retail assistant manager

kitchen team member

customer service associate / cashier

Penzeys Spices

It was a pleasure working there, and I enjoyed interacting with wonderful people every day, both employees and customers. "Kindness" is a word that's used quite a lot and is frequently shown to both employees and customers. Generous employee discounts, great benefits, free employee lunches on set days, and a beautiful break room all contribute to an overall happy work place. Mistakes are often forgiven as long as it comes from a place of kindness.

However, it's a very different sort of company that doesn't always offer clear direction or definition of job expectations which can make success, especially in a supervisory position, more difficult. Lack of communication often caused unnecessary mistakes and could cause us to scramble for information when customers knew things before the staff did. Proactively offering solutions and suggested improvements seemed to be frowned upon because it implied there was a problem and conflicted with the laid back "zen" atmosphere being projected. Trying to plan ahead for staffing needs was frequently a challenge and schedules often had to be changed at the last minute to "bulk up" staff in accommodation of unexpected product promotions that were sent out seemingly on a whim.

I worked there for about 6 months through the summer last year and it was the best customer service job I've ever worked. You still get a fair share of rude customers but the staff are super nice and a tight knit group. At my store, we worked full 8 hour shifts open to close with a paid lunch break. Two employees on each day unless it was super busy. Occasionally I had to work solo due to a call off and no one was able to cover (there were only 5 employees, counting the store manager), but it's super manageable as long as it was a weekday. Weekdays were mind numbingly slow most of the time, but as long as the shelves were stocked and the store was clean, you could read to pass the time. The pay was really good, but sometimes I only got 1-2 shifts a week with how everything panned out schedule wise. Discounts were nice and I bought a decent amount of stuff since I love to cook and want to be a chef. You learn alot about the different levels of quality with spices, and about flavor profiles and pairings especially in different cultures. I overall loved that job and I'd be willing to go back if the opportunity came.

Penzeys is a positive environment. You are taught to greet customers who walk into the store and give them benefit of the doubt (i.e. don't treat them like they are going to steal stuff). I found it laid back and a good change of pace from previous grocery store jobs.

Lots of stuff (music, ordering, sales, hiring) is controlled by corporate. The distance can cause problems sometimes. The store I worked at had issues with excessive backstock, usually as a result of corporate sending product for sales that didn't go anywhere. 

Good place to work at for all-around experience (stocking cashiering money handling etc). Not really a hierarchy at retail locations so store atmosphere really depends on whether the employees get along with each other.

Be aware that Penzey (owner) is a hard-core liberal and even if you don't share his political views you will be exposed to them.

The people they have in charge of the employees(management) treats their workers like we arent people.There is a lot of "favoritism" that takes place at the brookfield location. I wouldnt ever recommend this place of employment to anyone
And, by the way....They don't require drug tests, red flags went up immediately after I found this out. They go above & beyond to lie to us about company policies, as well as cover-ups as it relates to incidents on the job......I was recently sabotaged by someone from there...Cost me my job
And to think....I gave up my 2nd job to work full time at penzeys.......If you're in the business of kissing up to get ahead, go to penzeys in brookfield....Because you're gonna have to........They wouldnt pay us shift differential for working the shift nobody else wanted......If you wanna advance up in the company ranks, forget about it!!!!!!
They rarely wanna train you on different positions
They kinda want you doing one thing

What is the best part of working at the company?
Free lunch on Wednesday otherwise nothing

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Management is terrible they play favorites and aren't constructive at all. Highly unorganized under qualified staff All around. Machines always break down with no one qualified to fix them wow goals are constantly raised.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Terrible the only people allowed to socialize at all are supervisors and managers that are busy getting nothing done. Most of the supervisors and management aren't qualified to do what entry-level workers do. Can't even shut machines down if there's an emergency. Solutions are almost never offered only criticism.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Stressful, boring, frustrating and you come home stinking like strong spices everyday that's hard to wash out.

Penzeys was a fun place to work. The manager is super supportive and the staff is just really fun. You basically walk around selling spices all day, stocking shelves and doing the occasional inventory. Not much to say about the bad side, except sometimes a promotion will come out and we only find out about it the day before. Decent discount and you can take advantage of most of the sales on top of it. We always got out by 6:30 at the latest so no late nights. Manager always has thry schedule out a month in advance so it's nice to know when you're working so you can plan things. All in all I really enjoyed working here and I would recommend to anyone who's looking to pick up a few bucks on the side and deal with really nice customers all day.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The company’s philosophy is amazing, with embracing hope & kindness as the central themes the environment attracts great coworkers & customers.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Frequent changes in promotional offers with clarity in communication sometimes a bit slow.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very supportive & relaxed. No pressure to ‘sell’ in this retail environment, only encouragement to engage.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I worked 8 hours 2 to 3 days a week which consisted mostly of customer interaction however there were also inventory task as well as store appearance standards to maintain.

Top notch privately owned company with high morals and values.
They treat their employees very well.  They provide quality American made products and are at the very top in what they manufacture.
Working with all levels of management is a pleasure, especially on a localized store basis.

I cannot a relate a 'hard' part of this position, it doesn't exist. I think I can speak for all of my co workers by saying we love to come to work each day. They accommodate my requests for days off at school and other agendas that may arise. 

I believe in the products I sell thru them and promote each one with my own personal experiences in using them.

I would recommend them to anyone pursuing any type of career, whether it be sales or production at the home office, or in any of their 72 locations throughout the U.S.

You have to be a foodie to enjoy working at Penzeys. Its such a friendly environment co workers back office and customers. If you didn't know something could call the back office and or another store for help with the answer. If you ate lunch on the premises you didn't have to clock-out. They also provided you with a refrigerator full of drinks besides just the basic water. To keep the friendly atmosphere we were always provided with topics to talk about or stay away from which in my opinion I liked. The 2 biggest cons for me were no career advancement it was just a part time job. With being a part time job they didn't allow you to get another job to work around the schedule which didn't seem right .

I've never really cared enough to write a review about a place I worked but I thought this place deserved a good one. In terms of work culture and management this was without a doubt the best job I've ever had. The company has always been very adamant about being kind to others and all of the managers live up to it tenfold. It feels good to actually be recognized and appreciated for the hard work you put in (which is not an experience I have always had at jobs). The only reason I'm leaving is because I got a full time job with better pay and hours. If you want a decent paying job with benefits and are okay working 6-2 or 2-10, definitely give this place a shot. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Retail assistant manager 1 salary reported	$15.00 per hour
Kitchen team member 1 salary reported	$16.75 per hour
Customer service associate / cashier 1 salary reported	$8.50 per hour

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