pharmacy technician

certified pharmacy technician

asset protection specialist

food runner

cashier

Ralphs

Like many other companies, money is what makes the company run. Ralph's continues to implement the policy " The Customer is always right." This hands over power and entitlement to the customer. It sometimes causes low morale, irritation, and bitter disagreement between customers and employees. 

I work for both Ralphs and Starbucks. I work for a licensed Starbucks inside the Ralphs. Operations are different compared to an actual Starbucks. I do my best to maintain and fulfill the guidelines. It's hard. Obviously I'm going to give you an anecdotal story but it does not mean that my experience is the same for all Ralph's store locations.

Co-workers and Customers can make/break the day. Co-workers can be moody so can Customers. Managing your perception of always being positive can help. But the irritation from co-workers, customers, and management can really add up. Customer service is hard and not for everyone. I use to really like retail jobs and customer service jobs but I've grown to hate it recently. Especially when management cares more about the income of the company than the overall well-being of their employees. 

The most enjoyable part about the job is the connection between you and the customer. You get to know people and their stories. If that's something you find valuable, then customer service is for you. But those customers come every so often. There's a whole lot of other customers that just come without ever connecting. This makes the day mundane and repetitive and you become insensitive to ever really making a connection. Top that with customers that are specific to their order and you have irritation and bad customer service (mood deflates, resentment, etc). 

I realized that I would like more of a relaxing job, one that does not deal with rude customers and coworkers or management that does not care. It's hard to find but the search is worth it. One thing for sure is that I would not want to work here for ever when I can be making twice as much in a different field with far less stress. Another thing: Work hard in the beginning to develop good work ethic (it'll help in your actual life career), as soon as you develop a strong foundation, do the minimum but acceptable amount of work possible then when requested to work extra by management, request the certain pay rate for that specific role. Example: I worked my regular Barista duties, was asked to train a new-hire, got paid those training days as a certified trainer. Ended up with CT wages. Emphasizing on developing good work ethic, the significance is that the acceptable and minimum amount of work will be easy for you rather than having to improve gradually. Once it's easy, then performing extra work as requested won't be as demanding.

I used to work at a Ralph's down on Marguerite Parkway in Mission Viejo. Very nice people, very relaxed and bearable work environment for retail (although they didn't quite take covid as seriously as they should have). A typical day consisted of bagging about 15 orders every hour, which was somewhat slow and steady, occasional sweeping and cleaning of the store, and a few hourly shifts of clearing the lot of carts. The registers could get crowded at times with three being open and myself being the only courtesy clerk, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. Workplace culture was very friendly, management was a little old-fashioned but very reasonable. The only hard part of the job was keeping up with crowded days and figuring out the occasional odd jobs that got handed to you. The most enjoyable part of the job was going out on carts, being away from the crowded interior of the store and being able to work in peace. In light of certain issued I was facing personally, I transferred to a new store on Irvine Boulevard.

What a difference it was.

I worked at the Mission Viejo store for almost a year and a half, and was unanimously considered to be one of the better employees by the management.
When I transferred, I was treated incredibly differently. I was treated like I was a new hire, like I had no prior experience at all. Everything was condescendingly explained to me by a certain unliked manager, even though I knew how to do everything they asked of me. What was weird was that they would tell me how to do something in a way that I knew was the wrong way. I would do it the way they told me anyways because authoritarians like it when you follow orders, but they would immediately turn around and criticize the way I did something that they told me to do, and would tell me how to do it the way I already knew how. I worked night shift upon night shift at my last store, I knew how to wipe out checkstands and collect trash like a pro. When I did these things, this manager would tell me to do them a completely different way and then criticize me and condescendingly explain to me that I had to do it the way I was already doing it at first.
Not only was this particular manager very hard to deal with in this regard, they also were incredibly belittling. They would address me like I was a pet and move their finger in a beckoning gesture just to tell me to get the sweep when I was done with my order. They would interrupt my orders constantly, and the cashiers would get mad at me for going to her. I only worked there from mid October 2020 to mid December 2020, and I was called into their office 5 times. My effort was consistently criticized, my experience was belittled, and I was treated like a bad dog. Management does not care about time, well being, or mental health. They are on a power trip.

Bottom Line: Stay away from Store #299 on 6300 Irvine Boulevard

Over worked and understaffed 
I recently had the unfortunate opportunity to work at Ralphs Grocery Store, and I must say that it was one of the most disheartening experiences of my life. From the moment I stepped foot in the store, it became painfully clear that this establishment had little regard for its employees' well-being or job satisfaction.

First and foremost, the management at Ralphs Grocery Store was utterly incompetent. They seemed to have no idea how to effectively communicate or delegate responsibilities. Important information was often withheld, leaving me and my coworkers clueless about our tasks and objectives. Instead of providing clear instructions and guidance, the managers preferred to play favorites, creating a toxic and divisive work environment.

The lack of organization in the store was astounding. Shelves were constantly disheveled, with products often misplaced or out of stock. Despite repeatedly notifying the management about these issues, they were met with indifference. This not only frustrated the customers but also made our jobs unnecessarily difficult. It was clear that maintaining a clean and organized store was not a priority for Ralphs Grocery Store.

Furthermore, the workload at this place was unbearable. The store consistently understaffed, leaving employees to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. I was often expected to handle the cash register, stock shelves, assist customers, and clean up spills—all at the same time. The workload was so overwhelming that breaks were a luxury we could hardly afford.

To make matters worse, the management displayed a complete lack of respect for employees' personal lives. Scheduling was a nightmare, with last-minute changes and long shifts being the norm. Requests for time off were frequently denied, even when made well in advance. This disregard for work-life balance had a detrimental effect on my mental and physical well-being.

Lastly, the pay and benefits were insulting. Despite the demanding workload and the stress associated with working at Ralphs Grocery Store, the compensation was meager and inadequate. There were no opportunities for advancement or professional growth. It was abundantly clear that the management saw employees as replaceable cogs in a machine rather than valuable contributors to the store's success.

In conclusion, my experience at Ralphs Grocery Store was nothing short of a nightmare. The lack of competent management, disorganization, excessive workload, disregard for work-life balance, and poor compensation made it a job I couldn't wait to escape from. I strongly advise anyone seeking employment to steer clear of this establishment unless they enjoy being treated as disposable and undervalued.

All Ralphs locations have different work experiences.

The one in North Hollywood I worked in is constantly busy and the demographic is is a wide variety of tourists, college students, and seniors. No matter what time of day it is, it will always be busy and it will feel short staffed. There's a constant pressure of keeping up with store goals like not having long lines, getting surveys from customers, and working in a fast paced manner.

You will build a strong sense of urgency in keeping up your tasks. You will learn that there might not be help so you have to do it yourself. Its customer service so its priority to keep customers happy and give what they want. You have the customers you will see everyday, ones that are very nice, you get the handful of rude ones, the homeless, and the rare ones that try to scam on returns, giftcards, or even try to steal. 

Managers will always have your back if anything goes wrong. You show respect to them and they respect you. Some may play favorites, some are nice and some you have to deal with. Most of the time it is busy and the help is not there so it is hard to get breaks and lunches on time. You pick up as you go in learning the store and its functions. Training is not enough in what they give you so you learn as you go. 

It gets frustrating if other employees are not willing to work as a team so the work becomes harder. If there's not enough help or someone calls out, it makes a difference in how hard you have to work that day. 

There is no set schedule, you work whatever time they give you. One day you will be closing and then the next day you are opening. Sometimes you get a lot of hours and sometimes not enough. You get a schedule of 2 weeks in advanced so if you need to get a day off, you have to make sure it is planned way ahead of time.

I work at the Ralphs between Laurel Canyon and Vanowen. I started a few months ago and my experience working there has been terrible. I knew it was going to be from the start because I waited 3 hours to be seen by the manager at the time for my job interview. I got hired two months into the pandemic and it was a stressful experience but very eye opening. I learned how to appreciate the baggers and cashiers because it isn't an easy job. They honestly run the store and without them, customers wouldn't be able to get groceries. One things I enjoyed about this job was meeting coworkers who had the same work ethic as me. This job is great for someone who needs to gain work experience because it will result in doing a one man job. Also, you tend to become friends with the regular customers and build a good relationship with them. One of the things I disliked was asking a manager for help, and them saying to work faster. Managers refuse to help out front where most of the help is needed. I'm writing this review because as someone who likes to work in an environment where there is good management, I wasn't able to find it here. The managers lack a lot in helping out their employees, making them do their own work. Most of the employees run the store and it is seen when lines are long because no manager is at sight in the front. I'm also writing this review because the managers lacked the prevention of Covid to its employees. A lot of employee have gotten sick and it is due to managers allowing anti mask people to walk around the store and shop. They also don't have any control of how many people are allowed in the store which is a higher risk of COVID-19 being spread. Many of my coworkers have been testing positive from Covid and it is a huge issue because it could have been prevented if the managers were more interested in keeping people safe than making the company money. I believe that if this store had better management it would be a decent place to work at, and it would have a healthy and strong work environment. I wouldn't recommend working here.

I was hired with the promise that hard work lead to promotion.  After 15 months of working harder than anyone in my department and being told that I was up for promotion "next month", I've recently been told that my department has never been large enough to support an assistant manager.  

In that time, I've had two store directors tell me that there was no promotion because work was not getting finished.  This department is chronically understaffed with a high rate of turnover. In order to get the promised promotion (to something resembling a decent wage) I have been doing the work of two people.  Often working off the clock for over an hour while the manager comes in and points out even more work that needs to be done.  I went without a lunch break for 6 months.  

Management was aware that I was working off the clock.  They have made reference to it, watched me clock out and go back to work, cut my actual hours when I tried to only work my posted shift, asked me why I was leaving the store on my lunch break or after my shift "when there is so much to do." 

There were no promotions in the entire store for the 15 months I was there.  I was not the only person working off the clock and not getting paid.  The store has created a culture of unpaid labor.  The store directors get cash bonuses for meeting certain goals.  The employees lives are meaningless to management.  If they can make an extra 5 bucks by having you come in for 4 hours shifts, 10 days in a row and then bullying you to work off the clock, they will happily do it.  

it is also impossible to get a weekend.  Even if you work only 24 hours a week, you will NEVER have two days off in a row.  They get offended if you even mention it.  (Have a life?  but you work at Ralphs!)

The union got 25% of my paycheck.   So I went for help there.  My union rep told me that working off the clock can get me fired so I really shouldn't do it.  But if I "had" to, that I should be more subtle.  Not a single word about how illegal this is.    It took 3 weeks of calling the union to get that non-answer.

Even health insurance isn't worth this.

Every time I walk in there is always something that needs to be done and there are always customers that need to be helped. It is very rare when there is nothing to do. Normally I would go and bag a customers groceries and help them out to their car if requested by the customer, or I would go and put items back on the shelf that were left by customers who didn't want to purchase them anymore. Sometime I would go in the back and watch the truck and just mark and check the merchandise coming off the trucks making sure we are getting all of our necessary items.
This was my first job I ever had and it gave me a lot of experience. I learned to be more social around people. The most interesting thing I learned was how grocery stores operate, I was always curious of this when I shopped there as a kid. Helping the truck drivers with the merchandise off the truck and assisting the drop clerks bringing the pallets onto the store floor really gave me a lot of experience on how to use the pallet jack.
The management is great! They are always interacting with the employees and we always have some type of cooked meal in the back. They are always having meetings on a regular basis just to make sure we are all helping each other reach our goals its like a real team literally.
My co-workers are all very cool to be around we all get along great and there is no drama at all whatsoever.
To be honest there isn't really anything there that is difficult at all. I think that is the problem. I am looking for something different something new, something more challenging.
I really enjoy getting the carts outside. Almost all of my co-workers dread it but I look forward to it. I just enjoy being outside off the front end and just being around customers outside. It feels pretty good offering them carts right before they get to the front of the store. It makes them real happy just getting out the car only to have a cart right in front of them ready to shop.

A few years ago when working for this company I thought it would be good. It is if you have the right supervisors. I use to work for Albertsons which I really do miss and Stater Bros as well another good company and miss the people I worked with. Pay isnt to great due to that strike they had a while back back in 05 I believe. Anyway I was getting close to my 90 day period. The assistant supervisor was a total jerk. I always thought it was becuase thats just how he is. The main supervisor of the store was as well just didn't show his real personality much. So one day Im close to my 90 day and they wanted me to clean up a few dirt marks around the store. They make you work your butt off for beyond low pay by the way. If you don't move like your making 300 a hour in reality your not your not a good worker in their eyes. After kindly telling a customer sorry I have to clean the marks on the aisle the assistant fliped out along with the main super for no reason. The assistant takes me on a aisle where no one is around and he tells me we are going to make a example out of you. If I had my way I would fire everyone but my friends. All his friends are fully white. I am white black and spainish. The way he was telling me I knew right then he was firing me becuase I'm not white enough to work. The look he had on his face as well he was beyond disgusted at looking at me like Im some mutant that should be put down cause Im freaking mixed with white and black. He pretty much told me he would fire everyone that isnt white at that store and wasn't even carefull with his words he flat out let me have it for not be white enough to work there. You bet your butt if I had enough proof I would sue the heck out of him for discrimination. We are not in the 1940s and it still kinda bugs me to this day but I do believe in karma. Also keep in mind when I was working there there was only about 10 fully white workers there. The rest were Asian,latino, mixed like me or black.

Ralph's grocery stores are not only great stores to shop, but also great places to obtain responsible employment. The stores are generally well maintained through careful and specific management systems while they uphold their standards of providing fast and friendly services as well a wide variety of foods, drinks and other useful products.
As an employee for six years, I have gained a great amount of management skills. With the exception of front end courtesy clerks, all departments, are required to electronically clock in, retrieve product loads, break down, stock and manage store products. At the same time, each department is responsible for ordering and maintaining products, including out of stocks, new and old products  taken in and out of shelving schematics. They must also help design, rearrange, build displays and ensure proper facing of the products. The General Merchandising team must constantly communicate and coordinate the direction of the store every night to help adhere to company standards. 
Ralph's has a great work atmosphere, hires and always promotes safe and friendly employees that love to learn, demonstrate understanding of the food industry, retail management systems and love working with a variety of people. They also do their best to provide a flexible schedule. While the hardest part of the job is working graveyards, because sometimes, it is physically exhausting, it is more rewarding for a single mother of two attending school in a different district, and trying to obtain her Bachelor's degree in Health Administration. The most enjoyable part of the job is working with great people, responsible and respectful management and knowing my contribution to all the stores I've worked in the last six years, has helped many people and charities.

This was my first job and while I guess it's tolerable, it is not fun or rewarding in any way. If you hate the heat or physical activity (taking carts from outside) , then courtesy clerk at ralphs is not for you.
I was paid $14.20 per hour. So I would make a little less than $50 with normal paycheck deductions for a four hour shift. EXCEPT, with Ralphs you have Union deductions. For a four hour shift, they'd deduct about $15 from it, so I really only earned $35. You are severely underpaid, this is not a job to rely on financially (unless you work full time), more of something for an extra few bucks.
The people here do NOT care about your schedule availability. They schedule you when they want, and don't care. Not available Sundays? They schedule you Sundays anyway. Despite constant reminders, they kept on scheduling me outside my availability range. Also, when THEY make a mistake in your schedule, they make YOU get it covered. Instead of handling their mistake they make you take care of it. 
Despite having such a copious amount of staff, we seemed to frequently be understaffed. Workers are stretched end to end. So often, I was the only clerk for almost the entirety of my shift, putting a lot of stress and responsibilities on me that should've been shared. 
Regardless, the majority of my coworkers were very nice and made my time there much more bearable.
Also they DO NOT interview. Heading into my second job, I feel very unprepared because I didn't get that interview experience. It makes you question what they value in employees if they dont evaluate them at all.
Ralphs is also very inconsistent with how often they schedule you. You either work 4 hours a week or 14.
Overall, if you're a desperate teen looking to make some cash, then Ralphs is an alright choice. Otherwise, I would not recommend.

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