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‘I wake up ... from nightmares:’ Why Whole Foods workers are hating life
www.miamiherald.com ^ | February 05, 2018 12:16 PM | By Madeleine Marr

Posted on 02/05/2018 2:42:34 PM PST by Red Badger

You think your job is a grind?

Try working at Whole Foods, which is apparently a pretty tough place to clock in every day.

“I wake up in the middle of the night from nightmares,” an anonymous staffer told Business Insider, which spoke to 27 current and former workers. “The stress has created such a tense working environment. Seeing someone cry at work is becoming normal.”

Crying? There’s no crying in supermarkets!

Seriously: What’s the problem?

Seems the Austin, Texas-based chain, which was bought by Amazon last summer, has initiated a new inventory system called order to shelf (OTS) that is pretty hardcore — and breaking down morale. Amazon’s founder is Jeff Bezos, who went to high school in Miami-Dade.

Business Insider ✔ @businessinsider

'Seeing someone cry at work is becoming normal': Employees say@WholeFoods uses "scorecards" to punish employees for failing to comply with its inventory management system http://read.bi/2DT1Ob6

According to Supermarket News, OTS is when distributors and suppliers deliver small batches of product to retailers, which helps stores keep back-room inventory down and, of course, saves money.

When asked by the Miami Herald to comment on employee complaints, a spokeswoman did not specifically address the issue.

“Whole Foods is committed to providing the best selection of high quality products and in-stock for our customers,” Whole Foods’ Brooke Buchanan said Monday in an email.

To keep shelves fully stocked, staffers have to hustle more than ever. To add insult to injury, managers walk around conducting pop quizzes, doing spot checks and checking off scorecards to determine how quickly the shelves are replenished.

Kurt Eichenwald‏Verified account @kurteichenwald

After @Amazon took over @WholeFoods, my wife said the place seemed like a place of misery with frantic employees wrapped up in so much make-work that customer service was gone. Now we know why. We go to central market and regular grocery store now.

“Do all items on sales floor have accurate signage?” reads one of the myriad questions on the scorecard for a produce staffer.

“Are all displays that are not pulled down at night maintaining 75 percent holding power or greater throughout the day?”

Some shoppers at the Coral Gables Whole Foods reacted with surprise to hear the news that Amazon had acquired the popular grocery chain Friday, June 16, 2017. Shoppers all said how much they loved the shopping experience of Whole Foods, but some liked the idea of using Amazon online as a possible alternative to shopping and traffic. Miami Herald

A scorecard grade below 89.9 percent is considered failing and the employee may be subject to termination, not to mention humiliation.

“The fear of chastisement, punishment, and retribution is very real and pervasive,” another worker told the site, which adds that the harsh working environment has caused many people to quit.

Ironically, OTS may not even be helping the bottom line. Business Insider reports that many Whole Foods are experiencing food shortages because of it.



TOPICS: Agriculture; Business/Economy; Food; Gardening
KEYWORDS: districtofcolumbia; grocery; jeffbezos; washingtoncompost; washingtonpost; wholefoods
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To: Red Badger
"You think your job is a grind?

Try working at Whole Foods, which is apparently a pretty tough place to clock in every day."



81 posted on 02/05/2018 7:19:11 PM PST by clearcarbon
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To: a fool in paradise
Sometimes, yes. I certainly don't gripe in front of customers when getting only two days off. Do you?
82 posted on 02/06/2018 2:56:06 AM PST by Textide (Lord, grant that I may always be right, for thou knowest I am hard to turn. ~ Scotch-Irish prayer)
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To: Textide

Do you work any double shifts in your normal work schedule?

Not every calendar day is one day’s work for grocery (or restaurant) workers.

I worked 12 days non-stop last month with 31 hours clocked between Friday evening (after a full day) and Sunday night.

Comes a point you live to work at your “job” and nothing else.


83 posted on 02/06/2018 3:02:21 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Ask a lib if Alger Hiss colluded with the Russians.)
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To: oldvirginian
“Usually they end up bouncing from job to job, never happy where they are.
In my experience they seem to think they can always do the job/run the company better than the people hired to run the outfit.”

Boy, you sure nailed that!! This guy and his wife have both had more jobs than I can count. And his wife especially is a know it all. And they always windup quitting in a huff. Now they are in their 60’s, never owned a house and have spent every nickel that ever came through their hands. It is just a matter of time before they come to us with holding out their entitled little hands whining how “lucky” I am to have a small pension and a hefty IRA.

84 posted on 02/06/2018 5:47:06 AM PST by beef
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To: ThePatriotsFlag

To us Publix is expensive!

We shop at Winn-Dixie and BigLots mostly and WalMart only when we have to.

Whole Foods is 20 miles away!...................


85 posted on 02/06/2018 6:02:37 AM PST by Red Badger (Wanna surprise? Google your own name. Wanna have fun? Google your friends names......)
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To: beef

“It is just a matter of time before they come to us with holding out their entitled little hands whining how “lucky” I am to have a small pension and a hefty IRA.”

Explain that luck played no part in it.
Calmly explain that you WORKED for that IRA while they were job hopping and kindly remind them of the times you counseled them to make the best of a bad situation.
Tell them they have to live within their means, just like you have done your whole life.
It won’t do any good but will give you the ability to feel better when you tell them NO.


86 posted on 02/06/2018 6:05:25 AM PST by oldvirginian ("The people built this country. And it is the people who are making America great again.” D TRUMP)
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To: Textide

Well, I guess Hanna-Barbera were prescient.

On an episode of The Jetsons, George comes home after work complaining that Mr. Spacely was a SLAVE DRIVER because he made George ‘PUSH THE BUTTON THREE TIMES!’ that day! That’s with a 3-Day work ‘week’!........................


87 posted on 02/06/2018 6:07:26 AM PST by Red Badger (Wanna surprise? Google your own name. Wanna have fun? Google your friends names......)
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To: beef

Your BIL is the modern day equivalent of the Mastodon. Adapt to change or die...................


88 posted on 02/06/2018 6:10:55 AM PST by Red Badger (Wanna surprise? Google your own name. Wanna have fun? Google your friends names......)
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To: CodeToad

The BigLots store near my house seems to have a new ‘manager’ every month............................


89 posted on 02/06/2018 6:16:10 AM PST by Red Badger (Wanna surprise? Google your own name. Wanna have fun? Google your friends names......)
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To: PAR35

They probably are trying to make people quit so they can be replaced by robots.................


90 posted on 02/06/2018 6:17:04 AM PST by Red Badger (Wanna surprise? Google your own name. Wanna have fun? Google your friends names......)
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To: clearcarbon

91 posted on 02/06/2018 6:23:13 AM PST by Red Badger (Wanna surprise? Google your own name. Wanna have fun? Google your friends names......)
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To: Red Badger

Many big box stores pay store general managers in the $74k range. Not worth it.


92 posted on 02/06/2018 6:58:06 AM PST by CodeToad (CWII is coming. Arm Up! They Are!)
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To: CodeToad

One of the BigLots managers told us she was only making $25k.....................


93 posted on 02/06/2018 7:04:49 AM PST by Red Badger (Wanna surprise? Google your own name. Wanna have fun? Google your friends names......)
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To: albie

The most wholesome and attractive chick at my Whole
Foods has green hair and a repulsive tattoo on her boob.

Just typing the above sentence fills me with sadness.


94 posted on 02/06/2018 7:59:18 AM PST by T-Bone Texan
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To: KittenClaws; Jane Long

HEB employs Mexicans who don’t speak English.

The bakery people apparently have never seen a rainbow and drew the colors on our cake incorrectly.

Jeez, how do you mess up a rainbow?

No se: “I don’t know”.


95 posted on 02/06/2018 8:06:55 AM PST by T-Bone Texan
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To: oldvirginian

your story is a sad one, and reminds me of singer Sammy Kershaw.

His dad died when Sammy was 11 and he was forced to provide for his family.

So, except for a short stint as manager of renovations for Home Depot, he performed.


96 posted on 02/06/2018 8:16:44 AM PST by T-Bone Texan
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To: T-Bone Texan

I had it better than my uncles.

One was taken out of school in 3rd grade to help support the family.
Both of my grandparents died and another uncle quit in 5th grade to work to keep the family together.

My youngest uncle was the only boy to finish high school.
His senior year he walked 25 miles to school every morning, walked 25 miles home every evening and worked part time at the local Piggly Wiggly.
He went to college at UVA, working in the cafeteria and living on campus during the week. On Friday he would walk the 30 miles home to work at the Piggly Wiggly and Do odd jobs to pay for college.
He ran out of money his 4th year and had to quit.
He joined the army and over 8 years finished his school.

Out of 10 children he and my mom were the only 2 to finish high school.

Compared to them my life has been easy.
Hard work is in our blood. We wouldn’t know what to do without it.


97 posted on 02/06/2018 9:10:26 AM PST by oldvirginian ("The people built this country. And it is the people who are making America great again.” D TRUMP)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; Convert from ECUSA; ...

Thanks Red Badger.
Seems the Austin, Texas-based chain, which was bought by Amazon last summer, has initiated a new inventory system called order to shelf (OTS) that is pretty hardcore... WholeFoods uses "scorecards" to punish employees for failing to comply with its inventory management system
And that's why the illegals do the work Americans won't do, right? No love for Bezos (other than fishing the F1 engines out of the Atlantic) but this is just Open Borders rationalization.

Yo! Snowflakes! You're not changing the ****ing world -- it's a grocery store!


98 posted on 02/06/2018 11:28:11 AM PST by SunkenCiv (www.tapatalk.com/groups/godsgravesglyphs/, forum.darwincentral.org, www.gopbriefingroom.com)
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To: Red Badger

The problem is that OTS doesn’t work in many cases or has not been implemented properly. This is centralized planning with forms, something conservatives generally oppose. It results in shortages of milk, chicken, and onions all the time near me. My theory is that Amazon wants us to use Amazon Fresh and is destroying Whole Foods to do so


99 posted on 02/06/2018 5:58:38 PM PST by rmlew ("Mosques are our barracks, minarets our bayonets, domes our helmets, the believers our soldiers.")
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To: pinkandgreenmom

“My Wholefoods is chock full of employees of dubious sexuality, and rampant liberalism.”

You have your very own Whole Foods, Kewl! Kidding.


100 posted on 02/06/2018 6:17:08 PM PST by slouper (LWRC SPR 5.5 6)
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