Rules for Albert Heijn employees leak and cause quite a stir

Working in a supermarket has been a popular part-time job for as long as anyone can remember. But Albert Heijn is making people question that. A letter containing rules has leaked, and it is displayed in an Albert Heijn branch. And those rules are rather… Remarkable. In any case, they are causing quite a commotion. 

Many young people gain their first work experience at Albert Heijn. Once, a long time ago, I also worked at Albert Heijn for a while. As a cashier. That really was a long time ago, I should emphasize. Self-checkouts did not exist yet, and you could buy a pack of cigarettes at the counter for € 5. I myself cannot remember any such bizarre rules. But if the rules below had been hanging in the staff room back then… I think I would have packed my bags pretty quickly.

Take note

It is not entirely clear which Albert Heijn branch these rules are displayed in. It is also unclear whether these rules apply to every Albert Heijn branch. “I’m curious what happened beforehand, because they really wouldn’t make this up for no reason,” reads one of the reactions under the Instagram post accompanying the photo. Well, the frustration does indeed seem to be dripping from it a little, with all those capital letters.

What immediately stands out to me? That if you are late three times or have a “mobile phone” on you after your shift, you may stay a little longer “to do a chore in your own time.” And that you have to be on the shop floor three to five minutes before your working hours begin. “Do they know that those three to five minutes simply have to be paid?” someone asks in the comments. “Young people, don’t let them fool you with these kinds of practices by terrible store managers. If your shift starts at 4:00 p.m., your shift starts at 4:00 p.m. and not 3:55 p.m. That means you go to the shop floor at 4:00 p.m. Nobody works for free,” reads another reaction.

Still, not everyone agrees. Some people think being late is really not done and that it is only logical that you have to make up that time later. “Being on time is simply part of your job, isn’t it? Seems more than logical to me. You arrive late on the boss’s time, so you work longer on your own time,” someone responds under the post.

Self-checkout area = off-limits

Spill the tea! Something Albert Heijn employees should also take note of: “It is a self-checkout area, not a tea-party area.” So if you see a little tea party taking place at the self-checkouts, you know the employees are doing it at risk to their own lives. In any case, the self-checkout area seems to be dangerous territory, judging by what I’m reading. In capital letters, bold type, and with three exclamation marks, it is heavily emphasized that you really cannot just go there if you are actually assigned to checkout 3. HOW DARE YOU GO OVER THERE!!!

Forcing random checks?

And what about those forced random checks? What is the story there? If I’m reading it correctly, you are in trouble in any case if you show up with a shopping cart containing more than 10 products. Many people in the comments are also surprised by the forcing of these checks. FavorFlav’s Wieke already does not trust Albert Heijn’s self-checkouts anyway. The subject is a difficult one, because it is a fact that more theft has taken place since the arrival of self-checkouts. But forcing random checks does not really seem to be the intention—although this Albert Heijn branch apparently thinks otherwise.

Mixed feelings

All in all, the reactions to the Albert Heijn rules are quite mixed. They range from “Minimum wage = minimum effort” and “This sounds more like community service than a part-time job” to “What is bizarre about this? This is how young people should be disciplined nowadays” and “They’re absolutely right; with today’s lax young people, this should be addressed.” One thing is certain: Albert Heijn has not exactly been getting great publicity lately. They are also already being taken to court because their receipts are still full of errors. On the other hand, they regularly do good things too. For example, they are the first supermarket to stop selling shrimp whose eyes have been cut off.

In any case, here’s one tip if you work at Albert Heijn: don’t have a tea party in the self-checkout area.

Also read:

• 9 of the strangest products at Albert Heijn
• Why are there so many different types of chicken breast at Albert Heijn?!
• Shelf stackers unite: this Instagram account feels your pain

Image: Instagram @cestmocro