Bag a Job at One of These 10 Grocery Stores and Get Some Amazing Benefits

This might seem strange, but I love grocery stores.

I hate the actual act of grocery shopping. I hate having to find a parking spot, and I hate the fear I might run into a long, lost classmate and be forced to talk.

But I love the store itself.

The cold swoosh of air in my face when I talk through the automatic doors. The smell of bakery items sometimes overtaken by rotisserie chickens. The fresh flowers for sale….

I also love the way (many) grocery stores treat their employees — with awesome benefits and opportunities for growth.

10 Grocery Stores That Have Amazing Employee Perks

We (myself and an intern) combed through a list of 30-plus large grocery store chains, both regional and national, and looked at the benefits they offer their employees.

We boiled down the list to 10 stores that offer some of the best benefits.

1. Aldi

I know we have some huge Aldi fans out there. You can snag awesome deals at this national chain, but you can get even better benefits as an employee.

If you work full time, you’re eligible for:

• “Generous” vacation time and seven paid holidays

• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision insurance and prescription coverage

• Short- and long-term disability insurance

• Life, accidental death and dismemberment and dependent life insurance

• 401(k) plan with employer matching contribution

Even if you don’t work full time, you can still get full health benefits if you work at least 25 hours. And even if you only work two hours per week, you can still set up a 401(k).

For more details and to find job openings near you, visit Aldi’s career page.

2. Kroger

I’ve never actually been inside a Kroger. Does that make me a bad human? Probably.

But its career page makes me feel like I’m home, especially with this welcoming remark: “When you’re a Kroger Associate, the company invests in you and you’re a valued member of the team.”

Kroger describes its “Total Rewards” package as highly competitive and notes some of the following benefits:

• Paid vacation

• Medical plans

• Life insurance

• Discounted home and auto insurance

• Adoption benefits

• Retirement options

• Stock options

• Tuition assistance and college scholarships

• Product discounts

• Fitness tracking devices, discounted gym memberships or coaching plans

Plus “special perks that let our associates know they’re valued.” With all of those perks, I’d feel pretty special, too

For more information and to find an opening near you, stop by Kroger’s career page.

3. Meijer

This chain’s 200 stores are located in Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. It describes itself as a family business, “treating each other with dignity and respect.”

The benefits depend on your position, location and length of employment, but could include:

• Paid time off

• Medical/prescription coverage

• Dental/vision insurance

• Life insurance

• Adoption insurance

• Disability protection and worker’s compensation

• 401(k) plan with company contributions

• Employee discount

Midwestern charm at its finest. To find out more about Meijer and its career opportunities, visit the career page.

4. Publix

As a Floridian, Publix is my jam. And if I’d known about its benefits — even for part-time employees — I would’ve been more likely to grab a gig in high school.

The supermarket offers “core” benefits for all eligible employees. These include (but aren’t limited to):

• Group health plan (with prescription benefits)

• Group dental plan

• Group vision plan

• 401(k) retirement plan with a company match

• Employee stock ownership plan that contributes to Publix stock at no additional cost — plus an opportunity to purchase additional shares of its privately held stock if so desired

• Annual holiday cash bonus

• Quarterly retail bonus for store associates

• Tuition reimbursement

Full-time employees are graced with additional benefits:

• Vacation pay

• Six paid holidays — with a holiday exchange (if you’d prefer to work a specific holiday and take another off)

• Company-paid life insurance

• Long-term disability plan

• Bereavement pay

• Jury duty pay

And these lists aren’t even all-encompassing. For the complete lowdown, visit the Publix career page. Then stop by the bakery for some bread and a free cookie. Seriously… so good.

5. Safeway

Safeway is into the idea of enjoying today and planning for tomorrow; its motto for employees is “For today. For tomorrow”. Because of that mentality, its benefits are pretty comprehensive.

However, the career page does note the benefits I’m about to list are for non-retail store employees (generally). If you work in the store, benefits vary by location.

Here’s a rundown:

• Paid time off for vacation, sick leave and company-recognized holidays

• A choice of medical plans

• Prescription drug coverage

• Vision care

• Dental and orthodontia insurance

• Company-paid basic life insurance

• 401(k) employer match plan

Even if you only work part time, you’re eligible for these benefits. If you’re interested, you’ll need to ask your store about the specifics. In the meantime, stop by Safeway’s career page.

6. Save A Lot

I didn’t realize just how many Save A Lots are out there — more than 1,300 stores in 36 states. Perhaps it’s thriving because it treats its employees so well.

“It’s about family, health and time off to rejuvenate,” Save A Lot’s career page states. “We get it.”

Here are a few ways the franchise gets it:

• Vacations and holidays

• Flexible work schedule

• Medical, dental and life insurance

• Discounts for auto and homeowner’s insurance

• Disability coverage

• Competitive 401(k) and profit-sharing packages with investment options

• Tuition reimbursement

• Continuing education

• Adoption assistance

You can find the complete rundown and any job openings on its career page.

7. Shop Rite

Wakefern Food Corp. owns this chain, and the companies employ more than 50,000 people, according to its website. However, it’s only located in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

The benefits package aims to address “the diverse needs of associates and their families.” Some of these benefits include:

• Paid time off and holidays

• Medical insurance

• Dental insurance

• Life insurance

• Vision care

• Competitive 401(k)

• Long-term disability coverage and long-term care insurance

• Auto, home and pet insurance

• Tuition reimbursement

• Discounts on cellular phone service

Find more information and jobs on Wakefern’s career page.

8. Trader Joe’s

This franchise says it treats its employees like “bread and butter,” which sounds pretty darn good to me.

Trader Joe’s understand the importance of promoting its employees’ health and well-being, so it offers a pretty comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Paid time off

• Family and medical leave

• Healthcare (medical, prescription, dental and vision)

• Life insurance

• Short- and long-term disability

• A “generous” retirement plan

• Leadership development courses

• 10% off all TJ products

• Regular product tastings

Product tastings? Yes, please!

For the complete list of TJ’s benefits as well as open jobs, you can visit its career page.

9. Wegman’s

This chain’s been around since 1915 and has grown from a single pushcart to 90 stores — and it’s still growing. It employs more than 45,000 people, and they’re treated well.

Here’s a rundown:

• Premium pay above base rates for those who work Sundays or holidays

• Paid vacation

• Six holidays a year

• An option of two health plans

• Dental coverage

• Assistance programs to help with child care, elder care, legal consultations and financial planning

• Adoption assistance and dependent care savings accounts

• 401(k) plans that match 50% of your contribution on up to 6% of your pay

• Scholarships awarded to more than 1,500 employees each year

• Discounts on cell phone services, computers, movie tickets and amusement parks

• Customized yoga programs

• Weight Watchers at Work meetings

Although you might not have heard of Wegman’s yet, it’s worth keeping an eye on as it expands.

For all the details, visit the careers page.

10. Winn-Dixie

This is a bonus because Southeastern Grocers umbrellas four grocery stores: Bi-Lo, Harvey’s, Fresco y Más and Winn-Dixie.

As an employee under Southeastern Grocers, you’re expected to work as a team to help customers have the best experiences. In return, here are some of the benefits it offers:

• Paid holiday and vacation

• Flexible scheduling

• 401(k) matching

• Tuition reimbursement

• Paid training

• Associate discounts

The careers page also mentions “a competitive benefits package to help achieve their health and wellness goals.” For more information and employment opportunities, check it out (without having to stand in line).

OK, so you’re at the end of the list, but you’re wondering where Whole Foods Market is because you’ve definitely seen it before on one of those “Best 100 Companies to Work For” lists.

You see, I wanted to add it to this list, but a lot of the store’s benefits are contingent upon service hours. So you have to work 800 hours to get low insurance premiums ($0-$20 per paycheck) and 6,000 hours (three years) to get stock options. Other stores made no mention of this.

Also, you have to work more than 20 hours a week to qualify. No, Whole Foods isn’t completely down in the dumps when it comes to employee benefits, but it just couldn’t rival these others. And, for that, I’ll give it a hearty shout out instead.

Your Turn: There are a whole lot of grocery stores in the States, and although we spent hours researching, we knew we’d miss some. So we know you’ll tell us: What are we missing?

Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. After recently completing graduate school, she focuses on saving money — and surviving the move back in with her parents.

Kaitlyn Perta, The Penny Hoarder’s editorial fellow, sunk hours into researching grocery store benefits. Thanks to her, Carson didn’t completely lose her mind. For that, she gets a cookie (from Publix, of course).