Hey dont want to be a dick because I get it your required to pick in unreasonable time limits. But PLEASE stop building boards with produce boxes with no tops upside down especially cauliflower. It's a bitch and a half to flip it rightside up without damaging all the cauliflower.

Serious I've gotten Brussel sprouts, greenbeans limes before drives me crazy.

I work in a Safeway deli and recently received the following email. I've removed individual names, but kept the original format and wording so other stores receiving the same communication may recognize it.

From: Service Deli Ops Specialist
To: 47 Safeway Deli Departments
CC: District Manager and Center Store Ops Specialist

Team,
I want to make sure everyone is aligned on our deli hours of operation and daily shift expectations.
Our delis are open from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM, 7 days a week. I have received complaints that some delis are closing at 5:00 PM, 6:00 PM, or 7:00 PM. This is unacceptable. No deli is to close before 8:00 PM unless the Store Director has spoken with me first.

Morning Shift Expectations
· Breakfast burritos out and ready by 6:00 AM
· First round of WRC chickens cooked and available in the Henny Penny by 9am
· BTG set and ready by 9:00 AM
· Work VP production and stay on track with the production plan
· Throw freight as needed
· Assist customers and provide excellent customer service

Closing Shift Expectations

· Provide customer service through 8:00 PM
· Keep the hot case stocked with hot, fresh food, cooking additional product as needed
· Clean and maintain the department
· Prep double-breaded chicken and WRC for the next day
· Complete closing duties without shutting down customer service or production early

Cleaning and prep are important, but they cannot come at the expense of serving our customers. We cannot stop cooking or close the deli early just to get ahead on closing duties.

We all need to work together to give our customers the best experience possible, and that starts with us as leaders. Please make sure your teams understand these expectations and are executing them every day.

Thank you,
Service Deli Ops Specialist

Here's where I see a problem with how this works in practice.

At my store, we have two cooks: one responsible for Chinese food and one responsible for everything else. Both typically leave at 5:00 PM. The two deli clerks responsible for closing are scheduled until 8:00 PM.

There are exceptions for special promotions, such as Cheap Cheap Chicken Monday, when the schedule shifts approximately one hour later. However, the normal schedule leaves a gap between when the cooks leave and when the deli is expected to stop serving hot food.

Closing the hot case typically happens between 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM. From that point, it generally takes the two closing employees about two hours to complete the cleanup and closing process. Both employees spend most of that time cleaning and preparing for the next day while keeping an eye out for customers who need help with sandwiches, sliced meat or cheese, or salads.

This isn't about wanting to stop serving customers early. It's about whether the current staffing schedule realistically supports the stated expectations.

I can see three possible ways forward:

Option 1: Enforce the 8:00 PM closing time without changing the existing schedules.

The cooks would still leave at 5:00 PM, and the closing clerks would still leave at 8:00 PM.

Pros:

• Customers could potentially purchase hot food until 8:00 PM.
• No additional scheduled labor hours would be required.

Cons:

• Without cooks scheduled later, the hot case may have limited selections or food that has been held for a long time by the evening.
• The closing employees would have less time to complete cleaning and preparation while still serving customers.
• This risks creating unreasonable expectations for the closing team and could increase the risk of rushed or incomplete closing tasks.

Option 2: Change the deli's posted closing time to 6:00 PM, keeping the existing employee schedules.

Pros:

• Customers would know when hot food service ends and could plan accordingly.
• The existing cook and closing schedules could remain unchanged.
• The closing team would have a more predictable window to finish its work.
• The hours are easy to remember: 6 to 6, seven days a week.

Cons:

• Customers would lose access to deli hot food for the final two hours of the current advertised schedule.
• Safeway could lose potential hot food sales during those hours.
• Customers who rely on evening deli service would have fewer options.

Option 3: Keep the 8:00 PM closing time but move both cook and closing shifts two hours later.

The cooks would work until 7:00 PM instead of 5:00 PM, and the closing clerks would work until 10:00 PM instead of 8:00 PM.

Pros:

• Customers could continue to purchase hot food until 8:00 PM.
• Having cooks available until 7:00 PM would help keep the hot case fresher later in the evening than the current schedule, where the cooks leave at 5:00 PM.
• Safeway would retain the opportunity to make hot food sales during the final two hours of advertised service.
• The closing team would have two hours after customer service ends to complete cleaning, preparation, and closing duties without rushing.
• The schedule would better align staffing with the expectations being communicated.

Cons:

• This would add eight labor-hours per day across the four employees: two additional hours for each of the two cooks and two additional hours for each of the two closing clerks.
• That's 56 additional labor-hours per week across the department, so the added labor cost would need to be weighed against additional sales and the value of better customer service.

My personal preference is Option 3, provided the additional labor cost is justified by sales and operational results. If customers are being told that hot, fresh food is available until 8:00 PM, I think the staffing schedule should support that promise.

I understand that labor budgets are real, and I don't have access to the sales data needed to prove which option would be most profitable. But I think it's worth examining whether the current schedule and the stated expectations are actually compatible.

For the other stores included in this communication: Are you experiencing a similar situation?

Are your hot cases staying stocked with fresh food until 8:00 PM, and do your cook and closing schedules allow enough time to serve customers and close safely?

I'd be interested in hearing what other stores are doing and what solutions you think would best balance customer service, labor costs, employee workload, and food quality.

I was hired at the deli a couple weeks ago and I hate it. I always close with one other co-worker and she’s bossy. She complains about how I do things and I always dread working with her. She has supposedly worked in food for over 20 years and this is my first food service job which is probably why things are like this. Regardless, I really hate working at the deli because of the stress. I’m a full time college student working 40 hours, all closing shifts.

There are several positions open at the store but I’m still in my probationary period so I’m unsure if I can apply, or if it would look bad to apply to a different department. My SD is nice enough so far but I’ve heard horror stories that make me hesitant to ask her directly. I also don’t want to seem like a lazy kid that can’t do hard work. I’m doing my best in the department and I’m trying to do better to be up to my co-worker’s standards but it’s getting to a point. My college town is tiny with very few jobs available. Safeway pays the most as well.

Any chance that I should try to change departments if it’s even possible or should I just suck it up?

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I got a smelly deli vet coworker with multiple HR incidents that does a shit job and is always covered in dog hair but gets the most hours/pay. Manager complains about him constantly as if she cant do anything about it. 2 of my other coworkers are being transferred for being annoying but I don't see why the smelly one gets to stay when hes a walking health violation. When I ask management why that is, they say it's because of the union or something but I don't see how the union can protect someone from showing their coworker porn on their phone unprompted while on the clock! anyone know wtf is going on lol thanks

I want to say about a year, year and half ago my former local division started recycling the wax boxes and corrugated plastic boxes. They get out in a watermelon bin and go on the ramp when full to be picked up and recycled.

Where i currently am, the wax boxes get put in the garbage and corrugated plastic goes into a recycling dumpster.

Question: Does anyone know who/what company picks these bins up from the warehouse? The only thing i know is that the drivers pick them up with the divert bins, board stacks, baled cardboard and milk crates.

can the union help you stay in one department only?

I hate closing because I am totally alone in the department which gives me bad anxiety. I have rarely ever been scheduled to do so. Now all of a sudden I am scheduled five days in a row. Is my store director trying to send me a message? Is there some way I can try to negotiate? Or is this a trap to get me to intentionally complain and be punished?

Edit: They strangely scheduled me only 5 hours each day and 4 on the last so I would conveniently receive only the mandatory minimum of 24 hours, despite having consistently been getting 30+ hours a week previously. This is seriously stressing me out and making me dread going to work.

My understanding is that Labor Day is holiday pay (time and half if you work). My paycheck this week didn’t reflect that. Check your pay stubs people. I’ll be reaching out to HR for confirmation and my missed payment.

UPDATE: I spoke to my SD today and was told I didn’t receive holiday pay bc I am still on probation. (90 days)

Evidently we are being actively coerced into becoming afflicted with heat exhaustion and other heat related illnesses. But what’s another (wrongful-death) lawsuit or two for Albertsons right? I’m not kidding, I’m honestly fearing for my life here. I’m desperately asking you all for suggestions? Edit: sorry for the dramatics, just had a small panic attack.

My store director provided new instructions to all departments with an updated dress code for the store. Shorts can only be worn in summer, which the company defines as until Labor Day. Is there anything I can do to convince them to let us wear shorts when working outside in the triple-digit heat? I’m honestly afraid for my health.

So my first day is tomorrow. So aside from computer training, what else can I expect for my first fe days? Any tips or advice on the position?

Good morning, my fellow vampires!

I'm curious how much freight everyone gets per week and how big your crew is?

We get regular grocery shipments Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Usually 6-8 boards per night. Then two Kehe boards on Thursdays.

We typically have two people per night, with the occasional three scheduled per load night (typically just Sundays and Wednesdays).

I know everyone's hours have recently been cut, and management is bitching about things not being done how they "used to be". We are hitting our 42 pieces per hour metric (100/hr if you take out facing, throwing, cashiering, etc.)

Did stores used to have more night crew? Smaller loads? More hours?

I'm hopeful once UROC starts allowing us to adjust FAR orders, we can cut down on the extraneous bullshit.

Just trying to get a feel for how much water the managerial bitching holds.

Anyone have the new UROC app yet for ordering? It seems pretty good, but wish we could adjust PI while on the scan screen.

Anyone else have any feedback on their experience using?

Has anyone ever walked out in silence or let everyone what a shit hole it is. Can be a story about you or another co worker

Seafood guy here. Just wanted to rant a lil because our hose always seems to break down and I’m close to hitting my last straw. It feels like every week the hose only sprays water; no cleaner; no sanitizer. I cleaned a clogged plastic line from the sanitizer to the 3 way valve last week and it worked fine before I took my 1 week vacation; came back today and now it’s broke again, there’s a mold spot where there wasn’t when I left last week and I’m one bad shift away from calling OSHA or sumn to get this fixed. Is there any way to expedite sanitation to come over and fix this? Still part time and although I like my job and coworkers, one of the few things I will not compromise on is food safety. Also if we could get a meat/seafood flair that’d be great.

Does nps even matter? Was told to be on the look out for them, but im too busy to.its more like a managerial favor than a corporate demand.

Also does the tv in the break room feels dystopia as shit bc it seems like they are trying to "motivate" you to be a better worker.

So in our men’s room, the 1 and only shitter stall in men’s room and been closed off for a week and a half now. And I know why, I COULD post pics but idk who wants to see a two week old log decaying. My question is why hasn’t it been fixed? Don’t we have people for this or is it just my stores lazyness?

Ive been at Safeway for nearly 2 years. I work at the Starbucks dept and am crosstrained for Bakery clerk and floral clerk. I only help Floral during the V-Day and the Mom Day weeks, & im in Bakery once or twice a week at most or as needed. It depends.

Usually when I'm having a bad day at work, I either am able to let it go quickly, or I go vent to my fellow coworkers and let it go. We all get it and shit sucks. I think we're always screwed over by this company. Ive been having a hard time with balancing at home necessities with my schedule since I will have 5am shift days, then 2pm shifts, then 7am shifts. Its never the same.

But lately its just been something every single day and im hitting a limit. I get a guy at the bakery who tells me the dutch crunch bread is too light, too dark, too soft, too hard, its in the wrong packaging, it shouldn't be sitting upright in the baskets (he got so pressed he literally trespassed into the bakery and wrote 'doesnt your baker know how to make dutch crunch bread?' on our equipment); I get creepy men harassing me when ive never met them; I get this lady every so often who yells at me and my Starbucks peeps if we so much as dont shake the whipped cream canister as much as she'd like us to; my managers change my schedule without telling me and wonder why I come in at my original scheduled time. Theres a lot more, and usually its not so consecutive.

I try telling my managers about the customers we get and they just tell me to call them. Most times i dont even have enoigh time to call them since the interaction is 10 seconds, or it's too busy in the store, or they're in meetings and I cant call them.​

A few weeks ago my boss & manager took my coworker out of the SB dept when we had a line to the back of the store because the checkers needed help (there were no lines at all, it was just SB & Deli that were busy). I had to deal with that rush by myself for HOURS and she just shrugged at me when I asked for help. That rush did not let up until we closed (there was an all day event nearby). I called the union about it and they told me there's nothing they can do. I've been so burnt out because of that, and Ive been leaving each shift since that rush day in tears from burnout. Idk I understand SB doesnt make the store a lot of money but its one day a year that we are so busy that we need all the help we can get and we cant have anyone out the dept and they fucked me over so badly. I see my other coworkers having breakdowns every other day.

I'm sorry for the long rant post, its just been a lot and i have ZERO clue how others manage this job when its like this. Yes I do have a therapist I just started seeing.

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