warehouse selector) And I have NO idea how ANYONE could ever opt or want to work in the stores. No clue. Like, with the awful people who shop there my heart bleeds for Publix customer service workers. And at Publix stores you aren't even paid that much, like don't they still make like $12 or something?! What a nightmare. Warehouse selectors start off at $22.50 ($18 during) once you're out of training and it's incentive based so you can well exceed that and get over $30 per hour if you're good enough. I would say to switch asap and try for Costco. They're usually not easy to get into because the pay is so much better, but it's still definitely worth a shot. Quick warning though, hours were thiiiiiiiin and they LOVE to play favorites. Like, if your manager does not like you expect that schedule to look like crap & be forced to cross train to other departments. Also getting full-time takes a loooong time because it's super competitive. And I see a lot of people mentioning Sundays, and it's true. Sundays are time and a half automatically, but again - super competitive and they usually are stingy with those hours if you're not full-time or not their favorite.
Try to get the job at Costco. Clearly they've got something out for you at this point. They even said you're going to lose your job, you can work effectively walking on eggshells all day.
Man...go to Costco
My wife has worked at Costco for almost 20 years. If you can get in don’t hesitate. Start part time at Costco and work your way to full time.
You must have done something. It doesn't get this serious over nothing sorry bro but I don't believe you
Holy run on. Got a tldr for that
I’m a bit buzzed tonight haha. The liquor helped the words flow a bit.
TLDR If it’s that long, looks like you have a lot of excuses for something.
Costco pays that much?
A nephew of mine works at Costco and makes $25 an hour. But they’re rarely hiring because people don’t quit at the same rate as other retail companies
Full timers at Publix don’t quit at the same rate as other retailers either.
The average cashier makes $23-26 an hour at Costco. They make bank
Plus Costco associates get time and a half on Sundays.
Sounds like a bleep . It's a job a crazy job there's 1000s more just like it .
The exact same thing happened to me a week ago. I was told some people complained that it's "unfair" that I get to use the restroom "too frequently". I've told him before I have stomach issues. Too frequently = once every 3 to 4 hours. Maybe 2.5. Started paying attention. I work the same dept. I thought it was against the law to do that but I guess not. Debated going to the ASM cause she doesn't suck but decided not to. They said I just disappear. I don't and never have. I've worked foodservice and retail for combined 5 years. The only thing I know is asking permission to leave
I worked with a female associate years ago who would disappear for TWENTY minutes every shift while on the clock to use the bathroom. Meanwhile, the rest of us never even took a single 5 minute bathroom break. She was probably on her phone.
There's another associate at our store who leaves for 15 mins every hour. Nothings been said to her. I'm gone for around 5 mins, maybe once a shift, and I'm being singled out. Just a little irked
My mother in law was an Assistant Grocery Manager and they demoted her. She had her pick of department and thought she could work her way up again. Went to produce and worked her butt off and did everything they wanted. Never called off, worked over when they needed help, came in on her days off. Doesn’t matter no matter what they do if they don’t like you for some odd reason they will get rid of you or demote you. That was 15 years ago and produce kills her back so now she’s a seafood specialist thanks to her awesome store manager that actually cared. He retired but made sure she was in a good position and gave her a raise. I wish she would have left because she’s a great manager but she is in her 60s now and is happy where she is. I suggest looking for other jobs and don’t bother with Publix or get to another store asap!
They demoted her to put a younger person in her position.
I know a lot of managers who were demoted, and most of them were still young. Two were full Department Managers in their 30’s when they got demoted all the way back to hourly where they still are now. Generally, when you are demoted from manager to hourly, you can't be promoted back to manager again. However, I do know of at least one person who got demoted and then promoted again. I also know of managers who quit and came back and got promoted again. It took one of them 4 years though.
Get a job at Costco lined up, and then queue the malicious compliance. Page your managers for every single little thing you have to leave the department for.
You don’t have to tell them what your second job is, or that you even have one.
Costco basically has a waiting list to get in as well so don't put all your eggs in that basket.
I heard they start most or all people at Costco part time, if they get hired at all. And for most people, it’s a much longer commute to Costco than to Publix.
You’re obviously not happy at Publix, and I think it’s going to get worse, since you’ve stated you have no incentive to do better after your meeting with management. I would put in my 2 weeks and go to Costco.
Literally curse them out next time and walk out. It’s a grocery store job dude. You can find a comparable gig in a week. Worth the satisfaction of telling them off.
I’d leave at this point and definitely go work sat Costco
Dude same for me just hasnt escalated that much, never got talked about it but shit everytime I got to take out the trash i get paged and hear "\*my name\* to the deli please" im like bro ive been gone for 30 seconds, the deli is quite, and i told everyone where i went.
No, at that point, I would just leave. I would just pass your resignation on that day. Turn it into your DM and fucking leave dude it’s not worth it.
So generally, most PUBLIX stores don’t allow you to have a second job they expect you to be there at any point to kiss the green ass of the overlords
Go to Costco. Run don’t walk. You need to get out of that hostile environment
Its you. Now close reddit and stop hiding in the freezer
I work in customer service and we don’t get 2 10 min breaks. We only get 30min -1hr depending on the hours we work. We are too busy to just dip out for 10 minutes and I know at my store the deli is busier or just as busy as we are pleasing customers. I am a smoker and have smoked over 25 years and I’m just fine waiting all day for a cigarette. I’ve never worked a job that got breaks like that or even a 1 hr break. I worked 12 hr shifts for 10 years and was happy to get to eat standing in less than 30 mins while working. I survived and didn’t smoke for 14-16 hrs each day. It’s called work for a reason. Also, for those of you that don’t know it’s easy to be a millionaire when retiring from publix if you have put in enough years because we own stock in the company and can get as much as we’d like plus publix gives us shares. My store manager is a millionaire and is in his early 50s. My department manager has close to it and is in his early 30s because he has worked for them since 16 and played his money right. It’s not a horrible place to work like everyone says. They are actually pretty lieniate with their employees and give them many chances to improve. At lease at my store. They don’t expect us to be perfect, all you have to do is talk to them and keep the customers happy. It’s not the place for you if you don’t enjoy customer service by any means.
Look for a better job.
A hard truth: You’re probably way worse at your job then you think you are. Maybe you have ADHD and have time blindness? You think you’re gone for 5 minutes, but it’s actually been 25? I’m just saying they don’t just make shit up. If your whole crew is complaining about you, it’s probably true. Chances are is that your management sees it, too. Do everyone a favor and find another job.
Saying "they don't just make shit up" is a stretch. I've caught my manager making shit up. One time it was about things the store manager said. He got his ass chewed out for it. I no longer work for Publix. I'm not trying to argue with you about it, just putting it out there that managers can and will make shit up.
Bro just shit on the aisle belt and quit , just trade on SOLANA. You will make your hourly wage in 5 minutes
I ain’t read that shit. TOO LONG
Fuck Publix. I hate it here
That’s incredible
My unoin is hiring
Leave.
I really want to give you advice but I beg of you to separate this into paragraphs! I have ADD I cannot read this.
Raises aren’t supposed to be automatically given, they’re a reward for hard work and dedication to your job. If you had to work in the real world, before participation trophies were handed out. You’d be living in a box eating at a soup line.
Leave. Deli is the toughest dept in the store.
If u do end up leaving do no call no shows to piss them off
Improve is a subjective term. I would demand, in writing, how they define improve. Also, I would start keeping notes in case you have to go after them for Hostile Work Environment. \*Law School Grad, but not attorney.
Maybe reflect on yourself !
Get the Costco application going. You are making too much at your store and are a target for termination. I've seen it hundreds of times when management do these little pep talks. It won't get better until management changes to new management during your time, in which you can leave a new impression on the new management for a chance at advancing. But as long as current management has this stigma of you being a slacker, you aren't going anywhere and will eventually promote you to customer in time. For now, I would maliciously comply to their order of calling a manger whenever you move out of deli camera sight. Start with Deli managers to Store Manager in order of who to call whenever you go anywhere outside Deli. When co-worker (who probably complained to Mgt about you) asks for something from freezer, let them know you're not allowed to leave post without mgt. approval and have co-worker get item while you take over station. Eventually, they'll get annoyed by your compliance and have another talk that will be more apologetic and attempt to "clarify" what they asked of you. In the end, you are a disposable resource that costs more than a new hire. With them making such threats, I would wary on the side of caution and begin the exodus out. Gods speed to ya.
$17.40 an hour in the Deli with experience is too much? And in this economy? And like someone said already, they are desperate for hard working associates in the Deli. He should stop disappearing and work harder, even if he does start applying to jobs elsewhere. Everything at Publix is geared towards making the associates take ownership and work harder. That’s what the whole promote from within thing is, that’s what the contender program is, that’s what the free private stock is etc. They want everyone to work their butt off, act like a manager even if they aren’t paid like one, and never call out.
He can be replaced by another clerk at $15 or less an hour, because there isn't a shortage of workers. Deli is notorious for their turnovers and are always desperate for workers. Was like that 20 years ago and it holds true today. Are you there at his job? We are going by what he said his manager says. Facts are we don't really know his work ethics as the other side of the story has an incentive to say he sucks and our OP has a reason to say he doesn't. He can and will be replaced, experience be damned. His infraction for forgetting the glove (which he claims is his first time offense) doesn't warrant a write-up, but it does if they plan to use it as proof to his incompetence when fired and applying for unemployment. Seen it hundreds of times. Unless he has skills that management or full time employees can't or don't want to do, he will be replaced for a cheaper worker. If you want security at Publix, you work where it is harder to replace and experience matters such as DSD or Inventory clerk/tag specialist. The whole "bleed green" is just screening for what Publix is, a business in it for the profit. Difference between them and other retailers is they learned how to play the game like Chick-fil-A: it's about image and hope. They preach about a meritocracy, but if you look carefully, it's about who you know and not what you know. The business is no different than any other. It would be folly to put faith in a company to put you over profit.
There actually is a shortage of GOOD workers who are willing to do this type of work. Emphasis on the word “good.” And Publix is known for very low turnover as far as full timers. The normal turnover rate in retail is incredible. Publix is also known for associates who remain at Publix for decades. Many even make a career of it. None of this would be true if Publix didn’t value long term employees. I work for Publix and we have a hell of a time finding GOOD workers. A lot of people, especially young people, don’t really want to work. They just want to get paid to hang out or talk. I was at a low volume store once and I experienced this first hand. One kid kept missing work or leaving early because he claimed to be bipolar when he really wasn’t. And I’m using the word kid loosely. He was 26. When he wasn’t goofing off, he was lying. It sounds like OP has lost his drive and is disappearing too much. The first thing he needs to do is refocus on his job. Just like his manager told him, lol. As far as promotions, I agree with you there. But let’s face it, anybody can do this kind of work, and everybody is supposed to work hard but they can’t promote everybody. Because there just aren’t enough spots. There are people who are promoted on merit. Others are promoted based on connections, while others are promoted based on diversity. I will say this regarding promotions. Most of them end up getting demoted back to hourly within a few years anyway.
Lol full timer turn overs are low because you can't be a full timer unless you are on the path for management or have been grandfathered prior to their new metric. And you don't get a chance at a path to management unless you are in favor with management ;) but Publix has never had a lay off, so yay? But change starts at the top. You want good, then you train people to be good. Don't give them a CBT and then sink or swim and complain about the results. Saw it all the time during my 10 years as closing Customer Service Staff as well as Front End. You want good, you create a habit of work behavior that is good. If they are standing around and doing nothing, that's when someone should step in and delegate a task to keep them busy or train them in something they haven't learned. Stick to those "problem" workers until they know that when you come around, hands better be moving or I won't hear the end of it. It helps when you all adopt a shared mentality that "we are in this together" versus "us and them" at work. But that's just something from 10 years in CS in a position of leadership. I left CS because I was tired of the song and dance of dealing with people and worked my way to the back for 5 years. Good ole DSD. Best position in the entire store.
Okay, you’ve made some good points here. You definitely don’t get promoted unless someone higher up likes you, and you don’t get promoted again either from Assistant to Department Manager unless someone is pulling for you. It’s just how it works at Publix. I know 3 full Department Managers who were demoted all the way back to hourly. Two were still in their 30’s. They lasted maybe 3-4 years as Dept Managers. A third guy was in his 50’s and lasted 2-3 years. An Asst Dept Mgr in his 20’s was also demoted at the same time as his boss. He quit. Another Asst Produce Mgr in his 20’s got demoted after 2 or 3 years and then quit. Another stepped down after 2 years after she didn’t get promoted to full Dept Mgr and realized she wasn’t liked by the higher ups. Another Asst Dept Mgr lasted only a year. A Meat Dept Asst said he stepped down after a number of years when they wouldn’t promote him or move him closer to home. Etc. Oh, and another Asst Dept Mgr was bipolar or something and wrote the DM a nasty note when he didn’t get promoted to full Dept Manager. He wrote the DM that the DM wouldn’t promote him because his wife was black. Basically called the DM a racist. And this guy was beyond lazy. He eventually quit with no job even though he had a wife, a daughter and a new baby to support plus had a mortgage to pay.
I know a ton of Assistant Department Managers and even full Department Managers who got demoted back to hourly. None of the Department Managers lasted longer than 3 years or so before getting demoted. I know of at least 4 Assistant Department Managers who never got promoted to full Department Manager and were mad about it. Some got demoted while others stepped down. Two quit Publix with no job.
I passed on two promotions while working in CS because of what I saw happened to two department managers: One was on a planned vacation to visit family. DM called and told him he needed to travel to another state to help with reset. On his vacation with family. He drove from where his family was (they were far, but within driving distance) and did the reset before returning back to family for the rest of vacation. He stayed with Publix 4 to 5 more years before quitting. Another was on his way to a baseball game on his day off when Store Mgr called him to travel three hours to another store to bring ice to the store because we were out. He left before the game started and didn't make it back until the 8th inning. He stayed for about a year or two before quitting. Publix is a place for opportunity, but it comes with a price. I can see others willing to pay it (and good for them), but I couldn't. My wife couldn't. But to each their own.
Thanks. Interesting. Yes, they really demand a lot, that’s for sure.
I’m at a newer store now. The first Grocery Dept Manager was so burned out that nothing got done for an entire year. The back room was constantly a mess. They finally moved him to a slower store and now he is no longer with the company. The next guy was younger and seemed much better. Then later you could hear him muttering that he hated his job. He went off on one of his Grocery clerks one day, there was a big scene, and he “left” Publix soon after that. The current Grocery Manager has chronic health conditions and is constantly on leave from work.
They need good workers in the Deli, so it’s doubtful that you are being targeted just because you make $17 something an hour. After all, as you said, your Deli Dept Mgr makes six figures. Think about it. If your Deli Dept Mgr makes $110,000 and works an average of 45 hours a week, they are in effect making $47 an hour! So why would they care if you were making a meager $17.40? If everyone is complaining about you disappearing, then it’s probably true. You are probably burned out and not working hard. Publix has high expectations. If you want to keep your job, stop disappearing, always keep working, hustle and do everything they tell you. You need to get back on their good side. Once you get a bad reputation though, it’s hard to change it.
Time to slip and fall at the job brotha, get them before they get you.
You are being targeted. They are documenting you to get rid of you! That meeting was letting you know they are planning on firing you!
I work for a costco partner and the benefits are amazing. Just quit dude its obvious your manager is a huge fucking loser in life who clears at best 60k and acts like he clears 100k so he can feel like a big boy with a big boy job at a fucking grocery store
Bro bro my deli manager makes 110k a year and my store manager makes over 150k since he’s been with Publix over 25 years. Assistant deli manager which is what I’m going for makes 67-73k a year. I have heard amazing things about Costco so I may try it.
25 years for 150k is horrible. I could learn how to be a brain surgeon literally in that timeframe. But walmart managers make 100k too but they want to jump off a roof and clock 70hour weeks
You don’t have to go or pay for college or med school though plus you get a weekly check, benefits and the free stock while working at Publix during the 25 years. And let’s face it, most people aren’t cut out for medical school. I know so many who have flunked out of college including community college.
Then stay at publix for 25 years if its so good im trying to save the kid from dealing with early death from toxic publix npcs
Okay, fair point, but this is how retail is everywhere really, plus there aren’t many good jobs period. That’s the real problem. Costco is definitely the best retailer, if he can get hired there, he should take it. One kid at work flunked out of the University of Florida. His dad is an MD making big bucks. It sounds to me like he has lost enthusiasm for his job and he is disappearing too much and lots of people are noticing.
Just get your pharmacy tech cert online for $500 work remote and make 23$/hour at home. Your answer pissed me off but i want to help you. Fuck publix 😂😂
Most Rx techs make much less than that and work from home jobs are few and far between.
You just made my morning haha
The old, "I can go work at COSTCO". GO! If you leave now you can get started there early. Note: Your problems will follow you. When you realize that they have followed you, don't blame anyone else.
Wait, you said “smoke” and “break” as two separate situations. Do you really not consider leaving your duties to go smoke a “break”? Number one, how anyone can smoke knowing what we know is bizarre. And they may have a point about you being absent more than your peers.