Getting a job at a grocery store is one of the most common entry-level jobs in the U.S. and in general. With the interesting work environment that’s different from your usual fast food or retail, more and more younger people, as well as those trying to start their careers, are applying for grocery stores like Food Lion.
Plus, who doesn’t love the smells and vibe of grocery stores? They just feel like childhood (Especially the bread section)
Food Lion is one of the fastest-growing grocery stores in the U.S., with over 1100 stores in 10 U.S. states. The company’s headquarters are in North Carolina, and there are over 60,000 employees across the different stores.
Even though the company started as a small store called Food Town, the supermarket has been quickly expanding across the states and you can expect to find more locations and job opportunities coming up.
What Kind of Jobs Can You Get At Food Lion?
Food Lion, just like other grocery stores, offers several job opportunities that are open to everyone and don’t require much experience or training. You can apply for different positions, such as a cashier, stock employee, buggy pusher, driver, or even a manager, though the managerial position requires higher qualifications and prior experience.
You can find both full-time and part-time jobs at Food Lion, and you can find the ideal job for you and your skills and qualifications. You can find the available options on the company’s website here.
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Does Food Lion Drug Test Before Hiring in 2024?
There is a lot of talk about Food Lion’s drug testing policy, as some websites report that the grocery store chain does indeed drug tests and does them regularly every 30 days.
However, according to reports by several Food Lion employees, the company does not actually conduct a pre-employment drug test.
The pre-employment drug test is usually mandatory when applying for jobs and it’s a procedure done after the interview process. The pre-employment drug test is one option among three main drug tests:
- Pre-Employment Drug Test: The most basic drug test done by employers prior to hiring the applicant, and one where a positive result, meaning that drugs were found, usually leads to the rejection of the applicant for the position.
- Workplace Accident Drug Test: This one speaks for itself, if some sort of workplace accident occurs, you can expect to be drug tested to make sure that the accident was not drug-related. Failing a workplace drug test usually leads to firing.
- Random Drug Test: The random drug test is a right held by almost all companies and employers so they could conduct a drug test at any time and the employee is legally obligated to take the test otherwise they can get fired. Even though most employers hold the right to conduct random tests, not many of them actually go through with them. Still, nice to have the ability.
Does Food Lion Conduct Any Drug Tests?
Even though Food Lion most likely doesn’t conduct a pre-employment drug test, they will drug test you in case of an accident or following suspicious behavior.
Drug tests coming out clean in a workplace accident are beneficial for the employee, as the company itself will most likely pick up the hospital bill.
When it comes to managers and drivers, these can expect to be drug tested. Obviously, management is a big deal position incorporated, so they are drug tested to sit at the big table without any issues.
Drivers obviously need to be drug tested, as it’s dangerous and would be downright disastrous if the company’s driver was under the influence, which would legally backfire on him and the company itself.
It’s important to note that drug tests vary from branch to branch and manager to manager, so it’s not 100% guaranteed that a pre-employment drug test won’t be conducted.
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What Is It Like Working At Food Lion?
Working at Food Lion is similar to most grocery store experiences. The pay is average grocery store pay, ranging between $8-$11 for a cashier and $8-$13 for a stocker.
Obviously, it’s not the highest paying job, especially when compared to the competitors, but the environment and co-workers are great and it’s a pleasant and fun environment, according to the employees and ex-employees.
As for benefits, it depends. As a part-time employee, you’re not eligible for healthcare or dental insurance. The hours are flexible, but the benefits are not all there.
On the other hand, some found that the workload was too stressful at times and that it was physically exhausting, especially with the number of hours you spend on your feet.
Obviously, like any retail job, you can expect to deal with some pretty unpleasant customers sometimes, but that’s just the nature of the work. Hey, it builds character, right?
Why Work In A Grocery Store?
Working in a grocery store would actually be quite a good experience if you’re up for it! Here are the best parts:
- The Social Aspect: Even though some customers could be absolutely disrespectful and unbearable, the good ones make it a very fun job. A lot of people actually cannot stand an office job where they sit down at a desk all day in front of the computer, some people are peacocks that you have to let fly (Thanks, Mark Whalberg). In this case, interacting with people, joking, making someone smile, asking about someone’s day, and that small talk could really make the day go by faster and more interesting.
- It Builds Major Communication Skills: If you’re working part-time, or waiting to apply for something bigger in the future, working in a grocery store will give you some major communication skills through interaction with the customers. You will know how to handle complaints, how to handle disrespect, and how to talk in a likable and approachable way. Today’s grocery store customer could be tomorrow’s business client.
- It’s Physical: Even though it could be extremely tiring, it’s still physical enough for your liking if you like to move around more. If you’re a sales assistant, you’ll be roaming the supermarket helping customers. If you’re a stock employee, you’ll get some serious gains from those boxes.
- The Discounts: Even though not all grocery stores do it, you can get an employee discount on the products. Out of all things to get discounts on, groceries are at the top of the importance list. Food is expensive and unfortunately, we need it.
- The Environment: Again, you can expect to find quite a friendly and enjoyable environment if your co-workers and managers are great. Moreover, you have the scenery of the food itself, the music playing, and the smells, it’s all quite relaxing (In those tranquil moments between characters).
Conclusion
Getting a job at Food Lion is quite simple and hassle-free. The company seemingly does not conduct pre-employment drug tests, however, that does not and should not encourage drug use and especially drug use prior to or during work. Drug use is dangerous and disastrous when involved at work.
Again, nothing is certain with drug tests between different stores and branches. All in all, it’s worth a shot to apply and see where your professional life will go.
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