cashier

produce associate

department head

cafe team member

stocker

Kimberton Whole Foods

The store manager is fantastic, probably one of the most down to earth people I’ve ever met and super laid back and understanding of her employees and their personal time. She is what caused me to be so excited about this job. Every other department seemed well coordinated and pleasant, I truly believe if I had been in a different department, I would still be working for this company.
Unfortunately the front end aspect is the biggest downfall in the store. Front end department head is nice but seems a bit too shy to garner the respect that is required and deserved by the front end team. 
Within a couple days there, I noticed how catty and rude the other front end team members (mostly the younger ones) were. They would visibly stand around talking and staring at me, seemed bothered or annoyed when I asked questions and talk down to me like I was a child and would stand there talking to each other when I was ringing up massive orders instead of helping me bag. 
I can accept that I’m not going to be liked by everyone, but it really was not a welcoming environment and seemed to be lacking teamwork. 
Most of my time there was also spend standing around doing nothing because my department head said that the majority of my job will just be standing around waiting for the other team members to need me which was very odd to me and I felt useless. 

Either way, great store and great store managers but I can see why this store is always looking for front end help. 

Kimberton was a really unique and welcoming place to work. I liked the small community feel and seeing the same customers regularly. It made the job feel more personal and fulfilling. Most people were kind and supportive.

But working front end was a mess. The environment felt clique-y and filled with gossip. A lot of people would leave the register or disappear without saying anything, and I’d end up having to check out their customers or cover their responsibilities. It was hard to stay focused or do my job well when others around me weren’t doing theirs. Other reviews mention this too, and I get it. Some of the front end staff were just rude or too caught up in their own conversations to notice when someone needed help.

Management wasn’t great either. The store manager was nice but not really approachable. Sometimes it felt like she judged customers behind their backs. The front end department head was way too passive and spent most of her shift standing at the customer service desk. She would tell you to face the store the second you didn’t have a customer even if you had just spent hours ringing people up nonstop.

When I moved to grocery, things got way better. I felt more productive and less caught up in the drama. It was a much more rewarding experience and made me feel like I was actually helping the store.

The job was listed as a cafe position but I was put in the kitchen doing solely bulk prep work with little chance to learn anything else. The schedule was supposed to be updated every two weeks and online but my manager in the department did it through a white board and also did not post it consistently. I was uncomfortable working with her as she was very abrasive and unprofessional talking bad about fellow coworkers and seemingly trying to make me feel incompetent. She would repeat steps to me for simple tasks constantly and was very condescending manager. When I mentioned this as the reason for my two weeks. I received a voicemail from her 20 minutes before my shift stating I needed to email her and my general manager and state I am resigning without putting in a two weeks. I was already relying on this income and when I went in to confirm with my general manager they said that I was fired due to insufficient payroll. Many of the core beliefs of this company are great such as Family, Quality, Local and Organic. I met quite a few of the higher ups from other stores and was impressed  with their charisma and passion.

A typical day was uneventful.  Stocking shelves, helping customers and ordering product.  What made this job great was the interaction with customer, staff and community.   My staff was amazing, once they were trained and understood my expectations they ran with it.  I had a informal competition with one of my assistant managers, who knew the most customers by first name.  This interaction allowed the staff and myself to get to know the customers on a deeper level.  This interaction, the company's mission statement and my desire to make Kimberton Whole Foods a permanent and productive part of the community.  To this end, two large projects that I initiated were a local river clean-up and a yearly health fair.  Also, we had teens, with special needs, coming weekly from two different local school to do work in the store. 
     The most enjoyable part of the job was partnering with the owner to initiate and execute all the projects mentioned above.

My typical day, when I first go in I check to see if any orders they have ordered came in and put those away first and then I go straight to doing dishes. Throughout the day, the dishes usually kept pilling up and had to keep it under control while clean my work area. After I am finally caught up with dishes, I go straight to food prep, which includes peel carrots, red and yellow onions, cut celery and kale and put them in totes for access, and make the walk-in fridge looking nice. What I learned through working at Kimberton was that I never saw myself working food, but I realized I good organizational skills and good work ethics.  My co-workers were so nice and friendly, I always enjoyed myself being surrounded by really nice people to work with. The hardest part was trying to get dishes done so I can start doing food prep or anything else. The most enjoyable part of the job was my co-workers because they always make me smile and always enjoy talking to them as well.

I worked here for less than a year and it was not the best job I’ve ever had. The cashiers all talked bad about each other behind their backs, and the management were just odd. I had very few good expierences here. They say that one of their proudest parts of the job is how team orientated they are, but that’s definitely NOT true. I felt like I was never trusted at this job, you were always being watched, and I even walked in on my managers talking bad about me one day. Which, didn’t help my self confidence at this store at all. Also, at every other KWF, employees can have nose piercings, but at this one the manager will not let you have a ring in. This really bothered me because I felt that this would be a place where they didn’t judge you over piercings. It’s kind of hard to describe the expierence at this job, but let’s just say I felt extremely uncomfortable and did not like it. 
I love shopping at this store, but I would never work at it ever again.

Many coworkers intentionally exclude others from conversations, share private jokes, and are often unfriendly or unwelcoming to new employees. This creates a cliquey atmosphere that makes it hard to feel included or supported. Management tends to push forced positivity while being extremely unorganized and noticeably biased. Expectations are unrealistic you’re often made to feel like you should dedicate your entire life to the job, regardless of your actual role or boundaries. Training is minimal, and there’s very little guidance or support. Leadership is reactive rather than proactive, which leads to constant confusion and unnecessary stress. Customer interactions can also be difficult, as many patrons come across as pretentious or demanding. On top of all this, employees are frequently expected to take on tasks far outside their job title, with little acknowledgment or compensation 

Top heavy management creating inconsistent trainings and micromanagement. 
They will list a specific schedule then change it after your interview - classic bait and switch tactic. 
In my case, I was required to be the only person in the entire store to come in at 5am to clean. When I told the manager (whos idea it was to create this shift) that I was uncomfortable with this change in the schedule, they told me to just quit. 
Extremely strict dress code - expect to be confronted about the material of your pants or the length of your shirt immediately upon arriving for your shift. The actual store manager complimented the same shirt that another manager said I couldnt wear, another reflection of inconsistent management.

A great family owned business and wonderful people to work for and with.  Strong values regarding community and very ethical.  Very rewarding because of the relationships you create with co-workers and customers.  My only problem is, according to the Affordable Care Act, small businesses are now required to provide benefits to anyone working 30 hours a week.  Apparently small businesses are now being monitored and this is being enforced.  Therefore, employees are not being scheduled more than 25 hours, just in case there is an emergency and they need you to work few extra hours and approach 30 hours.  They have stopped hiring full time and all the jobs are part time.

This is for the phoenixville store. You are expected to dedicate your whole life to the job, especially as a full time employee. You’re worked until burnout and then replaced. There is very little training and help. Management is reactive rather then proactive. You never know what you’re doing wrong until you are being scolded for it. It’s very tough, especially for people with high anxiety. Always short staffed no matter what. You never feel heard or listened to. All that being said, the group of people working in the store is fantastic. Such a nice community and really the only reason for staying. The pay I would say is about average for the job in the industry but it’s not great overall. Always feels like they’re talking a big talk and not really delivering. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Cashier 79 salaries reported	$15.80 per hour
Produce associate 71 salaries reported	$16.65 per hour
Department head 70 salaries reported	$21.28 per hour
Cafe team member 54 salaries reported	$16.80 per hour
Stocker 69 salaries reported	$15.99 per hour

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