Dorothy Lane Market

I made a lot of great friends and connections here. I learned a lot, and often enjoyed my time at work, especially for the first few years. I worked in many departments and positions at the company and generally had positive experiences with most of my coworkers. However, management was very hostile and often made employees feel like they were looking over their shoulders for them to mess up, and was not accepting of alternative gender presentations (E.g. - nonbinary employees were expected to "pick a side"). Long hair and ear piercings were not accepted for male presenting employees (some employees were actively shamed by management for having long hair) and facial piercings and unnatural hair colors were not allowed. Management was hostile towards and lacked respect for female managers, and some of my coworkers were passed over for management opportunities at least partially because they were women. The location I worked at also didn't have accessible women's restrooms (and the route to the men's restroom would be pretty tight for most wheelchairs). Overall, I genuinely love the people I worked with and got to know while I was there, but management made the environment feel unsafe and hard to succeed in. 

I held “many hats” at this company for many years, and no matter the cons, it was some of the most purposeful retail labor I’ve ever experienced. As cheesy as it might sound, the company holds a “family-driven” mentality, which does hold true (many families worked together at the company).

Unfortunately, while the work was purposeful and rewarding, the ethics/morals of leadership remain unchanging to the cultures of our modern workforce. The uniforms are not conducive to the labor in which they are performed in (white button-up shirt, apron, bow-tie while performing strenuous, intensive, sometimes “dirty” work) and the expectations of an employee’s physical appearance can seem, for lack of a better way of saying, “of-the-times” (ie a man is to have shorter hair, not longer than shoulder-length, and not allowed to have any facial hair other than a mustache). These ethical decisions are adaptable and could easily be tweaked to fit similar companies in the grocery sector (ie other grocery chains allowing facial hair and loose, breathable clothing) but, from what I had experienced, it is unlikely these decisions will ever adapt to our current environment.

Regardless, this was an incredibly rewarding company to work for, solely for my strong interpersonal relationships with coworkers, line-managers and customers, which is why I would still highly recommend this company as an employer. You will meet some great people here.

Was a good experience until management shifted and kitchen manager got promoted. It was all downhill from there. I don’t know about other departments but the kitchen was all smoke & mirrors, Drama, Hidden agendas. Don’t even bother working there if you have personal health or family problems. They will cater to & promote only their favorites or people with little to no experience in related work or life, can’t fully comprehend language, and then wonder why their system has failed and either fire them or promote them….. (makes sense right). If you’re not a favorite they will try to make you miserable and then come up with reasons to try and put your job in jeopardy. The work environment in the kitchen was extremely negative, energy sucking, some of the people just constantly complained, were passive aggressive, etc. The management, after it changed, was a complete joke and disaster. Also, their PTO and benefits are a slap in the face. 100% would rather work anywhere else and make less money. After quitting, not only do I have enormously better pay, benefits, schedule, PTO, sick pay, personal time, environment, etc, the peace I have gained is unparalleled. 

If you do not remember the drama that went on while you were in high school, you will be refreshed here. Up in the front end, you are expected to cater to a customer's every whim. The upper management (store manager, general manager, and owner) will not care what you think the proper way to treat a customer is, unless it involves kissing their boots. The mid level managers (Assistant Manager for the Day, and Front end manager) are the greatest people you will ever meet. However, in every department, you will be expected to do everything for the customer, no matter how much the customer belittles you. Expect high levels of frustration towards customers and upper management on a day to day basis, and high levels of gripping from everyone else. The hardest part of the job is dealing with the high prices of company shirts they offer for you to wear. The shirts are nice and well made, and if you buy one, you can wear jeans with the shirt. However, if you choose not to buy the shirt, you must be in regular uniform, even in the brutal summer, to which there is no relaxed dress code. The most enjoyable part of the job is the coworkers and the mid level management staff. This job has its ups and downs, but if you can look past its flaws, it is a great place to work.

I was paid minimum wage, given minimum support, and communication was minimum. The environmental was very formal, so I never got to know my coworkers beyond names. Managers were very rude, unfriendly, and disorganized, and shift managers had to continuously make up for their slack. Scheduling was flexible, but managers were not good at maintaining agreed upon schedules and were very judgmental about changes and requested time off. Scheduling was also done terribly, and we often had too many or too few people, especially given that minors can’t sell alcohol. Scheduling also was done to specifically bypass legal breaks by cutting hours by just enough. Also, my pay was not adjusted after the state minimum wage increase and I made the same as new hires after two years there. Most frontend workers moved to different departments as soon as they were eligible. It was a valuable experience that I definitely don’t want again.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Discounted lunch and the owner is pretty awesome 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
It’s a low stress job as long as your in the loop however there is one thing now effecting all three meat departments that will ruin this job for anyone not in the loop and ultimately ruin the business for everyone. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Lots of favorites. one person is felt sorry for because they are clearly on a spectrum but they keep getting moved up the ladder due to who they are related to this created a lot of tension among everyone but it’s not allowed to be talked about. I recommend working at Dorothy lane market however I’d avoid the meat departments

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
It’s typically very slow and laid back

I typical day of work at Dorothy lane is a roller coaster ride of different obstacles that must be met to accomplish a good days work. In the time you will work their, you will learn costumer service, Dorothy lane product, teamwork, and various job skills. The management at Dorothy lane is astounding always there to help there employees out for example they will go the extra mile to figure out the best schedule for you. Your co-workers aren't just people you work with they become good friends and they are there to help you out throughout the day. The hardest part of the job is trying to make every customer happy not every customer will be nice back. The most enjoyable part of the job is making customers happy.

I only worked with DLM for 3 years or so, but I enjoyed my time there. I learned a great deal and most importantly, developed friendships. DLM has a well deserved reputation for proper care and treatment of it's customers and likewise, it's employees. One slight criticism I have is that full-time positions tend to be difficult to obtain and competitive; so promotion can be limited. Management is (or at least was) very transparent and openly involved non-management employees in matters of business operations. This is highly unusual in nearly any type of business, but it created a feeling that even the lowest tier employee is directly involved in the welfare of the company and helps to limit an "Us" vs. "Them" division which I have so often observed in many other employers between labor and management.

DLM is a fantastic place to work. Fair managers who treat you well, above minimum wage starting pay, good coworkers, (mostly) polite customers, etc. I've advised several of my friends to work there. The workers are formal looking yet casual acting, because the target audience isn't one that will tolerate a lot of informality. Both my manager and my boss have gone out of their way to help with any issues I may have had during the workday, and it's very uncommon to find a coworker who doesn't get along with you. My time at DLM has helped me be more charismatic and outgoing as well as being more knowledgeable about food and cooking. The ex-owner of the company even comes around and meets every employee and makes everyone feel happy to work there.

I worked part time while I was in my last year at Wright State University.  During the day, I helped customers, made sample trays for customers to consume, and constantly kept the department clean.  I learned how to be efficient in filling customer orders.  My co-workers also showed me how to present the food to the customers.  The hardest part of working at Dorothy Lane was knowing that I can't change policies, but still maintain doing my job.  The most enjoyable part of the job was making customers feel special.

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