The best place to work in retail is…
Who knows whether a company is a good place to work better than its employees? That’s what makes Glassdoor’s "Employees Choice Awards" top 50 list of the best places to work so interesting. This year, there’s a smattering of retailers and foodservice operators on the list, making the case that retail can mean good jobs.
H-E-B – Ranked seventh on Glassdoor’s list, the San Antonio-based grocery chain received 4.2 stars out of five based on 595 reviews. Eighty-five percent of those posting reviews would recommend working at the company to a friend and 96 percent approve of CEO Charles Butt.
In-N-Out Burger – Ranked eight with 4.2 stars based on 267 reviews. Ninety-one percent would recommend working at the company to a friend and 95 percent approve of the CEO, Lynsi Torres, the granddaughter of the chain’s founder Harry Snyder.
QuikTrip – The convenience store chain is number 21 on Glassdoor’s list with four stars based on 249 reviews. Eighty-three percent would recommend the company to a friend and 94 percent approve of the job being done by CEO Chet Cadieux.
Apple – While not primarily a retailer, Cupertino-based Apple was 22 on Glassdoor’s list with high marks for benefits and salary. Seventy-eight percent would recommend to a friend and 93 percent approve of CEO Tim Cook’s performance.
Costco – The warehouse club came in at number 29 with 3.9 stars. Seventy-nine said they would recommend working at Costco to a friend and 93 percent approve of CEO Craig Jelinek.
Wegmans – Number 32 on Glassdoor’s list with 3.9 stars out of five. Eight-three percent would recommend working at the family-owned grocery chain to a friend. Ninety-one percent give a thumbs-up to CEO Danny Wegman.
Discussion Questions
What are the biggest factors affecting whether or not you would recommend working at a company to a friend? Do you see any common attributes that would explain why employees seem to love working at the companies listed?
Leadership, culture and recognition—in that order.
The most neglected person in all of retail is the store manager. Regardless of the retailer and their policies, it is the store manager who sets the tone and defines the culture of the store.
The number one reason I hear from employees that they stay (or quit) is that they are recognized for the contributions and treated fairly as individuals.
HEB is intimately involved in the community and encourages their partners (the company associates) to also be active and involved. This involvement is part of their bold promise—every partner matters. Their culture transcends into providing exceptional service everyday to the thousands of customers that comes through their doors. Kudos to them!
Having worked with literally thousands of retail employees, it always seems to come down to five things:
I think it is the work experience, pay and benefits, in that order. The work environment is really important, as I have worked at companies where employees were treated like dirt and others where they were valued team members. When you are working at a company at the negative end of the spectrum, the psyche is damaged and one spends much time figuring out an exit strategy, which isn’t always easy, as the employee can feel trapped for one reason or another.
Surprised not to see Publix on the list, judging by what I’ve read, my personal shopping experiences and the fact that their employees generally seem happy to be there.
The biggest factor of recommending working at a company (or not) is the way the company makes me feel. Do they appreciate my work, create a culture that fosters connections with colleagues, utilize my talents, get me excited about what they do and finally, do they compensate me appropriately?
The best companies are able to fulfill employees, take advantage of their unique talents and get them excited about what’s next. (I call this serious FUN: fulfillment, uniqueness and next.)
Another byproduct of a great culture is that great places to work are also great places to do business. Customers are happier, therefore employees are happier (and vice versa).
There are so many good companies to work for. It is hard to determine which is best. One of my all time favorites, and a member of this annual list, is The Container Store. It seems the criteria committee uses them as the model.
Each of the companies written up in the article and rated by Glassdoor are good/great places to work and some of them are even great places to work for hourly associates.
If you take a look at the limited number of people who actually filled out the form on Glassdoor you are going to find that:
That said there are lots of great retailers to work for not just the ones on this list and even other lists published. You will find all of them offer many of the same benefits.
Those are the hallmarks of a company to work for, whether in retail or not.
First up, you have to love what you sell—or at least like it, have some interest in it. Beyond that, look for happy employees because that’s probably the best indicator of the working environment. Beyond that it’s down the individual’s goals: financial, career, flexibility. If you can find all three, all the power to you.