customer service representative

agent de centre d'appel

financial analyst

manager

bookkeeper

LCBO

Having worked in retail for many years... the things the lcbo (and the union that apperently represents its workers) does is antiquated at best and criminal at worst...The way they treat their employees is absurd. And what is more absurd is that they can't seem to figure out why they have such a high turnover rate of casual(permanent part time) workers...  the demands put on us are insane, with a starting wage of slightly above minimum ($17.00 ish ATM), you are expected to learn every aspect of running the store, from stocking shelves, receiving, running the tills, cleaning the store, & customer service.  While you are doing all that, you are suppose to learn what wines pair with what foods, how to tell what a customers taste preferences are, how to Guage how much alcohol someone may need for an event, and the most ridiculously complicated return system(controlled substance) i have ever seen, you have to get Smart serve certified as well, and First aid trained if you are to become a shift leader... which will net you a whopping $18 a day more for taking responsibility for the store and everyone in it...  oh and on top of all this, your are dealing with a controlled substance... which means if you don't I.D everyone who you think to be 25 or under, and you sell to a minor or intoxicated person (but you have to be careful not to accuse someone wronfully as it could just be from a medication or something) YOU are personally fined up to $20,000 and 2 months in jail... all for a job that pays slightly more than minimum wage.

In the smaller stores, especially in seasonally busy locations, you are forced to work completely alone during the off season, except for 3 hours a day where you will have someone in to cover your lunch if you're the shift leader/Manager. You are still expected to confront anyone who seems intoxicated or under age, because no one ever gets violent when you refuse service to them, right? But it's okay, because they have a "take 5" policy where after a difficult exchange. You can take a breather to calm your nerves... hard to do when your alone running the store though no?  And they still have the audacity to preach health and safety! we have the most rediculous health and safety rules ever...  like having to wear gloves while using a box cutter... especially using the LCBO provided gloves which are bulky and rubberized, and the LCBO issued box cutter which is the tiniest box cutter I've ever seen... gloves make it almost impossible to use and far more likely to lose control of while cutting...

The labor allotment is atrocious, there is never enough hours to finish anything... and the customers suffer for it, we sit on warehouse loads for 3 or 4 days in the summertime because we just don't have the manpower to get them done... which if you are customer service oriented, this will drive you nuts. Because you will have to essentially lie to customers that you are out of stock on items when in fact they are buried on skids in the back.

It completely amazes me that the leadership in the LCBO at head office just doesn't seem to understand or care about these issues. And it's probably because not many of them have ever worked at store level before... meanwhile we give over 2 billion dollars annually to the ontario government.... if we were paid a living wage and were able to actually attract and keep workers, we would end up making the province even more money!

Now onto the union....  one word comes to mind... "useless"   the seniority rules ensure that unless you are top seniority, you will get no hours in the off season.  The top seniority gets first dibs at every single available shift, and then down the list it goes...  the entire month of January I did not get a single shift, so I wonder why our turnover rate is so high!? and I'm not even bottom seniority.  On top of all this, I have been there over a year now and have never met a union rep, or steward, or recieved any kind of info package or anything like that...

The union rules are law here though. And come with apperently steep penalties for the manager if caught, you are not to stay a second past your shift end time, even if it's to help a customer. Which again, if you are a customer service oriented worker, you will struggle with this! 

It's not all bad though! We do get to taste lots of things, and I really like the people I work with! But the lcbo is going to have a very tough future if it doesn't get its act together because It's very hard to run stores when no one wants to work at your company! 

I work at one of the largest LCBO's in Ontario. Flagship stores are lucky to have what they have (1000’s of Vintage wines and collectable spirits, full kitchen for Chef’s demonstrations and a Tasting Bar holding 52 of the current vintage release wines to “try before you buy”), but every store has the basic tools you need to show management that you are willing, able and want to WORK!
I have worked for 2 different managers at my “home store”. One manager was hired "off the street" and their focus was on saving money. This was difficult as a "low on the ladder" employee; as my hours were slim to nil. I was on customer service (cash) a lot, and have no regrets or hard feelings about this. It has made me a better leader.
My second Manager has worked as a casual up to management. The focus in the store now is to get the job done no matter what the cost (ie. if we need tape, we get tape. If we need more cashiers, we call in cashiers). 
This manager has been supportive in my career development. They recognise my strengths and help me overcome my weaknesses. It is thanks to this manager that I am now attending WSET classes, giving me the knowledge needed to progress into a Product Consultant position. (These are pricy classes to take and the costs will be reimbursed {if} I pass),
Yes all promotions are based off of seniority, however you need to apply no matter what your hiring date was, because like any other job application, you never know, you might be the only person applying and land the job. (I have seen this happen)
My overall experience with the LCBO has been amazing. Yes you spend a lot of time on cash, especially when you first start. This is how you learn what is what in the store you are working in. 
Take advantage of being next to a computer and learn about various products in the store, new and upcoming releases, or history of products (especially local wineries, breweries and distilleries). Customers like to know they are supporting the community, as many of these entrepreneurs wouldn’t be able to sell to such a vast clientele if the LCBO didn’t carry their products.  
Take advantage of being the last face that your customers see before they leave the store. Give them tips on mixing drinks, recommend new or alternative products, remember who they are and what they like and you WILL have a following of people who want YOU (not a consultant) to help them.
Seasonal's are hired on to run the cash desks for the reason that we need our regular casual staff on the floor assisting customers. As a casual employee, I rely on the help that our team of Seasonal workers offer. They are always excellent support and free up our work load so we can better assist our customers by keeping shelves fully stocked and providing more one on one customer service.
I have read so many negative reviews about what it’s like to work for the LCBO, and it saddens me that these employees are not satisfied with their work. I remember what it’s like to work for “other” retail companies. I proudly tell people daily that I traded in my high heel shoes for steel toes and I will never go back. The LCBO has offered me challenging tasks, even at cash, and I am proud to be one of a large team that takes its Social Responsibility seriously.
I am known as the “happy cashier” to many of our customers, and am often asked “why are you so happy ALL the time”? My answer is simple: I work at the Liquor Store.
Why wouldn’t I be happy? I’m paid better than I was as a Manager in the retail industry, my job is challenging (on slow days I make up my own challenges) and I work with wonderful people (even if we don’t always agree with each other).
If you work for the Board and are not satisfied, call other stores and see what you can learn from other employees. Transfers, Continuing Education and On the Job Training are available to EVERYONE. You just have to have passion. (It’s all in YOUR attitude towards the job)
Thank you for spending the time to read this lengthy review.

A typical day at work begun with counting my cash tray and going onto the cash register. From there either stocking shelves, receiving the load or helping customers was the main focus of the day. During my time at the LCBO I learned how to run the cash register system with no worries, accept a load on the inventory system, accurately record and deal with any variances, when and how to order product for specific areas of the store in order to meet a specific merchandising deadline, merchandise product to catch the customers eye, respectfully address costumer complains while making sure the customer was left satisfied, cycle count the product, use the inventory scanner, and effectively run shifts as a leader. I also learned a lot about wine and spirits. Throughout my time I met a lot of managers, all of whom helped me get to where I was within the company. I also met a lot of people, made some friends, and , I tried to stay away from the bad seeds. I would say that the hardest part of my job was while I was running the Vintage section. Although I was not a Product Consultant, I had all of the responsibilities of one. I also had all of the responsibilities of a CSR at the same time. That meant backing up my fellow coworkers on the cash register, even when it was Friday and I had to have the Vintage Release out and merchandised by Saturday morning. It also meant only working 5 hour shifts, whereas a Product Consultant worked a solid 8 hours. Every two weeks, when I received my order of new products, I was pressed for time to put them out. I always did my very best and managed to get everything done, sometimes with the help of some coworkers.The most enjoyable part of the job, for me, was seeing customers leave the store with  confident smile on their face; trusting my suggestion on what to serve their in-laws with dinner that evening. I absolutely love helping others, the end result is always heartwarming. I would overall rate the LCBO a good place to work while in school or on weekends after your full time job; but if you are looking for a place where moving up will not take 15-20 years then I suggest looking elsewhere.

I applied for a position during the day in early November, but they offered little hours at the location. They counter offered with a full time night position, 40 hours per week, which was exactly what I was looking for. The manager assured me they would take me in after the term was done, at least for a few part time shifts. I took the offer, and I didn't think I would regret it, but now I do. 
The first issue was I had to wait a month for my first paycheque. It was not made clear to me with my constant back and forths with the manager as to why this happened, but I was understanding and put my trust in him. I would talk with the manager, just to make sure if everything is basically good to go - and he assured me yes. Clearly, this was not honest.
The term lasted from November to New Years Day, which was not clarified in the contract. If it was, it was not stressed to us that after new years day, we would not be working at all. There was an online training that needed to be done in order to work at the store - since I was working a night shift, the manager did not mention to me that it needed to be done before my "first" shift at the store. 
On New Years Day, on my last day (which I was not even aware of), the manager asked me to finish the online training. The next day, I tried logging in and was denied access. After a full week of emailing the manager, he finally emailed me back today letting me know I cannot access due to the term being finished. 
This was very frustrating for me, as I was understanding the entire time working here and did my part to make sure that I was secure. This was a learning experience, as I cannot trust anybody anymore due to the dishonesty of this manager who took advantage of my time and easygoing personality. I will never let anybody so unprofessional ever walk over me like that again. I sacrificed a lot to work here, and to be taken like a child was unfair.
To anybody considering working at LCBO, I recommend it strictly if you're looking for extra hours to work. Other than that, don't waste your time.

Let me start by saying you will be a casual (no benefits, low wage, no vacation time or vacation pay) for 15+ years if you are in the store.  If you move up to head office, you can become FT much quicker, but absolutely everything is based on seniority (unless management pulls strings).  I was a victim of discrimination here.  Management did NOTHING to help, neither did my manager's boss, neither did the Union.  The Union will be pleased to have private discussions with HR and your manager while you are not in the room.  The Union also does not recognize mental health disabilities as a real disability and neither does the LCBO (despite what they say).  My manager was entitled, discriminatory, rude, bias, unhelpful and probably the worst manager I have ever had.  I had an excellent manager until she arrived and single handedly ruined my career with LCBO.  I filed a formal complaint against her because she made several efforts to try to constructively fire me (make my job so unbearable that I would quit) to which she responded with disciplinary letters for made up reasons; which is also known as reprisal and is illegal under Ontario law.  Didn't matter though, not a single person in LCBO listened or cared, including the Union.  My Union rep said "accommodation for mental health is not the same as a physical disability, you cannot request it," which is totally inaccurate.  She also sat there and let the Manager of Human Resources (who is the worst human being I have ever met) sit there an berate me as though I was a criminal, meanwhile I was being emotionally tortured by my manager.  I had no choice but to quit.  The Ministry of Labour won't help, despite Crown employees being covered by them and neither with the Ontario Human Rights Commission.  Ultimately, this ended up being the worst job I ever had.  It is a shame because once you are full time, the benefits and vacation are very good.  The pay is still quite low and depends on your clerk level, but you are always capped.  Anyway, I would not recommend LCBO to ANYONE, EVER.  BEWARE.

I was hired as a permanent casual Customer Service Representative. I agree with many comments that you work evenings and weekends, however that is what I anticipate in any retail environment so it is exactly as you would expect. As a casual with no other employment, you can work everyday of the week during especially busy times or you can ask for certain days off or times of day, i.e. no mornings because you volunteer/work elsewhere.  

I have found the staff to be great - very friendly and willing to teach newbies. This includes the management. They have all been great.

My hours over the holidays were full time however, they have dropped down (as expected) to somewhere between 12 and 24 hours per week in Jan. to March. If I had to rely on this as my sole income, it would be hard but I do know that my rate of pay will go up with time and training. I also appreciate the union as it insures a consistent approach where the 'flavour of the month' does not get promoted at the expense of other hard working employees.

The work is straightforward - respond to customers, cash, stock, clean - and when you leave, it's done. No need to bring work home or be contacted after about things that happen in the store.

Customers are generally great! Only had one really grumpy one in over 7 months and I can't say that for any of my other jobs.

Benefits are pretty non-existent for casual but again, this is what I expected. 

I think this job would be perfect for people who do not need full time employment income immediately but may wish to stick with the Board for years to come in order to have a professional job and middle class rate of income. It is also great for people later in their life who are not reliant on this as their sole source of money but it gives them extra $ and connection to others (much better than McD's or Tim's as your wages will actually go up over time. Also no 24 hour stores!).

This job offers a decent pay considering that it’s a retail job ($16.75-$30.75). However, the LCBO is a horrible, dead-end job for anyone who wants to progress. When you work as a casual CSR, you do just as much work as the full-timers, if not more, for half of their pay. Your hours are also never consistent. You could go from 20 hours one week to 0 the next on a whim with just over a week’s notice, so not a good place to work if it’s your only job. No flexibility either, you could work 12 days with 1 day off, and all of those 12 shifts could be closing shifts so good luck doing literally anything outside of work. The benefits for casuals are also atrocious. I’ve never heard of an employer that gives benefits after 5 whole years of working there (excluding any seasonal work you may have done in the past) while having to maintain 2500 hours per year. There were times in previous years where my hours were half decent, hitting that mark, but say you’re shy of even one hour due to budget cuts, you’ll lose your benefits entirely for the next year. Communication is also lacking within this organization. Every LCBO store has their own individual set of rules and procedures, and there’s hardly any consistency between stores. Also, it’s a bit ridiculous that full-time CSR roles are offered to casuals/PPT based off seniority alone, without merit playing a role whatsoever. This leaves each store with underqualified staff eating up the whole budget when a more productive/committed worker waiting until they’re next in line, which takes 10+ years from the start (not including seasonal work). Basically, this job is only good for someone if they’re retired or if they’re already working a full-time job and are just looking for something on the side. Otherwise, I would not recommend this job to anyone looking to make a career as a full-time CSR.

If you’re looking for a decent summer job, or you’re looking to make some extra cash for the holidays, this can be a good place to work...but it’s all based on seniority and there’s no guarantee of shifts, even after you move into being a casual employee. 

To many people in Ontario, working at the LCBO seems like the easiest job in the world with good pay & union backing.

It really isn’t all that. If you take things said to you personally, this may not be the job for you.

If you don’t preach the Union’s message, don’t expect any assistance from them. If you don’t agree with them politically, expect the same treatment as above.

As for the retail level: While the majority of customers I have served are polite and pleasant; there have been several instances I have experienced where some customers have been unnecessarily rude; dismissive; verbally abusive; and have vocally declared that you (an employee of a Crown Corporation) are a worthless bottom feeder who has failed at everything else in life & can’t get a real job (because you refused to sell them alcohol for whatever reason [intoxicated, underage, or visibly & blatantly purchasing for someone who may be underage/been refused previously]).

Additionally, moving up in the company is incredibly difficult. You want a raise from the base rate? Sure, just work 1000 hours & you’ve got it! If you’re barely scheduled for shifts, you’ll be stuck earning the base hourly rate for a very long time. You want a job at head office? Better be someone with a ton of out of company experience to get that job.

...did I forget to mention that being available Fridays from 5pm onwards through end of day Sunday is mandatory? That’s retail for you.

I worked in the Ottawa logistics facility, the management believed that fixed term employees were not entitled to Stat holiday pay, claimed that the Union made a deal so fixed terms don't get osha laws protecting them. if you ask the union if you are with them they claim that fixed terms are not apart of the union despite paying union dues they will jerk you around from person to person without properly protecting or answering fixed term employee questions. 

also recently they started hiring a wave of employees and turned down a certain group of returning employees surprise surprise the employees turned down just so happen to be the employees who were awarded back pay after being ignored for 3 months about the stat holiday pay problem.

also the union made a deal that fixed terms don't get two 15 minute breaks so while every other employee is getting ready to head home and are standing at the punch clock during the last 15 minutes of the shift, your still working because they get another 15 minute break, where the union traded the fixed terms last break away for whatever benefit for themselves. 

aswell every employee gets the 1$ night shift premium, EXEPT fixed term employees

so those planning to take a fixed term position in the Ottawa logistics facility beware, ask them about the last 15 minute break the others get and you don't and clarify the night shift premium. 

also they force overtime, its in the fixed term contract so afternoons work until 12 am, and back at 7 in the morning.

and yes I contacted the ministry of labor about the lcbo ignoring osha laws, unfortunately it becomes a union claim because there is a union in the workplace, that refuses to acknowledge fixed term employees sooo good luck

On a province-wide level, it is an okay job if you do not need a steady income and do not mind working every weekend and all holidays. However, your hours for the first few years will be vary variable (plenty in Summer and December), and you could be on EI during other times if you do not have other employment.
In regards to my experience at the larger Cobourg location, it is easily one of the worst employment experiences in my life. The store is controlled by top seniority full time workers who thrive on spite, complete individualism, preferential treatment, and bringing others down. If the Management is not actively engaging in these behaviours, they are supporting it through general incompetence, inaction, poor/no communication and granting unprecedented control to those toxic individuals. Good workers are being pushed to their limits to compensate and having to constantly fight through game playing, blatant mistreatment, cynicism, and physical harm due to repetitive strain from a lack of job rotation. While the Cobourg location is easily one of worst in terms of toxicity, it generally reflects the basic attitudes throughout the corporation (Head office is also extremely inefficient and continues with very outdated work models). Unfortunately, the Union is more of an hindrance then an aid, as several of these toxic individuals have taken that route to become store representatives. However, it is often clearly for their own protection and to allow manipulation of the system for their own individual wants.

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