cashier

hvac technician

janitor

deli associate

restaurant general manager

Pilot-Flying-J

It was really great at first, despite all the horror stories I heard about that store, I genuinely enjoyed the job. I needed a second job and they told me they were flexible with hours and willing to work to fit my schedule. I like interacting with people (even if they're cranky) so working as Cashier was perfect for me. My schedule was perfect, I originally worked mornings and they were very accommodating with what I preferred to work. The only bad thing I have to say about the first couple of weeks is that I literally trained myself and I was left alone at the counter with little knowledge of what to do, but I didn't mind that much considering how perfect everything else was. I should have known it was too good to be true. Then we got new management and the real horror show begun. First it started off with changing my morning shifts to night shifts. At first I didn't mind or notice because I would work night shifts some days out of the week if needed or it would switch like every other week I'd do mornings and then the next I'd do nights.... a pretty good balance I thought. I'm not quite sure why they didn't promote a new GM from that store but instead they brought in someone. A move that made me question the company considering the person that was up for it had put in about 7 years there so I felt it was kind of shady to begin with. When I first met the new GM I liked them but that quickly changed. This all happened within the MONTH that I worked there. You will learn why I lasted so short there. The week before Good Friday the schedule was uploaded - or so I thought. It said I was not scheduled Friday so I went on to make plans with family for the Holiday. That Wednesday before my shift I went into the website to request off for a wedding the next month. During that process I saw that my schedule had been changed to me working that friday 2pm-10pm. I inquired the new GM about it wondering why my schedule was changed so last minute. They go on to tell me that they had in fact uploaded it but only uploaded the first half and decided they'd upload the rest when the work week ended. Now this might not have been such an issue if that's how the schedule was always uploaded or if they communicated this with the employees but it's not and they didn't. They then got annoyed with me because I expressed that because for the past 5 days I had not seen that I was scheduled due to the change of the upload schedule, I could not come to work that Friday. They huffed and puffed and finally asked for everyone to write down their availability because "this was getting ridiculous" (something I feel like they should have done their first day so that they were accommodating people that had been there before them- at least that's what I would have done had that been me. Im not into wrecking peoples income and making their lives harder just because I'm the boss. The store was clearly up and running well before me so hey, let me make sure I'm scheduling people what they were working before I got there. Right?! Right.) Mind you I had called out only once before because of a mental health day I needed, I also called out a whole day before when the policy is 4 hours before your shift. When I wrote my availabilty as Days (what I originally agreed to) they claimed i NEVER worked a day shift, that they never saw me work a day shift when in fact I met them their first day while working that 6-2pm shift and the following week after. They then call me back to the office to tell me they can no longer offer me any morning shifts anymore and they didn't know when they would be able to-- after calling to confirm i had in fact worked those shifts before (because I would lie about that? This insulted me). After that I already had it in my head that I was going to look for something else. They had offered me a full time position as a Customer Service rep but the new GM was not willing to wait a couple weeks for the seasonal job I also have to end. A couple of weeks later I got sick and threw up while on shift. Instead of sending me home they asked if i could "stick it out" for the remaining 7 hours. I said no (because hello I do not feel good) and they told me they were going to call someone to come in for me and to wait. Instead of making calls they were doing other things as if my health and the well being of the other employees and customers meant nothing. Finally after 3 hours and an inner battle with deciding if I should just walk out and risk getting written up or to wait, a DIFFERENT manager called someone willing to come in. First try. I got sick around 3pm and no one was called until almost 5. After waiting another half an hour my cover came in I thanked them immensely (after they told me that they should have called her right away and she would have come in so much earlier) and was getting ready to walk out of the door. Before I could make it though, I was called into the office where the GM was waiting for me. I was confused as to what it could possibly be about and they asked me to finish my 20 E-Learning courses. The only reason they were not completed was because absolutely no one told me about them when I was hired. They sat me down and asked me to complete them because "they would lose a credit" if I didn't finish it by the end of that day. I am way too nice of a person I realized after telling this story to friends and family because all of them said they would have left way earlier and DEFINITELY walked out once they asked me to stay. I told them I wanted to go home and that I had been there for so long already I just wanted to lay down and try to feel better considering I had my other job the next day. They were not having it. Only after seeing me struggle to pay attention to it they said I could go home. I also got stuck doing a lot of the work of other people and you know I don't get paid to do your job sooo. Over all it's messier then a bachlelor's pad over there. No one knows what's going on and I feel awful because it's not just me they messed with. Despite after telling these stories to friends and them urging me to quit I put up with it for a while because I a. liked the extra income b. am way too nice for my own good sometimes and c. loved my coworkers. Many people left or are planning on leaving because of the complete lack of communication - the store literally caught fire and shut down and i was not informed until an hour before I was supposed to show up for my shift. All of these things lead me to leave because I saw nothing was going to change and they were so unwilling to work with me even though I was told that's why they're a good company to work for. When I called to ask if there was anyway they'd be willing to work something out before I quit to go somewhere else I was met with a NASTY nasty attitude. They should have promoted from the inside I just do not see the reasoning for changing things (the upload schedule, the changing peoples shifts) that were working. People that have worked there for years have left because new management made them either change their schedule or leave. I really enjoyed working with my coworkers and most aspects of the job. Had they just promoted from the inside, the flow of the store would not have been interrupted and many people (mothers, college students, people just trying to make a living) would still be there. Oh well, there are definitely greener pastures. I'm sure not every store is like this so if this is something that interests you there are a lot of good aspects about it but you know how it goes--- if management is poor you will probably be miserable so just be wary of that!

I have sort of a mixed bag experience with flying pilot J. I had a good start, as my interview went well and I was hired on the spot. But the job was a lot of work. They pay you either a decent wage or a bad wage, I got lucky with a decent one, but I felt underpaid with the work load and especially with some of the tasks expected of me. Most of it was fine. 
         We had 7 shower rooms and we had to clean them after each use. But sometimes this would be seemingly never ending. Which is only really bad when you throw in the other employee expectations. We had to keep up with the laundry, which on some days was the closest we got to a break. 
              We also had to keep both bathrooms clean, expected to be checking them out every half an hour. As a male it was difficult to get into the women’s room, because there was always people wanting to use it when you go to try and clean it. You had to make preparations to be able to clean it, which took time you never had. 
                    You had to do garbage all around the outside and inside of the building, including the truck stop area which is about half a mile long. Keep the pump lanes clean, stocked and water buckets full of clean water to wash windshields. As well as do any cleaning needed that was needed in the rest of the store. 
     On top of this, they also expected you to go do prime parking when the spots get filled up and you have to go kick out truckers who didn’t rent out their parking spot. Which is extremely stressful when you are already falling behind on showers. 
                The one major task I felt you were very underpaid for was changing out the gas pump lines. This is a rather unpleasant,  difficult task and felt like something they should be paying at least 18 dollars an hour for instead of the 13 -15 dollars you are most likely making. 
            At one point after I was working there for a while, corporate cut back employee hours by a significant amount so that the company could maximize their profits. The job was just barely staffed effectively before this. After they cut back hours meeting expectations was on the verge of impossible. Turning the work shifts from challengingly difficult to a down right nightmare. The quality of the store took a real nose dive after this. You wouldn’t hire a single person team and expect them to build an entire house, but apparently Flying Pilot J would (Figuratively speaking). 
                  At one point they asked me to move over to working at another store, which I didn’t care to do but did as they asked me. As a reward for going along with their request I lost out on an entire week of work which basically made my family and I temporarily homeless. When they finally let me start at my new location I had my hours cut back dramatically and had to beg for more hours and pick up register shifts as well. I never got back to my full 40 hours but I was able to maintain at least.
                   I worked under a fantastic manager at this point and we became pretty good friends but then one day they randomly transferred him away for no real reason and I was left somewhat heart broken. A little later, I had to move away a and was hoping to do a transfer to one of four locations in my new area. But even though I was considered a reliable and valued team member at the store I relocated from, I was (once again) left in the dirt as far as a job went in my new area by the company I worked so hard for. 
              The end. 1 out of 5 stars, would not recommend.  Most of the other employees I talked to about working here were also unhappy with it. The upper management was often quite shallow and selfish. 

If you enjoy breaking your back while freezing your fingers off, this may be the job for you! Do you tire of working in a career that has a real retirement plan and real benefits?! Do you bore yourself with the thought of happiness and success?? Do you wish that you could just hate your life? Then come work for Pilot! Here at Pilot, the ol' saying "Overworked and Underpaid" is our motto! At Pilot, we offer ZERO employee discounts, so that you can happily spend your entire paycheck right here in the store! But don't expect to be able to enjoy what you purchase, such as a food or beverage, for Pilot gives ZERO breaks or lunches! Sure, there may be down time, but here at pilot, we promote you to scrub the grub off the floors using nothing but rags and bleach when given the chance. "If you've got time to lean, you've got time to clean!" That's the Pilot Flying J Team Member catch phrase. How about making money drops every 5 minutes because Pilot doesn't like you having too much money in your drawer? "Can you break this 20?" Nope! "Can I pay with 100?" Nope! Pilot sure does love ticking off its customers because they are too afraid of getting robbed and losing it all. 

Management opportunities! What Pilot prides itself on is promoting from within! Yet, they won't tell you when they post openings on Indeed.com and hire someone from the outside right when you think you're about to get that big promotion you've been working so hard on. No, they'd rather hire someone completely new with ZERO supervision experience! Not only that, they will hire managers in from the outside starting at a whopping TEN DOLLARS an hour! WOW!
That new co-manager, as they are called, will have to learn everything you already know how to do. And boy, will they suck at it. Probably due to the lack of motivation they have from having to slave in the cooler every single day. 

Work/Life Balance! Hah! What does that even mean, anyway?! Here at Pilot, we love making our co-managers work from 4p.m. to 4a.m. so that they can sleep their entire days away, only to get up and come right back to their favorite place again, PILOT FLYING J! WAHOO!

Workplace Atmosphere: Do you enjoy inconsiderate, rude, nosy, loitering, or down-right ignorant customers!? Then come work for us! 
Love getting yelled at simply for not remembering someone's brand of cigarettes, or feeling belittled when you make a mistake? Well we're the employer for you!

Finally, Pilot Flying J loves pushing you through training that you can't retain or even comprehend, and simply signs the papers for you, saying you have all the training you need, when really, you don't know jack sheet! Ah, such bliss. Well, at least on paper, you'll look completely competent and experienced for your next employer, because believe me, you won't be here for long! So apply today, and what a lifetime of experience and character you'll gain!

The place was a nice place to work, but they simply refused to hire anymore maintenance staff; having only one for day shift, one for evening, and none for night shift. 

They would expect you to keep everything spotless, gas pumps, lot, bathroom, shower stalls, as well as empty trash for the entire store and lot, and wash towels, washcloths and floor towels; this was all expected of one person in an eight hour span. This only got worse after they fixed the app for booking our showers, making it so that we would have to be cleaning a shower roughly every 5-15 minutes, making other duties, such as changing the trash for the entire storefront and lot basically impossible. The day i actually quit, it had been two days in a row after the shower app fixed that i wasn't able to get all of the trash on my shift, so instead of anyone on second shift, or a manager getting it, they let it build up for those two days. i came to work to find a literal mountain of trash piled behind the back exit in the corner where the diesel pumps are, and basically every trash can besides the ones in the front(because of course) were completely overflowing and spilling on to the ground with trash; most people just leaving grocery bags of their trash beside the can. Also, let me just add that this is trucker trash; this means that these trash cans, that haven't been checked in neigh on two full days, were filled to the brim with one gallon water jugs full of urine, and sometimes literal bags of human feces.

This lack of adequate staffing was also accompanied by a ridiculous amount of animosity between my GM, who had been running that store for 20+ years, and the regional manager. so much so that they literally hounded her until she quit and reassigned herself as a cashier at another Pilot store a few towns over. The consensus among staff was that he was wanting to put a friend of his in charge of the store, i believe due to it being the highest traffic one for the region, so they would continuously try and find something to stick to the old GM so they could fire her; and again, she simply ended up quitting.

But my venting about the unfairness and incompetence of this place aside, i  do have to say that if the management wasn't so hostile, and the store was better staffed(we definitely had the money to do so) it would have been a very nice job. And to my understanding form the few times ive stopped by to get gas or buy an item, now that the new GM has taken roost, the place has apparently gotten better, so i suppose there is that. But i would still err on the side of caution if you ever think of working here, because you may have to bite off way more than you are expecting to chew.

I arrive at work at 10:00pm, sharp. There are no grace minutes for management. Between 10:00pm and midnight I am at the register clearing out the midnight rush, and cleaning our hot food case, in between customers. I am also completing my manager walk and if a salaried manager is unavailable to do End of Day paperwork, it is my job to complete it in that time. By midnight everyone but one cashier and I have gone home. Between the hours of 1:00am and 3:00am, my cashier must completely stock, clean, and prep our deli/coffee area. That includes stocking creamers, sugar packets, lids, straws, and cup. Keeping our coffee fresh. Cleaning our hot dog grills, and ensuring that our deli is rush ready by 4:00am. My time is spent behind the desk running the register so the cashier has as much undisturbed time as possible. A lot of times that isn't possible, but we try to make it happen. Not only do I have an entire fuel desk to manage I also have a store to run, 8 showers to clean, problems to take care of, and overnight replenishment to do. We cook food 24 hours a day. I have to ensure that food is always available. If breakfast runs low, I have to restock the hot case. If we sell out on pizza I have to cook a new one. Once the deli is complete, I look over my game plan and prioritize. I have to stock the cooler, beer cooler, front face and replenish the shelves. Ensure that our fuel desk is rush ready. Make sure showers are clean and towels are available. Sweep and mop the floor. Carry out our pit stop bathroom program. As always, the customer is job number one. The customer is the most enjoyable part of my job. I meet all kinds of people and hear interesting things every day. I love meeting people and talking. The hardest part of my job is time. You have so much to do, if you run in to a computer issue or any sort of problem it throws you behind and you have to sacrifice time some where to make sure you don't get thrown off track. There are things that have to be and things that can be done at shift change. I, as a manager, have to figure out what needs to come first, and delegate where it's needed to ensure that I have time to do things only I can do. I try to always satisfy myself and my co workers. I feel like the key to good employees is ensuring they know their best qualities. I don't always agree with how my superiors treat other employees, and sometimes me. That is a time when I must take a deep breath and know that if its that important I can take is to their boss to be handled. They sometimes create impossible environments to work it. My mind set has to be stronger than their attitudes.

This is a one store experience and may not reflect on Pilot Flying J the company.
I worked there until Friday 02/14/2020. As the maintenance person. AT first I loved it. Everyone working as a team. I worked my butt off for the GM. She was professional to the team. Then she left and we got a new GM. Thats when everything went down hill. My job duties changed. Lets take an average Monday. I come in and have to fill empty windshield washer in truck area. (Told many times by drivers that it was empty all day saturday and sunday) Then start the power wash. Get done with that by say 6am. Then clean pumps, sweep parking lot (nobody will even pick up a cup in front of the store all weekend), do all 25 trashes (most of the time they are over flowing because 1 quest at the counter is so much for 2 people to handle they can't at the very least do the trash close to the doors), clean the front of the store, detail clean the mens restroom (which you are graded on and will never get above an 86% because your are held accountable for things you have no control over. But the GM does). So outside looks good. Now you are told you have to stock the cooler before you clock out for the day. (Mind you it hadn't been stocked since you did it on friday). But I like to work so I do it.
Here is the biggest problem. You power wash and 6 hours later your told they look bad. (Because it would appear the GM and District manager live in a fantasy world that trucks never leak oil, spill gas, and never ever spills DEF all over the place.)
The threats are so bad that you go to work wondering if your going to have a job after the day.
I had a medical issue that I needed the day off for. (prostate cancer. Thank God I didn't have it) When I told her is was scared and nervous she said "You'll be ok because your white" So add racism to it.
Though there are 3 maintenance people they are always working overnights so I am keeping up with the parking lot solo. Again I am not afraid of hard work, but it is a pretty big parking lot for one person.
I had a sever sinus infection that the doctor told me it could very easily turn into pneumonia. After explaining this to the GM I was still required to go out in 34 degrees and power wash. I am not a spring chicken here.
Other areas:
She would yell at the overnight girl for the coffee bar and deli had a small spill on it. Yet when the 2 she hired worked overnight I would come in at 5 and coffee wouldn't be ready and the deli won't be up and running yet she would say nothing to them. Mostly because one of them is her buddy.
I could go on and on about this place. It doesn't have a leader it has a dictator. Tp put it simply I know of 6 people ready to just walk out.

I worked for Pilot for 3.5 years and in those years it was a nightmare. There is not enough diversity in the upper management team and if you not apart of the group of favorites you WILL NOT MOVE UP no matter how you perform. Also this is the first company that I have ever worked for that there was a layoff ever year. Literally there was a layoff each year at the same time end of June beginning of the third quarter. The Layoff isn't because the company is performing poor financially it's just their way of doing a roster purge. The Purge is a mixture of high paid individuals and some under performing employees. Because Pilot doesn't have real true performance metrics this is a method that they use to let people go that aren't under performing but just might be to highly paid or just isn't a fan favorite. I worked under the same manager for three years this was a NIGHTMARE. He didn't respect your time often late for meetings, he didn't listen to your suggestions, he wants you to talk fast and because he has this trait he often time would miss important information that was critical to the success of the business or have a negative impact on something important down the road. When mistakes are made he never took responsibility for those mistakes and often times found away to blame you for things he missed. I spent three years up under him before I was moved to another business unit. I worked in this unit for 3 months when out of nowhere I was advised that my pay was going to change. When I discussed this with my manager she basically told me that I should be so lucky to even have a job and if I didn't like the pay rate change Pilot would replace me or I could quit. When escalated to the HRBP he told me he would look into this. His looking into this was basically saying to me that yes I should have been informed of the change, but I was the highest paid individual in that role for that business unit. He also went on to say we are in the middle of a Pandemic and unsure what direction the company might go in. But if I was to be impacted by this the company would take good care of me. That was the one thing that was correct the company did take care of me when I was laid off at the end of June. Overall the works not hard and if your lucky enough to get placed with a good manager its an enjoyable place to work. But the flip side of that if you under the wrong person its really is an anxiety driven nightmare.

I worked for this company for a year.  I had a stressful position, with a lot of responsibility, but with the right team behind you, it was possible and it started off that way.  But when the GM who had trained me left, the whole store was left to flounder for several months, and my job morphed to include many tasks that were NOT mine to do, but I did them in order to help out.  When they did finally hire someone to take over, she essentially alienated most of the crew with her behavior, pushed morale even lower with her attitude, and went on to tell most of us busting our butts that we didn't know our jobs.  When I had enough and went to put my two week notice in, which any civilized person does when they are leaving a position that is considered management and helps keep the store running, she dismissed me that day, saying she had a 'line of people' waiting to take my position and she didn't need me anymore.  When I filed for unemployment, I was told by the State that she said I had abandoned my job.  Needless to say, with the right people in management, the job isn't so bad, but the wrong people destroy the experience.  Middle management is clueless, and really have no idea what is going on at the store level because managers always have a head's up when they are coming and do their best to be on their best behavior and not allow employees to really talk with them.  There is no typical day at work - you are running full steam ahead, all day long, from one catastrophe to another, fixing pump issues, cleaning showers, dealing with vendors, covering for people who don't show up and trying to keep the store stocked and clean.  I worked in the retail industry for almost 20 years and the disrespect I was shown at this company made it so I won't go back.  I watched promising young people, who wanted to move up in the company, be sabotaged by middle management, pushing them into areas they were not interested in, and then hassling them when their morale fell and they lost interest.  The great crew of store management that I started with, who all had hopes of moving up and having their own stores, systematically left because of low morale and no support and bad management.

As a TCGM, you're responsible for everything that takes place on the property.  From Employee and Guest Service issues to overall facility operations and standards.  Pretty cut and dry...

The company has invested a tremendous amount of resources to change the culture in our Travel Centers and the way we operate with the intention of creating a destination for travelers and America's Professional Drivers.  Unfortunately, over the last 18 months there has been a drastic change in the resources available to make these dreams come true.  While I truly believe and trust that our Senior Leadership Team in Knoxville, TN has their Team Members' best interests top of mind, the same can't be said at the Director and Regional Manager (District Manager in most industries) Levels.  Over the last 18 months there has been an excessive amount of Turnover at the Regional Manager Level and many of the great Leaders that truly embodied the "People First' culture have moved on from PFJ.  In many cases, to our #1 competitor, Loves...

I never dreamed of leaving such an amazing company; but, the truth is, I wish I wasn't looking to change careers or industries.  It's the leadership in Division 13 that is forcing so many Regionals, TCGM's, and RGM's to look for other opportunities for professional growth, a company that values hard work and dedication, a people first mentality, and overall respect form the store support teams.

Again, the Company and Senior Leadership have invested so much time and resources to ensure their Team Members are taken care of. Benefit packages, wages, and training programs are all in my opinion Gold Star vs the very few major companies that I've worked for previously.  It is truly the Field Leadership that has people jumping ship.  

My advice to those looking to join the organization...  Do your homework.  Meet with a few TCGM's and try to solicit their open and honest feedback.  Be very, very critical of the people interviewing you and ask questions that are on your mind.  In no way is this an easy job and it in no way is like any other industry...

I originally took a job as a cashier here "until I found something else" because I was struggling to interview elsewhere. I've now been here for a few years. The job is mostly great, co-workers really can make or break the experience. They offer fantastic benefits, like 401(k) matching, parental leave for both parents, adoption assistance, tuition reimbursement, free access to teledoc, health/vision/dental insurance, a free meal every day, and they were really swift with COVID response. You get the opportunity to meet travellers from all across America and the rest of the world. When there is time to actually execute it, they boast a phenomenal training program. 

There are also cons to this job--it is a travel center, after all. Most obvious con I have come across is that sometime during your PFJ career (if you work in the store, that is), you WILL be picking up human excrement. It's a fact. Also, this place cannot retain employees for anything. I think it has to do with some of the more unsavory clientele mixed with the training program not being properly utilized. Also, everything you do is based on guest surveys. They reign supreme and if the guest (who has zero incentive to submit a good survey, and thus is more likely to submit one when they have a BAD experience) submits a bad survey, it's no mercy for the entire shift. These surveys determine raises, promotions, budgets for hours, etc. They are trivial at best, and can be detrimental at worst.  Also, the management in the stores tends to skew female, but I have seen maybe one female total on the multiple corporate visits we've had over the years--seems strange to me. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Cashier 18 salaries reported	$13.06 per hour
Hvac technician 11 salaries reported	$31.05 per hour
Janitor 3 salaries reported	$17.12 per hour
Deli associate 10 salaries reported	$13.83 per hour
Restaurant general manager 7 salaries reported	$54,841 per year

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