Introduction
Fresh and Easy is a supermarket chain headquartered in California with many branches open in the Western United States. Fresh and Easy is a subsidiary of the third-largest retailer in the world, Tesco, based in England. Since November of 2016, Fresh and Easy have closed nearly all its branches in the western United States. Let’s know about Fresh and Easy Careers.
An announcement, on February 9, 2006, was made by Tesco of its plan to expand its US operations, by launching a chain of small groceries in three western states – Nevada, Arizona, and California. After opening the first Fresh and Easy store in November 2007, there were around 200 outlets in Arizona, California, and Nevada by December 2012.
Tesco confirmed its exit from the US market in April 2013 for $1.2 million. During the week of 10th September 2013, another announcement was made by Tesco about the transfer of operations and ownership of approximately 150 Fresh and Easy stores to the Yucaipa companies group of Ron burke, which is estimated to cost Tesco a total of $235 million.
At the end of the sale, the company acquired 167 stores of Fresh and Easy and closed around 40 other stores. The sale of Fresh and Easy stores to Yucaipa Companies was completed on November 27, 2013. On 21st October 2015, the spokesman for Fresh and Easy, BrendanWonnacott, announced that all the stores of Fresh and Easy were going to be closed soon.
According to Wonnacott, Fresh and Easy did not have enough money or cash to obtain financing and continue with the business. Within the next few weeks, the Fresh and Easy stores were to be liquidated and after that, they would be closed. And finally, on 24th October 2015, the liquidation sale was started, and by November 13, 2015, all the Fresh and Easy stores were sold and since 2015 the brand, Fresh and Easy, was completely vanished.
Job opportunities and available positions at Fresh and Easy grocery stores
People who are looking forward to getting employed at Fresh and Easy must pursue work with similar kinds of grocery stores, because Fresh and Easy no longer exists. Job seekers can look for work in grocery chain stores such as Vons, Ralphs, Trader’s Joe, and many more viable options. The employees that worked for Fresh and Easy used to receive industry-competitive wages for both full-time and part-time positions. For each store, the company used to employ around 20- 30 workers.
There were many available positions at Fresh and Easy stores such as the position of- Cashier, store manager, grocery clerk, customer service representative, bagger, meat clerk, stock associate, bakery clerk, assistant manager, and department manager.
Opportunities are available in both permanent and temporary positions. The majority of the stores are looking out for a person for the job who is more skilled in the field of customer service and the food industry.
Qualities a person must-have for the job at Fresh and Easy
Applicants who applied for a Fresh and Easy store job were required or must demonstrate the quality of loyalty; they must be determined in their work and should be able to handle the stressful and quick-paced environment. In the food service industry, every employee hired must be skilled in customer service.
Physical requirements
The person who has the capability of standing for a long period as he/ she needs to handle the customers, the person should have muscle power which would enable him/her to lift the object easily, without taking the help of another person. The person applying must be capable of bending, twisting, and walking without any difficulty and without any time boundation. These are the physical requirements that one should possess for getting hired at the Fresh and Easy grocery stores.
The person who is seeking a job in an industry must also be aware of basic math, writing, and reading which are essential needs for the person working in the industry.
Minimum age for working at the Fresh and Easy store
The minimum age was 16 years old working at the Fresh and Easy grocery store.
Hours of operation
Fresh and Easy grocery stores were open every day from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm. However, some of the stores reduced their operating number of hours.
Positions and Salary
After the closing down of Fresh and Easy grocery stores, the job seekers looked out for work in other grocery stores for both part-time jobs and full-time jobs. For professional and entry-level careers teams of individuals are hired by many supermarkets. Below are listed some available positions:-
- Clerk – The job of the clerk is to make sure that the grocery store is well stocked. The clerk is the person who is responsible for receiving, storing, and stocking the products on the shelves. He is also responsible for maintaining the quality standards of the products.
Age of the job seeker for the job – the job seeker for the position of clerk must be over the age of 18 years.
Education qualification – the person at least must have a high school diploma. Experience – must possess 6 months of related experience.
Salary – average contenders receive wages of $ 8.00 – $ 10.00 per hour.
Promotion in the future – by mastery of qualifications for the job, dedication, and doing hard – work clerks can move to higher- levels of position in the future.
- Meat Cutter- The job responsibility of the meat cutter would be to stock meat cases of freshness and quality to appeal to the customers. The day-to-day responsibility of the meat cutter includes cutting, weighing, wrapping, and pricing the meat products for the customers and shopkeepers.
Salary – the worker would be played around $ 12.00 to $ 14.00 per hour.
Types of equipment – slicers, saws, wrapping machines, and knives are available for the worker.
Age of the job seeker for the job- must be 18 years above.
Experience – should have considerable experience in the field of meat cutter or work in a grocery shop.
Qualities required – the job seeker must possess the ability to lift 50 pounds and should also have the ability to interact with customers while working with the types of equipment and must also have the ability to work as a team member.
- Grocery manager – The grocery manager is mainly focused on the management of the inventory. He is also responsible for the smooth functioning of the store. He also manages the pricing of the products and labor. The managers also give training and supervision to the new associates. Sometimes interviews are also conducted by the grocery manager to hire a new team.
If there is a job vacancy at any needed job, the managers are given the responsibility for that job. Such jobs include- cashiering, stocking, and other parts.
Salary – average salary begins from $30,000 to $50,000 yearly.
Experience – previous experience of 2-3 months in retail and grocery stores would be great.
Tips for applying
The best way for applying for the job you are seeking is by filling out the application online as it will allow the contender to apply for several jobs at the same time without visiting door to door.
Another way is to fill the in-person applications; this offers managers the to meet the applied candidates personally.
The last way is to search for the job you are seeking by visiting the nearby locations vacancies.
Whatever way you choose to apply for the job, the main thing is that the aspirant must put his/ her efforts into searching for the job and you must provide truthful information.
Application process
First of all, you need to visit the website: – http://freshandeasy.com/content/location/.
Once you click on this link a map of the US will be displayed on your screen. It will help you to search for the job or vacancy available, both by location and by keyword.
There is an option available titled – “filter by job the title” by using this filter one can search only for his/her job which they are looking.
To know the centers where a job vacancy is available for the job you are applying for, just type ‘distribution’ and the map will display all the distribution centers available.
After the distribution centers are displayed, click on the state where the job is available and from where you can do the job. Once you have clicked on the state where the job is available the map of that state will widen and you will be able to locate the job location marked with a symbol of location, usually shown on maps, more precisely.
Click on the symbol of the location which is displayed on your screen, after that you will be displayed with all the jobs available in that area. To apply for a particular job,
Click on the title of the job to apply for it.
As soon as click you on the title of the job you will be teleported to a page where you can see the job description of that job.
To apply for that particular job, you will see a button in the upper right corner, click on the button titled ‘apply for job’.
After clicking on that button you will reach a page where you will be asked to create a new profile. By filling in the required details you can create your profile. And this profile created could be used for applying to any job from the website of the Fresh and Easy grocery stores.
Note: – In the application form, there would be every specific detail that you may require to know and also, the hiring quality that you may possess while applying for that particular job.
After you have created your profile, visit the Fresh and Easy website.
After that upload your resume, cover letter, and application for Fresh and Easy.
When your application is selected by them all the people who have qualified for this round will be contacted to continue with the interview process.
In the interview, you will be made aware of other details as well such as the salary for that particular job and the benefits, you would receive.
Benefits of working at the Fresh and Easy grocery store
Wages are not the only reason for working at the Fresh and Easy grocery store the workers also enjoy almost similar benefits to benefits that one person gets when they are working at a store which include-
- Insurances- health insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, dental insurance, Disability Insurance, Occupation Accident Insurance, Health, and wellness- Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance, Flexible Spending Account, Health Savings Account, Mental Health Care, Retiree Health & Medical.
- The benefits include that the team members working at the store often get the store discount which includes Employee Discount, Employee Assistance Program, Commuter Checks & Assistance, Mobile Phone Discount, Company Social Events, Gym Membership, etc.
- The workers get to maintain a balance between their work life and their personal life. Other kinds of rewards include – the paid training of the hired new workers, each worker is provided with a uniform and the worker’s life insurance is also done by the store itself. These kinds of benefits are enjoyed by the workers working at the Fresh and Easy grocery store.
- The store provides you with a retirement plan. Also, the workers are given a bonus based on their performance.
- Family &Parenting – they also provide the workers with family medical leave, unpaid extended leave, and also military leave.
- They also provide paid time off for relaxation and going out for vacation, sick days are also granted, and many more leaves such as – paid holidays, bereavement leave, and voluntary time off. They also provide you with professional support which includes- tuition assistance, job training, professional development, and an apprenticeship program.
By providing such benefits the productivity of the employee’s increases and on the employee’s performance they receive more benefits.
Conclusion
The application process offered by Fresh and Easy is quite simple to understand for the applicants and apply for the job. Also helps the applicants to apply for multiple jobs at a single time. The benefits provided by the Fresh and Easy grocery stores provide indirect financial help or support to the employees for themselves and their families.
All the employees working at the Fresh and Easy grocery store are treated equally and with respect. Equal and respectful treatment also helps in advancing the careers of employees with proper opportunities. Employees who wish to grow on a professional level are required to have strong communication skills and leadership qualities.
