merchandiser

driver merchandiser

order picker

delivery driver

truck driver

ABARTA Coca-Cola Beverages

Coca Cola Refreshments in my area has recently been acquired by a family owned business and is now ABARTA Coca Cola. It has been nothing but headache since they took over. I used to be a builder in the warehouse and everything was so smooth and efficient. Once they took over mispicks have been through the roof and the days got longer and more stressful.

Being a Merchandiser is a thankless job where the Account Managers will act like they are your boss and call your supervisor if you miss 2 cases to put out out of all the pallets of stuff they jam in the back room. The account manager is the one who writes the orders for the stores and receive quarterly bonuses so they don't care about keeping backstock low and making your life easier. They want numbers and they want their bonuses.

Pepsi Merchandisers write their own orders, work their own orders and their system is far superior and easier, but Coca-Cola doesn't trust us to look at the shelf and orders what's missing. They rather pay several people to look at the shelf. The account managers have no clue because they hit buttons on the iPad and then it's our problem after that, not theirs. You will work weekends, you will work holidays, you will work 6 days or more when a holiday week is approaching.

Many people have came and went with Coca Cola because the owners have no clue how to treat you with respect and the pay is inferior to Pepsi. Your body will hurt, you rarely get help unless you have like 20+ pallets going to your stores that day, you have to drive you own vehicle (Pepsi gets company vehicles) and you will be talked down to by account managers if you mess up ANYTHING.

Get your CDL and work up the ranks in Pepsi. You will be compensated fairly. Better vacation, better pay, better everything. The turnover rate speaks for itself. Everyone in Greensburg whether it be warehouse, merchandisers, drivers....they all quit. The company is clueless. Do it temporarily if you need the money but dont stay long. You'll regret it.

The #1 goal every day at work is to make sure things run as smoothly as possible. This can mean anything from helping a customer who comes into the office, helping sales get product out to a customer, assisting drivers, balancing financials, and making sure all our employees are paid correctly. It is an asset to have knowledge in every department, so you are able to help out if needed in a pinch. 

The management at our local level is the best that it has EVER been. There is always opportunity to advance within the company and the management team always has their employee’s best interests in mind. Being able to advance and succeed within the company that you work for is always a win-win for everyone. Not only does the employee advance their knowledge and wage but the company also is at an advantage because they don't need to invest as many resources into training a new employee who isn't familiar with the beverage business. Employees who receive advancements and praise within the company are ready to 'hit the streets running' and take more pride in their work because they feel valued. 

The hardest part of the job is to make sure all our customers are happy with our product and service no matter how much or how little product they buy. It doesn't matter what type of business you are in, this is the most important goal to achieve at the end of every day. Most days you will reach the goal, but there will always be some days that are harder than others. If you can defeat the hardest part of the job, it will always become the BEST part of your job when you feel the satisfaction of a job well done. This goal will never be reached by just one individual alone, it takes the entire team to making an effort to reach the same resolution. Your biggest assets are your coworkers. They will be the ones to help you when you are in a pinch. Just remember that at the end of the day, treat everyone (coworkers & customers) how you want to be treated. It will always benefit you in the end.

Most days typically start anywhere from 3am-5am. If you start around 3am it’s normally because you have gas station that are open and can deliver to or you have a long drive to get to another area to deliver. Most places like stores that don’t open til  8am. The job can be stressful if you don’t know the route and know what’s the best time to get in and out of areas. We are given a day rate plus commission. The money isn’t bad if you get the case loads still wished it was hourly. The job is pretty much what you make it. Food service is way harder and delivering convenience items like working for core mark is way harder. Product is relatively easy to learn. Just some days there’s a lot of stops. I will say most days I started around 3am the latest I was done was around 1pm. Weekends off and holidays off. During holiday weeks the week is busier. Management at this particular location all drove or worked warehouse. Can’t be afraid to work. And they generally seem like they listen and help coach you up a bit. Job takes time to be as fast as some of the other drivers.  All in all I like working here. Benefits are pretty good and pay is reasonable for work being done.  I will say if you start later like 5am or after makes the day longer. Most people that complain are the ones that are afraid to work or don’t like it or always taking short cuts. I take one day at a time and always pay attention to what I am doing. 

A typical day at work can sometimes be very easy depending on how much you have in the back room, some other days can be up to 8-10 hours maybe 12 if you have a larger store and a bigger truck for that store. Holidays are probably the best time you’ll work for the company because you get all the over time you want during that time and then the pay doesn’t seem worth it once everything dies down after the holidays.

Workplace culture, there’s not too much to work place culture, the only time you’ll see other coworkers is if they’re sent out to help you or during vacation meetings which is only once a year. If you’re on light duty you get sent out to a lot of stores where you can meet your coworkers which was the make fun I’ve had working for this company, I loved getting to meet a bunch of people this way. Unfortunately when I came back from light duty things changed a lot. 

The hardest part of this job is when you’re on your own, training is fun until you’re by yourself struggling due to an illness you have or a lack of energy, management can only do so much which I think is a lie, because my previous manager sent help all the time and after they left from the company, the newer ones aren’t doing so good, and aren’t taking my condition seriously. I let them know that I won’t be lasting too much longer with the company for many reasons. 

A typical day at work is clocking in around 4:00am, checking my material in the truck for the day, inspecting the truck and driving off to the first stop. My pay is daily base plus commission. It’s fair but in my opinion could be a chunk hire than it is. Most of my coworkers are great people and have a good hardworking attitude. Some do not. My supervisor also makes my job enjoyable. Very considerate, knows his stuff, answers all my questions and is very understanding. The hardest part of my job is the distance in miles I cover. It’s the most out of a lot of distribution centers in our state. So another branch could have 20 machines and be done in 10 hours only going 40 miles round trip where as for me 15 machines might take 12 hours going 190 miles in a day. But the best part of my job is the job itself. You’re wearing a name on your shirt that everyone knows. One of the largest well known companies in the world. When customers or regular people see you they usually just yell out COCA COLA! Also since a big part of my income is commission, I have to make sure all out of date product is swapped out of my machines and flavor change requests are made so that the costumers continue to buy from them. Coca Cola is a great place to work if you actually want to succeed and you have a good work ethic. If you show your customers respect and treat them well, they will make your job easier and more enjoyable. If it’s just a show up clock in clock out and leave job you are looking for, you might want to consider another place.

The job of a merchandiser is very physical, but you get used to it. It consists of working deliveries at various stores. Unfortunately you are not responsible for ordering the product that comes in. The account manager is in charge of that, and they do orders at many stores. The problem with that is that they don't actually work any of them, they just order so they don't often realize what sells and what doesn't, leading to shortages of popular product and an excess of slower moving products. 
As a merchandiser, there really isn't any room for advancement unless you want to look elsewhere, such as becoming an account manager. However, the person currently in charge of hiring account managers in my area for some reason has a history of being entirely opposed to hiring anyone who merchandises, preferring to outside hire. 
Overall, merchandising is a good job. Its physical, so it can be a work out some days, you work alone, so you don't really have anyone looking over your shoulder constantly. However, you do drive around to various stores, sometimes with a 45 - 60 min drive in between, and there unfortunately isn't much room to advance.

It’s been a few years since I worked in the Greensburg distribution center but recently found out it is still the same management as when I was there. Upper management is extremely unqualified and should be embarrassed cashing their paychecks. Will work you 14 hour shifts and not think about how dangerous the situation becomes when employees are exhausted running heavy equipment. Absolutely no room for advancement even if u go above and beyond for the company. False promises of hiring new employees for the heavy workload. Maybe sell your expensive car and some of your hair care products for a flannel and some steel toes or maybe use that money to go back to school and learn how to actually manage a company. Do yourself a favor and look around the area for better employers because this one isn’t it. There are many other local warehouses paying the same amount or more that will treat u way better. The only reason I gave them a score of 1 is because zero is not an option on here. 

If you are looking for a job as a new CDL holder this is a great place to get some experience. Even if you don't have your CDL you get get it with the company. 
Management is friendly, coworkers are awesome, all around a good crowd.
 The work is hard when you're starting out (as all new jobs are) but once you find your groove it gets easier. Summer time it's the busiest time of the year and you'll have days that you'll feel run down but the pay that's the sting out of it. Winter time the work slows down and you can catch your breath. It's a feast and famine!, it's a base plus commission deal, it works out pretty good. 
Union is there but it's not a power house by any means. Everything is based off seniority....everything! How vacation picks are done could be better so that those on the lower end could get a fair shake at enjoying some time off in the summer especially if you have children.
Some of the fleet is aged but it's being replaced with new automatic Freightliners. There are forward and rear facing cameras in the trucks.. so if that's a thing for you there you go. 
All in all it a great company


Work/life balance is atrocious and management expects you to work 12-14 hour days. And quite often during the busy seasons(summer, holiday season) they make Saturday AND on occasion Sunday mandatory. In one instance they made the Saturday of 4th of July weekend a mandatory. And they announced this "mandatory day" the Thursday of that week. Not even taking into consideration that employees had already made plans, booked vacations, paid for hotel rooms etc, to celebrate the long weekend with their families. Several employees did not come in as they already had plans with their families for the holiday weekend. They in turn were penalized, and suspended from work for 3 days. I find that absolutely horrible.

A typical day at work for me is getting up at 03:00, having breakfast and traveling 65 miles to the sales center. I  check in with distribution and warehouse supervisors to see if there are any equipment needs, then check for write ups and try to acquire the equipment I need that day for service or repairs. 
  I work hard, interact with Management, Dealerships, Parts vendors, Drivers and Warehouse workers and try to make the best for their day and my own. I typically am leaving for home at 16:00
  The hardest part of the job is assuring that our aging fleet is safe, serviceable , and reliable for the delivery of our product. Also being expected to be able to fix material handling equipment, vans, tractor trailers, ordering my own parts and a million other challenges a day Some days it feels like the harder I work, the further behind I get.
  The best part of my job is Having a great supervisor, a nice shop to work in, having the proper tools for the job and having the companies confidence in me that I am doing the right thing.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Merchandiser 69 salaries reported	$19.69 per hour
Driver merchandiser 6 salaries reported	$18.42 per hour
Order picker 5 salaries reported	$23.60 per hour
Delivery driver 3 salaries reported	$21.75 per hour
Truck driver 2 salaries reported	$65,000 per year

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