retail merchandiser

merchandiser

reset merchandiser

grocery merchandiser

retail sales associate

SAS Retail Services

I currently work for SAS Retail Services as a Team Leader. I've been with the company for about five months, now, and started as a Merchandiser. I've worked in retail in the past as a sales associate but this was my first job pertaining to merchandise resets. My team services six stores in the PA and NY area.

As a Merchandiser, you typically start the day by grabbing a Plan-O-Gram from the Team Lead, head to the back of the store to grab a u-boat/trolley and some milk crates, and then go to the section you're resetting. Resetting is easy work; you just pull discontinued, expired, B-item, Unallocated, and Not-On-Planogram items from the shelf and place them into the milk crates, labeling the crates separately. You then pull products off the shelves, one shelf at a time, and clean the shelf before placing the correct products back on in the order that the Plan-O-Gram designates (while also rotating dates when appropriate). After the section is completely reset, you then take the milk crates to the backroom of the store and leave them where the Receiver wants them.

As a Team Lead, you start the day off by making sure the POGs for that day's resets match the sections they're designed for, assigning POGs to team members, operating the SAS software app on your assigned tablet, checking E-Mails, and printing out any necessary documents for the day. The SAS app is simple to use and lets you clock your team members in/out, assign them to specific resets, record the time they spent on the reset, take before/after pictures of the resets, and record your New Item and Void Item bulletins. The bulletins are done at each store and simply require you to makes space for New Items and place price tags for them on the shelf, or check if an item on the Void Item bulletin is on the shelf and make room for it if it is not.

There's a few more little things that you have to do here and there, such as bi-weekly conference calls, pulling new items from the backroom and placing them on the shelves, printing tags, etc. but nothing is difficult to learn or do. Speaking of learning, thanks to this job I've learned how resets work, how to read a Plan-O-Gram, how to balance a workload between multiple team members, how to operate a retail inventory system to print price tags, and a lot of little things you don't realize are being done behind the scenes in a retail environment.

Management in my area has been exceptionally great; when my team needed help my supervisor was quick to respond. When I have to call an analyst due to a problem with a POG or item that's not on the POG, I always get a quick, helpful response. I've yet to have any issues of any kind with management.

The job itself is very relaxed, slow-paced, and laid-back most of the time. Sometimes we do get a heavier workload that requires to the team to move at a fast pace to get everything done in time but for the most part, everyone can take their time to make sure the job is done neatly and correctly. My team has been very pleasant to work with, though we've had a bit of a high turnover (I'll touch on that later), and we try to maintain a friendly and professional environment.

The most difficult part of the job, and the reason for the high turnover of employees, is by-far the travel. I travel over 1,000 miles per month at the expense of about $175 in gas but am only reimbursed about $43 for mileage per month. One of the stores my team services requires me to travel for approximately 3-4 hours that day. I've been told by every employee who has left the team that traveling to that single store has been the main reason they've quit. Frankly, the cost of gas, travel time, and wear-and-tear on my personal vehicle do have me questioning how much longer I will stay with SAS. I'll be changing my car's oil every 3 months with how many miles I'm putting on it monthly.

In contrast, the most enjoyable part of the job for me is the hours. I work mainly as a freelance programmer, YouTuber, and server administrator for an online multiplayer game server and working for SAS helps fill the gap between my meager self-employment and my living expenses. I feel lucky to have a job that requires me to work only 5-7 hours per day, four days per week, leaving me with enough time to do the things that I enjoy doing. As I stated before, the job is very relaxed and laid-back which is great for me as I tend to get stressed easily.

Cheap, cheap company that has over-promised to the client and is trying to have their cake and eat it too. The re-sets grew to be problematic and exhausting after S.A.S received a Food Lion contract in the northeast (Hannaford's). Over-the-top changes, much needless, just so the buyers in the home offices could tinker with product however they felt- above and beyond the bidding for space that goes on with manufacturers now a days. After many months of feedback and nothing changing, it became obvious the buyers at corporate offices didn't give a hoot about the merchandisers (nor the shopper- see below). Not to mention, the same mistakes made on plan-o-grams because the corporate people wouldn't simply visit the stores once in a while and evaluate our feedback; the same errors were made on the plan-o-grams for the same sets months later using unreliable computer models. 

Merchandisers began to get hurt- backs, knees, etc...- many of whom were in perfectly good physical shape. Too much time spent bent down on floors, and absurd shelf changes for sets that are already very lengthy such as revamping yogurt for the third time in less than a year. In many cases, the manufacturer wouldn't change where they were on the shelving, but rather flavors. Dumb and unnecessary. 

Re-sets in many sections became so time consuming, I began to get comments from shoppers. Hopefully that will knock some sense into these buyers and SAS, who is all to happy to bow-tow to whatever the stores wanted, while trying to cut merchandisers' pay after they took over the contract, while offering no opportunity for raises, and lessening mileage reimbursement. Very frustrating to be stuck in an OJ section for example, by the early afternoon, and have half the product in the back cooler, because of the overwhelming change. Shoppers weren't all too happy. You think that would be the litmus test to where both SAS and the stores should say, "enough is enough". But guess not. We almost never got all sets done in a store and were always falling behind even with a full crew (this never was the case before SAS took over in the summer of 2018).

This is a remedial job with remedial pay at best. Let's face it. SAS ruined a job I once enjoyed doing on the side. People who are also spouses looking for mom hours and semi-retirees have had almost enough of being used and bending over backwards for over-the-top re-sets, while having pay cut, mileage reimbursement cut, and being promised to have travel cut- only to intermittently having to in fact to travel more to be dictated to go to cover at stores even further away because SAS made no effort to have a hiring manager recruit new help in regions outside our designated territory. More over, the home offices don't even know the tax laws pertaining to payroll. No, you don't as a merchandiser get income tax withheld from a state you do not live in, simply because you drive to a store in that state to merchandise! I had to debate this point with two individuals at the home office, who had no clue about what was fact and fiction. I finally had the money reimbursed after much time spent not having this stuff followed thru with, being on hold forever on the phone, etc... . Funniest of all, they had no idea when and if I was in a state working outside of my residency in any given pay period. They just kept withholding a set percentage of my check each time. Total dog and pony show on all fronts!

Working at SAS Retail Services has been an experience fraught with challenges and disappointments, and I feel compelled to share these experiences in the hopes of prompting positive change. At the core of my dissatisfaction is a profound sense of not belonging, which has been a recurring theme throughout my tenure with the company.

One of the first red flags was the quality of the training provided. As a new employee eager to hit the ground running, I expected a thorough training program to prepare me for my responsibilities. Instead, what I encountered was a training regimen that can only be described as superficial and largely ineffective. The materials were either outdated or irrelevant, and the sessions were rushed, leaving critical gaps in my understanding of the role. This inadequate training sets employees up for failure from the start, as we are expected to meet high performance standards without the necessary foundation.

The feeling of not belonging is exacerbated by the company's lack of communication and support from upper management. Seeking guidance or answers from those in leadership positions is akin to an exercise in futility. Requests for assistance often go unanswered, and when responses do come, they are typically delayed and unhelpful. This lack of support makes it difficult for employees to perform their duties effectively and contributes to an overwhelming sense of isolation.

Another significant issue is the misleading information provided during the recruitment process, particularly regarding the provision of tools. The job posting clearly stated that tools necessary for the job would be provided by the company. However, upon starting, I discovered that we are required to purchase our own tools, which is not only a financial burden but also a breach of trust. This discrepancy between what was promised and what is delivered only adds to the feeling of being undervalued and misled.

Moreover, there is a noticeable absence of a cohesive company culture. SAS Retail Services lacks initiatives to foster a sense of community and camaraderie among employees. Without team-building activities or opportunities for employees to engage with one another, it feels as though we are working in silos, disconnected from our colleagues. This lack of unity further contributes to the feeling of not belonging, as there is little to no sense of being part of a larger team.

Opportunities for professional development and career advancement are minimal, leaving employees with the sense that there is little room for growth within the company. The lack of clear career paths or mentorship programs discourages long-term commitment and leads to high turnover, as employees seek advancement opportunities elsewhere.

Overall, my experience at SAS Retail Services has been marked by a persistent feeling of not belonging, compounded by inadequate training, lack of support from management, misleading recruitment practices, and a disjointed company culture. It is my hope that the company will acknowledge these issues and take meaningful steps to create a more inclusive and supportive environment. By improving training programs, ensuring transparent communication, fulfilling promises made during recruitment, and fostering a strong company culture, SAS Retail Services could become a place where employees feel valued, supported, and motivated to contribute to the company's success.

What is the best part of working at the company?
There's a very easy phone interview. Your time is flexible but you must schedule ahead at least 24 - 48 hours to take time off so there's an opportunity to find a substitution for your team or your lead can re-select the number or type of "sets" your team will be responsible for that day. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
You work in a potentially dangerous site with no health insurance coverage in place unless you purchased it through their marketplace. You really don't make enough to do that. The store has better equipment for certain jobs but most of the time you use what bring from home (stool, stepladder, wrenches, etc.). Having to sort and pack the items you return to stock because you're doing another person's job and there's resentment over that lost position. Finishing your set ahead of the store team that is scheduled to fill the shelves you're working on as soon as they arrive. Coordination is the biggest source of conflict. Finally, managing repetitive motion injury. Doesn't matter what braces or pads you use. Holding a kneeling or squatting position long enough to perform many of the jobs will finally take you down. You must stop to let these heal and that can take months. Would never do this job several days in succession like I did.  Your joints and ligaments need that time in between to recover, stretch out again. There's heavy lifting (boxes full of cans or bottles). You can learn techniques to avoid injury but that's just it - you MUST watch out for yourself.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It's as variable as the people you meet. Some managers will be decent and try to accommodate. They'll have areas reserved in the stockroom for your full carts, have equipment taken off the palettes and ready for you to use (i.e., new shelving you're about to install). Others will make a battle of it. One store had a clique calling out to me while I was up on a ladder doing a reset of toilet paper that had been neglected at least six months. Scared me. My lead sent another member of my team to work on the same set with me which sort of dispelled them. You don't always have control over everyone. They don't consider you store employees, you're just a subcontractor who's in the way. Your team has to stick together. If there are rivalries among you, your team won't make it. You are watched.  

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I never liked the beginning of the day. Get up at 2 a.m. to be out the door by 4 a.m. and be on site behind the store next to the loading dock no later than 4:45 a.m. You search the U-boat (long pulley truck) for your box of labels. You settle at one of the cash registers and sort planograms to strips for each set. Once done, you're handed a certain number of sets for the day. Some will be easy and fast. Others will be hours long to get through. The worst assignments are the cash registers and gas station.  Lots of sorting afterward according to vendor before the carts go in back.  Low shelves, not enough room to sit around the register and take your time. Lots of kneeling too. Have to finish the first three registers fast so customers can check out. Never well-coordinated as to time or day it's done.



During my time at SAS Company, I found the work itself incredibly rewarding. The fast-paced environment kept me engaged, and I genuinely enjoyed collaborating with my crew. I also really enjoyed the work itself. Work always flew by, even days I was there 12plus hours.However, there were aspects of my experience that really bummed me out..  

From the start, I worked tirelessly to prove myself, often taking on additional responsibilities, staying late whenever needed, and serving as reliable help to my lead. I hoped my dedication would lead to growth within the company, I was even told I was on track, but despite my efforts, those opportunities never materialized. What made it even more difficult was the lack of recognition for hard work. Communication from supervisors often only focused on negative things, and while I consistently went above and beyond, my contributions seemed to go unnoticed. At the same time, others who barely met expectations often received the same treatment, or in some cases, better.  

When I was terminated, the decision felt unfair and abrupt. Whether it was due to a misunderstanding or miscommunication, I believe my termination could have been handled far more professionally. I had invested so much effort into my role, and yet, there was no attempt to discuss the situation with me beforehand. This was particularly frustrating given that other employees often got away with far worse behavior.  

I spent over a year advocating for my rehire, determined to set the record straight. Eventually, I was contacted, and after presenting evidence, it became clear that my termination had been a mistake. Around this time, I noticed there had been a change in upper management, which may have contributed to my case finally being reviewed. SAS acknowledged the error, and I received a letter confirming that an exception was being made for my rehire. I completed a phone interview, was formally reinstated, and was told paperwork would follow shortly.  

Unfortunately, that paperwork never arrived, and all further communication ceased. Despite numerous follow-ups on my part, I was left in limbo. To this day, I continue to apply for positions at SAS, but I never receive a response. This has been especially disheartening given my dedication to the work and the fact that SAS is known for giving nearly every applicant a chance.  

I’m sharing this feedback in the hopes it can help SAS improve. I loved the work itself and truly believe the company has incredible potential. 

I worked for this company for almost two years and I'm glad I got out when i did. They often smoke screen their top notch employees into thinking they'll get a raise or a promotion and more often than not, neither will happen. Being on the travel team is probably the worse though. They rely on the very few decent workers to do the brunt of the work, whilst the less motivated often get smaller jobs employed in higher numbers to do the work wrong because no one teaches anyone how to do the work correctly in the first place. It's on the backs of the better workers to teach unwilling participants how to do their jobs correctly. Most cases the better workers must go back and fix the mass discrepancies of the less motivated. 
They will keep the good workers on a lower level and feed them promises they often have no intentions of fulfilling in order to keep the work flowing and getting done. Since everyone is from different states, the wages often vary. They tell you not to talk about pay because often the less motivated workers are being payed more than the good workers. So this often causes unneeded tension in the work place. The motels/hotels they put their merchandisers in are very dirty and harbor tons of illegal activity, while everyone above a lead merchandiser is put in higher class hotels.
Every website platform they use to show schedules, hours worked, employee information, hotel reservations, etc.. Are always very convoluted and passwords always seem to reset, so you have to contact the website to change your password or to receive the password they provide. This can be very frustrating when checking your hours worked due to the fact they consistently clock in yours hours incorrectly.
 Those in charge will pit people against each other via gossiping about one another on the lower level and they make sure it gets back to someone, often the person who will take most offense.
 It's a very toxic, back breaking work environment with empty promises. I've had things held over my head that I thought were out of courtesy, like keeping me "close to home" due to the death of a loved one. I've been given many empty promises of raises and potential promotion. I've been threatened to not be payed out for my tolls. I've been told my unemployment will be denied. All of which is done with proper wording to keep themselves out of trouble. I could keep going, but I feel I've done a great service with this review.

What is the best part of working at the company?
SAS offers a flexible work environment with ample vacation/PTO. Personally, the best part of working at SAS is the people themselves. Upon starting my position, everyone was so helpful, kind, and welcoming. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part about working for SAS is worrying that you will never understand the processes that come with being a Planogram Analyst (for me personally). You are given a ton of information right off the bat, and though it is necessary, it can set you up to feel stressed about starting the actual process of cycle work. One tip for anyone starting with SAS as an analyst would be to just breathe and just know you will be well prepared and in time you will become a fluent and efficient analyst. Nothing great happens overnight. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment and culture are on par with the everchanging expectations of a modern corporate workplace. Flexible hours, wonderful HR partners, and a culture of acceptance and constant growth. Many companies are stuck in their ways but SAS continues to analyze their culture and work environment and make the necessary changes to allow their associates to feel welcomed and prepared to do their best work.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
For me, I make the long trek from my bed to my computer desk (about 5 feet), and begin with checking my email and enjoying some coffee. One thing I enjoy about my current position is that I am not usually bombarded by 100's of emails as the clock strikes 8AM. A slower start to my day makes this position easier and less stressful. We are offered an hour lunch along with two 15 minute breaks, which at home is great because I can walk the block within that time frame. HR encourages you to utilize your breaks and take your time when you feel you need it most. Once the workday comes to a close, rarely am I stressed out or in fear I have not done enough that day. With confidence, I am able to shut down and be present without the though of a crazy workload in the back of my head. I appreciate the company management for understanding that associates want to disassociate after the workday is over, and provides enough work to allow us to keep busy but not overload us.

You often start the work week on Monday but you don't get your schedule until the day before, many times the managers mess up your schedule and you won't get it until the morning you wake up.
Travel pay is awful. Sure, they give you the 'minimum' by state laws, but you might have a day where you drive a total of 150 miles or more and you get $10 or less. They take away what they consider an 'average' commute and then pay minimal for the rest.
They aren't reputable or fair.  You often answer 'surveys' based on what you see or do in the store, but the people in the office who load the surveys make so many mistakes that often you can't even answer the question the right way.  They will give you choices to answer, but the REAL answer is not one of the choices.
They can be unethical. They want to show their clients/customers they are providing a good service.  Yet you are encouraged at times (not told directly, but strongly hinted to) give 'better' answers on your surveys than what you may have done or what was even possible to do, in order to make the data look better for their customers. Again, I have never been 'officially' told to lie on a survey, but they hint at it several ways.
The workload can not make sense. You may have to answer 100-200 questions in a store and do 5-20 'surveys'. The surveys can take 5 minutes to 20 minutes each, and some of the questions have 'multiple' parts (20+ mandatory things to check on in the question), yet you are supposed to get it all done in one day?  Some of us have asked many times how much time we should spend on each question or client but you never get an answer, because they know they give you too much work to do in a single day. You have to 'pick and choose' what items you give the most attention to, which again is deceiving your customers who think SAS is doing more for them than they actually are.
Finally, have a payroll problem or an HR issue? Good luck.  When you call the offices you hardly EVER reach someone in person, you are given the option to leave a message and they say they will call you back within 24 hours...but that rarely happens.

I've worked for this company for about 2 years. It was nice at first because we were paid for a full day of work even if we left a little early. We always got all our work done and made sure everything was clean and tody before leaving and our stores loved us. Now the company wants to nickel and dime us and they only pay us for the time we are at the store. They also automatically track our drive time and miles so if it takes us longer we don't get paid for it. 

This company promises benefits but the health plan is not affordable and costs a whole paycheck so I have to get state Healthcare. They say this us a part time job but I put in more than 8 hours a day if you include my travel times. They expect you to do back breaking work for minimum wage, this is NOT competitive pay. McDonalds pays it's workers more. 

The job itself is easy. It's a nice job if you like your coworkers. If your lead happens to play favorites, like mine is currently, then it becomes stressful fast. Oh and don't be too good at this job because they will just give you more and more sets to do and expect more out of you. 
Upper management doesn't care about us at all and want to work us to death so they can line their pockets while we all struggle to make ends meet. I have had weeks where someone higher up messes up me and my coworker's pay and it takes them until the next pay period to fix it. I am currently past due on bills and struggling for food until next pay check because they have missed 2 days of my pay and still haven't gotten reimbursement for it, guess I'm waiting until Friday for the next paycheck. 

All in all this company is trash, and if they don't try and do better for the employees that support this company on their backs, then they will go bankrupt with no one to do their work for them. Must be nice sitting in that corporate office click clacking away on a keyword, getting a fat paycheck, and living comfortably while the people doing the hard work suffer. Shame on SAS for being THE WORST company I have ever worked for and putting profit over people.

Even when I was first hired this company was showing so many signs of unprofessionalism. Trainers that taught me incorrectly, mangers acting  unprofessional and disrespectful. But it only got worse from there, I have never worked for a company that seems like they are deliberately trying to make your job harder. Then the moment you try to speak up about issues they will either ignore you or penalize you for trying to make things better. 

When I work for a company I want to feel like I'm making a difference, this job was the furthest from that. It does not make a difference whether you go the extra mile or do the bare minimum, you will never get the recognition you deserve. It feels like nobody within the company knows what is happening but they don't want you to know that. So they puff their chests and give goals without actually explaining the steps to achieve said goals.

The work itself is mind-numbingly boring and meaningless. As I previously mentioned you are usually stuck trying to hit goals without any actual direction. Then when you do actually get something done, it's either too trivial for anyone to notice or it is undone the next day. The company did implement some bonuses for certain tasks, but they were either way too low ($20 - $50), or they don't even follow through with it and nobody gets the bonus!

But even with all these issues it's almost like they thrive with keeping all the workers divided. Because if everyone saw and spoke to each other on a daily basis, everyone would be able to express their issues all together! But since no one hardly knows each other, we keep going with our heads down because you don't want to get in trouble for speaking out!

I could honestly keep going, but I'll end this review with a quote from management. The context was that I was trying to fix a large issue that I saw needed attention and my manager said, "stop stressing about issues that you can't fix." I will never work for a company that doesn't listen to their workers, it is a surprise that this company is still around.

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