Harris Teeter

I have had a successful 20 year career as management within the Grocery Industry.  Harris Teeter, by far, was the worst salaried management experience.  Understand, that I have worked in both the Northern Region(Northern VA, DC, & MD) and the Southern Region(Charlotte).  I am not alone in my opinion.  The turnover percentage amoung management, including Assistant Department and Department Management, is consistently increasing.  I have taken the liberty to list a few reasons as to why this is happening.  They are as follows:
-Salary is based on a 5 day 45-50 hr. week.  It is not uncommon to work 6-7 days on a consistent basis.  Salary managers are used as labor to satisfy reduced payroll.  Salary paid out twice a month = 24 pay periods not bi-weekly = 26 pay periods.  It's like working 2 weeks for free!
-Bonus is based upon an equation of variables.  Operating profit, audit scores, scorecard etc.  High volume stores pay out better/Low volume pay peanuts
-Benefit premiums should be less due to Kroger acquiring HT
-Retirement is an average 401K with minimal company contribution
-Advancement Opportunities are plentiful due to the increasing turnover in management 
-Training/Mentoring programs with a "LAW OF THE JUNGLE" mentality of only the strong survive. Antiquated training materials and processes with poor follow up.
-STRESS due to reduced payroll with increased expectations equals increased stress on hourly associates, and the miss use and abuse of management.  This creates an intolerable work/life balance.
-Antiquated Inventory Processes that are labor intense.  Who cares about labor, because you are the labor.  This will be a 6-7 day work week.  
-Hollidays are 6/7 day work weeks. 
-Systems/IT/Accounting are of yesteryear.

Summary:
I could continue to list "truths" concerning salaried management positions within Harris Teeter, but I will leave all those contemplating a position with heart felt advice.  Explore all options before accepting an offer from this company, and take careful consideration if your offer involves a relocation package.  Please understand that I was not terminated or asked to resign, but tendered my resignation freely of my own will.  I encourage those actively seeking positions within the Grocery Industry to apply with PUBLIX.  I personally know of numerous Harris Teeter associates, from clerks to salaried management, that have found a home with Publix.  They have stated that they enjoy the atmosphere and culture of the company, as well as the employee ownership, compensation, benefits and growth opportunities.  Publix is increasing their market presence within the Charlotte market and has plans to expand throughout North Carolina.  The expansion includes a Distribution Center and over 200 retail stores.

From a customers standpoint you would think Harris Teeter is an AWESOME place to work but sadly it couldn't be far for the truth. Produce department  is an extremely fast-pased job because you are doing the work of 2-3 people by yourself with no help, as well as trying to provide outstanding customer service at the same time. You are required to acknowledge ever single customer who comes within 10 ft of you; which is not a problem because the customer are pretty great. The problem lies with the management. They give and impossible to do list and then they leave you scrambling non stop for hours while they're somewhere sitting in the office or hanging out in the breakroom. When they return, they constantly complaining about your lack of progress and the amount of work that's left to do. They'll then step in run a cart or 2 on the front tables, just so store management can see them working then they'll claim theyre hungry or tired and go and take another hour break. Meanwhile you've been there for 4 to 5 hours unloading a truck, pulling in pallets and working as fast as you can to stock the floor. The reprieve you'll receive is when the next person comes in. That is when you'll finally be able to go to lunch well into 6 hours of your shift. Harris Teeter is very strict on no one getting overtime (unless you're management of course). So when you come back from lunch, you have 2 hours left in your shift with AT LEAST 6 hours of work. You still have to down stack your section of the truck AND complete your section of floor which is impossible to do. When its time for you to leave management will walk your section and complain about the amount of work you haven't finished. She will patronize/berate  you in front of other employees and take no excuses. If you file a complaint your schedule will get changed around and they'll make your job more stressful. The environment is very hostile and depressing. You go home absolutely exhausted, have walked over 14,000 steps daily and sadly wanting a drink. Their favorite phrase is, "if you don't like it then there is the door". You never feel uplifted or happy to be there. They make you seem like you're disposable. The managers here are lazy, disappear all the time, you'll be lucky if you see them 2 hours during your shift. The only good part about this company was weekly pay, twice a year bonus checks, and the customers and most of the lower end employees are pretty awesome people to know.

So, I applied for an Assistant Grocery Manager Trainee position and was happy to hear from Harris Teeter (via Snag A Job) withing a few days to schedule a telephone interview.
My telephone interview was for a non-management position and not the position that I had applied for. The interviewer was not interviewing for management but fortunately was recommending me for a Customer Service Manager position based on my experience. He said that someone would be contacting me in the coming Weeks- so I was pleased when I received a phone call two days later advising me of a person to contact regarding my application for a management position with Harris Teeter. I called that person right away and had to leave a voice message. Then the original individual called me the next day and asked when would be a good time for me to talk with her?? Strange that she had previously called and asked me to call and speak with someone else and now she herself was contacting me but either way I was happy to be getting a response. I was in a busy restaurant with a lot of background noise at the time of her call so suggested any time after 3 pm that same day. She said that would work for her and I looked forward to our conversation. Well, she never did call back. I tried reaching her at the number that she called me from and was able to leave a voice message. That was 4 days ago and I have yet to hear back from either of these recruiters from Snag A Job that represent themselves as part of the Hiring Team for Harris Teeter. I know that I would be a valuable asset to Harris Teeter and it's unfortunate that I may never get the opportunity due to the carelessness of Snag A Job. Quality applicants are clearly falling through the cracks.

Working overnights can take a toll on your personal life. Not to mention your natural sleep cycle. Because there are very few customers overnight, the workplace is relaxed. Hardest part of the job is getting to work for demanding department managers and/or a-hole co-workers who wouldn't fit into a day job environment. 

Harris Teeter is a better grocery store to work for than most, but they do heavily recruit department and store management from the outside (experienced managers from other service industry companies). 

Overnight grocery stocking is not easy. It's manual labor. Lots of repetitive heavy lifting and unrealistic expectations from corporate to get everything out on the floor with less than half the standard full team size, not enough hours, energy or strength. You will get a 30 minute lunch during an 8-10 hour shift, but any other breaks are a courtesy from the department manager, and not mandatory. This alone should tell you how corporate thinks of store level workers. Seems like if you want a lot of breaks, you have to be a smoker. 

Overall, a good company to work for, especially if you're a manager. Good pay and flexible scheduling. But it's retail and not glamorous.

A typical day at HT is pretty laid back as long as your focused on productivity and you for standards.
I've learned and improved on managing a meat and seafood department. Being nice means people will take advantage of you and walk all over you (comes down to who your manager is and how compassionate they are).
Management can be unfair and dishonest at times they will want to hold you to a standard but not themselves, again it comes down to who the manager is. 
The hardest part of the job is work life balance, getting time off and being unfairly documented. 
The culture is usually good, but depends on who your surrounded by. 
I enjoy managing inventory and receiving good inventory results. 

I was an ACSM in training during the pandemic, and it was absolutely horrifying(not the stores fault) and stressful. They have their pros like weekly pay, 2 times a year bonuses for every associate, and would randomly give each associate 100$ for food and a dollar off gas on your VIC card. But, just like any retail, they have huge cons, like absolutely NO work/home balance, would write up associates that refuse to work past your off time, and expect each associate to speak to any customer within a foot in front of you, even if you're on a break. They even expect associates on break to assist any customer who needed help, claiming they would "adjust" your time to accommodate said break, but never would. They pay better than most other stores in this area, but they also expect you to work yourself to death or get written up for "insubordination". 

I have been with the company for quite some time. Now that Kroger has taken over it’s gone downhill especially management. It definitely could be better. It’s also better when you have a manager that has a great personality and is all about taking care of his employees. When  that happens it creates great store morale with the entire staff. There is no work/life balance whatsoever. The needs of the employees never matter and the starting pay is terrible. People that get hired from outside of HT get payed better. The needs of the business come before the employees. When employees ask for raises often times they are belittled and laughed at. 

HT is a great place to work if you're looking for an entry level job. The duties are manageable and the management is decent and well-trained for the most part. Unfortunately, once you begin advancing in position job requirements get totally out of hand. Most management will often have to work a night shift followed by a day shift, sometimes only having time to go home to sleep for 2-3 hours before being back at work. Understaffing is a serious issue. If you're looking for a job that will become a career I'd look elsewhere. If you're just looking for a paycheck and a job that you don't have to take home with you then the entry-level positions here are just fine.

Overall, this is a decent job for students.  Your upper management, department, and team will determine how smoothly things run.  It’s not a job that requires a lot of brain power: stock shelves, front department(front as you go), receive truck, repeat.  I used to work full-time hours during summer and winter breaks because they always need help. Hard work and being a team player pays off. Profit sharing check twice a year is also nice. Part time employees get benefits after one year of employment, I think. I met some really nice customers as well.

Harris Teeter is a safe, relaxed, professional,  and  fun place to work. I learned how to Place the weekly produce order to keep the produce stands full of product. Also learned how to build display tables with the various produce items.
Management was very engaged with their workers. Easy to talk with and to get along with. Always there for you if you have any questions or problems.
the hardest part of the job for me was being cooped up inside all day. I like to work both indoors and outside.  
The most enjoyable part of the job was working with and helping the customers find their meal solutions.

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