team member

assistant manager

shift leader

team leader

guest advocate

Ben & Jerrys

Training tends to be off-the-cuff, learn as you go which can be stressful especially when you're expected to know more than you do but no one has taken the adequate time to train you. This varies from person to person so some people receive more training than others but it all depends on timing and schedules. 

Often expected to do the work of more than assigned, for example, Shift Leads often take on tasks that are more suited for Managers or Assistant Managers. Half of the managers aren't always clear on what they expect or need. Part of the problem is that some of the managers are expected to take work that is equal to 2 or 3 Managers so then that stress and disorganization trickles down to the rest of us. 

Break times were confusing because there were no real explanations on when to take them/how long etc. Sometimes they barely give you enough time to have a meal because it's so busy and almost always understaffed. When I asked for clarification, the response was dismissive and unhelpful. 

Some of the managers just don't really listen and try to explain things away or make you feel ridiculous for even asking questions in the first place. Not always, but for the ones that do this it's usually dependent on how convenient it is for them or what kind of relationship dynamic has been established between you. And honestly, sometimes the dynamic is weird or uncomfortable, or confusing. 

Pay is minimum wage + tips but the tips are not always consistent, no matter what they say.  They're pretty good in the summer but they try to sell you on the idea that you're basically making 18-20 an hour. Some shifts might get up to that but it's not something you can rely on. And in a city like Boston with such a high cost of living, those few extra bucks can really make or break you.  Plus with the way the job is structured (or at least was when I was there), your schedule changes every week so you're also not always getting a consistent number of hours. 

It wasn't always awful and sometimes could be fun but ultimately it became so physically and emotionally draining that none of the good stuff made it worth it. 

If you're looking for just a summer job to make a few extra bucks, then it's probably fine. 


I started out as a General Manager of a Scoop Shoppe in 2006 where I learned all the necessities to maintain and expand a profitable business including but not limited to ordering, hiring, training, inventories, P&L's, cash handling, disciplinary action, customer service, and cleanliness. I have grown as an individual and a professional because of my experiences with this company. In addition, I learned how to work with and mentor my staff to move forward within Ben & Jerry's and/or other future endeavors. The best part of Ben & Jerry's was, while a larger well known company, it has  the feel of a smaller family business. In other corporate companies there is a set standard operational procedure utilized to accomplish company sales goals, visual setups of locations and daily in store processes. Ben & Jerry's allows managers to have a voice and share ideas regarding the above. In my experience in most instances those ideas were implemented. I believe this is a great feature of Ben & Jerry's as it allows for new innovative and creative ideas to be utilized boosting employee moral and sometime pleasing the customer more. 
I moved quickly up the ladder in 2008 into a position in the main office as the Franchises Administrative Assistant/Office Manager/ Catering Director where I learned to work hand in hand with the owner and the accountant as well as high end clients on a daily basis. This position gave me more responsibilities and greatly improved my skills/abilities in payroll, accounts payable, sales, customer service, management of a larger staff, extensive organization and deadlines. I thoroughly enjoyed the owner as she was a great asset to my growth to the business professional I am today. It is because of her that I have successfully opened a small profitable business of my own. The most difficult part of this position was the long hours that come along with 3 positions in 1. Although, this can be a challenging task for some I believe my extensive organization and ability to successfully multitask under pressure contributed to executing them professionally and adequately.

I love Ben and Jerry's so much, but the location I worked at was not properly managed AT ALL. A typical day was scooping ice cream, making shakes, smoothies, sundaes, checking out customers, then cleaning up at the end of the day. My co-workers were the best part of the job and were always fun to work with. Minimum wage with tips was nice for part-time. The only problem with this location is the management. If you want to be the one to take the heat for the small amount of ice cream you are instructed to give out at insanely high prices- work here. The hardest part of the job is when there aren't enough people to work that shift and you have to work a weekend shift BY YOURSELF. Lines out the door BY YOURSELF. Sweating and running back and forth, back and forth, BY YOURSELF. Easily it is a three to four people job you have to accomplish by yourself. Then add another hour onto that for closing duties which you have to do all by yourself. They will also change your schedule very last minute so you have a surprise shift the next day for a day you might have specifically asked off. You wanna listen to the same old 60 tracks for however long you work there? It doesn't sound like it's a big deal but believe me, it becomes the worst thing after time. Do you want to not know when your next paycheck is coming in? Work here. Do you want your paychecks to sometimes be miscalculated, resulting in LOST HOURS? Work here! There's no employee discount so if you love looking at expensive ice-cream all day and not be allowed to eat any of it (even sample it!), work here. So many other cons I could add to the list, but I'm worried my fingers might fall off from typing too hard, too fast, and too much. Save yourself from working here and don't apply. At this point, I'm begging you not to. I will never step foot into that dumpster of an establishment again.

This is not a bad place to work if you don't mind hard work. Shifts are around 12 hours. Expect to be on your feet most of the day. The pay is adequate but a little low for a place that claims to pay a living wage.  Could use some improvements. The consumer price index listed inflation at 6.8 percent for 2021. The company did not do any cost of living adjustment but might do something in April. They also did away with the $125 a week production bonus but talked about bringing it back. Also we have not had employee ice-cream in months. They have a plan to bring it back. If you are not going to provide a benefit please take it out of your help wanted ads. For a billion dollar company experiencing record sales that also happens to be a registered B corporation you should be able to do better. You can't cut perks and then be worried about employee recruitment.
Most of my coworkers are friendly and willing to help. I've been treated great by all the supervisors. You get paid for your unused sick time at end of the year.  They don't get angry or lecture you if you call out sick. Safety gear and uniforms provided by company. Free coffee and tea in the break room. Overall a good company culture.

Loved it when I first started, they switched from 3, 8 hour shifts to 4, 12 hour shifts and after 3 years still can't figure out why one shift is always under staffed. Look out for the "were filled here" line cause they just want people to shove more work onto. 

Once watched two supervisors argue for 9 hours over which one was gonna lock out tag out audit someone. . . They both sat in the office all night.

They held back my sign off until after they changed the hob ladder knocking me out of the promotion I should have got.

But still made sure I did the job of the next level up.

Toxic culture. They pick favorites bad.

I once had a manager tell me I couldn't go home and solve a family emergency even though other employees went home early every night. . . When I pointed this out I was told "they don't know ow many machines so they aren't much of a loss when they go home"

Imagine training three people on three different lines and running another line and covering breaks at the same time.

It's great if you stay in rotation, but once they see you can learn something they will shove everything they can on you.

Also every time the tweet something you 401k goes down cause it's linked with unilever stock values.

If your on night shift just give up on having a life. 12 hour shifts and every other weekend. . . 

A typical day at the shop would be manipulated by the season. The colder seasons were extremely slow. In the warmer seasons, work is very fast paced where you work with many people at your side and have many customers to please. Time management was very important, balancing customer service at the front and creating customized cake orders in the back. I learned how to host birthday parties for children, catering to their parents needs as well as their own. Being granted the position of shift leader forced me to learn many management skills, learning how to be completely accountable for my work and the work of my team. The most difficult part of the position was learning how to communicate with a supervisor who disliked direct communication, rather using written messages to transfer information, criticism, or opinions. This gave me the opportunity to communicate in ways I was not used to. The most enjoyable part of the job was working in the environment that was conducted by the staff and the work itself. I enjoy working with people, and the opportunity to put my creative mind to work.

A typical day at Ben & Jerry's included helping customers with all of their purchases and questions, restocking the coolers when the ice cream was running low, opening/closing the store, keeping the store clean, and preparing everything for the next shift. I learned a lot about ice cream, much to the satisfaction of the customers. I also learned about handling tough situations such as what to do when a customer is not happy about their product or service, and even how to deal with less than pleasant customers effectively. The manager was great, he would teach you how to do your duties at the start, offering some leniency as you adjusted and learned everything, and when you were good enough to be let out on your own, he didn't micromanage you. The coworkers were just fine, even on a bad day. It's hard to stay mad when you're surrounded by ice cream! I would say the hardest part of the job would be cleaning thoroughly, but even that wasn't so bad. And the most enjoyable part of the job was interacting with the customers in a way that made them feel welcome and not like they were at any other store. Also, the free samples of ice cream didn't hurt either.

As a shift leader I was expected to work by myself often during the winter and run the shop during busier seasons. As a perfectionist, I had a difficult time during the busier times. Delegating tasks to coworkers was a must. The managers tended to ask a lot and often too much for the pay scale. I decorated cakes and trained new employees with no extra compensation. In my time working with the company, the pay difference between scoopers and shift leaders went down considerably with no work expectation adjustments. This meant I was getting paid closer to scooper pay at the end of my time while doing above and beyond what the scoopers were being assigned to do. This was frustrating, especially because I put a lot of effort and pride into my work and did not feel my wages reflected that. Expectations were pretty high but are only stressful if you (like me) put a lot of weight on making sure you meet others expectations. The job was fun on slow days and when working with coworkers that I liked but that was not in my control. 

The daily shifts at the shop are either opening or closing. So they are either preparing the shop for the business hours, or cleaning and closing the shop while preparing for the next day. Both shifts include selling ice cream to customers. I learned much about time management and how to interact with customers. The management was very good and understanding about scheduling due to school, however communication could be difficult because the owner/manager was rarely in the shop. This meant that often I would have to improvise if there were issues at the shop. My coworkers were either fellow students or local young people. I enjoyed the majority of them, and we had a great working environment. The hardest part was often dealing with unruly customers, as is common in the food service industry. The most enjoyable part was the level of success that we achieved, breaking shop sales records every month for the past year and sharing this success with my coworkers.

Great environment due to amazing managers , very inclusive and diverse staff at first. Got payed less then co-workers even after years of work and higher job title, small raises for huge workload to be added. Tips were terrible almost always, people don’t want tip when they’ve already made the ice cream so expensive that is almost 10$ for one cone. Plus owner wouldn’t offer raises due to tips saying they account for our pay being so bad, tips are free money that we earn and they re-use them in our pay to manipulate people into not asking for raises. Terrible owner ship total lack of regard for the amount of time and energy that was put into the shop without her ever having to step foot inside. Expected people to cover even on scheduled days off, would write up employee for not. Misinformed employees about tips that directly effect a large portion of the paychecks. The only good part was the co-workers but the pay is trash and the workload is ridiculous, lines for hours of screaming, sticky, kids. Eventually the whole staff quit, would not recommend. 

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