A Perfect Picture

As the automatic doors swish open, beige tiles, high ceilings, and rows upon rows of food greet the person entering Weis Markets in Bloomsburg, Pa. The bright red shirts of employees seem to lead the way as smiles and friendly "Can I help you find anything"s are heard throughout the store. Elderly patrons meander through the aisles with obvious purpose, while college-aged groups of two to three look around curiously. The squeak of wheels and metallic clank of shopping carts being pushed seems to be the only background music. There is an atmosphere of calm here, an almost perfect picture.

   

 Though shifts can last anywhere from 4 to 8 hours at a time, employees seem more than happy to help with anything a customer needs. Mya, a Weis cashier of one year, claims that there is always someone willing to help. "If anyone has a noticeable physical disability", Mya says, placing bagged groceries into a shopping cart almost as tall as her, "We were trained to make bags specifically lighter. Also, we call the porch boys to have them put bags into the cars. Someone is always around, even when we are super busy."

   

 The customers in Mya's line listen politely, one older gentleman nodding along as Mya explains the store's protocols. That same gentleman becomes a perfect example of all that she just spoke of. "I've never had an issue with this one," says the gentleman, pointing in Mya's direction and smirking. He is a weekly frequenter of Mya's line. The friendly relationship is prominent and courteous as he pays for his groceries.

   

The only thing that is missing is the amount of employees. Even on a busy Saturday afternoon, there are only four lines open, as well as the self-checkout. Lines spill into the entryway. Management is always on the lookout to add more porch boys to their team. It is their job to retrieve carts, stock outside materials, help people to their cars, and return electronic scooters (which the store offers for those patrons who have trouble getting around). On this day, only two workers scurry back and forth, helping with bags and retrieving runaway carts.

   When in training, employees are asked to complete the LearningManagement System, or LMS, which consists of a multitude of interactive videos explaining the different parts of the job. These videos can be anywhere from five to twenty minutes long and require incoming employees to answer questions throughout. They cover everything from safety, to corporate rules, to functions of the job. Cleanly aisles, knowing what goes where, and general customer interactions are taught in each store. 

   

 "Though none of these videos explains it specifically, all employees are expected to greet customers with a respectful demeanor", explains day-time manager, Marissa. Not being able to recall any extreme stories, Marissa does admit that some customers tend to lack patience.

"It is up to our front-end employees to remain calm and kind, we never want to upset a customer any more than is absolutely necessary."

    

Even with the occasional rude customer, Mya exclaims, "this is the best job (she's) had in a long time. The people are just so great." She continues, "I always feel like I can be honest to my superiors if there's ever an issue. Overall, it's just a super great place to work."

   

In the end, it is the people; kind faces, helpful smiles, and thoughtful gestures, which create the grocery store we all know and love. A squeaky cart is wheeled towards the automatic doors, filled to the brim with produce of all kinds. The gentleman pushing it keeps his smile all the way to the parking lot, where he is helped to his car by one of the porch boys. One more happy customer of Weis Markets.