department manager

assistant store manager

customer service representative

deli manager

meat carver

Farm Boy

TL;DR: Upper management (i.e., store manager) isn't a leader; they're a micromanager at best. They'll raise your blood pressure over the smallest misstep. To them, you are a person to exercise their authority on, rather than viewing you as a capable human being. 

A typical day at Farmboy as an Assistant Produce Manager depends on the type of shift you are working. 
Mornings are usually "leader" shifts, which require the setup of product, quality assurance, and checking over the inventory for miscounts the night before to ensure a valid inventory count. Mornings as the leader also require submitting orders, add-ons, claims, and checking prices/origins of products. Honestly, pretty easy stuff if you have experience and pay attention to your department manager.
You must also be aware of upcoming sales, current sales, and how to interpret the numbers being generated by the ordering system to ensure proper quantities are being ordered to mitigate potential losses from understocking/overstocking.
Additionally, you must overlook your other employees and assist when needed - standard for any leadership/management position.

Closing shifts as a leader are a bit different. For the first portion of your shift you are working up extra product that wasn't able to be worked up by the morning crew, maintaining the floor, checking for quality issues, organizing the cooler and assisting customers/other employees with inquiries. Near the mid-point of the shift, the entire department inventory must be counted before takedown of the designated product (i.e., to maintain freshness). It's a few hundred items that require a bit of product knowledge and 'guesstimations'. Overall, not hard once you've done it a handful of times. Price changes are a regular occurrence throughout the day and are done by the closing leader every night. Standard cleaning procedures are also to be done periodically by the closing crew. 

I reinforced the basics of inventory management, ordering and handling interpersonal relationships when conflicts arise. 

Management is overall good. MODs & Department managers are largely good people. However... the store manager and the district managers of these stores are rude, arrogant, self-centred, egotistical, insecure and frankly NOT leaders. They are micromanagers who passive-aggressively belittle you in order to feel good about themselves. I was completely thrown off type of behaviour as I would largely say my interview was good with the store manager and I got no inclination that they were this way. The store manager I personally dealt with would use you to do his dirty work, use triangulation methods to cause rifts between the managers (i.e., not sure why, there was unspoken drama) and be very hot-cold. One day you're a shining star, the next day you're "disrespecting management", despite whether you have good intentions. 

Workplace culture is a bit rough:
People walk on eggshells around the store manager. It's bad news when the store manager is in. A glaring red flag that the environment is toxic during the times the store manager is around. It's not so bad when the store manager isn't around though! 

Hardest part of the job: 
Dealing the store manager. Otherwise, it's easy peasy.

Most enjoyable part of the job:
Staying active, helping customers, bantering with coworkers, showcasing products through merchandising and solving problems.



  -  Challenging Work Environment and Compensation
Working at Farm Boy turned out to be a rather difficult position for me. It became clear to me in this workplace that a large number of my coworkers had severe financial difficulties as a result of their low salaries, which was especially concerning given the high cost of living in the area. The organization's barriers to career advancement, in addition to a hostile work environment, an excessive workload, and unclear expectations resulting from a department manager with poor management and communication skills, were all cause for concern. Furthermore, the company's attempts to solve these problems with ancillary benefits—like minor discounts on gym memberships and irrelevant bonuses for opening accounts with particular banks—did little to address the fundamental problems.

  -  High Employee Turnover
During my time at Farm Boy, I had the chance to watch a lot of managers and staff come and leave. While several of these people had admirable traits, it was evident that the only positive component of the employment was the friendship among coworkers. Surprisingly, the majority of exiting workers gave standard resignation grounds, which were mostly related to problems with management, job satisfaction, and the weight of excessive duties. The apparent lack of consistency in leadership, which resulted from different managerial philosophies within the company's upper management team, made issues worse.

  -  Business Practices and Employee Treatment
It appears that Farm Boy's business strategy is focused on satisfying customers and adhering to the legal minimum criteria for employee satisfaction—possibly as a diversion from the high prices of its products. In my own experience, I have seen superiors threaten to write up staff members for working overtime, and I have also witnessed department managers break a weekend vacation agreement they made with a colleague. There were also unsettling warnings of "coaching conversations" in case workers neglected to show up for work. In addition, I saw situations where management conversations about staff members became opaque and unfavorable. It is depressing to learn that problems were frequently brought up with higher authorities without first trying to be resolved locally.

  -  Employee Well-being and Final Recommendation
An evident feeling of burnout among employees is the result of these circumstances taken together. Regretfully, it appears that these worries go unanswered because management expectations around work hours don't seem to be changing. This unwavering attitude is partly caused by a chronic understaffing problem brought on by an influx of new workers looking for better working circumstances. Unfortunately, based on my entire experience, I firmly believe that applying for a job at Farm Boy would be unwise because it could negatively impact a person's emotional and mental well-being.

This company never learns from they’re mistakes that they constantly make for example

they’ll have a whole bunch of people starting from grand opening and then they will start to cut down on staff until a point when we can’t get any lower than we can as low as we can of the amount of workers we have and then everybody quits and then they go and have a job fair (for a store that’s not new but everybody is) they like to rapidly increase your duties but not your pay and then they’ll do the same thing chew, swallow, repeat! And they will make you come in if you call in sick (illegal!)

They have all these specialists that are a complete waste of space all they do is hassle you and everybody else and are henchmen for the district managers and get this they have way too many of you ask me, they will have a meat specialist and a seafood specialist, and a cheese specialist and a deli specialist (they’re both the same thing) and they will call you and will force you to come in or come into another store on your day off! And everyone like department managers and store managers can figure things out without them!

Whenever there’s a new employee they have to train the company doesn’t give us any training hours and expect us to have this new employee do amazing when yet we have to do our own duties like inventory counts and everything else and they will make the place so badly over staffed at first and then so badly understaffed and the department with the highest turnover rate is chef cause they’re always having new people everyday it feels like caus they’re not able to train people properly and they only want you focusing on the few things that they’re trained with and nothing else and then when the time come for them to learn something else they’re complaining to you like why don’t they know it and that’s because they never wanted them trained for it

Managers are on salary and they will not get any kind of compensation for all the amount of time they have worked and that’s more then 60 hours a week and there’s also a very high turnover rate for managers and we all feel bad for them cause they’re working very hard for us and the managers get treated so badly by upper management. 
Company policy is managers are not suppose to socialize with employees or even have them on Facebook which is absolutely ridiculous.

And they’re always cutting hours down whenever people want/need hours and then they try and give us hours whenever we don’t need them and they’ll say if you want more hours you’ll have to be transferred to another store that does double the business (for example Whitby or Etobicoke) but yet they lie to you cause they will still give you the same amount of hours for a store that does more business or less than another

But the good part about farm boy is they hire good and friendly people that you will get along with, and you get a 10% discount off of everything (except alcoholics) 
Hopefully with empire company (sobeys) buying over farm boy, things will run better and clean things up

You might think this is a good place to work at. I thought so too and for the first month or so of being employed there, I saw no issues. Customers were nice, coworkers were friendly. Sure, maybe my manager was a bit strict, but I thought it would never be a huge issue. Wrong! 

Terrible management! They’ll do everything they possibly can to find reasons to put you down. No matter how well you do your job, make one small, insignificant mistake and you’re done. They’ll target you, keep an eye on you and dissect every little thing you do until they can find yet another reason to complain about you.

The pay is ridiculous for the amount of work you do and the unreasonable expectations they have for you. I have worked there for one year now and I’ve been promoted twice. Yet, I’m only making an extra dollar (!!!) than from when I’ve started as a cashier. Note that I now have at least 30 more responsibilities than a cashier.

You’re not allowed to talk to your coworkers. The store can be empty with no visible customers, but you must stay in front of your cash, intact and smiling as if you’re a robot. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten in trouble for simply asking my coworker a work-related question or things of the sort.  Never have a conversation with a coworker implicated the way I do my job or prevented me from serving customers the ‘’Farm Boy way’’. Yet, it seems appropriate for management for us to be having conversations while on the floor and in front of customers. 

The worst part has got to be a few characters I’ve got the unpleasure to work with. Two assistant managers were absolutely useless when it came to doing their jobs and believed they had the right to mistreat all of the staff. One of them would hide in the office all day and only come out to boss people around so she wouldn’t have to do anything while the other would let her inflated ego dictate the way she managed the floor. The latter, may I add, is the most impolite, neglectful, unprofessional and impatient person I’ve met. Unfortunately, the voice of those under management are rarely ever heard, so her dictation would always prevail our truth.  

HR team is not properly trained to deal with immigrants, but funny enough, at least half of the employees are foreign workers/students. As a foreigner myself, I’ve had several issues with HR since my first day when they told me my study permit was not valid for work, even though it EXPLICITLY said it was. When I finished my studies and applied for a work visa, HR, once again, denied that I was qualified to continue working and that they must wait for a response from main office which didn’t arrive for at least a month. I provided several valid documents with a detailed explanation of each followed by the official laws found in IRCC’s website. Again, they can’t trust that that is correct and must talk to main office. Frustrating to say the least! 

The only good thing about this job is that I was able to make some good friends. A lot of my coworkers are nice and, if you’re lucky, you’ll find some good people who’ll make your time there worthwhile. 

I had said in my interview that I was looking for a job that had proper guidance with no "pooping on the next shift" as my last job had done multiple times. Was promised that there would be none of that.

 My first month went by well I was picking things up and getting it all done. Then came my first solo close. I tried to follow the list we had and went to pull reductions at the time the list stated to do so. Boss said "don't do that people might still buy it!" So I was like "umm okay..lemme do the bun bin then" Again told not to until customers left...at close which was 2hrs later. So here where 2 chores that where supposed to be done before close being forcibly pushed until after close, in which then I would have 30 min to do them plus 2 more. 

 Then as the shifts kept coming more odd chores from the previous shift would be piled onto my closing duties, I tried to talk about this with my boss but was basically told I had to deal with it and pick up my pace (as I was never getting off on time due to having to essentially do all closing duties AFTER close). The final day was a Sunday, was supposed to be off by 7:30 (closes at 7), my secondary co-worker left at 5:30 without taking the garbage out, dishes in the sink, and pastries that where supposed to be packaged up. I basically was flying horribly solo for the remainder of my shift; trying to get the chores done plus serve customers. I made a mental note to discuss this with HR and my boss on my next shift as this was just too ridiculous for me - they should have made sure I nailed my closing duties down before adding on more. Clocked out almost an hour after I was supposed to.
 
 Anyways come in for my next shift determined to figure this out, as I am a decent worker and felt I was progressing in every other aspect just these closings needed to be dealt with. Instead I get called into HR and slapped with termination because I "wasn't progressing as they would have liked me to be" EXCUSE ME!? Just on my last review you said I was doing fine! I was too shocked to really respond with any of my issues and just left frustrated. I didn't want to cut corners (I did on the last shift only because I was really tired of leaving later than I wanted to). I didn't know what was I supposed to do about the situation at all and no one seemed to want to tell me what exactly was I supposed to be doing. 

If you ever get hired at Farm Boy in Kingston Ontario, be prepared to document anything and bring up issues immediately. I feel like if I had done that I would still be employed but never know now. They are supposed to know what they are doing so you respect them and just think "oh well they know what is right and what is wrong so I just gotta suck it up" NO - report anything you feel is off okay?

I worked multiple departments (Bakery, Deli, and Service) on and off for roughly 1 year. 

At first I really enjoyed my time at Farm Boy. The work can be very fast paced but most of the time reasonable. Where Farm Boy really fails is it's endless layers of management. There are Cashiers/CSR's, multiple supervisors, an assistant manager, and a department manager for EACH DEPARTMENT. Quality of managers varied wildly. Most supervisors and assistant managers were supportive, while department managers and above often treated their employees poorly. The store manager often pushed department managers and assistants to be meaner to keep us in check. This fosters a very toxic environment, with the only saving grace being the kind co-workers you'll meet along the way.

Admin staff and store managers seem to struggle to communicate with each other and rarely bother to communicate with any below them. In search of a full time position (for basic job security and benefits) I gave up my position in the one of the two departments I worked in. When the next weeks schedule was posted I realized I had very few shifts. After asking around I discovered they had hired a part-time employee instead without notifying me. When I tried to return to to my old position I discovered they had already hired my replacement, leaving me scrambling for hours as a casual employee in only 1 department. Throughout this entire process I was kept in the dark, and I suffered greatly because of it. This is the embarrassing quality of upper management you can expect from Farm Boy.

I cried multiple times working at Farm Boy, and the stress and pressure I endured in the bakery specifically drove me to quit. Bakery has 1 closer, and the amount of work they are expected to do while also serving customers is staggering. I often stayed 1hr past close to finish all tasks with nobody to cover my breaks throughout the evening, not that I had any time to take them. I had to ask members of other departments to cover the counter so I could even take a bathroom break. The store manager once literally micro managed me to tears with absolutely no care, never once stepping in to help directly and constantly adding to the unreasonable work load. 

All this for minimum wage. I will never recommend this job to anybody.

Getting anywhere in the meat department is one big joke, most of the people who get anywhere are mostly egotistical and were favored over others who could actually make a difference there. 

-Management could care less about employee physical or mental conditions and will either push people to the breaking point or run them into the ground. 

-VERY unsafe work areas, mostly due to pork line and beef line floors where just a drip of pork or beef blood can very easily make people slip and fall hard on to the stone floor which has been brought up multiple times but ignored everytime. People have slipped and hurt themselves in the past and nothing has changed.

-Unsafe work habits that can greatly effect customers in the ling run due to simple things like left over trays covered in blood are stored in room temperature rooms where they can very easily be left untouched for days sometimes before someone uses them. 

-Schedule can changed at any given moment due to one of the assistant managers either forgetting something or wanting to change it with out informing people about the change, has happened multiple times to multiple people except for favoured workers who can get away with anything schedule wise since their buddy buddy with certain assistant managers. 

-If Management doesn't like you they will make your life allot harder by either pushing your starting time to a point where you wont be able to get full hours, this use to be allot worse back when supervisors where the only ones aloud to let you leave and many of them would not allow it even hours past your scheduled time.

I have been working in meat department for some time now and can very easily tell you things that have gone down there like how they force certain people to do certain jobs for as long as they can in the hopes that they would quit and more, but if there is anything your going to get out of this review is please look else where for a job, farmboy's meat department is not a healthy place to work at all. I have seen some bright people come to work and in the end before they either quit or be fired get beat down mentally to the point of depression. Management in meat department does not care about their employees at all and it sucks cause there are allot of great people slaving away there.

I have been working as a Meat Supervisor at FarmBoy for some time now, and I must say it has been an amazing experience. The management at FarmBoy truly values hard work and dedication, and they provide ample opportunities for growth and advancement to those who truly deserve it.

From day one, I have been impressed by the supportive and inclusive work environment at FarmBoy. The management team fosters a culture of teamwork and collaboration, which creates a positive atmosphere for both employees and customers. I have always felt appreciated for my contributions and have been given the necessary resources to excel in my role.

As a Meat Supervisor, I have been given the autonomy to implement innovative ideas and strategies to improve the department's operations. The management recognizes and values the expertise of its employees, allowing us to contribute our ideas and insights. This level of trust and empowerment has been instrumental in my professional development and has motivated me to perform at my best.

Furthermore, FarmBoy provides ample opportunities for learning and growth. The company invests in training programs and workshops to enhance employees' skills and knowledge. This commitment to personal and professional development sets FarmBoy apart from other workplaces. I have been able to broaden my skill set and stay updated with industry trends, thanks to the various learning initiatives offered by the company.

In terms of work-life balance, FarmBoy has been considerate and accommodating. They understand the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance and have implemented policies and practices that support it. This has allowed me to excel in my role while still having time for personal commitments and interests.

Overall, my experience as a Meat Supervisor at FarmBoy has been incredibly rewarding. The company's dedication to recognizing and promoting hard work, coupled with the supportive work environment and opportunities for growth, make it an exceptional place to work. I highly recommend FarmBoy to anyone seeking a fulfilling and enriching career in the food industry.

A typical day at Farm Boy consisted of having to set up two departments with not enough staff, or having to close with not enough staff, fill the shelves, push product, do production, serve customers, clean, input orders, take inventory, the list goes on and on. 

I believe I did not learn much of anything at Farm Boy. The store management and above has ridiculous expectations and is extremely overbearing, particularly to department managers and their assistants. The communication is unclear and overall, poor, you are told a procedure one day and then told a different way of doing it the next, consistency is not something that you can count on. 

The workload is massive, but heaven forbid you get close to overtime, they will do anything to prevent that from happening and just expect you to work at an unhealthy and unmaintainable pace to meet their goals. 

The overall workplace culture is terrible, I have personally witnessed multiple people walk out with no notice because they were pushed too far and treated that terribly. I worked at Farm Boy for almost a year and have witnessed around ten people who did this, six of them in the past two months.

The hardest part of the job is specialists, people who are meant to be the person to ensure a particular department is meeting corporate standards. These people are meant to help, but instead they waltz in and make your life infinitely harder, they get bogged down in minor details that do not ultimately matter, they bring stress and make everyone feel like they are terrible at their jobs and honestly, stupid. 

Working here was not worth it. I did not feel valued, like my knowledge or experience or what I brought to the table was respected, to the point they attempted to push me into a different department than I was hired for, even though I had the most experience in my original department.

On top of this, during my time here a fellow employee verbally abused me, shouted and swore at me, and I was told to just "get over it" and was expected to work with them. Also encountered a fair amount of sexism at this job. 

I worked here 3 years before going back to school. Prior to leaving I was offered assistant manager in which I really wanted to accept. Although it's what I wanted, the 3 years were nothing but abussive when it came to my manager and I. He was very unprofessional, was rude, took my overtime hours off so he didn't have to pay them and said he would add them to next week's hours (he never did and I'd lose about 8 hours time and a half).. Was yelled at Infront of other departments by manager for no reason being called useless and not being worth minimum wage.. When the owners would show up and something he did wasn't to their liking he would blame me to them. (the assistant manager told me this.) The funniest thing my manager told me was how I should put work before anything else because I asked for a weekend off. 

My last straw with this company was when I asked for vacation 3 times all booked a month before. He'd say yes then a week before say I couldn't take my holidays. I got annoyed and stressed about everything and working 12 hour shifts on holiday but my hours being moved to the next week and losing pay, I went on stress leave. When I brought my note in I was chewed out in front of the other department for putting my own health first for once. I went home and had a breakdown that in 3 years I gave them everything and never once got any form of thanks from my manager. I could go on and on about everything little thing that's suable that he did to coworkers and I but it's not worth reliving it all.

After my breakdown I did not feel comfortable going back in for my 2 weeks notice, I emailed central and asked them to forward my letter and explained my reasoning for not going in. They say I left on bad terms and I was made the bad one.

Last thing I have to bring up about the company itself, in 3 years I got a total raise of 0.45, that's right, 0.15 a year. When minimum wage at the time went up I was making 0.05 more. They said since I wasn't there that long and wasn't making much more to begin with that I wasn't getting a raise to makup for the loss...

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Department manager 14 salaries reported	$52,857 per year
Assistant store manager 8 salaries reported	$80,702 per year
Customer service representative 12 salaries reported	$17.73 per hour
Deli manager 9 salaries reported	$54,333 per year
Meat carver 8 salaries reported	$55,500 per year

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