assistant store manager

assistant manager

store manager

technician

administrative coordinator

Rural King

Working at Zephyrhills Rural King was alright. 
For the 12 months of working in this store from overnight to early morning stocking before the position was terminated was an odd bumpy road trip.
 
Here's my take on this store as a stocker.
Work is work, you just had to deal with the repetition of it all. The co-workers and certain assistant managers were great, understandable and were there to help if anything happens..that is if management would allow it. 

The schedules were flexible and would be able to help you out if you had school or another job so my schedule was set for myself accordingly.

Typical day at work was to grab a pallet jack, grab a pallet and move it out to the floor to work it out and do what you can. If there wasn't a spot for the item you were to get with an assistant manager or a co-worker who's been there for awhile and they'll tell you to put it back in the pallet or they'll make a spot for it for you to stock. 

Department managers of specific locations for example: pets, livestock, hardware & automotive etc aren't there to tell you if it belongs there or not so putting an item up if it doesn't belong there is crucial to your job as a stocker so its best for you to put it back until their shift begins.

Pro tip is: if you don't know where the item belongs, get with someone in the stocking crew who's been there for awhile for help and if that doesnt work then its best to put the item back in the pallet, put it back in the receiving room and let your receiving management know of the cause of returning that pallet back and leave a note taped to it for your co-workers to know that you've worked it so that they won't get confused and for your department managers to try and make a spot for it.

You'll also be answering phone calls, fronting and zoning the store and working end caps. The store is understaffed so some days you'll be on register, grabbing shopping carts outside when prompt to help around.

The store may be big but there's too many items on the sales floor for certain items to go out regardless of planograms so most of the stuff you pull out to work will usually end up going back to the receiving room and get cluttered with backstock.

The management goal and expectations is for you to do the impossible, possible. You're to clear out the back room and leave it spotless as much as you can when the truck has been delivered and downstacked before you were to end your shift and the next truck to arrive. But in reality that isn't the case. 

I'm usually the type to go for realism than expectations but I try my best to get the job done and usually 'trying your best' is frowned upon. You won't be able to clear the backroom 100% but at least enough to make it less cluttered thank what it was before.

Teamwork is key, so if you need help its best to get with someone. Management will question you on why you're working together and will separate you from working with he or she and will use "bUt iN mY pErSpEcTiVe" and so on as an excuse to seperation so do your best to get help as much as possible because each day is not going to be the same day as yesterday. 

The store has an utterly disgusting rodent infestation. You'll find baby mice in livestock bags and pet food bags inside and in between pallets and see a big mouse running from asile to asile and even in the receiving room and bathrooms. The traps they have arent helping and are filled with garbage and dust and isn't really helping. You'll also find spiders, big roaches in certain areas as well so as a stocker you'll be working in these departments regardless so wash your hands periodically when done.

Its an 'ok' beginner job for those coming out of school or just need a little extra cash. But if you're looking for advancement, slow-paced work, more pay after 6 months you might as well keep moving because this job doesn't offer it. More pay is offered after 1 year of service and usually it ranges to $1 or less.

This particular store DOES INDEED have favoritism, don't let this discourage you from your work and if you still tend to work here, godspeed to you.

Rural king is the worst company I've ever seen when it comes to hostility toward its employees. The worst part is they cut your time for every reason you can imagine.  You have to waste at least ten minutes out of your day watching the clock to punch in/out at precise times or you'll get written up for punching too early or too late.  Managers will ask you to work over, then you won't get paid for it.  When you tell them you can't work over because you don't get paid, then you get written up as well.  I'm sorry that I can't work for the social experience of increasing a corporation's wealth.  I work for a paycheck, and when they cheat me out of my money, they reduce my willingness to do their bidding.

They require you to set up direct deposit after hire, and will only cut you a couple of paper checks before you have to have direct deposit in place.  The kicker is they won't give you a check stub after that, and the only way to check your time is in a complicated software program that is only accessible from their store computers, and is extremely difficult to find your data.  The best part is they make your password expire at random times so the HR manager has to reset it, and they can keep up with who is actually watching their payroll.

Management is made up of the culls from other retail companies that couldn't hack it at Walmart or Lowe's, etc.  They preach customer service then make it impossible for you to effectively serve the people who are bringing you business.  I was at one point reprimanded for failing to answer a phone call when I was helping a line of customers check out.  I have repeatedly heard the store manager get angry at loaders for not answering radio calls when those particular people weren't even working that day!

Management from corporate all the way down to ASMs have no clue what actually goes on in their stores.  Every tool you need is kept under lock and key because the company doesn't trust its employees with its property, and a manager is required to unlock everything from cleaning supplies to printer paper, then they get mad when you ask them to unlock something.

Overall it's an impossible situation and I'm glad to be out of it.  The funniest part of it all is the following proof that management is clueless... I worked out a two-weeks' written notice, which I gave to my ASM, the store manager, and the HR manager. They all got mad at me when I said my goodbyes to coworkers on my last day.  They said they had a real problem with my failure to inform them of my decision to quit.  They all completely forgot about my notice!

Good luck to everyone who can hang on for the next five years and go to work for Tractor Supply when they buy Rural King at a bankruptcy sale.

If you even think you will be properly trained to do any job here, DREAM ON. This is a completely trial by fire company. They claim to have training available, good luck with THAT. Getting trained at RK is like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that never stays in one place. 

To wit, you are damned for not reading the minds of any of the store managers or assistant store managers. They do not communicate with one another and you will be given any number of different and conflicting tasks by ALL of them. And then get a rear chewing when you tried to accomplish the varying and conflicting directions of all of them with virtually NO HELP from your dept crew. THEY (your department crew) get pulled to work in un-assigned departments and you get left with monumental stocking tasks on your own and then get your rear chewed again when it isn't done on time, or in the way your managerS thought you should do it, again without any direction.
 Management will advise you to use you own judgement and then throw a fit when you do, especially if you are managing a department that NEVER is given Plan-o-gram.

RK is a miserable and very confusing place to work, every day starts off with  negative comments from the managers, and a reiterations of what minor behaviors will get you terminated. The list of reasons to be terminated is LONG and includes very minor infractions.

They claim to be a family oriented company but make your work-real life balance a living hell. You are viewed as a potential thief through personal bag searches and constant video recording. Get sick, have a flat tire or dead battery in the morning come in late or call in sick you get PENALIZED through a stupid POINT system..

IF you enjoy a negative environment, RK is for you. I would advise any and everyone to avoid this place like the plague.  Negativity is what you will face on a daily basis, nothing you do will ever be right and you will almost NEVER got a pat on the back for being dedicated, diligent or efficient.

If you have a crystal ball that works, you MIGHT have a good experience here. If not, GOOD LUCK to you. Don't apply or accept a job with RK unless you are DESPERATE. The pay is low for the work expected and and expectations from store to corporate management are ridiculous.

Not a family business, not a positive environment, not personal life or second job friendly.

AVOID.

Rural King wants blood, sweat and tears for peanuts in salary. 
I've had a .36 cent (YES!, .36 CENT!) raise in the last 2 years! The owners and the other corporate big-shots fly around in helicopters, while I can hardly afford to put gas in my truck. There is no such thing as a set-schedule at Rural King, so it is impossible to have a second job to try and earn enough money to live-on. They expect your body and soul 7 days a week, even though you will likely only be scheduled 25 hours at minimum wage.
 Rural King has a "no-fault" absence policy. This means THERE IS NO GOOD excuse for being late or missing work! A doctors note will not even excuse you for being sick (and there are NO sick days either!). Each missed day is a point, each time you're late (even ONE MINUTE) it's 1/2 a point, 7 points and you are terminated, no discussion. My store has the worst culture of backstabbing and two-facing. Certain employees gain favor with upper management by tattling on other associates to the boss, who of course, encourages this behavior.
 The customers are a horrid mix of ignorant rednecks, ghetto trash and doddering retirees. They stumble through the store and complain about every penny spent, trying to chisel the employees down on prices (like they think it's a flea market) but yet, they expect Tiffany level service and butt-kissing so they can feel like "king-for-the-day"! They complain about ANYTHING in hopes of getting a free gift card from management and some will even LIE and totally make-up stories that they can submit over the internet- and management almost always sides with the customers and employees have no defense and get written-up or threatened with firing. 
The stores are dirty, cold in the winter, hot and nasty in the summer and you have to listen to country music- even though your I.Q. may be above 25. You are only allowed a 10 minute break- 5 minutes to use the restroom 2 minutes to walk up front to buy a soda, 3 minutes to stand in line to pay for it and your break is over, you never even got to sit down during your "break". The turnover rate is unbelievable, like 60-70% within 6 months and the owners and managers ABSOLUTELY DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE EMPLOYEES! We are just replaceable/disposable parts in their money-making machine.
 If you have an enemy, encourage them to get a job a Rural King.

A typical day at work for me is arriving, signing in at the tell, then going to the back where my position is, after grabbing some popcorn of course. I'd wipe my hands down with sanitizer before grabbing some gun cleaning oil, going over some of the noticeably dusty firearms with a rag. Since its mid-day when I usually arrive, we usually have one customer filling out forms for a firearm. The company provides all sorts of training for this too. I thought I knew firearm laws, but I was wrong. They taught me so much. Most of the customers there are returning customers, and you grow a bond with them and learn so much about their lives and beliefs. Occasionally you'll get a spoilsport of a customer, like a clueless person coming in, acting like they're buying a firearm, before locking you into a conversation about how 'Firearms are wrong' and the 'Second amendment should be abolished' and the Gods forbid you are a Pagan or LGBTQ+ because the customer will try to leverage that against you. The management are really helpful, even some of the hard-egg managers are nice most of the time. Just show a will and a want to get the job done and they'll mostly leave you alone. Co-workers are a bit of a different story. All that I've talked to are really nice, however there is always workplace drama. I had one incident (not with co-workers or customers, but with the schedule) where I wasn't told I had to work that day until I walked in to buy paper plates for a BBQ, and I was told I was late. What happened was that they had uploaded the schedule THAT morning, and there is no app or Emails to alert you of your schedule for that week. The hardest part of the job is mostly the feeling of nearly indefinite amounts of down time. Downtime can stretch from minutes to hours at a time. And don't get me started on the Avena Background Check System. And the ATF and FBI, these agencies sometimes don't do their job. There was one time where a customer had an OUTGOING background check for nearly 4 hours before the FBI responded with a 'delayed'. You also sell more than guns, you sell hunting supplies, grills, safes, and camping supplies.

I went into the interview only wanting to take the cashier position that was available, but I was talked into taking the customer service position despite having no customer service experience. I was supposed to train for a few days as just a cashier, but that never happened. I was immediately thrown into customer service and had to learn everything all at once. It took me months to finally feel comfortable with everything as there was so much information thrown at me in such a short time. I think I worked the customer service counter for maybe 3-4 days before I was completely left by myself on one of the busiest days of the week. I did fine, but their so-called "thorough training before you feel comfortable" is nonexistent. One manager is like a helicopter parent that feels the need to critique every single move you make, which ultimately dampers the mood anytime I work with them. They're also incompetent and can't even do their own job, but I suppose that's why they feel the need to discourage and talk down to everyone who is under them so they can feel better about themself. Also, there is just so much drama. It's like high school all over again. There is not a day that goes by without some form of drama. Someone upset someone else and now the whole store knows about it. Someone messed something up at work and now the whole store is talking about it. Again, there's a lot of drama with the one manager as well. They've had so many people complain about them it's unreal, but they're still employed with the company. Some of the things they've done should've gotten them fired on the spot, but they still remain! Overall poor experience so far. I need the job so I'm staying, but really the pay for being a CSS isn't worth it. I was told I make $1 more than cashiers, but after discussing pay with other cashiers and employees of the store, I found that some of them make more than I do, despite having a lot less responsibility. Don't expect a raise either. And, if you work the front end, you are going to loathe the popcorn machine. Managers and customers will make rude comments about popcorn being burnt, which will drive you insane. It doesn't matter if you're not able to step away, you will get chewed out for it at some point.

Before being employed at Rural King I had a friend that worked their tell me that they had open positions and so I filled an application out and when I called to check in on it two days later I was told by an assistant manager that NO positions were available, so I go into Rural King the following day to speak to my friend and the general manger about it and it turns out that the same assistant manager that told they were not hiring had marked my two day application as an old application so I couldn't be hired from that one... After finding this out the GM had me fill out another application and she took it personally this time and I was hired within the week. After being hired I worked in the gun department and was trained well by the department manager, but while working their assistant managers contradicted themselves constantly with what my job consisted of and would try to have me pick up other associates slack rather than reprimand them on the poor work quality they were putting forth. Managers would also bad rap other associates but then be friendly to there faces which reminded me of grade school all over again. I would say the customers I had made the work experience enjoyable but other than that I would not work there, I would have multiple customers tell my General manger compliments about me based on my work ethic and knowledge of firearms to which she would retort " Im going to take care of these guys, Im going to give them a bonus of some sort" but to no avail... She was simply doing this to please the customer's. Instead she fired me just before our employee reviews which would determine a raise or not and she fired me for using my employee discount for people in my household other than myself which I know of other senior employees doing before I worked there, who were still there... Favoritism, lies and immaturity is what you can expect from Rural King's Xenia location.

Rural King is a steadily growing company with poor corporate leadership and no respect for its employees at the store level. After the Trump tax break they decided that instead of giving employees raises like some places they would give it to a Hospital in Mattoon, IL (the location of the corporate offices) which is nice but in no way benefits a majority of its employees hundreds of miles away. The corporate office seems to fly by the seat of its pants. They will enact a new procedure or program only to forget about it a few months later. Logistics is terrible, they can't keep employees or truck drivers so enlist the stores to send their employees to help at the detriment of the stores. The CEO is only in his position due to him being related to the founders. Menards, Lowes, and Walmart pay better for all positions from the part time cashier to the store manager, but Rural King hides behind the ability to buy shares in the company.

As far as store day to day, it's usually laid back compared to other retail stores. Rural King is less structured than other places allowing more freedom to merchandise. Planograms are terrible here and usually require some flexing and moving of merchandise. Managers are more flexible with scheduling than most. Workload for management can be stressful. Its often seems like Rural King is getting more out of me then what I'm getting paid. Managers are scheduled 50 hours but are paid hourly. They reworked pay so that when the Obama era salary overtime rule was about to go into effect they would not have to pay managers more. (Assisstant managers were paid salary, but Rural King reworked it so that you got paid hourly the same amount a year as you did when salary.)

I would only come work here as a stop gap between jobs.

A typical day for me starts at 6am and ends at 3pm. It is full of too much work place drama and expectations that I am unable to reach. I am constantly doing the job of two people do to high turn over rates. I rarely get my ten minute breaks and I don't get my full lunch.  Over time is not allowed.

I have learned that settling because you need a pay check doesn't make for a good work environment. I want to work for a place that apricates the work that I do and that I don't have to fight with every time that I want to take a vacation or need a day off for doctors appointments.

There are a lot of management issues. They contradict each other. One will tell you to do something and when the other finds out the first claims they knew nothing about it. You never know  what kind of mood the manager is going to be  in from minute to minute. My direct boss has changed six different times in two years and I am the one that is always made to act in that position when it is not filled with no compensation. 

The work place culture is all about the how much money the store can bring in and if we can make all the goals set by corporate. Individual limitations are not a concern. 

The hardest part of my job is trying to make every one happy. The lines are to long and with being short staffed customers are always complaining. I ask for help and only one or two people will hep. Then I get negativity from management  for it. Complements are very rare from management. I work harder than anyone else on the front end and still I don't feel like I do things to their satisfaction.

The most enjoyable part of my job is joking around with customers. I have made a couple of really good friends there. I enjoy speaking to them when time allows. When things aren't so tense it can be fun.  

 

I worked at the Greensburg store for two years. I was hired into a dept mgr position with very little management experience and I was thrown into the job with virtually no training. I was expected to know Rural King's expectations and left to figure it out on my own and was met with condescending asst mgrs. I moved to a different position in a matter of months. It seemed to improve when we got a store mgr who was more present than the previous mgr until circumstances has temporarily taken the new mgr out of the store. The store is dirty and poorly arranged and even though Rural King is bringing in more food items, they do little to control vermin in their stores. Also, I was entitled to paid time off when the acting mgrs told me I was not. I liked most of my co-workers, but there is a lot of turnover because of the lack of coordinated effort by the people that are not all on the same page while the mgr is out of the store. They all have their own idea of how the store should be. I believe the company should focus on both basic retail and safety training, as when hurt on the job, no one seems to know that they are supposed to fill out an incident report or how to handle drug testing. The asst mgrs need to be trained on how to recognize the strengths of each employee and help them succeed in the right job for them and also be more familiar with Rural King policies. There is way too much conflicting information. Corporate needs to understand that if this is their vision, they need to change it. This store is in a small town and has a lot of potential customers looking for items you cannot find at the local Walmart, but it needs a lot of work to avoid criticism and to bring in more customers.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Assistant store manager 11 salaries reported	$51,500 per year
Assistant manager 5 salaries reported	$52,500 per year
Store manager 1 salary reported	$73,375 per year
Technician 1 salary reported	$16.75 per hour
Administrative coordinator 1 salary reported	$17.00 per hour

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