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I am the Assistant Store Manager of a grocery store in Conrad, IA.

Every employee's primary job is to take care of the customers and take care of the store.

Today I had to change the store ad. I scanned and downloaded prices of items to the store's computer. I also had to make signs on the computer. I set up the sandwich table, and baked all the baked goods for the store. We have dinner rolls, sub buns, French bread, caramel rolls, turnovers and cookies. I filled the produce section and the freezers. I answered about 8,000 phone calls, most of which are simple inquiries like what time the store opens or closes. I went on deliveries. We deliver to anyone that is in town. They call before noon, we gather the items they want and take the groceries to them. We often delivery to elderly folks. Today I delivered to the town's assisted living community.

I wouldn't say today was typical. Every day is different. On Mondays the store's deliveries arrive, and we have to put things away. The ad is done on Tuesdays. Store orders are made on Fridays. It is the same week by week. I can tell what day of the week it is by what I'm doing at work.

Many of the problems I face are employee-related. As manager, I have to make sure other employees are following store rules and being courteous to the customers. Sometimes the refrigeration goes down in the store, and that's always a mess. We have to maintain store equipment. I also face problems with customers. I have to keep an eye out for theft and try to solve any customer complaints. For instance, one customer returned to the store with pineapple sherbet, because it had too much pineapple in it. I had to give the customer a refund. If a customer is overcharged, or if he or she isn't happy with something they bought, I have to help fix the problem.

Patience is the biggest requirement. You have to think of how you would personally want someone to fix your problem. You have to put yourself in the customer's shoes.

The holidays are always a big time for the store. This year, our biggest sales period was the week before Christmas. Things went really well. We got all of our special orders out on time, and the store was still intact. That's always a big project.

There's the owner, the store manager and then me. I have the most seniority over everyone else that works in my store.

I have a wide variety of people I work with. One of the other assistant managers used to work in our store when she was in high school. She and I get along really well. You have to cooperate with each other to get everything done. I also work with a lot of high school kids. They're all very different.

I try to know all of the regular customers' first names so when they walk in the store I can say, "Hi, so-and-so." That's a big deal. Then I can talk to customers about things unrelated to groceries and weather. Weather is always a safe topic of conversation, but it's not very interesting.

We have shirts we have to wear, and the store name must always be visible. We can wear jeans or black or tan pants. Employees must wear closed-toed shoes and socks.

I run around everywhere. I spend time making deliveries in town, or working in the freezer, the produce section or the office. I don't stay in just one place; I work throughout the entire store.

I was shopping in the store one day, and the store owner followed me down the sidewalk as I was leaving. He asked if I ever thought about changing jobs. At the time, I was working as an assistant manager at a restaurant in Marshalltown, Iowa. I went in for the interview and took the position he offered me.

I didn't necessarily need to have grocery experience, but all of our current managers have had some kind of managing or supervising position before. It was helpful to have some experience working with customers.

The next step up the ladder would be the store manager position, but I don't want it. My boss has offered me the job and I've turned it down multiple times, because I don't want to have to go in to work every time something goes wrong. Store managers usually work 50 to 60 hours a week, and I don't want to sacrifice my time at home with my family.

Generally, if we have a managerial position open, we run an ad and accept resumes. Store managers hire assistant managers. There are a few cases where we've promoted from within the store, but not many.

Working in the grocery store was a big change from what I had done before. I only worked in restaurants until I started this job. The restaurant business taught me a lot about customer service and bookkeeping, which has come in handy at the grocery store as well.

Usually I start work at 8:00 a.m. My estimated time of departure is usually around 2:00 p.m. I call it my estimated time of departure, because I never know if I'll actually leave the store when my shift is over.

Typically, I check the clipboard that lists all of our special orders to see what I have to prepare for the day. Then I check my email. I get further instructions on what needs to be accomplished for the day from my boss. I make a list of daytime duties (tasks that all of the employees must work on). At night, each employee gets an individual list of tasks to complete. I make those lists to leave for the employees that come to work after I finish my shift to make sure the store is closed properly while I'm gone.

Most of the employees take a break, but I usually don't. Sometimes I grab something to snack on quickly, but I don't take any actual breaks.

There's a lot of variety in my job. Every day is different. A lot of our tasks depend on how busy the store is. If it's really busy, I'll take time off the tasks I'm doing to help out at the registers.

I don't like to do anything that happens in the meat room. We have to cut all the different kinds of meat. In that room, we grind hamburger and make hamburger patties. We wrap it all up and price it. In between cuts of meat, we have to sanitize the countertop we're working on.

Assistant managers make between $9 to about $15 per hour.

Yes. I receive paid vacation, which accumulates during the years I work at the store. Because I've been at this store for ten years, I have three weeks of paid vacation to use per year. I have two 401(k) plans. I also have a benefit called profit-sharing. The corporation pays a percentage of their profits to the employees. My profit-sharing earnings go toward my pension. Sometimes I receive a Christmas bonus, too. Recently, I started receiving paid holidays.

Minimum wage is $7.25. New employees start at that. Adults start at $8.00 an hour, because 18-year-olds are allowed to run certain equipment that minors cannot. So with the additional responsibility of working with the machines, employees earn an additional $0.75 for each hour worked.

Rewards come in the form of Christmas bonuses.

I work about 32 hours a week, but it usually takes me about 34 hours to get all of my work done. I could spend 60 hours to get everything done the way I want to get it done.

I don't travel at all unless I am making deliveries. The store's truck is a stick shift and I can only drive automatic vehicles, so I use my own van for deliveries.

Working at the store has had a positive impact on my social life, because now I know everybody in town. I am friends with some customers outside of work. This job is ideal for my family life, because my schedule is fairly flexible. I can usually schedule my workday around family activities, such as my children's sports games.

Yes. Sometimes I'll get calls with questions about the store on my home telephone. Occasionally I've attended food shows or seminars to learn new things for work. At times, I bring paperwork home with me, because it's quieter at my house and I have room to really spread out.

At food shows, employees go to see new products or equipment. Some seminars teach employees how to work with new programs on our computer systems. We attend seminars to learn about new equipment as well as new software. Once we went to a seminar to learn how to use new ordering machines.

I used to have to work weekends and nights, and now that I have seniority, I don't have to. Our chief store manager makes the schedule and I make adjustments to it. I have more flexibility with my hours, and I can make sure that the workers assigned to the same shifts are compatible with one another.

I don't ever worry about getting fired. People always need food.

I took a few days off to go to Kentucky to see my son graduate from Army training. It was a hassle on one day, because I am the only person at my store that is authorized to do payroll. I had to convince another store's location manager to come do it for me in order to get the payroll day off.

I don't know when I'll retire. I haven't thought about it yet. When I do retire, I'll have the money from my 401(k) and profit sharing plan.

One of the most satisfying aspects of my work would probably be getting a lot of stuff done.
When I have a lot to do and I get most of it done, it feels good. One of the most frustrating parts of my job is explaining the same things over and over. Some of the repetition is caused by employee turnover and having to explain tasks to new workers, but a lot of the repetition is because employees don't understand tasks the first time. It's especially frustrating when the same employee is continuously failing to do something correctly.

My back and feet always hurt. I'm usually on my feet all day. I'm also getting arthritis in my fingers from the work I do on the computers.

Now there's a lot more computerization. We used to have one computer in control of our registers. All the information from the store warehouse would come by mail. Now store employees are updated by email regularly. The store used to have something that would scan things to send information over the phone. We didn't even have a fax machine when I first started at the store. Now we can just hit a button and send things instantly via the Internet.

We use computers for ordering, making price changes, constructing the store's ad signs, communicating with our warehouse, vendors and other stores. The store's computer system is also used for payroll.

You now have to be somewhat computer-savvy and have a basic understanding of computers to do this job.

The grocery field is probably growing because there are more products. This increase of available merchandise has affected my job, because I have to decide what our particular store is going to carry. I have to pick and choose from all the new products.

Salaries are probably consistent with inflation. It's never going to be a high-paying industry, but pay increases with the cost of living. Lifestyle changes are not in the future; an assistant manager is always going to have to put in "x" number of hours per week.

The customers. People need to eat.

Grocery stores are everywhere. There are five of our stores in Iowa: two located in Waterloo, one in Gladbrook, one in Conrad, and one in Hubbard.

At certain times, if the economy is bad, people tend to buy cheaper cuts of meat and stock up on items that are on sale. Grocery buying habits also vary with each individual consumer. In the wintertime, our particular store sees a dramatic drop in business, because a lot of elderly people who live in our town head south.

I know a lot more about computers and technology. It would have made my job much easier if I had possessed those skills from the start. I am better at dealing with customers and employees now. When dealing with the high school students that work in the store, I try to remember to treat other people's kids the way I would want my kids to be treated at the workplace.

You have to be somewhat outgoing to do my job. You have to be friendly. Organizational skills really help, too. You have to be willing to work hard.

People who can't carry on a conversation wouldn't thrive in this position. You have to be able to speak to people. People who are extremely shy don't usually work out.

All applicants must take a value-based test before working at the store. Usually, we start with the test before beginning the interview. Certain answers will stand out, and those conducting the interview will ask questions about those responses. Managers and owners discuss expectations with prospective employees. Then they explain exactly what the job involves.

There are approximately 100 true or false questions on the test. Statements like "It is not stealing to stand around and not do anything," "If someone gave me too much money I would tell him or her I received too much," "It is okay to smoke marijuana before you come to work," and "It is fine to buy alcohol and tobacco for minors" are included on the test.

Employers generally would like previous work experience in the service industry.

It's not. Experience in a service related field is usually all that is needed to do this job.

You have to display leadership skills in order to advance. Twice a year, we have performance reviews that store managers go over and then pass on to the store owner. People with poor performance are placed in a program with goals they must set for themselves in order to improve. Those who are placed in that program are then re-evaluated, and if they continue to not meet their goals, they'll be fired.

I actually like interacting with the customers. That's probably the best part of my job. That's also the bad side of it, too. Customers may have expectations that you just can't meet. They expect you to have everything they want or to be selling a certain item at a certain price.

Be willing to work hard.

My job doesn't require any degrees or education. Store employees can pretty much teach newcomers anything they need to know.

Mathematics. I do basic math at work - figuring out percentages and other calculations involving money. I learned some communication skills in school as well.

You can start out as a cashier and progress from there, but any entry level customer service type job is satisfactory.