deli associate

barista

cashier

replenishment associate

bakery clerk

Ingles Markets

Disclaimer - All the other information NOT in this desription, the store location, or the title of this review is puposefully kept vague in order to protect me and my associates.  All the star ratings are accurate for me as well, but they're so highly dependant on your particular manager(s), theyre worthlesss to literally anyone else.

Pay is abysmal when compared to anything skilled or competitive.  But far better than most unskilled labor, especially in a southern red state.

Benefits are worse.  The health insurance is a bottomless flaming money pit but the dental and vision are cheap enough and worth enough to be no brainers.  Do not bother applying if you need health insurance.

You get one week every year of PTO but ONLY if you're full time.  If you request your PTO really early, you're guaranteed to get it if it isnt over a holiday.  I've never had PTO denied, even if our team was five people short, though.  Management won't care as long as they don't have to personally cover for you or if you work hard beforehand to ease the burden of covering for you as little as possible, if that's possible for whatever postion you get.

We work every holiday but we get a shift of PTO for all the major ones to be used whenever we want, which is excellent.  So basically two weeks every year spread out with a spike during november to december for those holidays.  Try to get hired somewhere during the spring/summer since there's a holiday drought lol.

We're only closed Christmans day but chances are your job, whatever it'll be, will still have PLENTY to do even though you're closed.  So don't expect that day off unless your entire job is customer facing like cashier or CSM.

If you have the choice of full or part time, always take full time.  You will regret not earning that week of PTO if you have even the slightest chance of wanting to go full time later.  You get your week of PTO one year after you go full time NOT when you're hired.

This company will fight you tooth and nail for any pay raise.  They will pay new kids they hire more than you if you've been working there longer than six months.  Do not stop, respectfully and professionally, demanding large raises every year.  Do not stop discussing and comparing your pay with your same level co workers.  If they fire you for asking for a raise or discussing salaries, sue for unemployment benefits immediately.  And keep detailed records.  Make sure you get as many of your raise discussions via texts as you can and keep them to corroborate your unemployemnt case.   They will never give you anything that you don't demand constantly, like literally every single other American company.

Work your *** off, do your job rapidly and with high quality, show up every single day, ask your manager every day after you're finished if anyone needs help, help others without being told to, take instruction and criticism seriously.

Never leave the building without checking in with either your immediate supervisor, or if theyre not there, the current ranking manager.

Don't take on everyday or regular tasks that arent your job unless you know for a fact that you can handle it and you are willing and capable or doing it all everyday.  An occasional bit of help should always be offered, but don't let them think you're willing to inflate your daily task load.  They will pressure the hard workers to do the lazies' work every single chance they get, because telling lazy people to contribute is hard.  Bullying hard workers is easy.  Dont be a doormat. 

If you DO take on more than one job, you're the golden child and you would have to try really really REALLY hard to lose your job and you can get some MASSIVE raises if you're ready to pester and annoy your supervisor and store management ceaselessly.  I'm definitely paid better than most managers in the company and i'm a low level minion.  People's eyes widen just a little bit when I take a day off lol.

If you have a problem with another employee, payroll, the training system, your workload, ect. never stop bringing it up.  Never let them brush you aside.  Because they will until you're too annoying to ignore.  They'll get over it and if they're worth working for in the first place and you aren't a total ****, they won"t punish you for it, either.

Be patient and nice to people.  Dont hit on customers or vendors.  Don't date or screw same shift coworkers.  Dont break or drop stuff.  Don't smell bad.  Dont come in looking ugly.  Make the bale.  Help unload the trucks.  Clean your messes.  Put stuff back where it goes and not the nearest empty space.  Ect., ect.

Working at Ingle's can be rewarding at other locations, but the South Forest shopping center location is a mess from the management down.

Throughout the company you will not receive any discounts for being an employee, and in the deli food is not allowed to be brought home, even if it's being thrown away. The deli in particular is extremely stressful, almost constantly understaffed in the evenings (the shift I worked), and there is virtually no praise for doing something well or providing good customer service.

There is no formal training in this deli; most new employees are trained by fellow employees who usually haven't been in the deli very long themselves. This can be very alarming when you consider that a deli with a meat counter is going to have slicers that must be used properly and safely. 

Having been on the evening shift in the deli for just shy of two years, I never received an evaluation or raise unless I asked for one, or unless I had accepted another job and come back (which only happened once). I was made to quit after requesting to go home while grieving when a family member recently died. There were no opportunities for advancement; managerial and supervisor positions are filled from other stores or from new applicants rather than from within the deli. If you should happen to get really good at your job in the deli, the only rewards you will receive are extra stress, more work, and dependence from other employees. I worked 40 hours a week regularly and received no benefits or vacation time.

The most enjoyable part of the job was building relationships with the customers (some of them might even cook food for you and bring it to the store!), and the worst part of the job was knowing that there were no incentives for doing well or working hard. In my time at the deli we went through four different deli managers and three different assistant managers, plus several different front-end assistant managers (I've lost count). Corporate officials have visited the store several times during my tenure there to try and fix whatever seems to be wrong with the deli, yet nothing has changed. Nightshift remains understaffed and carries the day's unfinished work, the dayshift does a lot of standing around (which is a frequent customer complaint in regards to the deli, because it results in customers being ignored), and management provides no training or guidance to employees.

A day at work might consist of warm welcomes at the entrance and will get busy as soon as possible. Their are plenty of stations to learn how to operate and they are quite simple if a person possesses time management skills, and enough cooking knowledge to know how to fry, sauté, or boil food/liquid without burning products. One would probably not encounter any unique skills, but may improve his/her abilities to time things efficiently to cook multiple things at once and be completely diligent with their job. 
Everything I have learned has been from personal experience previous to joining this business. The one thing I have learned is dealing with the customer service end of things in the area of sales. Outside of that, there is very little required as far as training except for a good, listening ear. 
Management is exceptionally friendly, but as far as business goes, there seems to be a lot of unfairness and a lack of professionalism in actually managing the systems in the company. It can be hard to allow flexible scheduling, but with that being one of the only benefits to this job, it is quite difficult to be understanding of so many failures in scheduling correctly and making sure the people who all scheduled are accounted for and can be relied on. There seems to be an unfair system for firing people as well. 

As well as managing schedules, the system of wasted the store insists upon makes it difficult to trust their professional ability to manage finances wisely. There are many opportunities to save money that the business seems to overlook that could save on both the employment end and in the vast scheme of operation. 
Overall, I would say this job is a very good beginner job or end term job. By that I mean it is a very friendly, accepting business where any employee will be comfortable learning the basics of a social job working with customers, cleaning, and handling food. On the other end, it is a great place to end up in a corporate position that should pay quite well and set someone up for a good financial future. Anywhere in between these two “extremes” this business is not my ideal place to grow in the middle and continue making progress in business endeavors. It is not going to be a highly professional job, or a place that will greatly sharpen any higher skills. If you are looking for a fast pace, moneymaking job, this is not for you. 

A cashier at Ingles was my first job and I was there for six months. I don't think I was trained well enough, for example, no one told me you keep certain checks and give back others depending on what number the machine shows. If you give back a check you're supposed to keep you lose money. I did this and got written up, despite having never been told about this. Overall, working here wasn't too bad. They work with school or other jobs, if there's a certain day you want off every week you can generally get it. The managers had their days where they were moody and would take it out on you. For some reason there are five managers and one might say one thing and another would say something contradicting that. They also sometimes did stuff that didn't make a lot of sense. I was closing one night and had come back from lunch. I waited an hour after returning and asked to go to the bathroom, it was around 8:30, not a lot of customers, and two other cashiers, both of which were not set to leave for 30 more minutes. As soon as I ask, my mangager sends one of them home! I just as soon make it to the bathroom and sit down when my manager calls for me to come back to the front, so I hurry and get back up there. She was on my register checking a customer out and continued to do so and I just stood there. So why did you ruin my last chance to use the bathroom (I can't go after the other cashiers leave) for the night? You see a lot of people come and go, most of them were alright, but there are cliques and drama, at least with the cashiers and baggers as a lot of them are high school and college kids. There were always problems with deli and most people didn't stay long. Some of the bag boys actually did their jobs and were very good, but a lot of them were lazy and would be out "getting carts" for an hour. They could also go to the bathroom anytime for a long time and the managers never checked up on them, whereas the cashiers always have to ask and get fussed at if they're away too long. I'd say at least half the time I was bagging my own stuff, which is not easy to do when you're also cahsiering and have a line building up. Not too bad of a place to work, but definitely a few things that will make you scratch your head!

I was a stocker and bagger at one of the locations in Spartanburg. I worked there for 5 years and recently resigned after accepting a new job offer.

Through 2019-2021, the job was actually kind of fun because during the pandemic we got a couple hazard paychecks every month, and I learned so much about taking sanitary measures. I wasn't so fond of wearing masks all year long, though.

My final year at the store was where it ran its course. Most of the cashiers I worked with as a bagger were lazy slugs, that would just push groceries down carelessly or have ridiculously long conversations with the customers. 
As a stocker I made sure items were rotated and sold fresh to ensure quality for my customers. My least favorite thing as a bagger was probably every day when we were short staffed they would call me in the midst of stocking to collect a sea of buggies on 90F+ heat! I'd be on my own as a bagger most of the time. And cleaning the bathrooms at rush hour (3-4pm) because lines would pack up quickly. 
Also, coworkers that like to snitch and would embarrassingly get me in trouble. 

One of my favorite things about working here I'm going to say was the customers; at my location there would be around 8-10 customers that shopped daily and I could recognize them by their name. And when it got slow, I could maintain the store and keep it well stocked, allowing me for freedom to do what I wanted. Outside of that, there was no room for growth in this store and the benefits were merely there. 

Management was about 50/50 at my store. A couple of them would often yell at me and have me sit in the office for no reason. One of my supervisors would also yell at me for not getting done with my dairy truck on time to get up front and help bag, due to no fault of my own or miscommunication from manager to manager.

In addition to that, I saw a huge decrease in pay and hours over the past year. I asked to move up and work in the deli full time but I was denied. 

Ingles was a fun first job in the first two years I worked there, but as there was a lot of management turnover, the job became very dry, and therefore I do not recommend working there in 2024 because of bad management and unguaranteed hours.

They like to think that they offer "flexible hours" as long as you are there between 8:30-5:30.   Don't dare exit the office space before 5:30p, even if you have worked several long days the same week.    They will notice and they will reprimand you like a brand new employee to their first job.  Cameras are everywhere and they are watched by mid management because they clearly don't have enough to do otherwise.  

They also like to push their location as a huge benefit vs. paying market salary.  Housing in the area is ridiculously overpriced so you absolutely need market rates!  

IT management consists of little "Napoleons" guarding their small towers of staff and agendas.  There is no clear focus on improving any existing infrastructure or even coding improvements.  In the Time/Quality/Cost scenario they easily give up quality.  Cost and time are the only priorities.  Welcome to mediocrity!

This is where you go to retire and die.  If you're done being a road warrior and don't mind the complacency, this the place for you.  

There is no remote work option - period.  Get 10" of snow, you are expected to be in the office.  The only paid holiday that you will actually get to take on that day is Christmas, 12/25.  All other holidays you are expected to be in the office and plan for another day off either 2 weeks prior or 2 weeks after.  Essentially, if the stores are open, you are in the office even if you work on nothing but back office systems that have no effect on the stores.  

Health benefits are terrible.  401(k) is not available for the first 18 months but it's only 3%.  Your whopping 2 weeks of vacation time cannot be used for the first 12 months.  No, they won't negotiate that amount or use.   Bonuses are paid in the fall but if you didn't start on the first day of the fiscal year, no bonus for you.  Hire date is 1 week after the start of the fiscal year and you've been there for 11 months and 3 weeks, no bonus.  Same with raises which are paid "some time in the first half of the year between spring and summer maybe." j

Management is convinced you have no idea what you are doing and that you will steal from the company at every possible moment you are unsupervised.

My day included various duties from cashiering, to stocking and ordering for my department, and serving as assistant bookkeeper.  Typically, I was scheduled specific evenings to do bookkeeping work. On those days I worked in the office reconciling tills, providing change for cashiers, attending to customer service, and sending Western Union transfers via computer.  In the Health and Beauty Aids department I weekly ordered all stock and was responsible for stocking product and doing resets.  I also regularly inventoried the department and back stock and saw to the cleanliness of the department. It was my responsibility to assure that adequate back stock was available for all weekly sale items.

The most enjoyable part of the job was the people that I worked with.  I felt very close to everyone and there existed a family atmosphere. No matter what the task, I think that having managers and coworkers that care about each other personally and professionally can make a huge difference in your job.

The most difficult aspect of the job was during peak times around holidays when the store was extremely busy.  All employees of the store worked extra hard during these times. It was very important that everyone work as a team to make those times run as smoothly as possible. Luckily, we all worked together effectively. Time management was also difficult sometimes when juggling the responsibilities in the office and assuring accuracy in my bookkeeping work.

Overall, Ingles was one of the most pleasant places that I have ever worked.  Again, I can't stress enough how management played a key role in making the work atmosphere positive.  My general manager felt that family was very important and always tried to accommodate employees as best he could for important family events when it came to scheduling. It was an aspect that I highly appreciated.

I want to preface this with the good. Most of the employees work hard and look out for each other as best as they can. Nine times out of Ten if you have a problem you can look to the nearest person even if they aren't in your department and expect a helping hand. I only stayed as long as I did because of this. 

I left because of the poor management. The store isn't a big earner compared to other locations and it felt like corporate would just assume let problems fester and rot than address any complaints or problems. 

The turnover rate was abysmal. There were a few folks that had been there for over a decade, but even in the year I was there, half the staff changed, including those that worked in the office. There was a noticeable lack of enthusiasm in most everybody in doing their work. Those that had physical labor like me were working angry to try to get trucks done on time with only a couple of people or keep up with increasing demand while chronically without enough help. The folks in the office were either at odds with each other or fed up with covering for a store manager that wanted to work the mid shift instead of either opening or closing. 

Store manager seemed more concerned with acting tough than actually listening to or addressing problems within departments. He either didn't want to hear it, or the answer was to just deal with it and work harder to compensate. Trucks were always late being done? He didn't want to hear it. Two people didn't show up? Guess we just have to work harder even though there were other staff who were light on duties that could have helped. Seemed to be a consistent theme when other employees complained about him. I hope the turnover rate got to him too. Pretty sure his attitude was a contributing factor. 

TL;DR: Understaffed and underappreciated workers, but a strong sense of teamwork because everyone's in it together and just wants to go home on time. Manager lacks leadership and communication skills. 

My husband has been with the company for 13 years and myself a little under a year (recent job change landed me here). I can honestly say that IF you want to climb up that ladder you most certainly can. Is it easy? No. Is it hard work? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes. Working as a cashier/bagger all your life will not get you decent pay, it's an entry level position. However, if you want to move up and make a career out of Ingles that does pay well that is possible. Alot of our store managers and market managers started from the bottom and worked their way to the top, my husband being one of them. With my husband's position at Ingles, he makes a decent living. Has it took time, dedication to the company and hard work? Absolutely.  We live in a society that wants big paying jobs fast with very little effort put in. That is not Ingles. I have worked in different jobs in the last 14 years from other retail work to the school system and I can honestly say that working at Ingles in burnsville is by-far the best job I have because I truly do enjoy my job. I started as a cashier and worked my way a little up. I could go farther if I wanted, but I am content where I am because we do still have 3 children at home to raise. Some people simply won't be happy with the company because Ingles does value hard workers and alot of people just show up for a paycheck with no sense of purpose. At ingles in burnsville, it is very easy to get along with other employees and the management Is the best I have seen in a long time. I have no problems with any of the managers and as far as co-workers I feel blessed to work with who I do. All in all, alot of it is what you make of it. Ingles is a wonderful place to work and I am passionate about my job and very thankful for it. 

Part One, answering what Indeed lists to tell about:
A typical day at work is being given more work, yet no more money, bad morale.
I've learned nothing from the job, so far.
Management is awful; no professionalism or discipline. More about them in part two.
Co-workers are the only positive; I have great co-workers, I just wish we could work in a non-dysfunctional setting.
Nothing about the job is hard or enjoyable.

Part Two, let's expand on this work experience:

Plantation management style is a popular phrase around this company, among the rank & file. The management does not treat workers well, at all, and corporate management is even worse than the store management, in that regard. They tend to come in and berate and chew people out for seemingly minor matters; no professionalism, whatsoever. The pay is low, at best $8.50/hour, often less. And they generally only hire for part-time, yet they expect you to treat it like a full-time job, in that, they basically expect you to be “on call”, anytime you’re not there. They want you to be able to come in at a moment’s notice. In fact, the manager has even told people they should keep their uniforms in their car, in case they’re called.
The management does not manage for customer service or store success, they manage for their bonuses. A store manager can make over $100,000 in bonuses; while everyone can’t even afford to buy groceries or gas. Needless to say, morale is bad, as seemingly most people are looking for jobs, elsewhere, even newcomers. I’d say don’t bother with this place, unless you are extremely desperate for a job. This is a very dysfunctional company.
Two more things of note: you are given one shirt, and expected to buy the rest at $10 a piece. Most of us have but the one shirt and just wash it 2-3 times a week. Also, they're so cheap, they won't even give employees a discount on their purchases.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Deli associate 282 salaries reported	$13.64 per hour
Barista 200 salaries reported	$12.62 per hour
Cashier 89 salaries reported	$11.55 per hour
Replenishment associate 111 salaries reported	$13.90 per hour
Bakery clerk 107 salaries reported	$13.57 per hour

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