market leader

warehouse worker

utility worker

packer

territory representative

UTZ Quality Foods

While this is a good company to buy a route from, one should seriously expect little to no help from corporate in terms of getting your own work done when met with a difficult problem. If a customer has an issue, corporate and management will take their side immediately. In order to establish a more efficient way to accomplish work tasks, it is best to establish rapport with your customers to reach the goal that they will come to you first before corporate. This is usually easier said than done, but it does pay off when successful.

Because you have to purchase the route, you do not have benefits, insurances, and very little resources that you will always have to pay for yourself in one way or another. The way this company continuously speaks to the contractors constantly crosses the line of them taking you in as their employee, but they're quick to deny such. Please go over the contract with a lawyer asap.

A typical day at work can have you out for at least 12 hours, 10 if it's a good day with very little problems. The faster and more accurate you get with your work, your days will become shorter to an 8 hour day if you're focused. Your customers will always think they are the most important customer of them all. Avoid arguments as best as you can, there is little support in your favor when they are upset. The earlier you start, the better your day will be. Fewer distractions, less traffic, and less moody customers. 

Management can be helpful but are generally not in times of working with customers that are upset. Again, it's best to establish a rapport with your customers on a personal level. Give them your cell number, keep up the service, and ask to talk walks with them around their store when you're done servicing. Management can come out and deliver and set up displays if you ask them at the right time. In regards to responsiveness, it is going to be difficult to get some of your personal issues with work resolved, like changing bank accounts, fixing your inventory, and setting up new customers. Management is more responsive than corporate, however. Best believe they will be quick to make sure their finances are secured.

If you're new with merchandising and thinking about buying a route, go for it. It can be fun and it's absolutely best to network with many of the various route owners and merchandisers you meet.

Avoid working here at all costs unless you are a white male.  The company is an old white-boy's club. Many are racist misogynists who happily sacrifice employees health and well-being for pushing out product. The warehouses are dirty; loaders are overworked.

I had a good supervisor, but he only paid lip service to addressing problems that I and others brought to his attention.  I don't think he wanted to "create waves" so as to protect his rising position within the company.

Warehouse workers often work 6-7 days a week with mandatory overtime, putting their employees at 10-12 hours days a piece.  Instead of hiring more people to alleviate the strain, they continue this practice in each warehouse. If they can't work one of the mandatory overtime days, a vacation day has to be used so employees burn through the limited vacation days they are granted quickly. Because of this, there is no work-life balance. 

Workers receive low wages. Yet, Utz continues to purchase other snack food companies in an effort to become a $1Billion company.  There is no investing in the infrastructure to make the old buildings safer or better for the employees, nor does any benefit of being a large, allegedly profitable company get shown to any of the employees.  If there is any, it may only be to the top-level executives.

Further, there are no disability friendly locations.  The company claims to be non-discriminatory but there is no way anyone in a wheelchair, walker, crutches, or similar limited mobility device would be able to work in any of the offices or warehouses.

Management is not in the same page as quality control or safety. Workers are products of the factory not individuals. Management allows bad attitude, behaviors that goes against company policies and if your not there when they spontaneously need you, then your not a team player. If a person takes any issues to management, they are made to feel like the problem! There is bulling that is allowed, fits to be thrown on the production area floor, and favoritism from management, regardlessly of company policies or union policies. 
If they need training in other areas, they may train you when they dint have work, but  for some, they give extra training, others they only do it for time, not to utilize you.  But if someone calls off, you will be needed to do said job without full training. Only to have people complain and bully that person. Thee only good thing about the union is you can't loose your job....even if it's in just cause. Only two call off days a year, the rest need to be approved. Vacation goes on seniority, so if the vacation is t a available to take during the year, it's paid for at the end.  So, if you can go to work and put up with all the grade school mentality ( allowed by management) and keep your mouth closed, it's an awesome job.

From the moment you get in the building it is almost none stop. I have to do a pre-op inspection on all the machinery, scales, buckets, ect... Then I have a brief meeting with my employees just to go over the schedule and give them any information they may need for the shift. Once production begins I have to make sure all chip bags have the correct Date Code on them, check box labels to make sure it is the correct SKU and date code, assist my machine operators with machine issues. Must check seasoning on all chips. Communicate with the distribution warehouse as to what is needed, what stays in house and what goes out. Then I have to do my employee schedule for the next day, figure out film waste, must do employee time sheets daily. In charge of disciplinary actions for my employees, I am a First Responder so any medical issues handle, I am on the safety committee and do monthly safety meetings with my staff. At shift change I coordinate with supervision. We go over any and all machine issues that may affect them, any changes made to the production schedule.

first thing I was lied to about how much money i could make. One out of ten routes make decent money, the rest work 60 to 65 hours a week for about $350 after taxes. 

Route supervisors are worthless middlemen who don't help you,they  just tell you what needs to be done and then go for coffee.

Upper management is clueless until your on their bad list.

The only things that were positive for me were the other drivers and the warehouse guys.

I would not recommend this company to anyone who can count hours vs. money.
They say "well it's not an hourly job" but when you calculate the hours you've worked for the week and see your check be ready to be sad.

They give you your vacation check in the beginning of March and then expect you to be able  to hold on to the week pay until you want to take your vacation. And when you do you don't get paid for the week your off. The supervisor that does cover your route when your off either does nothing and brags about how little they did, or plows your store so when you come back you can't make money till you work thru what they've put in. 

The sales meetings are pointless.

I liked it for about a month and then realized its pretty much a pyramid scheme.

I've worked at several different companies and it's the same everywhere; advancement to other positions is based on favoritism not work ethic, attendance, or skill. I worked here for a year and was optimistic at first, did my job well which consisted of supplying the pack lines with materials, pulling the finished skids, wrapping them, scanning them, and taking them to the warehouse. I came to work every night. I applied for a forklift position 3 times and got rejected each time even though I have prior experience from the warehouse jobs I worked previously. Yet there were some people with no experience in the other positions there and they got the positions without having to put their time in. There were a few good things about working there such as the pay and annual pay increases and 4 paid 20 minute breaks including lunch. Unfortunately the bad outweighed the good so I decided to leave  but I left on good terms and am in a better place as an independent contractor. Its a shame when working for someone else there is a lot of bass ackwardness but it is what it is.

Certain departments are treated like royalty while others are treated like "the help".  Working for the helpdesk is a nightmare.  They are understaffed and refuse to add more people while that applications team and finance departments hire people like it is free.  IT management is clueless when it comes to what their employees actually do on a daily basis.  The company claims they are family friendly but if you are a parent your family is expected to be secondary to a company making junk food.  The owners treat the help desk like their personal servants.  Want to get promoted?  That will never happen unless you have a family member who is an executive or you have to be from a certain company that UTZ likes to poach employees from.  Annual "cost of living" increase is a joke.  It doesn't matter if you are a great employee or a total slacker you get the same amount.  If there is an executive who has a friend that wants your job, they will find a way to fire you.

Even the big supervisor ran a route only doing 3 stops in one day. Yet they expect u to do 8-10 day. I had a "supervisor" try to get on to me for not being able to service 40 something accounts in a week. Yet when I said lead by example and see if u can do it, nothing happened. This is also the same "boss" who went on "concussion protocol" because he had a bag of chips fall on his huge head. Equipment is garbage, handhelds don't update like they should. Then it's your fault for it not t-coming properly. Personally I've never seen so many grown men gossip, but you will see it at this company. Work 50-60 hrs a week. Got to do 4200 in sales to get commission, but not worth doing to be honest just to see 20-80 bucks. The only good thing I experienced with being here, was meeting other vendors to make connections, and going independent. Not everyone was bad there but there are some to watch out for.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Independance.  I was an Independanct Owner

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Working a smaller chain like Dollar General where you would have to wait half hour or more to check in very small orders.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Delivering to Grocery stores have a lot of rules.  Some simply don't make sense, but that how suit and ties think sometimes.  Once you're in their good graces then things become easier.  Yes you're an Independent Owner, but everyone thinks you work for them.  It's a game.  If you are a good people's person, then play the yes game and get the good money you make.  Took me a long time to figure out that Grocery employees are jealous of the money we make and our sense of independence.  

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I worked about 30 hours a week and took home $12 to $1,500 per week.

Days would usually start early, they hire people when they have no positions available. You come in as a trainee making no money,not knowing what your doing that day working in the warehouse or covering someone else route. Since you never know what your doing you can never plan for after work because you never know when you will be off work. If you ever want a position they expect you to kiss they're behind while they continue to deny you until someone else quits and even then you don't get paid you still make trainee money because they do not want to pay people they want you to work for the least amount of money as possible. I do not recommend this job to anyone. They will pump your head up in the interview and screw you over once you start working. Worst experience I have had.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Market leader 56 salaries reported	$76,830 per year
Warehouse worker 54 salaries reported	$21.14 per hour
Utility worker 9 salaries reported	$20.24 per hour
Packer 3 salaries reported	$18.71 per hour
Territory representative 18 salaries reported	$71,000 per year

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