I think you need to realize that the service sector jobs are now about 80% of the jobs out there!

Many people who are employed by this company have university and college educations however can't find work.

It's belitting to have an education like many of us do and feel powerless while we watch head office sink this company into the ground!

Less hrs, less pay, more work, and continued union dues = unhappy employees!

Perhaps you check your reality at the door each time you swipe in. Maybe that's what helps you get through the day!

Commenter #1: you need to realize that 80% of job seekers in Ontario are University graduates. It isn't a guarantee to anything anymore....EVERYONE has a degree nowadays. Consider the number of foreign-educated professionals who have extensive education and can't get a job in Canada higher than cab driver.

Anyways, your employer isn't obligated to compensate you for education (whether it is Canadian education or International) that isn't related to your job. YOU can't find work you don't find "belittling"....how is that Loblaws' responsibility? If you are too qualified for your current job, it is YOUR responsibility to get yourself out of there.

Sounds like you need to reality check yourself.

Rater 319, you sound very much like management/head office and you also come across as a snob. Your attitude comes across as "Come on people you work in a grocer store! Why don't you grow up and get a real job" For the long time employees 20 plus years it's their career and take great offence with your self righteous (sp?) you're beneath me attitude, like yours. If you were to say you worked in a department in the store and not management and your store has flipped. I would ask you what was in your cup of coffee or if you were dropped as a child. Your attitude is perfect for being a manager at the now new Loblaws. But, hey you already knew that.

I'm pretty sure that #319 is my store manager...........sure looks and sounds like him!

I worked at a Loblaw store for 5 years. The job itself left me "used and abused" by the company, and highly appreciated by my managers. By "used and abused", I mean, I fulfilled roles from pushing buggies to supervising to cash office/bookkeeping and made the same amount per hour as a new hire.

It sucked. However, because I had the ambition, which my managers recognized, I was given the opportunity to fulfill these extra roles which gave me experience in 6figure cash handling, and people managing(supervisory). The experience alone has paid off more than Loblaws ever could have paid me, as my 'Life After Loblaws' as we used to call it, is significantly better than it may have been.

To sum up my entire experience:

I had great managers who gave me the opportunity for greater responsibilities which expanded my resume opening doors for me in the present.

As for Comments 1 - Yes degrees are everywhere today, but I would not say "the majority..." in reference to basic roles. Most basic roles are likely filled by people without an education, in high school, or pursuing post-secondary education. It took me about 16 months after college to find a job in my field (science) and another 6 months to get the job I wanted(science - research) in that nearly 2 years, I never went a week without applying to a job.

What I am trying to say is, an education is not an entitlement to a job, YOU have to WORK to get a better job.

* an education is not an entitlement to a job*

I don't know what planet your living on or what exactly your smoking!

People pay ridiculous tuition fees for a reason!!

* YOU have to WORK to get a better job.*

Ummmm, you need an education to get a better job!

You want to spend the rest of your days stocking shelves, by all means be my guest!

* "the majority..." in reference to basic roles.*

You've worded this incorrectly! Over generalizing!

Nice try though! ;)

The majority of these employees are highly educated!

It's degrading to many of us to work in an atmosphere where head office doesn't know which hand is jacking themselves off yet we're the ones left to clean up the mess!

The MAJORITY of Loblaws employees hate this company!

Booyah!

Comments 6 - Where is your sense of entitlement coming from?

You are absolutely right, in that people pay ridiculous tuition fees, and they do pay them with the intent to have a good career.

Where you are wrong is that a degree = good career. Granted you never specifically said it did, your negative remarks to "...education is not an entitlement to a job," Suggests that that is how you feel.

Why is it not an entitlement? Lets take a different, more practical angle on this question. Lets say you are in an interview and they ask you, "Why do you feel you are a good fit for X position with Y company." Is your sole answer going to be, "Because I have a degree in Z."

I sure hope not! You could definitely have that as one reason, but I would expect you to say a lot more than that. For example, here is what I would say for the position I am in now. "I feel I would be a great fit because I have a diploma in X, I spent a month in Y country doing field research, I had an internship at Z zoo which where the work was very relevant to what your company does. I also enjoy spending time in off hours hanging out with co-workers building friendships. I am a very driven person which will be of great value to the company as it continues to grow and expand."

Obviously I have censored out identifying information.

That goes hand in hand with "you have to work to get a better job." Perhaps you misinterpreted that statement. It was intended to mean that you have to put effort into getting a better job, not that you need a job to get a better job.

I believe that statement is undeniably true. You have to put effort into getting the education, then you have to put effort into writing that down on paper, you then have to put effort into applying to jobs, you then have to put effort into going to and impressing in the interview(s). You also then have to continue putting effort in to prove you are the right fit throughout your probationary time. That is a lot of effort(work).

Actually, the original use of "the majority..." was over generalized. It referred to every one of the 136 000 employees. The original quote in Comments 5, narrowed that down to only the basic in-store roles, ex. grocery clerk, produce clerk, front-end clerk. You know, the non-management roles. This would be very concise and to the point. "Nice try though! ;)".

The majority of what employees are highly educated? What do you consider highly educated? I would consider a Masters or Doctorate degree to be highly educated, not your dime a dozen Bachelors, or my Diploma. You and I are just simply educated.

When you say, "It is degrading to many of us to work..." It is very clear that you are the one that spends your days stocking shelves (or another role within the grocery store). By all means, be my guest and spend the rest of your days in your degrading job, or take the advice of someone who has been there, done that and is now working in the illusive, "Dream Job."

Advice: Drop your sense of entitlement and start putting effort into getting what you want. Good Luck.

Obviously, College Boy, you packed groceries. You have no idea how much has been downloaded on salaried staff and the demands under the head office big club. They think they are the all knowing be all

continued from last comment... They think the are the all knowing be all and end all of the business. Where is the stock price now from it's all time high? Maybe they aren't so smart. I'll bet you are now a teacher, you sound like one.

To be completely honest, the industry I work in is irrelevant (though it is not education) but I accept the assumption as a nice compliment.

Yes, I packed groceries, and everything else from pushing buggies to supervising, with some time in floral and garden center on the busy holidays for each department. Though I am not sure why "obviously" I packed groceries.

Granted I really don't know the exact extent of the downflow of work onto the managers. I never claimed to be a manager(because I was not, and would never make a career choice to be), however I do have an idea. Managers vent their frustration quite a bit on breaks.

I have no idea of the stock price or how its historical trend has been. I never took interest in the Loblaw Connections or w/e propaganda. I would certainly guess that their stock would be dropping, along with their market share(coincidence? likely!) seeing as Wal-Mart is pushing their grocery section, and now Canadian Tire is entering the grocery market (which I think makes sense, but remains weeeird).

I will submit though, Loblaw is not a company I enjoyed working for, nor would I expect anyone working at store level to enjoy it either.

But I must ask, if you are so unhappy, why don't you just quit? Before you say, "Because I need to pay my bills!" Perhaps you should be happy you have that job which you can pay your bills with(just barely though, amirite?). And if that is your reason, then perhaps you should just go to work, do your shift satisfactorily, while looking for a new job, but don't forget, "You are not entitled to a new job, but if you keep trying, keep working toward it, you will eventually find one."

Comment # 8

* Obviously, College Boy, you packed groceries*

What makes you think I'm a man?

Typical brown noser response!

xD

Completely agree with everything this rater has said. Most of those employed are school kids who dont plan on staying long and usually leave within a year or two. Most dont really care about the job. The others are 'lifers' who have been around for 20 and in some cases, over 40 years (I do know a few). The ones who have been around for those lengths of time either didnt leave because they enjoy the job or because they were scared of what they could have been if they left. For those who have put in such amount of time, the company appreciates your continued support.

At the end of the day those 16 year-old over-achievers can easily take even the proudest clerks job in a heart-beat though. Seniority doesnt seem to count for a lick nowadays. I started with Loblaws four years ago when I was a teenager and now I'm a manager.

For those who think the company is out to screw their employees, this is simply not the case. Department Managers set the biggest example for morale beyond even the Store Manager himself because as we all know, a lot of Store Managers simply dont have the time to get to know 200 employees. It is the Department Managers that need to provide you with support, guidance and a sense of self-worth in the work place. They are your boss sure, but when the 'boss' comes to work pissed off and takes it out on the Assistant Dept. Manager and the rest of the group, I could see how employee's would hate their jobs and dismiss 'The Company' as 'Evil'.

Not all stores are the same. The people you meet, learn from and build relationships with are the ones that shape your view. I would suggest you try a different location if possible.

Even though I am a manager myself now I still see the same flaws with the company as I did when I was a part-timer, but the difference is I dont let those flaws rub off on me or my employees who I respect and am sincerly grateful for the hard work they put into the store.

They say it all starts from the top but let's be the better ones and show the 'top' that we can still get the work done but show appreciation to the work those below us do.