The job codes are being cut to about 30 ish. We are being broken up into 4 groups. Fresh, Front end, floor partners, and night crew. Floor partners will have to learn all areas which we pretty much do anyways. Fresh is getting screwed over the most. Say you are a cafeor a produce associate they now can tell you to go cut meat or decorate a cake. Guess what, You will not get meat cutter pay or cake decorator pay. I can see it coming now. They will eventually eliminate that higher paying position. Its sad but true. Sorry people but it's just another way to save money.
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Wondering when they will be eliminating marketing. It is supposed to fall under speciality areas. But on the wire there is nothing there. I am ready for it to be over. As of now i dont even go out in the field. I work whatever hours they choose for me to work. I heard sometime in the 3rd quarter.... any updates
Let's end this!!!
Jewelry....psshhh, COS's run jewelry. It's more than just slicing hamburger meats, it's cutting around 40 different cuts of meats, remembering around 100-200 PLU codes because trust me there's no paper list. It's about managing our inventory through ordering and bring aware of encroaching expiry dates on all stock, backroom and counter. You wouldn't last a day over here and you wish you got paid as well. Gotta put in the real work.
Where is the raise for jewelry leads? I should be getting. Testing diamonds and doing special orders isn’t something any dumb monkey can do like slicing hamburger meats.
As a meat cutter, I can honestly say that I would not trade my job for a cake decorator just as they wouldn't trade theirs for mine. They likely don't want to deal with the blood and nobody wants to see my c-appy handwriting on a cake. But really it's just that I would rather not be subjected to the members' emotional expectations surrounding cake quality.
Nobody looks at a side of beef with that passion.
I have rarely seen someone who has the desire to learn how to do something at Sam’s be denied that opportunity. Now I’m talking about going about it the right way, sitting down with a coach and saying “I want to learn how to decorate a cake. Can I come in an hour before my shift on Sunday and shadow the decorator?” Then the person practices at home, maybe they watch some YouTube videos on how to decorate cakes. Decorating cakes is a form of art, but if you tell me that someday the job I am currently doing may be replaced by technological advances, and I have a desire to keep providing for my family, you can damn well be sure I will learn how to decorate a cake, or grind some 80/20 or 90/10 hamburger. Not taking away anything from these jobs, but they are not so advanced that others can’t learn how to do them. Learn how to do other things fellow associates, work hard and make yourself as unreplaceable as possible. When you are asked to do something, just do it, become known as the associate that does whatever is asked of them. Other associates will appreciate the help and when you are in need of help next time, they will be glad to return the favor of helping you. It’s not rocket science peeps, work together and watch out for your fellow associates.
There is a reason behind the certification programs in fresh. Setting goals and paying more money for better trained associates helps with employee retention and desire from other departments associates to learn these areas to someday make more money. I help out stocking deli meats one day, the team lead or cutter starts to explain how to trim a cryovac of strip steaks. I ask my supervisor if I can watch the cutting CBL’s and then on a slow Tuesday night I put on the cutting gloves and with very close supervisor from the cutters, I trim some meat and wrap it, and out it out in the case. 👀 at me, I’m on my way to being a meat cutter. God Bless America!!
Let's have wheels coming off smh
Let’s eliminate some of the know areas/jobs that can not be part of a cross training/block schedule program:
Optical and Pharmacy
(Require licensing and HIPHA privacy issues)
Meat Cutters
Gas Station
(Must have training and current certification)
TMA
Forklift Driver
I am have missed a couple others but while you don’t want someone cutting meat that does not know the specs, safety procedures, etc you can do deli break outs, wrap packages, rotate stock, and answer members questions to help out.
Bakery cake decorating will be simplified to the degree that there will be a reduced number of designs. Just like there are 8-10 different bread rolls/bun types, the decorators will ice a certain number of standard cakes, and out the out on the case. Member will pick what they want from what is in the case only, no more cake books with endless colors/border designs. Member picks a cake, someone opens cake, writes Happy Birthday Timmy and the member takes the cake. Members that want more custom design options will need to go to another bakery for that type of cake. Getting back to basics, we sell a standard cake at a very good warehouse price, no frills, member saved money. Cakes can be mass produced/decorated and be refrigerated for the coming day or days.
There is more to do in bakery than decorating cakes and meat dept.cutting meat.
You could be a wrapper, bake, put product on sales floor, clean, break out product for next day, scan out throw aways. They will be able to use you in these departments, like it or not.
And they wont force someone to cut meat if there not comfortable doing it, you people dont know what it takes to cut meat and to do it right. There specs and trim standards. Over trim and your throwing all your profits in the garbage can. And put someone on the bandsaw thats not comfortable you have a serious accident waiting to happen.
Come on people a little common sense!!
Meat cutters and cake decorators are specialist, (shown the paper work from club manager stating it) both will not go to other fresh depts to work. Nor will they ask a produce or cafe or any other associate to come back and cut meat...
For the comment about easier cutting meat or decorating cakes, go in both depts do both before you make such a stupid comment!!!
I really think Cake Decorating would be harder to learn than cutting meat . Cake Decorating takes a lot of practice. It is not a very easy task at all . And they are expecting these decorators to do more - do walk up orders - can not tell member 24 hrs .
If a decorator quits they don’t want to replace them because of their pay . But then they ask why are sales down . It is because we are working with less decorators - and they are rushed to get the orders done .
To the person who commented on the contact lens subscriotion.... So the money we make from them does not go to our optical?
They're not going to expect meat cutters to go decorate a cake. If bakery calls out they're really going to leave meat shorthanded to do bakery and vice versa? No they won't. Think about it...
If anyone read the info on the new Contact Lens subscription, they are sending us a seperate credit card reader to be hooked up via our iPad hotspot. We are basically working for NVI so the $$ goes right to them. Shady
There's going to be some funky looking cakes and steaks, ha!
That's why I believe the rumors about optical going to a third party. Finding a replacement for a call off won't be Sam's responsibility. That's what they did with the cell phones.
I’m an optical manager and in the state I work in you MUST BE LICENSED to do my job! If I work over and can’t leave early then my MM throws a fit! How are they going to handle this? Not like ANYONE ELSE can just come over and do the job. Its against the law!
Our HBA department is right across from the bakery. Many times when I'm helping the Grocery Department out by zoning HBA for them, I will witness members complaining about cake decorations. :(
With proper training you can learn anything
If you live in a right to work state they can force you to do any job comfortable or not. They can fire you for insubordination.
I agree they are skilled positions but you have to pass the meat cutting test with spec cutting. That's what they want though. If someone calls out they want to have somebody available right now and not have to call someone in. If another cutter doesn't answer their phone, the club is screwed. Most managers don't know how to cut meat even though they were supposedly trained to do so.
I work in Fresh, but not in the meat department. They can't make me cut meat. They can't make me do something that I don't feel comfortable doing.
I was thinking meat cutters & cake decorators we’re exempt. I mean think about those are two very skilled job . Even at the cake Decorator best day — the member finds something wrong with the cake . You can just walk into bakery and know how to write in a Cake much less I would love to see anyone walk in there and make a rose .
Let’s not mention GRADUATION TIME
Graduation time can make your best decorator cry .
Come on Bring all them Decorators on
😩😢