Save Mart
Top Jobs, p1
Check out Save Mart’s flexible, 24/7 opportunities
Like
elaborate stage productions, today’s supermarkets showcase some 35,000
products, thanks to hundreds of behind-the-scenes workers. Northern
California-based Save Mart Supermarkets, parent company of S-Mart Foods
and Food Maxx, relies on roughly 10,000 full- and part-time employees to
efficiently operate its 123 stores, stretching from Tehachapi to
Redding.
Because many locations are open around the clock, Save
Mart is an appealing employment option, says Wendy Kennedy, director of
Human Resources. “Being open 24/7 is an interesting feature of our
industry and company that may be attractive to dual-income-earners and
students,” she explains. “When one partner works during the day and the
other wants to work nights, we offer that flexibility. Students can
transfer to a store near their school, then return in the summers.
People really like being able to balance work, family and school – or
more than one job.”
Marketing yourself
Under the Save
Mart umbrella are conventional stores (Save Mart Supermarkets, S-Mart
Foods), “price impact” stores (Food Maxx), a trucking subsidiary, a
warehouse and the corporate office.
In-store positions include
service clerks, service helpers, cashiers, clerks and managers in
departments such as grocery, general merchandise, meat/seafood,
bakery/deli, produce/floral and pharmacy. Most entry-level employees
start as baggers and work their way up.
Corporate office careers
include accounting, information systems, engineering, human resources,
advertising, marketing and even construction maintenance. Approximately
400 corporate office employees support the thousands of other workers.
•
Traveling supervisors oversee products and operations for individual
departments. They are in touch with each store on a daily basis, and act
as liaisons between stores and the corporate office.
• Company
truck drivers transport merchandise to each store from Save Mart’s
Merced and Lathrop warehouses. Other warehouse positions include
forklift drivers, warehouse workers, transportation supervisors and
warehouse supervisors.
• Buyers order merchandise, while “re-buyers”
or replenishment buyers accept or refuse product deliveries based on
conditions like freshness and temperature.
• Freshness, food safety and quality control are so important that an entire department is devoted to risk management.
•
A team of auditors monitors everything from coding, dating and
operational procedures, to corporate policy adherence, legal compliance,
cleanliness and more.
Apply within
Save-Mart seeks out
service-minded people who have a desire to work with the public.
“Application stations” at each store make it easy for anyone to apply at
any time. Applications for in-store positions are accepted 24/7, and
are kept for three months. Interested candidates are encouraged to visit
various stores to become familiar with the company.
When
applying, patience and diligence are recommended, as is an open mind
regarding working at an alternate store location until a local position
opens. Checking back directly with the store, rather than calling, is
also a good idea because situations change frequently.
To apply
for corporate positions, the best strategy is to check the newspaper and
website often. Corporate positions are listed at
www.centralvalleyjobs.com. Recent openings include asset protection
agent, manager of maintenance, programmer/analyst and pharmacy
technician.
According to Save Mart’s human resources department,
the jobs that are hardest to fill are those that require specialized
training or experience, such as pharmacy, cake decorators and
programmers.
Putting people first
Privately-held Save
Mart promotes friendly customer service. Wendy Kennedy says the company
conducts customer service and “friendliness” audits. Mystery shoppers
keep employees on their toes, and those who deliver positive customer
service are rewarded.
Caring about customers starts with caring
about employees. “When employees are treated well, they will treat
customers well, and that’s our goal,” Kennedy says. Because
knowledgeable employees can better serve customers, Save Mart offers
many types of job training and an extensive manager training program.
Workers
enjoy a competitive pay and benefits package that includes medical,
dental, vision, 401(k) and retirement. Employee appreciation is shown
through gift certificates, company picnics and employee newsletters,
plus personalized birthday cards and holiday visits from owner Bob
Piccinini and the executive team.
Employee loyalty and longevity
are evidenced through Save Mart’s “Quarter-Century Club,” comprised of
people with tenures of 25 years or longer. Some have accumulated 35 to
40 years of service. Employees are recognized at milestone
anniversaries, starting with their first five years with the company.
Save
Mart is very active in the community. Kennedy says not a week goes by
that the company doesn’t sponsor programs like Special Olympics, Earth
Day or the Salsa Festival. In short, she says, “Community-minded Save
Mart is a great place to work and shop!”
For more information, visit
Jobs at Save Mart: www.centralvalleyjobs.com
Global Food Marketing Institute: www.fmi.org
California Grocers Association: www.cagrocers.com
California Independent Grocers Association: www.ncga.net
Numbers to know
• Average hourly earnings for non-supervisory food store employees in 2002: $10.20
• Number of items carried in a typical supermarket in 2002: 35,000
• Amount the average family spends on groceries per week: $91
• The average customer’s transaction totals $24.63
• Number of trips per week consumers made to the supermarket in 2002: 2.2
Source: FMI Information Service
© HHWS for The Modesto Bee
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