store manager

seasonal associate

warehouse manager

retail manager

area manager

Hickory Farms

Hickory farms has been around since 1951, and it shows.  Up here it's only a seasonal job, you head to your kiosk or walk-in store and sell sausage, cheese, and other good foodstuffs to customers.  Pretty straightforward.

The operation works on the independent operator franchise model, so your overall experience will depend heavily on the quality of your supervisor and the mall or wherever that you are located at.  I was fortunate to have excellent support from management during my tenure there.  However, the seasonal aspect of the work does make it difficult for the company to secure reliable staff, and bad underlings can make a job frustrating just as easily as bad supervision.

The head office for Hickory Farms is gearing heavily towards online sales, which makes it very difficult for the retail locations to meet their sales targets.  More than once my manager and I found the company website selling product at a lower price than our kiosk, with free shipping to boot.  This is on top of numerous items that can only be ordered online, with comparatively few being exclusive to the physical stores.  This had a negative impact on our sales last year, and that trend will probably continue into the next one.

As for perks, the lowered price on the food was a definite plus. It's all very high quality and packed full of flavour, so you don't need much to get a good dining experience.  Probably for the best, given the fat and salt contents mind, but a little moderation goes a long way.

Overall, this is a quick and active retail operation for the holiday season, and a great experience if you can find the right people to work with.

Working at Hickory Farms was a very stressful experience for various reasons. The first being that the manager allocated more hours to my co-workers than to me, even though I was available to work most hours most days. The manager was also quite rude to me when I would ask questions that any newly hired employee would ask, and would interrupt me when speaking with customers so she could assist them instead which did not allow me to learn as much as I should have. She would also talk behind her manager's back to the employees, which was unprofessional and put the employees in an awkward position. Some of my co-workers would spend most of their hours chatting with their friends who would stop by the store instead of working, yet the manager clearly favoured those employees and took hours from me to give to those employees. 
This was by far the worst work experience that I have had in retail. I would not recommend this company to anyone, whether it be as a potential employee or as a customer.

My experience with Hickory Farms did not begin on a positive note, 
meaning, the training I attended, in a different city ( I live in Ottawa ) was rather non-existent and not a great use of their time after funding hotel rooms and travel to get everyone there. Having said that, my view changed exponentially after our first set-up in the Ottawa area. 
My District Manager was fantastic. Her energy flowed from her to everyone around her. She was a great leader. She showed us the ropes by being available at every single opening. She taught all of us by hands-on allowing us to make mistakes and correcting them ourselves. The experiences from then on were nothing but super positive, fun, encouraging all employees to work as team members. '
The pay for managers was adequate however there are bonuses available. 
All in all, Hickory Farms is an amazing company with great products. A household name. They are Traditional. 
I would work for them in a heart beat.

Great seasonal job but you work alone most of the day after you are trained. I did not receive enough training and had to deal with a difficult situation where a customer demanded a refund and I was not taught what to do in those situations. Coworkers were not great, out of 5 of us, one was let go, one left early, one got busy, so it really came down to just me and the other employee to stay for the shifts. Management changed a week in but overall amazing manager when the change happened and I recommend the job

I enjoyed how the Manager really cared about who she was hiring and how much she cared for her customers. She was one of the best Managers I've had, very easy to get along with and very easy to understand. She was very helpful and informative. I went in that job knowing nothing and was not excited to work. I ended up leaving that job knowing a lot more and was pretty sad to leave *End Of Season Is Reason Of Termination/Leave*

I will definitely work there again next season and would recommend keeping Hickory Farms in the mall. 

Hardest part of the job was learning to close and open the store- which is now easier for me to do.

Great seasonal job, low stress- if anything a bit boring at times and that is the worst part. That comes with being a sales associate anywhere though, when its quiet its quiet and my location was a kiosk so theres not much to mess around and clean when you dont have a customer. However, I was permitted to read or draw or anything when it was dead quiet so I was getting paid to do what I enjoy sometimes. Can’t beat that. I had very kind management that was flexible and actually said thank you often, this made all the difference for me. I would do it again if I dont have permanent work already next year. Really appreciated this job for what it is. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
The owners were the best bosses I’ve ever had. The whole experience was amazing, I truly enjoyed everything about it 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
There were no stresses at all. Everything was well organized and everyone was friendly & helpful 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Work environment was friendly, happy and very supportive 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Typical day was offering excellent customer service, restocking, sales and either opening or closing procedures

Hickory farms is an excellent place for students to work as hours are flexible, the manager is kind and understanding, and it is a simple yet challenging job that one can learn from. There are many job responsibilities for employees such as running cash, restocking items, making bank deposits, and cleaning the store. This, however, is not a burden in a quiet environment of work, it keeps employees busy with mildly challenging tasks that are manageable and enjoyable.

A typical day involved opening the store, organizing inventory and doing sales. From this job I learned how to operate a point of sale system, interact efficiently with customers and overall provide great customer service. The management was good, with schedules being put out a week in advance. The co-workers were exceptional and I thoroughly enjoyed working with everyone. The hardest part of the job were the long hours, but the overall atmosphere and enjoyment of the job was the best part.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The staff and customers are amazing 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Nothing is stressful about the job


What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Amazing everyone gets along  and no one has anything negative to say

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Open the kiosk
Count the till 
Make the kiosk look, presentable
Stock the kiosk
Engage with the customers
Upsell

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Store manager 1 salary reported	$20.00 per hour
Seasonal associate 1 salary reported	$17.60 per hour
Warehouse manager 1 salary reported	$70,000 per year
Retail manager 1 salary reported	$21.00 per hour
Area manager 1 salary reported	$750 per week

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