A Smile in Every Aisle Required -OR- a Donald Trump, You're F! - Bakery Clerk Hy-Vee Employee Review

2.0
Jul 29, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Close, Majority of co-workers pleasant, Competitive wages, Pre-work Training

Cons

"Smile in Every Aisle" Required... or a Donald TRUMP - You're F! Sadly watched co-workers fall in the line of duty or cry for being singled out for minor infraction of not smiling enough. On the plus side - Majority of co-workers are pleasant & the do offer competitive wages. Additionally there was good pre job training, yet not much in the way of in the actual position hired for - training. Have gained a new perspective & appreciation through the eyes of an employee. High hopes were quickly dashed. Bakery clerk in reality consisted of cleaning in the bakery w/ 10% bakery clerk duties - for me. Seemed to be those with age under their belt were assigned bulk of cleaning consistently. Never got as filthy/dirty working in HK, as in working in this role. Fine mist -to- full spray soaks from bakers cleaning hands soaks you down for the duration of a "part timer's" 8-10 hour shifts. IF you enjoy working in a wet undergarments (literally) topped with a wet shirt,wet jacket, wet apron & wet dress pants - may be the job for you. If OK going from wet, hot & humid conditions to the freezer appeals - apply! If you enjoy standing hunched over a lower sink as a dishwasher, + the repetitive motion of lifting HEAVY bakery equipment FREQUENTLY, strong guys stated they were "too heavy," cleaning off dried on flour/water, & dough proves a challenging. +, lifting heavy trash into the trash compactor. Beside the no water policy on the floor except the kind you can slip on, breaks are few & far between? 8-10 hour shifts & lucky IF allowed 15 and you have to ASK several times when closer to end of shift. 'Cause PT & scheduled for 6 hour shifts. There is failure to recognize WATER is ESSENTIAL. Arrive HYDRATED! They don't HAVE to provide a break unless under a certain age, though its recommended. Some PT work slightly less than FT so no benefits. The bi-weekly schedule=figment of someone's imagination, always provided last moment before start of the new week. unable to make any plans or make appointments unless put in a VACA request. If scheduled until a specific time on any given day, may be working 3-4 hours later. Letting others know what they're signing up for, & are getting themselves into beforehand. Job description & the real job are 2 very different things. Loophole of "other duties as assigned." While a pleasant atmosphere on the SURFACE, have experienced behind the scenes 1st hand.

Explore other reviews about Hy-Vee

5.0
Jul 19, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Work life balance Flexible schedule

Cons

Management Dealing with customers b

5.0
Jul 2, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You get to constantly move around the store thru the different departments. Depending on the hours you work you can potentially learn how to do little things within each department, for example the deli or meat counters, which in turn opens an opportunity to get additional hours if needed when AOL doesn't have the business to keep all the shoppers shopping. Hyvee was always very good about giving you the opportunity to help in other areas of the store if your department was lacking hours or business to give you the full 40 for your work week.

Cons

The management/ chain of command often gets a little confusing as you have department managers, assiant managers, general mangers and a director. Often times I felt as if assiant managers sometimes gave different directions then the department manager would give almost condescending what you were told from your direct manager, but would fail to communicate with the department manager this info, causing conflict with employees being told to do it one way and then also getting asked why things were done that way after being trained to do it another way. Basically no communication by your assiant to the department manager causing internal conflict.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All