truck driver

garden center merchandiser

merchandiser

merchandising lead

merchandise manager

Smith Gardens

This is a great position for active, energetic people who don't mind working outdoors or getting a bit wet and dirty. The job takes place in the Garden Center of a big-box retailer, and essentially consists of moving plants from the shipping racks they arrive on each day to display tables according to a planogram. Depending on the store, the  merchandisers usually work alone or with one other person. The managers stop by weekly but are always available via text. The job doesn't require a  huge amount of creativity or thought, but does require lots of energy (I tracked about 20K-30k steps each day!). I would classify it more on the labor/stock side of retail  merchandising, rather than the creative side. However, since plants grow and change every day, the department is constantly changing. Theres always plenty to do. The endless work in maintaining a Spring/Summer Garden Dept., combined with a flexible daily routine should satisfy applicants looking for more of a creative/display merchandising role. I enjoyed it for a few seasons, but "big box" stores are all about sameness and I eventually got bored displaying the exact same things in the same way year after year. 

The company was fine. Good tech. They provide hats and aprons garden gloves - and a fun little "welcome" swag bag at the beginning of the season. My boss was one of the coolest, kindest people I had ever worked for. Their expectations were clear and direct, they were flexible, and they were very understanding and accommodating when I had to take some time for a personal emergency. 

That being said... the job is very "hire anyone who will show up, and if they're terrible we'll find someone else". Very temporary. No benefits (except the aforementioned silly swag bag). No nurturing. No coaching. No Discounts. No day trips to the greenhouse production facilities. No end-of-season gatherings, etc. It's basically Just show up, do a great job, then leave. That's it. And if they like your work, you might get invited back the next year. However, when they're done with you, they're DONE. 

I love working for Smith Gardens, plus their HR is top notch and very positive and responsive. My manager is exceptional, always willing to encourage, provide help and give me the resources that I need- and my manager's supervisor is very encouraging as well! They are grateful for my strengths as an employee and make me want to exceed.  The job is awesome, I love working outside and being active. I'm responsible for creating and maintaining displays and putting out all of the new shipments of plants in a timely manner, and creativity is encouraged by my manager.  As a plant person, the sad part is having to cull plants that are not thriving, but that is to be expected. Being a self-starter and having people skills are important as I help to fill in the gaps for retail personnel and management who are pulled elsewhere regularly. The job is also seasonal, with lesser hours as the season is coming to a close but there are opportunities to work during Christmas as well.  I have enjoyed working for Smith Gardens and I am excited to return for another season!

A typical day consists of meeting trucks as they are delivered (or arriving slightly after), servicing product on racks about 7 feet tall with multiple shelves (4-6 being the usual), and placing product out onto tables of various configurations to Smith Garden's internal product placing plannograms.

It isn't terribly difficult so long as you can lift, bend, stoop, and pull/push with reasonable effort and minimal to no pain. I would not advise someone with back or shoulder issues to take this job as it is very hard on them both with bending, pulling, and lifting with your arms and shoulders. 

The biggest problem is lack of hours and the way the job is staffed - being a seasonal job, if your season's sales are garbage you will have few to no hours based on high level management budgeting your time (and none of them see the stores nor product you have). 

When it was problem free and I didn't need to have my manager be on site to help do full resets the job was a breeze. Place product, water plants, go home. No manager breathing down your neck all day about getting things done.

What is the best part of working at the company?
They have been patient and more then helpful with answering any questions no matter how repetitive they might be , with the training .
They are are true to the saying 
" you get what you put into it 💯%" . 
Knowledge , work experience, and the chance to work with truly good people.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Nothing really. Like I mentioned they are more then willing to help answering any questions or address any concerns you may have throughout any given work day.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
At my specific location I am the only one with this vendor so my environment consists mainlyof the employees at Home Depot. It can be challenging at times getting them to understand that you are just doing your job. And that even though THEY may think something should or shouldn't be done a certain way you have guidelines directives YOU need to follow since the company YOU work for is NOT the same as theirs. Lol . Other then that the environment is great and they are ALL very helpful in whatever way they can be. We look forward to the challenge every day we go in.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Cascading the tables with color and discounting💐🦸‍♀️🌈

Work day starts at 7AM, sign in on your phone app, read texts from your supervisors for occurring problems, upcoming events and overall help. Check for carts with plant product on it and move them into the garden center. Starting at the front of the store merchandise your new stock of plants and get rid of old stock by pulling it off your tables , counting it and enter it into your smith garden phone as to weather you will cull (throw away) it or discount it. Clean up the plant tables fill the holes, add new stock in, create Endcaps to attract customers and the repeat the process inside the garden center.
  I worked alone in this job at the end  and became confident and self assured in my abilities  to do the job right and well. 
 Management was good they checked up on you made suggestions and encouraged you.. always thanking you as they left.
 I loved this job... the hardest part was the weather rain, cold, heat...so dress accordingly. 
 The best part of the job are the customers they are always smiling and of course the beautiful flowers, I loved making my own decisions on how I wanted the shop to look and took pride in that.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Customers, and working with beautiful flowers.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
I was driving to work and only working one or two hours. After gas, I was losing money. Trying to find someone at the store to check your deliveries in is almost impossible, and when you do find someone, they act like you  just ruined there day. This company has supervisors that make promises that they do not keep. This is a dead end job. Just don't take it too seriously. Oh and you also get to work in the snow, rain and on blistering hot days. I adserved most people quit before the season even ended. Good luck!!

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It all depended on what store you were working. Some stores have pleasant some will just suck the life right out of you, just for trying to do your job.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Total chaos almost every morning. Trying to find someone to check your flowers in, someone to open your gates horrible. Most of the time the associates will get really mad at you for asking them to do there job so you can do yours.

Beware of the job description - very little of this position has anything to do with actual plant knowledge, care, or display designing. The vast majority of tasks are "grunt work," as can be expected from a merchandising position, but working here I did not ever truly feel that my work was appreciated. Because customers are constantly shopping from and displacing displays, there is always something more to do, you are constantly on your feet, and it can feel overwhelming given the amount of "surface area" you are expected to cover. There is very little help from the store you are merchandising for, and management offers very little flexibility if, say, your only coworker leaves etc. Overall, if you thrive in an environment like this, it might be a good job for you, but it was not a good match for me.

While the work here was not particularly difficult- mostly just being hot because of the greenhouses and a bit of labor from moving plants all the time- I still do not think it was particularly worth the wages I was earning at the time. Not knowing spanish definitely makes working here a lot harder- understanding what you're supposed to be doing is definitely a roadblock because of the language barrier between you and most of the staff.
The position I had- being a general laborer in the transplanting department- mostly meant I was working inside a greenhouse. I particularly got the short end of the stick; most of the time I was placing templates, something we had temporarily to prevent wasting any dirt by pouring it directly onto the conveyor. It wasn't pleasant- wearing a mask is highly recommended simply because you'd be breathing dirt during your entire shift. Not a very pleasant experience for me; I would not recommend applying for this position unless you are okay with being covered head to toe in dirt and sweat.

I would have to say that Smith Gardens was a good company to work for. My tenure there was short-lived, but the time I spent putting the plants on the table was memorable. There may have been difficulty in explaining to me how they wanted the plants put on the table. The previous job I had done for four years/seasons, so when they brought me on board they assumed I knew how they wanted it done. I did it the way the previous employer wanted it done and it was not how they wanted it done. After awhile, they hired a supervisor but did not explain to me their method for how they wanted plants on the table, which led to my dismissal. The company itself I was extremely impressed with, they got me the higher paying job on the spot and were very flexible with the hours. Looking back, they should have explained their methods a bit better, I would have gladly done the work their way!

I usually show up and take a walk to see what needs to be addressed right away.  If there are racks, I stage them and then start working the racks and tables.  I usually start on the front apron and work my way through the tables. I pull spent product as I go and put them in a basket, flat cart or rack to be either thrown out or clearanced when I am done merchandising the tables and racks. Depending on how much work needs to be done I will take a lunch.  If it is not too busy, the day goes by smoothly.  I always start in the morning when it is less busy.  it is hard to do your job when customers always ask questions or get in the way. 

I love working with the plants and talking about them.  I learn new stuff all the time.
The hardest part is that you are always moving and it is labor intensive. Or when you have to fill a table and you don't have enough product. 
You work around all types of cultures and people.
I have learned that you need to take everything one step at a time or you will be overwhelmed and you can always have a do over.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Truck driver 11 salaries reported	$26.38 per hour
Garden center merchandiser 135 salaries reported	$19.52 per hour
Merchandiser 14 salaries reported	$22.95 per hour
Merchandising lead 6 salaries reported	$24.00 per hour
Merchandise manager 12 salaries reported	$27.87 per hour

Working at Smith Gardens: Company Overview and Reviews

Smith Gardens

Smith Gardens Ratings

Popular jobs at Smith Gardens

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected