Publix supermarket is one of the top 100 cooperation to work for in the south; because of the benefits, promotions within, salary and the work environment. Publix management team all started at the bottom and work their way up. That way each manager can understand how the system work. They stand tall in comparison to their competitor. Publix provides commodities and services in all the departments in the store. From customer service providing services such as western union and the grocery department with commodities from all over the globe, for example fish from Scotland, potatoes from Idaho and bananas from Puerto Ricco to name a few.
With the need for these products, jobs will are available to those who provide the supplies to Publix’s demand. George W. Jenkins, the late founder of Publix Super Markets. Was Raised in Georgia and he worked in his father’s store until he realizes what he wanted to do in life. At a young age, he desired to build his fortune in the Florida real estate business. Before he could do that he needed a job. So Mr. Jenkins found a job at the local Piggly Wiggly grocery store. After working there for a few months Mr.
Jenkins was promoted to manager and transferred to manage the chain’s largest store in Winter Haven, he worked there for 4 years then resigned from Piggly Wiggly to start his own grocery store. On Sept. 6, 1930, George Jenkins opened his first store, 5 years later he opens a second store calling them Publix food store. On Nov. 8, 1940 He closed the two stores to open his dream store, the first Publix Super Market. Since the first Publix supermarket, Publix standard of putting people first both employees and customer has not changed. The company still keeps Mr.
George’s original philosophy of treating employees and customers like family. Publix has been popping up all over the Southeast region. Over the years improving the different departments and adding some new ones as well. For example the deli as turn into somewhat of a buffet style, also subs can be ordered online. All Publix now has a pharmacy, and the bigger stores now even have a cooking school. With thousands of cashiers, baggers, meat cutters, and bakers are the company’s largest collective shareholders all directed to place customers first. As a result, year after year, Publix has been acclaimed as the No. supermarket for customer satisfaction, one of fortunes 100 Best Companies to Work For, and as an inspiration for its sustainability efforts and community participation.
Publix supermarket provides services, for example, western union. Check cashing, grocery pickup and delivery services. They also produce numerous among of commodities, they even have one of the fictitious commodity, labor. Being that that Publix is all about profit, the capitalist will always want to commodify labor, in order to exploit the workers. When labor is commodities as it is today the capitalist treat workers like a machine, humanity goes outside the window.
Other commodities that Publix provides are sugar, cocoa, coffee and orange juice. Some others are soybeans, oil, animals for food like pork and cattle. Those are just some of the most common ones. People have come to rely on Publix to provide them with these commodities and services on an everyday basis; because of the heavy demand of these commodities, technology has been invented and set in place to control inventory. Manager no longer have to place orders for these produces, the computer software count and order what is needed.
The demand for these large among of commodities have a positive and negative affect on the farms that provides the products. For example, Publix demand for tomatoes is very high, so they will order a lot from these farmers. So to reach the goal these farmers hire outside workers to help out; that’s the positive, because that will provide jobs. On the other hand, because they have such a huge demand they can dictate the price of product. By doing that they put farmers against farmers an also workers against farmers, that’s the negative. It all comes down to the capital that Publix’s makes.
Big corporations like Publix supermarkets control numerous manufacture and distribution companies from in their back yard, to all across the ocean. They do not own these companies but their influence is very strong, because of the amount of businesses they bring to these companies. Their influence include such things like prices for the products and wages for the companies’ employees. Companies like Publix employ a huge amount of employee, directly and indirectly; and because of capitalist each and every employee is exploited to the fullest. Using labor to increase their profit.
Publix makes their employees feel like they’re all family but the end of the day it’s all about commodifying this believe into productivity then into profit. Working at Publix cause people to be alienation and emotional labor also comes in effect. According to Karl Marx” alienation is the process by which workers are separated from the product of their labor, the product does not show who they are. Alien from their true calling. ” Most employee at Publix are just there for the money, it not their dream.
Arlie Hochschild said” that any labor that is done by suppress ones feeling to get the job done right is called emotional labor. that is one of the major goal at Publix customer service in each and every store. Control your feelings and get the job done to please the customers. Publix management is a hierarchy, starting with team leaders to C. E. O. An associate can get promoted from a regular personnel to team leader, then assistant manager for the department, follow by the manager of the department, follow by an assistant store manager then store manager. Any more promotion will be outside of the store. Each department manager is responsible for the productivity that their employee in their department produce’s.
For example, the store manager will let the department manager know what the goals are for the week, and the department manager will past it on to the assistant manager who will then inform the associates of that department. In order to increase productivity managers will use quarterly evaluations to motivate their employees. Meaning, if an associate follows the rules and keep up a perpetual layer of productive they will obtain a raise in paid; if not they will not obtain a raise in paid, an can possible have a fall in wages. These days all Publix’s new hires are part-time.
Reason being that new employees has to prove them self to the managers that they are worthy of a full time position. In order to that they most show that their productivity is higher than their counter part. Those are a couple of action these companies takes to increase productivity and show their strength. One of the main reason why managers at companies like Publix has limited power is because of the Human Recourses and employee relations department. These two department at Publix is really there for the workers and will hold the manager accountable if any wrong doing is done.
The company rules and regulations have been around since the very first store so no manager can change the rules to benefit their self. Publix standard and goals will always put first over everything else. Mr. Jenkins dream will be live up to don’t matter the cost. There is saying at Publix” I would replace a manager over an employee, simply because that employee can become a manager” that means that everyone at is employ at Publix is expendable. Being an employee at Publix’s I have seem surplus labor and exploitation up close and personal.
Karl Marx said it right” exploitation is process by which workers are not fully paid for the labor they put in at the job. ” In my words worker are cheated out of what they deserved. Marx also said” that surplus labor is the money we did not get paid. ” The exploitation hours worked. Companies like Publix do this to increase their capital, their profit; it hurts a lot but the capitalists knows we need jobs to survive and provides for our family. I believe Publix Cooperation can make a huge difference in the workforce worldwide. For example, the tomatoes pickers in Florida is asking for just 1 cents increase on the tomatoes sold in the stores.
So they increase their wage to double what they are making. Publix profit which is around 30. 6 billion but yet still they refuse to help the tomatoes pickers. The cooperation agreement is, that the tomatoes picker are not employ by Publix so they cannot increase their wages. The problem is that Publix is not paying these farmers enough for the tomatoes in the first place. So because of that the farmers can not paid the pickers what they really should be getting paid. Simple put if the one at the top paid more, the ones below will get more. That is just one example of what companies like Publix is doing to their suppliers.
Enough profit is coming in for them to increase what they paying for these tomatoes so that these hard working people can make a living too. Putting this all together, Publix Supermarket has passed the test of time. Keeping its back bones believes Publix is getting stronger. Not only is it one of the top supermarket in the country and most profitable but also is one of the best place to work. They are step above the rest when it comes taking care of their employees. Giving them the best benefits possible and with a very good wages; Publix is also very into giving back to the community.
As we all know there are two sides for every coin. They exploit their employees for profits, commodify labor, has negative influence in distribution centers and put companies against companies to compete for their business. One of the major downside about Publix is that most of the employees are alienated and uses emotional labor to get the job done. Big cooperation can do much better as far as paying these smaller suppliers more than what they paying them for their products. They also need to stop looking at human beings as machine an show some humanity.