cashier

software engineer

stocker

pharmacy technician

order picker

BI-LO

I started out at Bi-Lo as a cashier.  Within one month, a manager approached me about being trained as an Assistant Bookkeeper.  He told me he liked my work ethic and wanted to give me more responsibility.

As an Assistant Bookkeeper I was the right hand of management.  I did everything from running the service desk to managing the cashiers to running a register if we were short handed.  I was responsible for opening and/or closing the store.

When I was the opening bookkeeper I would arrive to work at 6am.  I would run the cash reports from the previous day and make sure everything balanced.  If there were any problems the closing bookkeeper from the night before hadn't fixed, I would be responsible for fixing it.  I would balance the tills from the previous night and stock them with the correct amount so each till had the same amount of money and a good amount of each currency.  I would prepare the USCAN cash machines.  I would get the service desk prepared for the day by re-stocking lottery tickets, stocking western union forms, and turning on all of the machines.  When the opening cashier arrived I would give them a till and get them set up.  As the day progressed I would give cashiers tills as they came in.  Then I turned on USCAN, providing the cashier scheduled to run it a till.  I would run the service desk, manage the cashier's breaks, pick up cash/give cash to the cashiers as needed, assist cashiers when they had issues, assist customers with questions and run a register when needed.  I'd get off anywhere from 2pm to 3pm usually without taking a real break.

When I was the closing bookkeeper I would come in around 2pm/3pm.  I ran the service desk, managed cashiers, etc like during the morning shift.  As cashiers got off I would collect their tills, their coupons, WIC, and take them into the cash office and put the tills in the vault.  I would close down USCAN, taking the till, taking the money from each machine and put that in the vault.  When we were down to one cashier and myself I would close down the service desk, balancing lottery, the till, and taking care of all of the paperwork.  I would clean off each register, restock the cigarettes, work on end caps (stocking) and assist bagging.

Working at Bi-Lo was EXHAUSTING!  I worked almost every day, usually going into overtime.  Even though I worked full time hours I was only a part time employee meaning no benefits whatsoever.  I generally worked long shifts (9 hours) with little to no break.  I had to deal with cashiers who didn't want to be there or high school employees constantly calling out.  At one point we were very understaffed and I worked doubles on numerous occasions.

If I could have moved into management I probably would have stuck around because I loved all of the office paperwork and the responsibility I had.  But with such poor pay (8.15/hour) it just wasn't worth it.

A typical day as a bookkeeper at Bilo consisted of mainly running the service desk and balancing the Office cash and other tenders. For example: When I arrive in the door on a typical work day I am responsible for running the reports in the morning and balancing and reseting tills to start the day as well as balancing all other office tenders: such as: Western Union, Money Orders, Checks, WICs, and Lottery. I also do lottery and postage stamp inventory and then balance my safe for the previous day. Then the rest of the day I am assisting customers with Western Union, Money Orders, Lottery and returns and exchanges, as well as helping my cashiers with pick ups and loans and any questions that they may have.  If I am arriving at night to work a closing shift the roles are reversed and I am running the Service Center for most of the day until I start pulling and balancing tills and the office to printed reports to make sure that no money is missing throughout the store.

I was with this company for a very long time, so I cannot explain everything I learned here, but I think that the biggest thing I learned is respect and responsiblity. I learned that hard work pays off and that the more you learn about your job the better you are at it.

I had a wonderful management team at this store. Although, not every manager was there for very long, we were always set up to work as a team and the management at this store was not afraid to jump in with the cashiers and help when they were needed. My co-workers were also the same way. Everyone was trained with the intent to always be helping a customer or your teammate. 

I believe the hardest part of my job was that even though you worked really hard and would learn different departments or aspects of your current job, you werent always compensated for the extra effort. 

The most enjoyable part of my job was my customers and my awesome co-workers. Because we had a family atmosphere it resonated to our customers and this is why many of my customers from Bilo came to Food Lion to see me when the store closed.

Working at the Huntersville Bi-Lo was comparable to being a Kindergarten teacher. Your co-workers are, mostly, incompetent children hired from the local trailer parks, and will do their job roughly 15% of the time. The other 85% is left to the competent, where everyone piles in to your register and neglects the one beside you - because nobody is there. The light is on, but nobody's home (this is true on multiple levels).

A typical day would be to go in, deal with the displeasure of local flavor (it only takes 1 bad apple to spoil your day), watch as your fellow cashier(s) walk off from the checkout while you've 3 people in your line, and then realize it's only been a half hour out of your six hour shift.

The management is kind of hard to analyze. On one hand, a few particular managers do a good job - they don't exactly crack down on the ineptitude exemplified by particular employees, but they do a great job of making sure the customer is right. No matter what. On the other hand, their promotions seem entirely out of whack - some are justified, as the employee clearly does a good job of managing customer concerns. Others, however, are taking the lazy person who simply chats with the managers nonstop (as opposed to doing their job), and being shoved behind the book keeping desk. It is incredibly demoralizing to be the fastest cashier scanner, have the most customers processed during your shifts (compared to every other employee), and never once get a raise beyond your starting salary over several years.

The hardest part of the job is putting up with the locals. Admittedly, 98% of the people that come through Bi-Lo are swell, regular, normal folks - but almost every day or two, there will be that person. The one who makes your heart sink - hoping to every deity that they won't choose your day to ruin. Or perhaps it'll be that obnoxious, older gentleman, who chats up every person in your line to the degree of making your ears ache, and then hits on your female coworkers without even a shred of subtlety. Or, of course, the $600 order with enough coupons to make your stomach turn.

If you're considering a position as a stocker at Bi-Lo grocery store, here are some insights based on general experiences from similar roles:

### Pros:
1. **Physical Activity:** The role is physically engaging, involving tasks like lifting, moving, and organizing products. If you enjoy staying active, this could be a benefit.
2. **Team Environment:** You'll likely work closely with a team, which can foster a sense of camaraderie. 
3. **Learning Opportunities:** You might gain skills in inventory management, product organization, and customer service, which can be beneficial for future roles.
4. **Flexible Hours:** Depending on the store's needs, you may have access to shifts that fit your schedule, especially if you’re looking for part-time work.
5. **Employee Discounts:** Some grocery stores offer discounts to employees, which can be a nice perk.

### Cons:
1. **Physical Demands:** The job can be physically demanding, with long hours on your feet, heavy lifting, and repetitive tasks, which may lead to fatigue.
2. **Inconsistent Hours:** Depending on the store’s needs, your hours might fluctuate, making it harder to plan outside activities or maintain a steady income.
3. **Potentially Fast-Paced:** During busy periods, you may need to work quickly to restock shelves and ensure products are available, which can be stressful.
4. **Monotonous Tasks:** The job involves repetitive work, which might not be stimulating for everyone.
5. **Early/Late Shifts:** Stocking often happens during off-hours when the store is closed or less busy, so you may have to work early mornings, late nights, or overnight shifts.

### Overall:
Working as a stocker at Bi-Lo can be a good fit if you’re looking for a job that keeps you active and you enjoy hands-on work. However, be prepared for the physical demands and potential irregularities in scheduling. It’s a role that can serve as a stepping stone, especially if you're interested in advancing within the retail or grocery industry.

My truck receiving day routine was to clock in around 7am and begin a fast paced work day in which I had 6 hour to complete papper work,check emails, surveys, labor, and task applications. I was to breakdown and destribute the truck throughout the department while rotating backstock cases to ensure rotation, cull and clean sections, check dates and reduce prices on lower quality products.  I also had to complete several assighnment cards to give to the employees of my team.  Sence the company turned off the sprinkler system, i had to rehydrate leafy items that would dried out from the previous day. I also loved to interact with customers and learn from their shopping experiences to improve my merchandising and ordering capabilities. At the end of the day i was responsible for code dating bockstock boxes and scanning and weighing trash for records.  On days I had to order trucks I had to clock in around 7am, check emails, surveys, labor, and task applications. I would begin culling and cleaning sections, checking dates and reducing prices on lower quality products.  While filling out the assighnment cards for that day I would be reviewing the department and visualizing the order.  Before scanning the order, I had to inventory the backroom and cooler in red ink and write the actual order number in blue or black ink in the correct columns on every item I had instock or ordered the week before.  I would finish the day with cleaning and scanning trash after rehydrating withering product. I had to work six or seven days a week and only had 40 hours a week to do so. Thats why my days was usually 6 or 6 and a half hours long. On Sundays I had to review labor and schedual it for the next week.

I've worked with the Bilo company for a little more than 6 years as of the year 2014. Within those 6 years I've made friends but also butted heads with many others at the same time. Any Bilo employee would openly announce the amount of hard work required from you by the management staff. No matter what anyone's position may be, it is all the same, and it is no different for me, considering my position. Being as vague as possible to avoid giving too much detail, a normal day (for me) consists of going above and beyond to further benefit the company. My current store director has stated such, almost exactly word for word as I work my hardest nearly everyday. I've worked truck nights by myself many times, picked up the slack others have left behind and I have had many, many very long shifts pushing the ability of gaining over-time. I've given my all into the Bilo name...blood, sweat, pain and tears with almost nothing in return other than the gratitude of management or a mere pat on the back (which I am more than capable of doing myself). So why do I do it? Definitely not for the Bilo brand or the pitiful paychecks, but for everyone that shares the same fox hole as I do. It's the respect of the people you work with that will always give you (or me in this matter) the utmost satisfaction. I lead through hard work and dedication. It may not always be to my current employer (as of this moment) but it will always be to my responsibilities of the position I am in. Bilo can be a decent place to work at, it just heavily depends on who you work with. Also, don't expect to "bring home the bacon" as pay is a laughable yet mean joke. I've had managers of all levels in the past who've been with the Bilo company for years, just to leave to work with other employers simply because pay was the issue.

When I was first hired on, I was told I would be a cake decorator and they were excited to have me on board. They were so excited they rushed me to get all my paperwork done, and then waited a month to actually put me on the schedule. I was told I would be getting 20-25 hours a week to start, and I was fine with that. I was also told that pay is based on experience. I have 10 years under my belt and was started at 8.50/hr, which I was willing to overlook. Then I was only getting scheduled for 8 hours a week, and THEN after telling me how great I was doing on the cakes and they loved my work, and my attitude, blah blah blah, they put me in deli, hired 2 other cake decorators, and after I was only scheduled for 4 hours 2 weeks in a row, I finally just stopped going. The managers praise you to your face, then trash you to your co workers, and play you against one another. It's a horrible place to work in my experience. I talked to other employees at other stores who said it's just the store I was at, but it was absolutely terrible, which is sad because while I was working on cakes it was the most fun I had ever had at a job. It's rare to get a chance to do what you love, but I was fortunate to find something in this economy in my field, it's just a shame that management was absolutely pitiful. What sealed the deal for me walking away completely is that the actual manager of the whole store was there the last day I worked, and when I went to go talk to him about how things were being handled in the bakery, he said flat out he didn't have time to deal with employees and that he didn't care what my concerns were, so I just filed a report with corporate and never looked back. Now I have a job I love at a company worth working for...and it's not Bi-lo!!

Honestly, I love helping people and get along well with most anybody, but the job was just bad. I did get more hours than most people there because I wasn't in school and I was willing to pick up extra shifts for people, but for most, the hours were very sparse and inconsistent. The work was VERY busy, with hardly any time to even use the restroom. Most of the coworkers were easy to get along with if you were, but there were some questionable characters thrown in the mix, as is expected in a multi employee workplace. Not going to claim harrassment, but there were some instances with some of the males there that made me feel icky. The other girls had experienced similar situations. One even filed a claim and had the guy fired for harrassment. Managers were nice, but hardly ever available to handle problems that arose. As bookkeeper you were expected to oversee cashiers and baggers, man customer service, manage cash register tills, help bag groceries, check behind the baggers to make sure they cleaned up for the night, help customers find items, manage shifts/breaks, close customer service, and several other tasks, by yourself! Very stressful work for $8 an hour. The biggest complaint would be the inconsistent hours. Closing at 10 PM and turning around and opening at 7 AM the next morning gets exhausting. No overtime. If you hit forty hours they would send you home with a scolding. You also have to buy your own uniforms. Biggest recommendation would be to have more employees on each shift along with an extra manager. It would have made the job much easier and enjoyable.

I worked there between 2008 and 2010 and while the place had its moments and I made some friends, it was a lot of hassle for the minuscule pay. Cashiers at Bi-lo are expected to act as janitors as well, all for minimum wage. If we don’t have a bagger, we still have to offer the service, and some customers just wanted to see their cashiers do extra work so they’d “request” that we take their bags out to their car, knowing we’re the only cashier on duty, so there was shifting involved. One of the assistant managers I had even wanted to mess with me one day so she encouraged a customer to request a bagger, just for kicks. The majority of managers and assistant managers I had when working there were awful. They were petty and childish, and would also gossip, so sometimes I had to work in a very tense environment. I was clearly having a bad day one evening, and probably should’ve called in, but went in anyway, only to have one of my former assistant managers bug me relentlessly in front of a customer, seemingly to make me feel worse. Customers would come in, have me ring up their items, then have me void them off the register because they either forgot their money, or some other weird reason, and the managers would blame me for the voids as if I’d done them myself even though they were the ones who had to sanction the voids in the first place. I do not miss working there at all. I would hope they’ve improved things for their workers, but I doubt it.

A typical day at BI-LO as a Customer Service Associate can be stressful at times, but at the end of the day you know you've accomplished something. Throughout your day you encounter many different customers as well as co-workers with different backgrounds and problems that you have to resolve. You make the customer want to come back to the store by providing the best customer service possible. You take care of lottery, perform Western Unions, take care of the customers needs, as well as many other duties. Throughout my experience with co-workers at BI-LO I had great co-workers. They did not look down on me if I was younger than them and they listened to me as if I was a manager. Being a bookkeeper you are basically in charge when the manager is not assisting the Front End. Sometimes you are the only one up there by yourself and you have to take care of customers, your co-workers, as well as breaks and lunches. Being a bookkeeper can be crazy, but the most enjoyable part of my job at BI-LO was helping customers and making them happy and even remembering some by name. The hardest part about my job was when the office or paperwork was messed up and you had to figure out where the error was. I could spend forever to figure out a problem only to find out that it was there when the morning bookkeeper left and she did not tell me that she knew where the error was and that she was going to fix it in the morning. My least favorite part of my job was poor communication between bookkeepers.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Cashier 3 salaries reported	$12.00 per hour
Software engineer 3 salaries reported	$86,667 per year
Stocker 1 salary reported	$9.63 per hour
Pharmacy technician 1 salary reported	$27,000 per year
Order picker 1 salary reported	$10.00 per hour

Working at BI-LO: Company Overview and Reviews

BI-LO

BI-LO Ratings

Popular jobs at BI-LO

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected