Went to a group interview for a position at a chain grocery store yesterday trying to lock down a full-time summer job before transitioning to a part-time job in the fall when I start a master's program.
The vibes were off immediately. We got a “tour” of the store where we were told all the ways we could get in trouble if we didn't follow the rules. There are a lot of rules. We were also told that in addition to the typical grocery store work we would be responsible for mantianice repairs and custodial work. They then informed us this store was a drama-free workplace (never a good sign) and that if we hated our coworkers we could do it at home. The tour guide also said that they were extremely short staffed so there wouldn't be a consistent schedule and that wouldn't change going forward as corporate was limiting hours.
There were 22 people in my group interview and we were the second group of the day. Not only that but the first group was larger. The store had multiple openings listed on Indeed (another red flag). How can over 40 people apply for positions and not be able to hire enough people to staff a store? The answer is the usual: corporate greed.
We were then instructed to wait for our group interview with the manager. Just based on how offputting the tour was, I almost walked out but morbid curiosity got me to stay. It went as bad as expose where the store manager had their back to us the entire time doing computer work while “interviewing” us.
Needless to say, I won't be working at a grocery store this summer. But it is sad to see how so many companies still say people don't want to work when the truth is they don't want to hire anyone or pay them a liveable wage.